Despite fans’ hopes for a peaceful adventure in the land of the Giants, the World Government unfortunately seems to have had different plans with the Holy Knights’ arrival setting into motion another chaotic series of events that might even give the Egghead Arc a run for its money. Clearly, a huge battle is looming ahead on Elbaf, and One Piece already has the perfect opponent for Luffy. Surprisingly enough, it isn’t Loki but one of the newly introduced Holy Knights, St. Killingham, who, as per the latest chapter, has a very broken devil fruit ability.

Chapter 1143 of One Piece reveals that St. Killingham possesses the Dragon-Dragon Fruit Model: Kirin, a mythical Zoan that allows him to put his targets to sleep and turn their dreams into reality. Killingham’s introduction card even refers to him as a “dream-manifesting man,” confirming that he’s the one responsible for putting the Giant children to sleep and bringing the beings from their nightmares, called sleeptids, to life. The chapter also sees Killingham use this ability on St. Sommers, putting him to sleep in an instant and pulling out the salt from his dreams. Besides being similarly goofy, St. Sommers’s devil fruit makes him the perfect match-up for Luffy and Gear Five’s similar imagination-powered, reality-defying abilities.

[RELATED: One Piece’s Elbaf Arc Already Has the Best Opponent for Sanji]

One Piece Sets up Killingham as the Perfect Opponent For Luffy

With St. Killingham being responsible for the nightmarish creatures currently wreaking havoc on Elbaf, this makes him a top priority in terms of the order in which the Holy Knights need to be taken out. Defeating a devil fruit user typically deactivates the effects of their devil fruit, which means defeating Killingham would be the fastest way to make the sleeptids disappear.

Moreover, with every successive chapter, it is becoming clearer and clearer that Loki may not be Luffy’s opponent after all. Several hints currently point to Loki being innocent of his crimes, and if so, he may be an ally to the Straw Hats instead, leaving St. Killingham as the perfect replacement for Luffy’s big opponent in Elbaf.

More importantly, St. Killingham’s powers are almost just as goofy as Luffy’s. Chapter 1143 reveals just how his dream manifesting ability works, with Killingham first emitting waves that put his target to sleep before physically reaching into the sleeping person’s cloud-like thought bubble and pulling out the object they’re dreaming of.

Much like how the Nika Fruit relies on its user’s imagination, Killingham’s ability relies on his target’s imagination and dreams. His ability to manifest dreams in of itself defies reality much like Gear Five, and it will surely be incredibly fun to see how these two broken devil fruits perform against each other, especially since Luffy has also displayed to ability to manifest objects on Egghead against the Five Elders. St. Killingham’s devil fruit has already created the perfect battlefield on Elbaf for Gear Five to shine, and in Loki and Shamrock’s absence, it is hard to see a better opponent for Luffy than him, though only time will tell where One Piece’s Elbaf Arc goes with the match-ups.

One Piece is available to read from Manga Plus and Viz Media.

The post One Piece: Luffy’s Next Opponent Has a Devil Fruit That Could Rival His Own appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The One Piece Cafe has become a hit in Las Vegas since it swung open its doors last year, proving that the Straw Hat Pirates have become a hit in North America. With Luffy and company routinely chowing down during their many travels on the Grand Line, it should make sense that Eiichiro Oda’s shonen series is tailor-made for edible crossovers. Earlier this year, ice cream purveyors Baskin-Robbins were teasing that a One Piece crossover was on the way and this teaser has been confirmed as the retailers have revealed a first look at the Straw Hat promotion.

While this crossover is a Japan-exclusive, Baskin-Robbins still shared the goods with all anime fans worldwide. The event will take place from April 1st next month until May 8th, offering Straw Hat enthusiasts the chance to pick up ice cream that would fit right into the Grand Line. Here are the flavors that Baskin-Robbins has confirmed as a part of this anime collaboration and you can check out the new poster released for this crossover below.

• Gomu Gomu no Fruit Punch
• Luffy Suge!! Pirate Double Cup
• Zoro & Sanji Royoyoku Sundae
• Nami Kirakira Orange Sundae
• Chopper Sakura Amaama Sundae
• Egghead Ice Cream Set

[RELATED: Problematic One Piece Figurine Stirs Up Controversy]

The One Piece Crossovers of Legend

When it comes to anime crossovers, One Piece has its fair share of team-ups that we’ve seen in the past. The legendary meeting of the Straw Hat Pirates and the Z-Fighters took place in a special episode of One Piece that brought in the characters of Dragon Ball Z for a one-off adventure. Thanks to video games like Jump Force, Luffy has been able to fight side-by-side with far more anime characters than just Goku as the fighting game features the likes of Yu Yu Hakusho, My Hero Academia, Naruto, Hunter x Hunter, and many more. With Eiichiro Oda’s masterpiece in its final saga, it will be interesting to see if the Straw Hats have any more anime crossovers before the end.

Thanks to the One Piece Netflix adaptation, the shonen franchise is getting another highly anticipated crossover. As one of the first anime projects for LEGO, the Going Merry and various locales will be recreated via the building sets that have become the top of their field over the years. Considering how long anime fans have been hoping to see any anime franchise receive official LEGO sets of their own to join the likes of Marvel, Star Wars, and more, starting with One Piece feels like a safe bet for getting the ball rolling on potential future anime sets.

Want to see if this Baskin-Robbins anime collab will make its way to the West in the future? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on One Piece and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

Via Baskin-Robbins Official Website

The post Baskin-Robbins Shares First Look At Its One Piece Ice Cream appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Straw Hats haven’t been in Elbaf for long, but the fight has already begun as the Holy Knights catch the Giants off guard. The Holy Knights were first mentioned in One Piece Chapter 1054 when Akainu and the Gorosei discussed the aftermath of the chaotic Reverie Arc. Akainu mentions that the Holy Knights intervened after the attempted murder of Saint Charlos and the accusation that Saint Mjosgard let the attacker escape. While this chapter barely tells us anything about the Holy Knights, they were again mentioned in Chapter 1083 when Sabo reunited with the Revolutionary Army and reported everything to Dragon and Ivankov. Dragon mentions that the real war against the World Government will begin when the Holy Knights are immobilized.

This further hypes up the antagonistic group as we learn just how dangerous they are to the Revolutionary Army. Garling’s introduction in Chapter 1086 gives us a glimpse at their social standing as the man executes another Celestial Dragon. The Holy Knights were already established as a powerful group of fighters, but now we are finally learning more about them in the Elbaf Arc. They are the main villains of this arc as we meet four new members. The battle in Elbaf will be intense, and the crew will face their biggest challenge yet. While we can’t say for certain which Holy Knight will fight the crew members, it seems Eiichiro Oda already has plans for Sanji.

[RELATED: One Piece Fans May Be Expecting Too Much From Usopp in Elbaf Arc]

One Piece’s Sommers Will Be a Worthy Opponent for Sanji

Saint Sommers of the Shepherd family is from the same bloodline as Saint Ju Peter. He is introduced in Chapter 1140 when he is summoned to Elbaf without his knowledge. In Chapter 1143, he explains his twisted philosophy of love. He believes that every love has its thorns and that love is the passion to reach out and squeeze someone tight. Even though the thorns hurt them, he believes there’s real “emotion” in killing. For someone as powerful as Sommers, nothing excites him more than “death by love.”

Sommers has the power of a Thorn-Thorn Fruit, which grants him the ability to grow thorns around himself, other people, and basically anything he sees. If someone tries to touch a person ensnared by Sommers’ thorns, they will be injured as well. It’s worse when the thorns hovering around the target are seemingly invisible, making it easier for others to fall into Sommers’s trap. It also obscures the true nature of his devil fruit. Sommers’s idea of love and causing pain to others based on their emotional bonds heavily contrasts with Sanji, who represents the themes of love and kindness in One Piece.

Sommers’s powers are quite tricky and will prove to be quite challenging for Sanji, who is more of a straightforward fighter. Sanji’s Haki and exoskeleton are powerful, but there’s no guarantee how powerful Sommers is in terms of close combat. However, Sanji does have an advantage with his fire abilities, which can potentially burn Sommers’s vines. The pirate also has one of the best Observation Haki in the series, so he may be able to figure out where the vines are located.

Sanji and His Theme of Love in One Piece

When it comes to representing the themes of love in One Piece, no one does it better than Sanji. His portrayal as the kindest character and his unwavering chivalry heavily contrasts that of Sommers. Sanji’s devotion to women is seen as representing a romanticized version of love, while his unwavering loyalty and care for Luffy and the others embody the kind of love centered on friendship and brotherhood. Rather than fighting based on their strength, it will be exciting to see a clash of ideals as they both have completely different outlooks on love. Sanji’s selflessness and willingness to sacrifice himself for those he holds dear is another one of the aspects that’s different from Sommers.

