Disclaimer: This article contains manga spoilers to the Dressrosa arc, as well as spoilers to the novel Don Quixote and its sequel.

After several articles on the current and potential allies of the Straw Hats, let’s shift focus to the main antagonist of the current arc: Don Quixote Doflamingo. Considering his name, Doflamingo certainly fits the role for the antagonist of the Spanish-themed country of Dressrosa. In addition, Oda has also taken a rather unusual source of inspiration for such a character: Hinduism and Buddhism.

Doflamingo the Flamingo

The Seven Warlords of the Sea are named, almost entirely, after members of the animal kingdom. Based on the name alone, it’s clear that the animal he represents is the flamingo. The way he struts around like a bird in his trademark pink feather boa serves to reinforce this motif. Luffy had even called him Bird Man (鳥男 Torio) for a while before switching to Mingo. Various species of the flamingos can be found in the Americas and the Old World. The most widespread of which is the greater flamingo, which populate parts of Africa, southern Asia, and southern Europe. Being a wading bird, they have webbed feet and long thin legs, though flamingos are usually seen standing in the water with only one leg. One distinctive feature of this bird is the pink coloration of its plumage, which can be attributed to β-carotene pigments produced by the bacteria in their diets of shrimps and other crustaceans. Flamingos are also known to be very social birds, and are commonly seen flocking in colonies. Incidentally, Doflamingo also formed his own tight-knit family after killing his own father.

The word flamingo is derived from the Portuguese flamingo, which in turn is derived from Spanish flamengo (flame-colored), a reference to the color of the bird’s plume. Both words ultimately originate from flamma, the Latin word for flame. Incidentally, the Spanish word for flamingo is flamenco, sharing its namesake to a form of Spanish folk music and dance that originated from the Andalusian region. Interestingly enough, the term flamenco can also refer to arrogant or flamboyant behavior, matching up to Doflamingo’s personality. In Japanese, the flamingo can be translated as benidzuru (紅鶴), literally meaning crimson crane. The term contains the character tsuru (鶴), which is also the name of one of the vice admirals. Tsuru has also been shown to have some history with him that had been hinted as early as Jaya arc and as recently as the flashback in the current arc.

While it is based on the name of a bird, the name Doflamingo itself is neither an actual name, nor an actual word. The additional syllable “do” may have been added to make his given name alliterate with his family name. It may also involve the name Domingo, which is both the Spanish word for Sunday and the Spanish cognate of the name Dominic. Serving as a particularly common name among Roman Catholics, the name Domingo and its various cognates originate from the Latin word dominicus, meaning “of the Lord” or “lordly”, relating to his former status as a Celestial Dragon, as well as his god-complex.

The Heavenly Demon

His epithet in Japanese is Tenyasha (天夜叉), which is rendered to as Heavenly Demon in English. The English translation of his epithet alludes to the idea of a fallen angel, a reference to how Doflamingo was rejected from returning to the holy land of Marie Jois. In both languages, there is a connection between his epithet and the term Celestial Dragon (天竜人 Tenryūbito). In English, both celestial and heavenly are synonyms meaning “of or relating to the heavens.” In Japanese, both terms share the character 天 (heavens), serving as another hint to Doflamingo’s former position.

In Hinduism, yaksha are nature spirits with a dual personality and are usually portrayed as fearsome warriors. On one hand, they are usually benevolent beings living in the forest and mountains, serving as guardians to the natural treasures hidden beneath the earth. On the other, they are similar to ghouls who haunt the wilderness and devour travelers who are unfortunate enough to pass by them. The characteristics of the more benevolent side are reflected in a rather twisted manner when Doflamingo is shown to operate an underground factory run by slaves consisting of the little people from the Tontatta tribe, and prisoners who have been turned into toys. Fittingly, the English translation of his epither alludes to the malevolent side of the yaksha.

