When it comes to One Piece's supporting characters, Sabo is one of the most interesting. This original character has a rich history and is closely related to many main characters, including Monkey D. Luffy and Portgas D. Ace. But, Sabo's interesting story aside, people often wonder how important Sabo is to One Piece's story and how long he has been a part of it. In this article, we will explore this question as we will tell you when Sabo first appeared in the series.

Sabo first appeared in a flashback in the One Piece series. This was shown in chapter 583, titled "Gray Terminal – The Final Destination of Uncertainty," which was released on May 10, 2010, and is part of volume 17 of the manga. Sabo made his anime debut in episode 494, titled "Enter Sabo! The Boy From Gray Terminal," which premiered on April 17, 2011, as part of season 14 of the anime.

In this article, we'll tell you about the events surrounding Sabo's first appearance in the manga and anime. Sabo is, as we've said, a fairly important character in the series and has a very close relationship with Luffy, so it's essential for us to explain everything. There will be spoilers in this article, so be prepared.

When does Sabo first appear in One Piece?

As we said above, Sabo is an exceptionally important character in the world of One Piece. Although he doesn't appear in every episode and is only introduced halfway through the series (roughly), Sabo is a pivotal character in Luffy's past, and looking at his character development in recent chapters, we can only deduce that he is a vitally important character, especially for Luffy's story. This is why people continue to wonder when Sabo actually appeared, as he wasn't present at the beginning of the series.

Interestingly, Sabo made his debut in a flashback scene; it was only later that his story was expanded and connected to the present. Regardless, his debut is shown in chapter 583, titled "Gray Terminal – The Final Destination of Uncertainty," which was released on May 10, 2010, and is part of volume 17 of the manga. Sabo made his anime debut in episode 494, titled "Enter Sabo! The Boy From Gray Terminal," which premiered on April 17, 2011, as part of season 14 of the anime. Now, let's take a look at why Sabo's story is so specific.

What is Sabo's story in One Piece?

When Luffy was entrusted to Dadan by his grandfather Garp, Sabo and Ace were already best friends and had amassed a larger treasure through minor and major thefts when Luffy spotted them near the Gray Terminal. Since he seemed to be interfering with their plans to become pirates with the treasure, the two captured the boy and tied him to a tree to kill him. However, this proved more difficult than expected since neither of them had done anything like this before.

They also discovered Ace's latest victim, Polchemy, a pirate from the Bluejam pirate gang. The two took cover, but Luffy was caught by the pirates and kidnapped because he claimed not to know Ace or Sabo, but was bad at lying. After the two panicked and took their treasure to a new hiding place, Sabo discovered that Luffy had been tortured by Polchemy, but hadn't said a word. Impressed by Luffy's endurance and loyalty, Ace and Sabo broke into Polchemy's lair, freed Luffy, and together defeated Polchemy, who was then shot dead by his captain, Bluejam, for losing the money Ace stole from him and losing to two children.

It was then clear to the three of them that Sabo was no longer safe at the Gray Terminal—so he also checked in with Dadan without further ado. As a trio, they trained for the next time and together provided decent meals during the hunt. Luffy continued to challenge the two but lost every fight. The three of them also ventured to the capital of the Goa Kingdom, tangled with several small-time crooks, and ate at a few restaurants in the city, only to cheat on the bill. But on the street, they suddenly encountered Sabo's father, who recognized his son years after running away from home. Back in the forest of Colubo Mountain, the two friends confronted him, whereupon he confessed to having deceived them since he wasn't an orphan like the two of them, but an aristocrat who had run away from home.

While Ace and Luffy couldn't care less, Sabo told them his dream: he wants to travel the world and write a book about it. When the other two also describe their dreams, the three drink to their brotherhood. The three of them made the area dangerous for the next few weeks and helped each other wherever they could. In Foosha Village, they welcomed guests to the home of the young and pretty Makino, who was very popular with the mountain bandits. Garp also arrived in the snow in the meantime to give them three proper spankings. After a while, Dadan finally found a note signed by Ace, Sabo, and Luffy: The three had moved out and were now living in a shelter in the forest.

Their life together ended abruptly when Sabo's father found his son with the Bluejam Pirates and threatened to kill Ace and Luffy so that his son would no longer have a reason to survive in the forest. To protect his friends, Sabo then gave up his dreams and agreed to return voluntarily if his father spared his friends.

Back in town, Sabo wanted to prevent Ace and Luffy from being blamed for his disappearance, but he was powerless against the corrupt system in which Sabo's father could easily pursue any business he wanted with a stack of transparent berry bills. Back home, Sabo learns that he has a younger brother, Sterry, whom Sabo's parents adopted after their eldest son disappeared.

He eventually learned that the aristocrats were planning to burn down the Grey Terminal, along with all its trash and people, to present a clean cityscape for the next guest: a tenryūbito. Sabo tried with all his might to save the inhabitants of Grey Terminal but was stopped by the city's troops. On the city streets, Sabo encountered a man in a cloak—Dragon—who heard with horror Sabo's words that he was fed up with the abominable and inhumane conditions.

The day after the Great Fire, Sabo woke up at home to find himself in a desperate situation: his father told him that no matter how many times he ran away, he would always be brought back. Seeing no way out, the day the guest the aristocrats were expecting arrived, he simply stole a fishing boat, raised the pirate flag, and sailed out to sea, never to return. However, he soon crossed the path of the World Government ship that was carrying the Tenryūbito Jalmack-sei to the Kingdom of Goa. The young pirate was very excited about the large ship and was unprepared when Jalmack-sei opened fire on him with a bazooka, destroying his ship with two shots.

Dogura, who was watching from the shore, later told Ace, Luffy, and the others that Sabo was dead. Unnoticed by the passengers and crew aboard the World Aristocrat's ship, Dragon rescued the badly burned boy from the wreckage of the burning wreck. He took him to the rest of his revolutionary army, who anchored their ship off the coast of Shimotsuki. Dragon's men cared for him on board and restored him to life. However, when Sabo woke up, he couldn't even remember his name. The only thing left was the feeling that he would never be able to return to his homeland and his parents.

During the Battle of Marineford, he finds himself at a Revolutionary Army base and does not participate in the liberation battle. It is only when the battle and its results are reported in the newspaper and Sabo sees a photo of the dead Ace that Sabo's memory returns to his two brothers. Due to the shock, he loses consciousness for three days. Hack and Koala are by his side when he wakes up. Sabo immediately wants to speak to Dragon.

As Chief of the General Staff, Sabo comes to Dressrosa with Hack and Koala to prevent the country's weapons shipments from being distributed worldwide for warmongering purposes, and to win the Mera Mera no Mi Aces in the Corrida Colosseum Battle Tournament. In the catacombs, for the first time in so long, he meets his brother Luffy, who is entering the fighting tournament to win the Mera Mera no Mi, which Donquixote gave to Doflamingo as the winner's prize. And... what happens next? Well, we won't reveal all the details here; this was just a small glimpse into Sabo's story, which only gets better, so we recommend starting (or continuing) watching One Piece to find out what happens next.