Compared to Sanji, the villain’s love appears to be possessive and punishing. The stronger feelings someone has towards Sommers’ targets, the more pain they will be in. That said, so far, it’s only an assumption that the two will fight, but who knows what Oda has in store for us. With so many Holy Knights invading the island, the crew will be forced to fight some powerful enemies. As usual, we can expect at least Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji to have amazing one-on-one fights with the villains, where each of these pirates pushes past their limits and becomes stronger than ever.

The post One Piece’s Elbaf Arc Already Has the Best Opponent for Sanji appeared first on ComicBook.com.

One Piece is about to take to the field as Luffy and the Straw Hats have teamed up with the Bundesliga soccer club Borussia Dortmund for a cool new game day collaboration. One Piece has been getting ready to come back for new episodes of the anime following a historic hiatus that has been lasting for six months, and fans around the world have been able to bask in that return with all sorts of cool new collaborations. As has seen in the last few months specifically, One Piece is taking over the worlds of various sports to bring anime to the masses.

Just this year, One Piece has teamed up with the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers for a special game night, they are getting ready to team with MLB’s Seattle Mariners for a game night of their own, and now it’s been revealed that One Piece has teamed up with the Bundesliga soccer club Borussia Dortmund for a special match day coming later this month. To celebrate this new collaboration with the major football club, you can check out the special poster for the team up below.

What’s New for This One Piece Collab?

As detailed on One Piece’s official website, this new  “BVB × ONE PIECE Matchday 2025” will be taking place during the home game between Borussia Dortmund and 1.FSV Mainz 05 at Signal Iduna Park in Germany on Sunday, March 30th local time. Along with showing off more of the One Piece Card Game during the event (with a special promo card available for those who try it out at the venue), there will also be special merchandise and other goods combining the two franchises that will only be available there. It’s also teasing a special team up between Tony Tony Chopper and the Borussia Dortmund mascot, EMMA.

This is far from the only major team up that One Piece has had with sports teams in the last few months, and will likely be far from the last especially as One Piece will be returning for new episodes of the anime later this Spring. The series has been on a historic six month hiatus following the first half of the Egghead Arc last Fall, so fans have been anxious to see how all of these episodes have been developing in the time since. Now that it’s almost here, it’s finally time to really celebrate with events like this.

RELATED: New One Piece Spinoff Anime Announced

When Is The One Piece Anime Coming Back?

One Piece: Egghead Arc Part 2 is finally coming back for new episodes beginning on April 5th in Japan, and will be streaming with Netflix and Crunchyroll. There’s going to be a full premiere weekend with Crunchyroll too as along with the new episode, they will be sharing a special 83 minute recap special of the first half of the Egghead Arc to help fans get back up to speed with the new episodes. But that’s not all as a second new episode will quickly premiere the next day, April 6th, that weekend as well.

One Piece Episode 1123 (the first episode of this major comeback) will be launching with Crunchyroll on April 5th, followed by the release of Episode 1124 on April 6th for fans in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Latin America. It’s also been announced that the new episodes will feature a new opening theme titled “Angels and Demons” as performed by GRe4N BOYZ, and a new ending theme performed by muque. It’s going to be a big Spring for One Piece fans.

The post One Piece Teams Up With Borussia Dortmund for Cool New Collab appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Warning: Spoilers Ahead for One Piece Chapter 1143!

The One Piece manga introduces Prince Loki as soon as the Ebaf Arc begins. He was first mentioned in The Whole Cake Island Arc as Lola Charlotte’s fiance who proposed to marry her. However, the latter runs away from home in hopes of finding new love, which further ruins Big Mom’s relationship with Elbaf. The ongoing Elbaf Arc unveils his character design along with a shocking truth about him. Loki is currently serving his sentence in the Underworld for the crime of killing his father, the beloved King Harald. The Giants claimed that Loki did that out of greed for a mysterious devil fruit that has been passed down in the royal family for generations.

Not only that, but the Giants have always called Loki the “Cursed Prince” of Elbaf. Ever since he was young, he’d commit arson, let the monsters of the underworld loose on villages, and cause all kinds of mischief in the villages. When Harald died 14 years ago, all the Giants tried to capture Loki but the latter overpowered them and ran away. It wasn’t until six years ago when Shanks brought him back to Elbaf and imprisoned him there. The Giants painted Loki as a cruel being, but the reality is something else entirely.

[RELATED: It’s About Time Netflix’s One Piece Remake Shares a New Update]

Loki Is Hiding a Major Truth From Everyone in One Piece

In the latest installment, Chapter 1143 of One Piece, Hajrudin and Loki finally come face to face after years. Hajudin is Loki’s older half-brother, who openly shows hostility towards him. Although Hajrudin and Loki share the same father, the former isn’t considered a prince because his mother is from humble origins. Loki and Hajrudin grew up together but were worlds apart in terms of strength and personality. The older sibling always hated Loki for insulting him and his mother. Things turn even worse between them when Loki allegedly kills Harald.

When the two meet again after several years, Hajrudin throws all kinds of accusations at Loki but the latter is rather calm. Loki sounds as if he pities Hajurdin and asks him to take a look at the woods around them, which are in terrible condition. He also talks about the accusation of killing Harald by being blinded by greed. However, Loki knows Hajrudin doesn’t truly believe all that nonsense, and as expected, the latter has a complicated expression on his face. This is the case, whether Loki is purposely hiding the truth or if no one refuses to believe him.

Furthermore, the sentence is highly ambiguous; it could imply that he didn’t kill Harald out of greed or malice, casting doubt on the circumstances of his actions. However, he also doesn’t explicitly say he killed his father at all. It could be possible that it wasn’t even Loki who killed Harald. Giants like Jarul, who were present at the scene of the crime, know the truth but are also hiding it from everyone. Therefore, the truth about 14 years ago is still shrouded in mystery. As Chapter 1143 ends on a cliffhanger, we may find out more about the past in the coming weeks.

The post One Piece Finally Proves Loki Innocent of a Horrible Crime appeared first on ComicBook.com.

One Piece is finally on the verge on making its long awaited anime return after the longest hiatus in the series’ history, and fans have finally got a look at these new episodes with a new teaser trailer. One Piece: Egghead Arc brought the first part of its run to an end last Fall, but it was shockingly announced that the anime would then be going on a six month hiatus so that the team behind the scenes could better prepare for what comes next. Though at the time it seemed like the wait would last forever, that hiatus is actually coming to an end soon.

One Piece: Egghead Arc Part 2 will finally be returning for its new episodes in just a little over a week from the time of this publication, and Toei Animation is finally letting fans get the first look at how it’s all going to be in motion when the anime returns. One Piece has dropped the first look at the anime’s big comeback (featuring the new opening theme coming to the series), and you can check it out in the video above.

What’s New for One Piece: Egghead Arc Part 2?

As revealed in this first real trailer showing off One Piece: Egghead Arc Part 2, the anime will be returning with a brand new opening theme titled “Angels and Demons” as performed by GRe4N BOYZ. It has also been announced that muque will be behind the new ending theme too. One Piece: Egghead Arc Part 2 will be making its debut on April 5th in Japan, and will be streaming with both Netflix and Crunchyroll. But there are going to be some big premiere plans in place with Crunchyroll to celebrate One Piece’s return from this historic hiatus that fans should get ready for.

Crunchyroll will be offering an 83 minute long recap special for One Piece: Egghead Arc Part 1 for any fans who need a refresher before the new episodes start their run. One Piece Episode 1123 (the first episode of this major comeback) will then be launching with Crunchyroll on April 5th, followed by the release of Episode 1124 on April 6th for fans in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Latin America. So it’s actually going to be a double premiere weekend for fans after waiting for such a long time.

RELATED: AnimeJapan 2025: Every Major Anime Announced

What’s Next for One Piece?

This isn’t the only major project that One Piece now has in the works either. Not only is there the second season of the live-action series with Netflix now in development (as the original showrunner has stepped down in the midst of it), but Netflix also has a full remake now in the works too. Titled The One Piece, this new anime is re-adapting Eiichiro Oda’s original manga series from the very beginning and will be much closer to the original manga than what was seen in the anime the first time around.

One Piece also has a new anime spinoff now on the way to celebrate One Piece: Egghead Arc Part 2‘s premiere. Koisuru One Piece (which can also be translated into One Piece In Love) is an officially recognized spinoff of the main series that follows a young boy and girl duo who share names with members of the Straw Hat crew and bond over One Piece. It will be launching across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok on a daily basis across April 1 through 5 in Japan, but international release plans for the series have yet to be determined.