The yaksha was later adopted into Buddhism and portrayed as one of the races in the Eight Legions (八部衆 Hachibushū). The Eight Legions are eight races of supernatural beings serving as guardians in Buddhism, referring to the Deva, Nāga, Yaksha, Asura, Garuda, Kinnara, Gandharva and Mahoraga. The Eight Legion have also been referred to as Tenryūhachibushū (天龍八部衆), where the additional characters of 天 (heaven) and 龍 (dragon) refer to the top two races: Deva and Naga. These two characters are also similar to the one used for the Japanese name of the Celestial Dragon, where 龍 is an older variant of the character 竜. With Yaksha as the third in rank, it may have been a reference to how Doflamingo was “demoted” from the position of the Celestial Dragon.

In addition to the Eight Legions, the Twelve Heavenly Generals are a group of yaksha serving as guardian deities of Bhaiṣajyaguru, also known as the Medicine Buddha. Similarly, the Seven Warlords of the Sea are seven powerful pirates who become privateers to the World Government, to which Doflamingo serves as one of those pirates. Coincidentally, Sengoku the Buddha also served as the fleet admiral around the time Doflamingo took the position as a warlord.

One of the more influential scriptures in East Asian Buddhism is the Vimalakīrti Sūtra. According to this Buddhist text, the yaksha are divided into three classes based on where they reside: the ground, the heavens, and the void. The terrestrial yaksha (地夜叉) are bound to the earth due to their greed in their past life, while the heavenly yaksha (天夜叉) are able to fly through the use of chariots and horses. As shown in the series, Doflamingo is able to “fly” into the sky through the use of his strings.

The Joker

As an underground broker, Doflamingo took the alias Joker to handle his business. The Joker is a unique playing card, usually added in pairs to the standard 52 playing cards in modern card packs. As shown by the name, the design on the card is a joker, otherwise known as a jester. Historically, the jester plays as a fool in court to entertain the ruler. Both the joker and jester serve to provide humor, relating to the SMILE produced in his factory.

Doflamingo was shown holding Ace’s fruit at the beginning of the arc, where the ace is a playing card with a single suit symbol and is considered to be a trump card in certain games. Continuing the card motif in this arc, the four executives are named after their respective card suits in Spanish: corazón (heart), diamante (diamond), pica (spade), and trébol (clover). Considering how Corazon is only a title for Rocinante and Vergo (whose name is Esperanto for “rod”), it may be assumed that the other three are also titles.

The Ingenious Warlord Don Quixote of Dressrosa

Doflamingo’s surname is Don Quixote, sharing his namesake to that of the protagonist of a famed Spanish novel written by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally titled El ingenioso hidalgo don Quixote de la Mancha (The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha), it is considered to be one of the most influential pieces of Spanish literature. The novel had been considered successful enough that a sequel was written a decade later by the same author. Before writing Don Quixote, Cervantes studied Renaissance culture in Italy, but was later enlisted in the Spanish Navy Marines. During the Battle of Lepanto, he lost the use of his left arm and was later hospitalized for six months in Sicily. Incidentally, Riku’s army featured a man named Tank Lepanto, serving as a reference to the author. After recovering from the war, Cervantes decided to sail back to Barcelona, but was attacked by Algerian corsairs and taken to Algier as a slave. After he was ransomed by his parents and returned to his home country, he proceeded to use his experience for his works, including Don Quixote.

In the novel, the real name of the eponymous character of the story is Alonso Quixano, a hidalgo. Being a member of Spanish nobility, he is addressed as Don, an honorific title used in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Latin America, where it was historically used to refer to nobility. Currently, it’s a title used to refer to a person of distinct honor or wealth. The term can also be used to refer to a crime boss, hinting to Doflamingo’s double role as a former World Noble and an underground broker.

