One Piece by author Eiichiro Oda is commonly considered by fans to have some of the greatest foreshadowing in manga. By setting up ideas that don’t see payoff for hundreds of chapters, fans are kept speculating and, when the narrative finally does explore the previously established concepts, it creates an unbeatable sense of cohesive and satisfying storytelling.
Foreshadowing is a literary device that effectively builds tension in a story by leaving subtle hints and unanswered questions. The device has been used by many authors over the course of history, so it naturally shows up in countless other manga series besides One Piece. And, in some cases, other manga utilize foreshadowing just as well as Oda’s magnum opus.
Guts’ Birth is Just as Traumatic as His Life in Berserk
Even though the Berserk manga still hasn’t concluded due to the unfortunate death of its author, Kentaro Miura, there are many examples of foreshadowing that see a conclusion in its almost 400 chapters. One that becomes obvious right from the beginning of the story is that Guts was destined for a traumatic life.
In his backstory, it is revealed that Guts was born by being cut from his mother’s stomach after she was hanged. From then on, he only experiences fleeting moments of happiness amid constant loss and bloodshed. As fate is such an important theme throughout Berserk, the characters’ destinies are foreshadowed as if they were always set in stone.
Griffith’s lifelong ambition to control a kingdom is often portrayed by a castle on a faraway hill. Although he is within reach of his goal in the Golden Age arc, the castle never gets any closer after his fatal mistake of sleeping with Princess Charlotte, resulting in his imprisonment. Griffith constantly uses others to his advantage in Berserk, which culminates in him sacrificing the Band of the Hawk in the Eclipse.
Attack on Titan Hints Early at What is Outside the Walls
One of the greatest mysteries throughout Attack on Titan is what exactly resides outside the three walls. The breach of Wall Maria at the beginning of the manga introduces the titans, but there are more subtle hints that the Eldians might not be the last of civilization.
Eren’s father, Grisha Yeager, is loved by the townspeople of Shiganshina for saving them from a plague, but their medieval-era medicine wouldn’t have stopped an epidemic. This hints that Grisha had knowledge of modern medicine from outside the walls.
Another huge piece of foreshadowing that only shows up in Attack on Titan’s manga is the mysterious dream Eren has in the first chapter. For a first-time reader, seeing Eren saying goodbye to Mikasa might not ring any immediate alarm bells, but right at the end of the manga, the truth is finally revealed. The dream was of the alternative, peaceful timeline that Eren shows Mikasa where they run away together, before Mikasa ultimately refuses and takes his life.
Chainsaw Man Constantly Foreshadows Its Biggest Villain
Denji’s desperation for any kind of human connection initially hides the true intentions of Chainsaw Man‘s most formidable villain. However, to skeptical fans, it became increasingly obvious as the series went on that Makima was not the benevolent force she made herself out to be.
Makima’s true nature as the Control Devil and Denji’s biggest enemy is foreshadowed throughout Chainsaw Man, as her keen sense of smell likens her to other devils and fiends. This revelation ultimately becomes Makima’s undoing, as Denji realizes she does not recognize him by sight, allowing him to mask his scent to get close enough to kill her. Despite fans criticizing Tatsuki Fujimoto for Chainsaw Man‘s final manga chapter, his skilled storytelling techniques are clearly present throughout the series.
Light Should Have Seen His End Coming in Death Note
Death Note is known for its highly intelligent characters who are masterminds at manipulation. Few are smarter than Light Yagami himself, but famously he failed to achieve his goal of becoming a god of the new world. Really, Light should have seen it coming, as Ryuk told him right from their first meeting how his life would end.
Ryuk tells him that when he dies, he’ll be the one writing his name in the Death Note. This prophecy comes true in Chapter 107, but that doesn’t stop Light from pathetically begging for mercy. Light is not the only Death Note character whose fate seems to be sealed early on in the story, as the same could be said for his antagonist, L.
L’s true identity is shrouded in mystery, as he initially only communicates through his assistant, Watari, for his own safety. Fans saw L’s face in Chapter 11 when he reveals himself for the first time, and it eventually becomes evident why L had never shown his face before then, as becoming too close to his suspect, Light, was the precise reason why his name was eventually written in the Death Note.
Bleach Plays the Long Game With Deceptive Hints
Just like One Piece, Bleach is a long-running shonen manga series, with almost 700 chapters in total. Although fans like to joke that author Tite Kubo wrote many of the story’s arcs based on fan theories, there are multiple examples of foreshadowing that prove Bleach to be more complex than he’s given credit for.
Shinji Hirako writing his name backwards in his introduction to Ichigo’s classmates may have come off as quirky at first, but it was actually a hint towards his Bankai ability to reverse perception, revealed 200 chapters later. Ichigo’s connection to the Quincy and his true heritage is also surprisingly foreshadowed much earlier than it was eventually revealed. One of the most subtle hints is Ichigo’s cross emblem on his bedsheets, a mark that is closely associated with the Quincy.
Similarly, the cover of Bleach Chapter 352 shows Ichigo’s hollow mask cracked and merging with his face. Fans realized later this was a reference to his true Bankai, and his Shinigami, Hollow, and Quincy powers integrating into his final form in the Thousand-Year Blood War arc.