The post One Piece Finally Reveals First Trailer for Anime’s Long-Awaited Comeback appeared first on ComicBook.com.

One Piece is gearing up for a huge return to screens later this Spring, and to celebrate there’s a brand new spinoff anime also on the way as well. One Piece took the stage during the AnimeJapan 2025 weekend, and revealed some of their big plans for the anime’s future. Now that the anime will be returning from its historic hiatus after six long months, those behind the scenes have been preparing for a much bigger return than fans expected. This includes a brand new spinoff anime series that will be launching with social media and other web platforms around the same time.

During AnimeJapan 2025, Toei Animation and the One Piece franchise officially announced the upcoming release of Koisuru One Piece, an official anime adaptation of the manga series that follows a group of friends who share the same names as members of the Straw Hat crew. This new Shonen Jump+ anime spinoff will be making its debut across YouTube, Instagram and TikTok in Japan on a daily basis starting on April 1st to help commemorate One Piece‘s anime return. Check out the announcement poster for the new spinoff below.

What Is Koisuru One Piece?

Koisuru One Piece (which can also be translated into One Piece In Love) was first created by Daiki Ihara for Shueisha’s Shonen Jump+ service in 2018. It’s an officially recognized spinoff of the main services that follows a young boy and girl duo (along with their third wheel) who share names with members of the Straw Hat crew who end up bonding over their love of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece franchise. Miki Kobayashi will be producing the new anime series with Yu Kamatani and Hazuki Omoya serving as directors for Toei Animation.

It will be launching across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok on a daily basis across April 1 through 5 to help hype up the premiere for One Piece: Egghead Arc Part 2 on the 6th. But it has yet to be announced if there will be any availability for the anime outside of Japan as of the time of this publication, however. Koisuru One Piece‘s new anime will also feature Hanao Iida as the character designer, Midori Tanaka as art director, Emi Nakajima as color designer, and Kosuke Ohori as director of photography. The voice cast will feature the main trio of Ryosuke Kanemoto as Luffy Yamamoto, Ayane Sakura as Nami Koyama, and Yuichi Nakamura as Usopp Nakatsugawa.

RELATED: One Piece’s Biggest Bad Gets an English Dub Voice (But Fans Are Still Confused): Watch

One Piece: Egghead Part 2 Release Date Revealed

One Piece: Egghead Arc Part 2 will be making its debut on April 6th in Japan, and will be streaming with both Netflix and Crunchyroll. There will be some big release plans with Crunchyroll that weekend, however, as during AnimeJapan2025 it was announced that Crunchyroll is planning a double premiere weekend or the anime’s return. Not only will they be releasing a special 83 minute long recap special for the first half of One Piece’s Egghead Arc that ended last Fall, but they will also be offering the first two new episodes of the anime’s return.

One Piece Episode 1123 will be launching with Crunchyroll on April 5th, followed by the release of Episode 1124 on April 6th for fans in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Latin America. So after waiting for such a long time for these new episodes, One Piece fans are about to get even more of the anime than they can handle to make up for all of that lost time.

The post New One Piece Spinoff Anime Announced appeared first on ComicBook.com.

One Piece took a break from its final saga last year, giving the animators at Toei Animation more time to work on the Egghead Island Arc as a remaster of the Fishman Island Saga ran. If you’re a fan of the Straw Hat Pirates, the time is almost upon us for Luffy and his crew to once again fight against the World Government in the nail-biting storyline. In only a few days, One Piece’s anime adaptation is planning to once again air new episodes and Crunchyroll has announced that the streaming service is rolling out the red carpet for Eiichiro Oda’s shonen masterpiece. One Piece’s “Premiere Weekend” is coming and here’s what you can expect from the festivities.

On April 5th, the 1123rd episode of One Piece will air on Crunchyroll, but that’s not all as episode 1124 will then arrive one day later on April 6th. On top of the new episode premieres, Toei and Crunchyroll are planning to release a special recap episode that is the same length as a feature-length film as the Egghead Arc Part 1 Recap Special will run for eighty-three minutes. If you need a quick refresher on what has taken place since the Thousand Sunny made landfall on Future Island, this will be the perfect chance to catch up.

Here’s how Crunchyroll described the upcoming wild anime event via a new press release, “Toei Animation and Crunchyroll are celebrating the highly anticipated return of One Piece with an exciting Premiere Weekend Event for fans in North America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Latin America. Following the series’ brief hiatus, the Egghead Arc officially resumes simulcast on Crunchyroll, starting with a double episode drop for the first weekend of its return. Additionally, an 83-minute Egghead Arc Part-1 Recap Special will air to catch fans up on the story before diving into the new episodes. The news was just announced during Anime Japan in Tokyo building hype for the Straw Hat Pirates’ next adventure.”

[RELATED: One Piece’s New Egghead Arc Release Schedule Has One Surprising Reason]

Last Time on One Piece

If you want a refresher on what took place last fall when One Piece was releasing new episodes, things were heating up in the final saga. Koby finds himself more than willing to lay down his life for his fellow marines as Garp is faced with a heart-wrenching choice. Meanwhile, the military is shown to be making its way to Egghead Island, setting up a massive conflict as the World Government is about to bring the hammer down on Dr. Vegapunk.

Luffy and company have learned a lot while on Future Island but their journey on the futuristic locale is far from over in the anime. In fact, without going too deeply into spoiler territory, One Piece fans should prepare to see the Straw Hats take part in the biggest battle of their sea-faring careers. Luckily, the manga has been releasing new chapters on a semi-weekly basis in the meantime, meaning that there is plenty of material for the anime to adapt.

Want to stay in the loop when it comes to the world of the Grand Line? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on One Piece and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

The post Crunchyroll Announces One Piece Premiere Weekend For Anime’s Return appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The highly-anticipated Elbaf Arc of One Piece is unraveling the secrets of the world one after the other. Luffy and Usopp wanted to visit the island since they met Dorry and Brogy in Little Garden. They were amazed by the bravery and honor of these Giant warriors and wished to visit the land they came from. Dorry and Brogy arrive in Egghead along with the rest of the crew in hopes of taking Luffy, or rather, the Sun God Nika to Elbaf. After Vegapunk’s broadcast is over, the Straw Hats and their allies finally manage to defeat the villains and leave the island.

The crew arrives in Elbaf shortly after the chaos in Egghead and is welcomed warmly by the villagers. The Giants have developed a beautiful civilization on the ancient, colossal Jewel Tree Adam, where the villages are located on its branches. Coming from a long line of warriors, they value honor and bravery above all else. Hence, the people there live in harmony and strive to create a better future for their kids. However, as a country directly tied to the Void Century, Elbaf has its fair share of secrets, and they may be darker than we realize.

[RELATED: One Piece: Elbaf’s Greatest Fear Just Might Be Their True Hero]

One Piece Theory Claims Elbaf Is the Land of the Devils

Fans noticed that Elbaf seems to be derived from the word “fable” as it’s literally spelled backward. The land of the Giants is a fabled place, isolated from the rest of the world. One can only dream of going there, and even if they manage to arrive, there’s no guarantee they will be welcomed. The Giants are protective over their land and want to avoid any unnecessary conflict with outsiders. Of course, they are not hostile for no reason either. When the Giants meet people they approve of, such as Shanks and Luffy, they will welcome their friends into their home with open arms.

However, it seems the name of the island isn’t simply wordplay. A One Piece fan and YouTuber, @Pangea_Castle shared in October 2024, “The Term ‘ELBAPH’ is linked to ‘ELOAH’ which is an Ancient Hebrew Word for ‘GOD!’ In the Old Testament, ‘EL’ is often used to refer to God. As seen in Names like God EN-EL or CARM-EL in One Piece. The ‘BAPH’ Part of ‘ELBAPH’ is linked to the Baphomet, a satanic Deity.”

According to @DawnStussy, a native Japanese translator and YouTuber, explains “The true meaning behind the name Elbaph is likely ‘El Baphomet.’ This is a name historically associated with occultism, demonology, and secret societies like the Knights Templar. This suggests that Elbaph was originally the land of Devils.”

Baphomet is depicted as a Sabbatic Goat with massive horns similar to how some Giants in Elbaf have. So far, only Loki and Harald have been confirmed to be born with horns as they carry the blood of the Ancient Giants, a distinct lineage of giants known for their gigantic size and unique features.

One Piece’s Elbaf Arc Might Unravel the Dark Secrets Hiding Underneath

Elbaf is an ancient kingdom directly tied to the Void Century or possibly even the war that occurred during the first Nika’s timeline. It has been standing for this long thanks to the efforts of several generations of Giants. However, this also means that the country has more than a few secrets. The incredible mural we saw in Chapter 1138 may not be the only thing hiding in the tree. These are pieces of history depicted through illustrations made several centuries ago. No one knows who drew them or if they are real or not.