Having read one too many chivalric novels, Quixano had a fit of madness and started referring to himself as Don Quixote, where he then set upon a journey to revive chivalry. In Spanish, the term Quixote refers to cuisses, otherwise known as the thigh armor. The suffix -ote is a suffix indicating something is augmented. As such, Quixote may also be a pun that roughly means Great Quixano, possibly referring to his delusions of grandeur. Due to a shift in sounds, the name is spelled as Quijote in modern Spanish. In addition, the word quixotic has entered into the English language and defined by Merriam-Webster as something that is “foolishly impractical especially in the pursuit of ideals,” which is alluded to by Doflamingo’s dream of becoming the King of the Pirates.

Don Quixote’s servant, Sancho Panza, became his squire and accompanies his master on his journey. Despite being an illiterate man, Sancho provides practical advice to Don Quixote through the use of Spanish proverbs. While he follows his master faithfully throughout his journey, Sancho is not deluded like Don Quixote initially, furthering the contrast between him and his master. Similarly, Trebol has been accompanying Doflamingo since his childhood, while presumably giving him some advice along the way. Unfortunately for Sancho, he also tends to be on the receiving end of Don Quixote’s antics. In the series, Trebol is also subjected to a number of humiliating things, such as serving as Sugar’s bodyguard and getting easily disabled by Law’s Radio Knife. In addition, Sancho Panza is portrayed to be a short and portly character, serving as a foil to Don Quixote’s tall and thin look. Likewise, Trebol is an unkempt character with a slimy appearance, contrasting with Doflamingo’s graceful figure.

The name of Don Quixote’s horse is Rocinante, sharing its namesake to Doflamingo’s brother. As revealed in the novel, the name is derived from rocín (work horse) and ante (before; in front of), giving it the meaning of a foremost steed. The word rocín also connotes an illiterate man, possibly referenced in the series when Rocinante was assumed to be mute. In the novel, the horse is portrayed to be Don Quixote’s double, an awkward character that is past his prime. Similarly, Doflamingo’s brother was a fairly clumsy character involved in a secret mission. Although he experienced the same pain as Doflamingo, Rocinante had good intentions when he joined the Navy. Despite the differences, Rocinante is also shown to share some similarities with his brother, where both had acted as Law’s surrogate father and would commit violent acts in a fit of anger. Similar to the two brothers, the eponymous character in the novel also gives in easily to anger and violently intervenes in various matters, resulting in injuries and humiliation.

One infamous scene in the novel is when Don Quixote fights against a windmill, imagining that it is a giant. Incidentally, there is a giant that had appeared in the tournament in the form of Hajruddin. While there doesn’t seem to be any windmills in Dressrosa, Luffy is from the Fuusha Village, where its name is derived from the Japanese word for windmill (風車 fuusha). The phrase “tilting at windmills” (Spanish: luchar contra molinos de viento) has been used to describe confrontations against incorrectly perceived opponents or persistent engagement in futile activities, foreshadowing that all of Doflamingo’s plans are in vain.

In the sequel, Don Quixote returns to his adventures some time after being persuaded to return to his hometown at the end of the previous novel, where he and Sancho are deceived into imagined adventures by a duke and a duchess. Don Quixote later retired to the countryside after having lost a match to which he promises to cease his chivalrous acts for a year. Having a deadly illness, he recovered his sanity after waking up from a dream, where he renounces his previous ambition and apologizes for his actions. He soon passed on after dictating his will.

It’s expected that Doflamingo will be defeated at the end of the arc. Given the nature of the series as well as the ending of Don Quixote, Doflamingo could still survive after having been defeated, hopefully through the joint efforts of Luffy and Law. He would then be forced to watch his dreams, after years of planning, crumble before him, to the point that he may renounce his ambition of becoming the King of the Pirates. Considering the ending of the sequel, it’s also likely that Doflamingo will die slowly as he realizes this, while Trebol tries to comfort him, giving a tragic end to this villainous character.

“Chao Time” is a bi-weekly editorial feature that is posted every other Wednesday only at The One Piece Podcast website.