Additionally, the way some giants perceive Nika is surprising. Before the Elbaf Arc, it was believed that Nika was a great warrior that all Giants revere. This holds true even now, but there are a few exceptions. The ancient text of Harley is deciphered in several ways and one or more variations portray Nika as a destroyer.

In Chapter 1142, we see a kid being afraid of Nika, someone who is supposed to be admired by the nation. This changes our understanding of the mythical being as there’s more to him than meets the eye. It’s unclear what the text is trying to imply but there might be a possibility that Nika did something wrong in the past that led people to fear him even now. Whether it was out of malice or he was forced because of circumstances is still unknown.

H/T: @Pangea_Castle and @DawnStussy on X

The post One Piece Theory Unravels Elbaf’s Darkest Secret appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirates have never turned down a meal in One Piece. The Straw Hat captain in particular always seemingly is looking for some delicious edibles to chow down on, fueling his quest to become the king of the pirates. While sailing the Grand Line, the crew of the Thousand Sunny won’t turn down a good dessert, and that fact might be making its way to the real world. In a new teaser, it seems as though one of the biggest ice cream chains in the world, Baskin-Robbins, is about to go all-in on Eiichiro Oda’s shonen series as a One Piece crossover is all but being teased.

While details about this new collaboration are few and far between, the ice cream producers have shared a new shadowy image that all but confirms that the anime partnership is on the way. The image, which you can check out below, gathers together the outline of the Straw Hat Pirates and teases that the crossover will take place next month, April 2025. As of yet, we have yet to learn whether this crossover will be a worldwide one or if it will only take place in Japan but considering just how big One Piece has been in recent years, we’re crossing our fingers that Baskin-Robbins in the West will also bring Straw Hat ice cream to anime fans.

One Piece Food Collaborations

The upcoming One Piece and Baskin-Robbins team-up is far from the first time that real-world eateries have decided to visit the Grand Line. In fact, the One Piece Cafe, a Las Vegas restaurant, is still in operation and has recreated several edibles from the series for real-life fans to enjoy. While some anime-based cafes have opened in the past, many were only for a limited time but the One Piece Cafe’s popularity has made it a permanent fixture in the “Entertainment Capital of The World.”

In Japan, not only does the country have several One Piece cafes but the home of anime takes its love of the Straw Hats one step further. In recent years, the shonen franchise opened up a gym that allows fans to lift weights that would give Luffy a killer workout, though unfortunately, the One Piece Fitness Gym has shown no signs of coming to North America at this time.

When it comes to Baskin-Robbins, the ice cream vendor has teamed up with quite a few anime franchises in the past. To date, Baskin-Robbins has collaborated with Pokemon, Hello Kitty, and Dragon Ball Z, though not all of these partnerships have arrived in the West. Fingers crossed that Luffy and company’s ice cream will come to North America next month thanks to the ever-growing popularity of the shonen franchise.

Want to see whether you’ll be able to get your hands on One Piece ice cream next month? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on the Grand Line and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

The post Baskin-Robbins Teases One Piece Ice Cream appeared first on ComicBook.com.

With only weeks left until One Piece’s anime returns from its excruciating hiatus, fans could not be more excited. The series is supposedly set to return with even better animation for the exciting second half of the Egghead Arc where things are expected to spiral out of control very quickly. That said, besides higher-quality animation and a new voice actor for Franky, One Piece’s Egghead Arc is also expected to return with a new evening time slot for the first time in 18 years, and the change is secretly genius.

As per the announcement at Jump Festa, part 2 of One Piece’s Egghead Arc returns on April 6th, 2025, though instead of its old morning 9:30 AM slot, new episodes will be released at 11:15 PM JST, making One Piece a late-night show for the first time in its broadcast history. Unexpected as the change may be, the reasoning behind it is rather ingenious as according to Oricon, the shift to a late-night time slot was to align with the Weekly Shonen Jump chapter releases, thus allowing fans to smoothly transition from watching the latest One Piece episode to reading the newest manga chapter right after.

[RELATED: Netflix Confirms One Piece’s Return Will Stream on the Platform in April]

One Piece’s New Anime Schedule Lines Up With the Manga Release

Since its debut in 1999, One Piece’s anime has changed time slots a few times, initially airing on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM from October 1999 to March 2001, before switching to Sundays at 7:30 PM in April 2001, and then 7:00 PM in January 2005. That said, since October 2006, One Piece, for the last 18 years has aired on Sunday mornings, aligning with its target audience of young children. However, One Piece’s audience has grown up alongside the series over the last two decades, making the new late-night slot a stroke of genius as it makes for the perfect streamlined weekend for these very fans who not only enjoy the anime week after week but also keep up with the manga.

New chapters of One Piece’s manga are released online every Monday at 12:00 AM JST, exactly 45 minutes after the new anime time slot. This means fans can watch the latest episode of the Egghead Arc and dive right into the manga for the latest events of the Elbaf Arc almost immediately, making for the perfect way to cap off the weekend for One Piece’s now adult fan base. Furthermore, reading One Piece online has never been easier, with the series even recently launching a dedicated app for the same named One Piece Base.

The same holds true for One Piece fans around the world with Viz and Manga Plus both offering simultaneous releases. For One Piece fans in North America in particular, the new time slot means fans can now begin their Sunday mornings with the anime and the new chapter back to back, which just about sounds like the best way possible to kick off the day.

The post One Piece’s New Egghead Arc Release Schedule Has One Surprising Reason appeared first on ComicBook.com.

One Piece is on a generational run with the anime and manga, both featuring the Final Saga, as fans also await the remake by WIT Studio and OPLA Season 2. 2025 will be another excellent year for the fans as we have several things to look forward to. The manga is finally featuring the long-awaited Elbaf Arc where Luffy and his crew travel to the fabled land of the Giants. Meanwhile, the anime will return next month after its six-month hiatus. The anime will continue the intense fight between the World Government and the Straw Hat Pirates as they attempt to escape for Elbaf.

The villains they are facing are stronger than ever, proving to be quite a challenge for the crew and their allies. With Vegapunk’s life on the line, there’s no other way but to fight those monsters. Additionally, there have been no updates from WIT Studio for quite some time as fans await a teaser of the anime remake. On the other hand, Netflix’s One Piece Live-Action Season 2 will be released this year, featuring all the arcs before the Alabasta Saga. Amidst all this, the latest issue of Shonen Jump teases a shocking announcement during AnimeJapan 2025 but doesn’t fill us in on the details.

[RELATED: One Piece Anime Removes Heartwarming Callback From Fish-Man Island Arc]

One Piece Will Take the Stage in AnimeJapan 2025

AnimeJapan is one of the world’s largest anime events, scheduled on March 22nd and 23rd, 2025. Several animation and production studios will share information regarding new anime projects or merchandise. The event will take place at Tokyo Big Sight in Tokyo, Japan, with several series taking the stage during the event. One Piece’s stage is scheduled for March 22nd, 2025 from 7:10 to 7:45 pm JST.

While the details of the announcement are unknown, the official website of AnimeJapan has scheduled it as “TV anime ONE PIECE: Egghead Arc/Special Stage.” Additionally, a popular One Piece fan account, @pewpiece confirms that the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine is promoting the event. Although there are no scans available from the magazine, the information comes from a reliable source.

One Piece Needs to Share Remake Anime Updates ASAP

The remake was announced during Jump Festa 2023, where One Piece took the stage on December 17th, 2024. WIT Studio was confirmed to be working on the project with Masashi Koizuki serving as the director. He is best known for directing the second and third seasons of Attack on Titan. Fans waited months for a new update until the studio shared several stunning concept sketches and character designs in August 2024.

Fans responded with praise and enthusiasm, awaiting more updates about the remake. However, there have been no updates since then and even Jump Festa 2024 didn’t share anything new. After waiting more than a year, it’s highly likely fans will get at least a key visual with the main characters or a teaser. Hopefully, AnimeJapan 2025 will shed some light on the remake.

H/T: @pewpiece on X, AnimeJapan 2025 official website

The post Shonen Jump Reportedly Teases “Shocking” One Piece Announcement appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Spring 2025 anime season is upon us, and Crunchyroll has announced their first additions to the anime line up for the coming months. With the end of the Winter 2025 anime schedule now showcasing the final episodes of certain stand out series like Solo Leveling, Sakamoto Days and more, it’s now time to look ahead to a new batch of anime coming in the Spring 2025 season. Luckily for fans, there already seem to be a number of cool looking new releases that we will all need to keep an eye out for. And Crunchyroll has some major exclusives coming down the pipeline to boot.

Crunchyroll has officially announced their schedule for the Spring 2025 anime schedule, and now fans can mark their calendars for the coming months. Their exclusives in the line up thus far (with more shows likely to be announced later) include spinoffs to big franchises like My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, new Shonen Jump premieres such as Witch Watch, big webcomics making their debut like The Beginning After the End, massive franchise returns like Fire Force and more. Read on for the breakdown of Crunchyroll’s Spring 2025 anime season.

New Spring 2025 Anime Coming to Crunchyroll

March 30

• The Unaware Atelier Meister

April 1

• Once Upon a Witch’s Death
• Catch Me at the Ballpark!

April 2

• The Beginning After the End
• The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiance and Sold to Another Kingdom
• Please Put Them On, Takamine-san

April 3

• Wind Breaker Season 2
• The Brilliant Healer’s New Life in the Shadows

April 4

• Fire Force Season 3
• Can a Boy-Girl Friendship Survive?
• Bye Bye, Earth Season 2

April 5

• To Be Hero X
• Black Butler -Emerald Witch Arc-
• SHOSHIMIN: How to Become Ordinary Season 2
• I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level Season 2
• Anne Shirley
• Guilty Gear Strive: Dual Rulers
• I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire!
• Classic★Stars

April 6

• One Piece: Egghead Arc Part 2
• Witch Watch
• The Gorilla God’s Go-To Girl

April 7

• My Hero Academia: Vigilantes
• ZatsuTabi -That’s Journey-
• Summer Pockets
• #COMPASS2.0 ANIMATION PROJECT

April 8

• The Shiunji Family Children

April 10

• A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof
• Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World Season 2

April 11

• Teogonia

April 12

• Food for the Soul
• momo

RELATED: My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Confirms Streaming Home With New Trailer, Poster

What to Watch on Crunchyroll

In terms of what you should really be keeping an eye out for in the Spring 2025 anime schedule, there are some big franchises that will be returning for new episodes. One Piece: Egghead Arc will finally be returning for brand new episodes following a six month hiatus (a historic first lengthy break for the franchise overall), and fans will finally get to see what’s coming next in the arc. Not only that, but Fire Force will be returning for its third season as well. It’s a huge occasion too as it’s also going to serve as the final season for the series overall.

Black Butler will also be returning for Season 5 of the anime, which is a big deal considering the anime just returned for a new season last year after many years. But these are ultimately just suggestions based on what fans have been waiting for. There are a number of brand new adaptations and originals that are going to be making a debut for the Spring 2025 season as well. Thankfully, it’s not going to be much longer now as the next wave of anime is hitting very soon.

The post Crunchyroll Announces Spring 2025 Anime Lineup appeared first on ComicBook.com.

After One Piece’s anime announced an unexpected six-month hiatus, Toei began airing a remastered version of the Fish-Man Island Arc. It’s a relatively short arc compared to the others, but fans have often complained about the pacing and the animation quality. The arc has 56 chapters in the manga but 58 episodes in the anime version. Toei cut off a lot of scenes while staying true to the manga and enhancing the animation quality for the remastered version. It now tells the same story in 21 episodes, which is a delight to manga fans. The One Piece manga debuted in 1997 and the anime in 1999.

Since then the anime has been released weekly alongside the manga, making it a bit difficult for the animators to avoid catching up to the manga. Hence, they include several anime-only moments while also making the pacing slow, especially after the time skip. The hiatus was also a result of the anime almost catching up to the source material, which could’ve proven to be a challenge in the next few months. However, while the remastered Fish-Man Island Arc delivers the story’s true essence, it removes a crucial and heartwarming Ace callback from One Piece’s original anime.

[RELATED: One Piece’s Elbaf Arc Is an Obvious Callback to Fish-Man Island]

One Piece’s Fish-Man Island Remastered Version Removes this Luffy and Ace Parallel

One Piece Episode 565 first shows Luffy using Red Hawk, one of his most iconic abilities and an extension of Gear 2. After entering Gear 2, he hardens his arm with Armament Haki and then stretches it before igniting it and releasing a stream of fire in the process. Luffy then delivers a powerful flaming punch. This attack signifies Luffy’s growth over the past two years as he is now a skilled Haki User and has better control over his devil fruit. Fire isn’t technically an ability that’s related to his devil fruit, but somehow using his Haki and friction, he can create flaming punches.

In the original episode, Luffy’s punch takes longer to land and it even shows Ace while the protagonist is preparing to hit the villain. Portgas D. Ace is still one of the most beloved characters in the show and fire is his specialty. The Fish-Man Island Arc follows Luffy’s first journey after the tragic death of his brother. Hence, the parallel signifies their bond and the notion that despite moving forward for the sake of his crew, Luffy still keeps his brother in his heart.

Ace’s death is still considered the biggest tragedy of the series and the story made a major turning point after that. Luffy has become considerably stronger since then as he blames himself for being weak and unable to protect his brother. The remastered version focuses on excluding those extra anime-only moments and trimming the unnecessarily lengthy scenes. In Chapter 664, Luffy first uses this ability but the manga doesn’t show this parallel. While it’s simply an anime-only scene, it still adds depth to the scene.

H/T: @pewpiece on X

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One Piece’s biggest bad might just be the most mysterious character in the Grand Line. Imu, the head of the World Government and an antagonist so powerful that even the Five Elders bow before them, has long been featured in shadow whenever they rear their ugly head. In the 1108th episode of One Piece’s anime adaptation, Imu is finally given a voice in addressing King Cobra and laying out how they will impact the shonen franchise’s final saga. As fans wait to learn the villain’s true identity, One Piece’s English Dub has given Imu a voice that might lead to far more questions than answers.

Much like the original Japanese version of One Piece, the English Dub’s take on Imu refrains from stating who is playing the part of Imu. Taking a page from the Dragon Ball series, Imu’s voice is one that almost sounds as though multiple people are lending their voice talents to the biggest bad of the series. Anime fans have, so far, deliberated that one of the voices might come from Colleen Clinkenbeard herself, the current voice of Monkey D. Luffy, making for quite the surprise should it be revealed as true. With the anime’s English Dub officially caught up to the Japanese iteration, it will be interesting to see if the former can keep up with its source.

[RELATED: One Piece Anime Finally Brings Imu’s Transformation to Life]

Who Could Imu Be?

At this present moment in time, One Piece fans aren’t even sure if Imu is a man or a woman, as the World Government leader is so secretive that we’re not even sure if the Five Elders know. In the past, Imu has alluded to the idea that they are hundreds, if not thousands, of years old. Imu also has no love lost for those bearing the mark of “D,” almost confirming that the military leader has had personal experience with those who had the title in the past. Needless to say, on top of Imu’s apparent longevity, the fact that the villain can effectively eliminate an Elder with a thought proves just how powerful the anime’s biggest villain might be.

While the manga has been releasing new chapters on a nearly weekly pace, the anime adaptation has been on hiatus for months. The Final Saga is planning to return next month but in the meantime, One Piece has been offering fans a remastered Fishman Island Arc. When the anime adaptation does return, it should have plenty of material to cover for some time.

When Will One Piece End?

Eiichiro Oda has confirmed in the past that the Straw Hat Pirates are venturing toward their final adventure, though the manga artist hasn’t hinted when we can expect the grand finale to arrive. Oda has been known for creating arcs that run for several years, and that certainly seems to be the case with this storyline that is bringing together many moving pieces in the Grand Line. If Luffy and his crew want to make their dreams come true, they will need to fight both pirates and military men alike.

Want to see who is ultimately revealed to be Imu? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on One Piece and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

The post One Piece’s Biggest Bad Gets an English Dub Voice (But Fans Are Still Confused): Watch appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine is home to some of the most popular manga series, chief among them being One Piece. Eiichiro Oda’s story about a young pirate is well-loved by global fans, making it the best-selling manga of all time. WSJ has gone through multiple changes with several series starting and ending over the years. However, One Piece, by far, is one of their longest-running series and is still serializing. The manga entered its Final Saga in July 2022 and has had several hype moments since then. However, the Elbaf Arc is by far the most shocking one after Luffy’s Gear 5 transformation.

The heavy lore drop in Chapter 1138 had the fandom in shambles as they were speculating and theorizing the double spread during the entire week. Shonen Jump’s Issue 16 was released last week and it includes a preview page where several manga characters are placed in such a way that they mimic the double spread from Chapter 1138. We also have Franky standing there looking at them, just as he sees the mural for the first time. The page features the main characters from WSJ shows while also including the previews of the next chapters. Issue 17 is expected to be released on March 24th, 2025.

[RELATED: One Piece: All 26 Easter Eggs in Elbaf’s Mural You May Have Missed]

Why Is This Mural Important in One Piece?

Elbaf is the land of the Giants, having direct ties to the Void Century and Nika. In Chapter 1138, Franky is on a Jewel Tree Adam Tour with Ripley. Elbaf’s Jewel Tree Adam is an ancient colossal tree, believed to be the oldest one in the world. It envelops most of the gigantic island with its branches and sustains the kingdom. Jewel Tree Adam was first mentioned in Chapter 431, two days after the Enies Lobby Incident.

Franky plans to make a new ship for Luffy’s crew with wood from this species of tree said to be the sturdiest in the entire world. Gol D. Roger’s ship, Oro Jackson was made from the same material and withstood the challenging seas. Because it’s so rare, Franky had never seen such a tree in person so he’s eager to see what makes it so special. However, even he didn’t expect to stumble into the massive mural.

It depicts all kinds of races fighting on one side against a common enemy. Ripley believes it must have been a child’s dream since such a thing has never been recorded in history. However, what most people don’t know is that it is the true history, depicting the three worlds. The first two worlds were engulfed in the flames of war while the third one is impending its doom.

The third world depicts the current era, possibly the third time Nika has appeared. There are several illustrations in the mural, each with an easter egg. Luffy’s devil fruit awakening itself is proof that the world is about to undergo a major change and the “Sun God,” will be at the center of all the chaos.

The post Shonen Jump’s Latest Release Imitates One Piece’s Best Panel in Years appeared first on ComicBook.com.

One Piece is getting ready to takeover the Major League Baseball once more with a fun new game night collaboration with the Seattle Mariners. One Piece has been breaking out in all sorts of ways ever since it kicked off the anime’s 25th anniversary celebration last year, and that has seen the Straw Hats enter the world of major sports leagues such as the National Football League, Major League Baseball, and the National Basketball Association with all sorts of cool team ups. Now it’s time for a fun new breakout for Seattle Mariners fans for an upcoming special game night with special merchandise.

Much like how One Piece teamed up with the Los Angeles Lakers for a special NBA game night not long ago, Toei Animation has officially announced that they are now teaming up with Major League Baseball’s Seattle Mariners for Seattle Mariners X ONE PIECE Night taking place on Tuesday, April 8th at the T-Mobile Park in Seattle for the Seattle Marines vs. Houston Astros game. If you’re interested in going, tickets are available now and expected to sell out quickly. Check out the announcement poster for the special game night below.

What Is Seattle Mariners x One Piece Night?

Seattle Mariners X ONE PIECE Night will be taking place at the T-Mobile Park in Seattle for the Seattle Mariners vs. Houston Astros game. Tickets will include a special T-shirt for the occasion, but it’s while supplies last. There are teases of more One Piece inspired activities during the game itself, and even will feature a big demonstration for the One Piece Card Game during the event as well. “We’re thrilled to team-up with the Seattle Mariners for ONE PIECE Night this April,” Lisa Yamatoya, Senior Director, Global Marketing for Toei Animation Inc. stated about the event. “We can’t wait to bring this event to both anime and baseball fans at T-Mobile Park. It’s sure to be a great night”

“We’re excited to collaborate with Toei Animation on One Piece to provide our fans with another fun ticket special at T-Mobile Park,” stated Mariners Director of Sales Development & Group Events, Liz McCloskey. “Mariners baseball offers something for everyone over the course of the summer, and we are thrilled to provide our community with unique collaborations at the ballpark all season long.” If it’s anything like One Piece‘s other big sports team ups, it’s going to be a fun evening for fans.

RELATED: One Piece Shares Official Los Angeles Lakers Crossover Video: Watch

One Piece’s Anime Is Coming Back Soon

One Piece‘s anime has been on a hiatus for the last six months as the team behind the series gets ready for the next half of the Egghead Arc. After waiting since last Fall, One Piece: Egghead Arc Part 2 is finally set to premiere with new episodes beginning on April 6th in Japan. When it premieres, it has been confirmed that these new episodes will be available for streaming with Netflix and Crunchyroll for fans outside of Japan. So fans will be able to tune in right when the new episodes drop.

The anime will be picking up right from where it left off all those seasons ago, so it’s the perfect time to get all caught up with the anime when it hits. One Piece also has a new remaster of the Fish-Man Island Arc now available to watch in the meantime as well. This has taken the nearly 50 episode version of the arc seen in the original release to a 21 episode arc that features updated visuals and sounds to be more like the modern anime episodes.

The post One Piece Shows Off New Seattle Mariners Collab Ahead of MLB Takeover appeared first on ComicBook.com.

April 6th will be the most exciting day for One Piece fans this year. The anime went on a six-month hiatus in October 2024, around the same time as the anime’s 25th Anniversary. Toei Animation has been on a generational run with some of the best-animated episodes in modern series. However, this kind of animation quality is often time-consuming and not too sustainable for a weekly show. Furthermore, the anime wasn’t that far off from the manga. Since it was almost catching up with the source material, Toei announced the break in hopes of further improving its animation quality and pacing.

In the meantime, fans were treated with a remastered version of the Fish-Man Island Arc with better cinematic quality and pacing. The new version excluded a bunch of unnecessary scenes and adjusted the entire arc in 21 episodes. While the anime will continue the Egghead Incident Arc, the manga has made quite a bit of progress during this time. The Elbaf Arc brings us some of the most shocking plot twists in the show. The arc also introduces new villains who have come to terrorize the mysterious yet beautiful land of the Giants. With so much happening in the series this year, April 6th is by far the most important date, so don’t forget to mark your calendars.

April 6th Will Have a New One Piece Episode and Chapter

One Piece’s anime is scheduled to return on April 6th, 2025 with Episode 1123. The time slot has also changed with the anime’s return. Before, it was broadcast at 9:30 am JST and now it will air at 11:15 pm JST. Furthermore, the manga was on a regular break on March 16th, 2025. Eiichiro Oda usually takes a week off after delivering three consecutive chapters. Hence, unless there’s an unexpected break, One Piece Chapter 1145 is expected to be released on the same day as the anime’s return for readers in the West.

Since it will be the third chapter after the break on March 16th, fans can expect the chapter to end on a major cliffhanger. Oda is best known for hyping up plot twists at the end of a chapter, especially before a break. This way, fans will often spend the break week theorizing and discussing the various directions the story can head towards. The Elbaf Arc of the Final Saga has taken a drastic turn in Chapter 1142 with the Holy Knights finally making their move. Things will only get more chaotic in the next few chapters, so we can expect some thrilling moments.

[RELATED: One Piece Fans May Be Expecting Too Much From Usopp in Elbaf Arc]

One Piece’s Anime Will Return With a New Franky’s Voice Actor

Kazuki Yao, the 65-year-old original Franky voice actor, announced his retirement in December 2024 due to his health issues, which had been worsening over the years. He also passed the baton to Subaru Kimura during Jump Festa 2025. This was one of the highlights of the event and the most emotional one as Yao puts down the signature red underwear on the floor, similar to the one Franky wears, emphasizing he’s stepping down from the character’s role. He then leaves the stage, bidding farewell to the audience before Subaru Kimura, gets on stage and picks up the item depicting he’s taking over after Kazuki.

The 34-year-old German-Japanese actor is best known for playing the roles of Aoi Todo in Jujutsu Kaisen, Satori Tendou in Haikyuu, Pesci in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, and many more. Yao personally selected Kimura for the role, leaving fans relieved that one of their best characters would be done justice. The transition worked in the favor of the animation studio since it happened during the hiatus.

April Will Be Full Of Exciting Moments in the One Piece Anime and Manga

The Spring 2025 season will kick off with the anime’s return, which will now cover some of the best moments in the story so far. Not only do we get to witness Luffy fighting against the Five Elders but fans must prepare themselves for Kuma’s heartbreaking backstory. Additionally, Vegapunk’s broadcast will shake the world as he sheds light on the truth behind the Void Century. Whether it’s thrilling fights or lore, the Egghead Incident Arc won’t disappoint.

Furthermore, the story gets even more intense in the Elbaf Arc as the manga is finally introducing the Holy Knights. They are considered the strongest antagonistic group in the story and will play a crucial role in the Final Saga. The Elbaf Arc is also expected to be even more lore-heavy with the story finally delving into Nika’s origins and the truth behind the Void Century.

The post April 6th Will Be a Super Day for One Piece Fans appeared first on ComicBook.com.

One Piece has been working its way through a major remaster of the Fish-Man Island arc, and the latest episode has finally given Luffy’s Red Hawk a big makeover after all these years. One Piece‘s anime is still in the midst of a hiatus that began last Fall as the team behind the series gets ready for the next phase of the Egghead Arc. But while this meant that there would be no brand-new episodes in all that time, One Piece had made sure that there was still something for fans to enjoy with the launch of a new remaster for the anime.

One Piece Log: Fish-Man Island Saga is a special remastered version of the anime that takes the original version of the Fish-Man Island arc and edits it into a new format with brand new visuals, sounds and more to line up with the current One Piece anime release. This has meant a cool new take on some of the anime’s biggest moments, and the newest episode of the remaster has taken this even further by bringing a new version of Luffy’s Red Hawk debut to screen. Check it out:

Is the One Piece Remake Almost Over?

One Piece Log: Fish-Man Island Saga Episode 19 brings the anime remaster one step closer to its grand finale. This special remaster edits the original version of the anime’s arc down to 21 episodes, and with it has showcased a much more streamlined version of the arc. As it heads further into the climactic final fight between Luffy and Hody, this was apparent in the latest episode. Although it gave us a remastered version of the debut of Luffy’s Red Hawk attack, it also seems to have removed an element from the original version of the anime that helped to elevate the scene overall.

While Luffy’s Red Hawk is much more visually pleasing in this new remastered take on One Piece‘s anime, it notably removes the quick flash back to Ace. In the original version of the anime, Luffy was going to use Red Hawk against Hody because he never wanted to lose someone important to him again. It’s here that he has a brief flashback to Ace, and it helps bring that moment full circle as this attack is one of the many things that Luffy had spent the last two years training to be strong enough to pull off. So in that streamlining of the moment, it removes a bit of that original heart.

RELATED: Naruto, One Piece, and Fairy Tail Prove Modern Anime Is Missing One Key Thing

When Does One Piece Return for New Episodes?

One Piece: Egghead Arc kicked off a historic hiatus for the anime back in November, and the six month wait for new episodes is almost over. When the Fish-Man Island arc remake comes to an end, fans will be treated to brand-new episodes once again. One Piece: Egghead Arc is currently scheduled to premiere Part 2 on April 6th in Japan, and it will be streaming on Netflix (worldwide) and Crunchyroll (in North America and other select territories) when it hits. The anime will be picking up right from where it all left off.

One Piece Episode 1123 will be the first brand new episode for this new era, and will finally see what happened to Luffy and the other Straw Hats as they are still scattered through Dr. Vegapunk’s future island laboratory. The anime will be premiering in a brand new time slot when it returns to Japan too, but it has yet to be revealed how that will impact its streaming release for international territories.

The post One Piece Finally Remasters Luffy’s Fieriest Attack After 13 Years appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The ongoing Elbaf Arc in One Piece brings the Straw Hat Pirates to the fabled land of the Giants. Elbaf is an isolated nation that has no connection to the World Government. Despite the citizens being known for being brave warriors, the country is rather peaceful. Since hardly anyone ever comes by, they don’t often have to worry about external threats. However, because Loki killed his father, King Harald, 14 years ago, the country is without a king. Since Loki is imprisoned and clearly unsuited to rule the nation, the throne in Elbaf currently doesn’t have a successor. Things take a dark turn in the peaceful land when Shamrock and Gunko arrive in hopes of bringing the Giants down.

The World Government has always been after their power, and Shamrock is finally planning to subdue them. More Holy Knights are summoned to the country and catch the villagers off-guard with their sudden attack on the children. Now that Elbaf has turned into a battlefield, the crew will soon take action to help them fend off the enemies. However, amidst the chaos, fans are expecting One Piece’s Usopp to have significant development, which may not be possible.

[RELATED: One Piece: Elbaf’s Greatest Fear Just Might Be Their True Hero]

Why Do Fans Expect So Much From Usopp in the Elbaf Arc?

The theory about Usopp having a substantial change in the Elbaf Arc originated from the Little Garden Arc of the Alabasta Saga. Back then, the story had yet to introduce the New World, so no one knew Elbaf was located on the other side of the planet. Fans also didn’t know that it would take the crew over 20 years to arrive there. Ever since Usopp began his journey, his goal has always been to one day become a great warrior of the sea. However, by nature, he is often portrayed as a coward. He has struggled with bravery, often running from fights and then redeeming himself at key moments.

When he met Dorry and Brogy in the Little Garden, he was amazed by their bravery and honor as the Warriors of Elbaf. Usopp realized that all the Warriors there were similar to the duo and hoped to see the place someday. Furthermore, his dream to become a brave warrior somehow parallels the Giants of Elbaf. Furthermore, although he went through training during the time skip, he hasn’t shown many feats.

His actions in Dressrosa were the best so far. The manga also needs to delve deeper into his Observation Haki since it’s also a topic of debate. After all, Usopp has only used it once in Dressrosa but hasn’t shown any signs of proficiency in this ability. Many fans believe he will have some major development, but that may not be the case.

The Stakes Are High in One Piece’s Elbaf Arc

The manga is in its Final Saga, and it’s highly unlikely that Oda will dedicate the majority of the arc to building an individual Straw Hat’s character in such a way like Usopp. During the Egghead Incident Arc, there were also several theories about it being a “Franky Arc,” but as we know, hardly anything related to him happened. The guess was obvious, given that Franky spent two years going through Vegapunk’s research, and yet nothing significant happened when the two actually met.

The stakes are also high in the arc, with some of the most powerful villains showing up on the island unannounced. The Holy Knights are finally being introduced, and we finally find out Shanks’ connection to the Figarland family. Meanwhile, the Straw Hats again find themselves in the middle of chaos and will do everything they can to stop the villains. Furthermore, Elbaf is a treasure trove of mysteries. It’s the only land directly tied to Nika and has pieces of history carved in the Adam Tree.

The story is more likely to focus on that instead of simply one character. The Straw Hats already had their moments of character development before the Final Saga commenced, but with the story taking on a darker turn, the focus wouldn’t be on them. However, that doesn’t mean it’s completely impossible for Usopp to do something great in this arc. He may have another moment like the Dressrosa Saga, but he still won’t get substantially powerful in just one arc. He may also learn to control his Observation Haki better, but that will likely be the extent of his growth.

The post One Piece Fans May Be Expecting Too Much From Usopp in Elbaf Arc appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Solo Leveling Season 2 made its debut as part of the Winter 2025 lineup. The anime is featuring its highly-anticipated Jeju Island Arc and has only two episodes left before the conclusion. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the second season of the anime has helped it reach even greater heights, thanks to the story becoming more intense. While the first season ends with Jinwoo becoming a Necromancer, the second season focuses more on his growth as a Hunter. He is officially an S-Rank Hunter, gaining fame along with the title. Not only that, but Jinwoo fulfills his goal of conquering the Demon Castle and healing his mother.

After this, the anime wastes no time in commencing the Jeju Island Arc, making it the final arc of the season. The Hunters travel all the way to the island, the most dangerous place in the country, in hopes of finally defeating the monsters. The dungeon break has caused a lot of tragedy, but it’s finally time to reclaim the island and end the terror. However, while the second season is in its final stretch, it continues to rise in popularity, even surpassing One Piece’s and Demon Slayer’s records.

[RELATED: Solo Leveling Season 2: This Small Change Saved the Anime’s Most Important Arc]

Solo Leveling Is Currently the Most Popular Anime on Crunchyroll

As highlighted in a recent trending Reddit post, Solo Leveling currently has more than 594.6k ratings on Crunchyroll, which is slightly higher than One Piece’s 594.4k ratings. Fans praise A-1 Pictures for having an amazing adaptation that does the manhwa justice. Compared to this, the previous anime based on manhwa, such as Tower of God and God of High School, differ from the original quite a lot as most of the scenes have been compressed. However, since Solo Leveling is only making minor changes, it doesn’t affect the overall story.

Before this, Demon Slayer ranked second, and Jujutsu Kaisen ranked third, but this manhwa adaptation has outperformed all these Shonen hits. Solo Leveling has been praised for its adaptation by A-1 Pictures. The animation quality, the original soundtrack, the character designs, and the fight choreography all play a major role in the series’ success. It’s also the most popular manhwa adaptation, carving the path for anime fans to try out more adaptations in the future.

Solo Leveling already had a massive fanbase before the anime adaptation debuted in January 2024. Needless to say, fans were more than happy with the adaptation, making it one of the most popular anime of the year. Meanwhile, One Piece, Demon Slayer, and Jujutsu Kaisen being dethroned is also because none of them are currently airing. One Piece’s anime took a six-month break in October 2024 and is scheduled to return on April 6th, 2024. On the other hand, Demon Slayer will release a new movie in the theatres this year, while the release date of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 is still unknown.

Even so, it’s unprecedented for a series based on manhwa to become this popular. With the second season having two more episodes left, the number will continue to rise. This might also give hope for upcoming shows like The Beginning After the End and Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint to be successful after their debut.

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One Piece is gearing up for the return of its anime in just a couple of more weeks from the time of this publication, and the anime is teasing a big announcement is coming soon. One Piece has been in the midst of the anime’s longest hiatus in its nearly 30 year old history. Following the end of the first phase of the Egghead Arc, One Piece‘s anime team has been on a six month hiatus while they prepare for what’s coming in the next part. Now the wait for these new episodes is almost over, and it’s time to get ready.

One Piece: Egghead Arc Part 2 will be kicking off its run in Japan beginning this April, and the anime is teasing a new announcement is coming soon enough. As shared through the anime’s official X account, One Piece will be sharing more news about the anime on Saturday, March 22nd in Japan during the AnimeJapan 2025 weekend. It’s yet to be revealed what the series could be revealing, but it’s likely going to be the first real look at the next episode of the anime that has been in the works for a long time.

When Does One Piece: Egghead Arc Part 2 Premiere?

One Piece: Egghead Arc Part 2 officially kicks off on April 6th in Japan, and will be streaming with Netflix worldwide and with Crunchyroll in North America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Latin America. Crunchyroll will also be launching One Piece Specials 14, 15 and 16 on March 18th. And on the same day, One Piece: Egghead Arc Episodes 1109-1122 of the English dubbed release will be available for streaming as well. With this new batch of dubbed episode releases, this is going to mark the very first time the One Piece dub has been caught up with the Japanese original after nearly 20 years.

One Piece 1123 will be the first episode of this new era, so it’s likely that we’ll get to see the first look at this coming episode during this announcement. While there has been a tease of the Egghead Arc’s future in previous promotions, this will likely give us the first look at the anime’s actual return. Considering that fans haven’t gotten to see any of these new episodes in motion just yet, this could be an eventful announcement that fans should keep an eye out for.

RELATED: Naruto, One Piece, and Fairy Tail Prove Modern Anime Is Missing One Key Thing

How to Catch Up With One Piece

One Piece’s anime might have been on hiatus for the last few months, but fans have been able to check out something in the meantime. One Piece fans have instead been able to check out the newly edited One Piece Log: Fish-Man Island Saga, a special remaster of the pivotal anime arc. This remaster re-edits the anime’s original version of the arc’s 58 episodes into 21 new episodes with new visual and audio enhancements, new promos, new eyecatchers, theme songs and much more

This remake series is coming to an end fairly soon as well, so this new announcement will also help to bring fans closer to the new episodes than ever. You can currently catch up with the first half of the Egghead Arc now streaming with both Crunchyroll and Netflix, and can find many of the other arcs streaming with those platforms as well. With Netflix, you can also check out the One Piece live-action series, which is now working on a Season 2 of its own without a set release date or window as of the time of this publication.

The post One Piece’s Anime Has a Big Announcement Coming Soon appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Winter 2025 has been an exciting month for anime fans, with several sequels and the latest additions to the anime world. While Solo Leveling Season 2, The Apothecary Diaries Season 2, and Dr. Stone: Science Future were the highlights of the season, fans were also enamored by Sakamoto Days’ anime debut. Series like Zenshu, Honey Lemon Soda, Medalist, etc., also contributed to making this anime season a lot exciting. Most of these anime series find a home in Crunchyroll, the biggest streaming platform for anime fans. However, in recent years, Netflix has become more involved with the anime world. Every season, quite a few of them are added to the platform, including Netflix original shows.

The Spring 2025 anime season will begin in April, introducing a bunch of new anime, and Netflix has already released the shows that will be included on the platform. With only five titles hitting the platform, it’s a more low-key month, but each series has something special to offer. We’ve got a mix of long-awaited sequels and intriguing new adaptations, so if you’ve been looking for your next anime fix, now’s the perfect time to update your watchlist.

The Apothecary Diaries (Season 1)

Date: April 1st, 2025

The Apothecary Diaries is one of 2024’s biggest hits and is currently airing its second season. However, this incredible palace mystery and drama series wasn’t available on the streaming giant until now. Netflix has only announced the date for the first season and will likely include the second one after its conclusion. The story centers around Maomao, a genius apothecary with a knack for solving mysteries.

One day, while collecting herbs, she is kidnapped and sold to the Inner Palace as a servant girl. With a tenure of three years on her head, Maomao decides to keep a low profile until she can return home. However, after getting curious about the illnesses of the prince and princess, she catches the eye of the Inner Court Manager, Jinshi, who happens to be a high-ranking eunuch. Since the incident, Maomao finds herself entangled in all kinds of mysteries surrounding the palace.

Devil May Cry

Date: April 3rd, 2025

Based on the Capcom video game, Devil May Cry is the second anime adaptation produced by Adi Shankar and animated by Studio Mir (The Legend of Korra). The series brings the legendary demon hunter Dante back into action with a fresh storyline that blends classic elements from the video game franchise with new storylines. Dante works as a devil hunter for hire, taking on dangerous missions while dealing with his own heritage related to devils.

Things take a dark turn when the White Rabbit (Hoon Lee) appears, leading a powerful demonic force threatening to engulf the human realm. If things weren’t bad enough, the human factions deemed Dante as suspicious due to his half-demon bloodline. The first season will feature eight episodes, focusing on Dante’s battles against the demonic threats while unraveling a larger conspiracy within the human realm.

[RELATED: These Are the 10 Best Winter 2025 Anime According to Japan]

Moonrise

Date: April 10th, 2025

Moonrise was initially scheduled for 2024 but was delayed during the production phases. This gorgeous sci-fi anime is an original story written by Tou Ubukata, also known for his work on Tenchi Meisatsu and as a series composition/scriptwriter for Fafner in the Azure and Psycho-Pass. The story takes place in a not-so-distant future where an international AI network called Sapientia manages a loosely organized world government. Ideally, people can lead peaceful lives as long as they obey the networks’ rational decisions. Saptientia’s lunar development project sends criminals and pollutants to the Moon in an attempt to maintain Earth’s peace.

This results in disparity and poverty on the Moon, which soon sparks a war. The story centers around Jacob Shadow (Jack), who finds himself entangled in this escalating conflict after a devastating terrorist attack by the Moon’s insurgents claims his family. Driven by vengeance, Jack enlists in Earth’s military as a scout assigned to the Moon. However, as the battle unfolds, Jack comes face-to-face with an unexpected figure leading the resistance, forcing him to question everything he believed.

One Piece Egghead Arc (Part 2)

Date: April 12th, 2025

Around the same time as the anime’s 25th anniversary in October 2024, One Piece’s anime went on its longest hiatus ever. The studio has been working on incredible animation ever since the Wano Country Saga. The animation quality became even better in Egghead, but the anime almost caught up with the manga. Toei announced a break in hopes of even further improving the animation and the pacing.

The second part of the ongoing arc in One Piece will officially be released on April 6th, 2025, but won’t be added to Netflix before April 12th, 2025. The anime will continue the chaotic fight in Egghead against the Marines and Gorsei.

Pokemon Horizons: The Search for Laqua (Part 2)

Date: April 25th, 2025

This is the 27th overall season of the Pokémon anime, with the first part being released in April 2024. It’s a sequel to Pokémon Horizons: The Series, following Liko and Roy. Liko, a student at the Indigo Academy, and her Pokemon partner Sprigatito embark on a journey to explore the world’s mysteries and join Roy, another young Pokemon Trainer traveling with his Pokemon partner Fuecoco.

The story continues as they discover incredible Pokemon on land, on the sea, and in the air, everywhere from forests to cities. Their adventure continues in The Search for Laqua, where Liko, Roy, and Dot continue their journey in search of the Six Hero Pokémon and the legendary land of Laqua as they face challenges like Tera Training and battling Gym Leaders in Paldea.

Source: What’s On Netflix

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One Piece’s anime is due for an explosive return this April after an excruciating six-month-long hiatus, and with fans counting down the days, the anime fans finally confirmed a streaming home. It has been well over a year since Netflix first announced that it would be streaming the latest episodes of the Egghead Arc last January, turning the streaming giant into another home for Eiichiro Oda’s beloved saga and as fans anticipate the second part of the Egghead Arc, Netflix has confirmed fans can continue watching the series on the platform week after week just like before when the anime returns.

A post on X by Netflix’s Anime handle has confirmed that part 2 of One Piece’s Egghead Arc will be available to stream on Netflix when the anime returns in April. The announcement was accompanied by the main key visual for the Egghead Arc unveiled at Jump Festa back in December. While Netflix has acquired most of One Piece’s previous arcs and movies and has streamed the Egghead Arc throughout the last year, the confirmation is still largely appreciated with Netflix offering a much-appreciated alternative streaming option to Crunchyroll.

[RELATED: One Piece Fans Missed This Hilarious Big Mom Easter Egg]

One Piece Confirms Netflix Among Streaming Homes Ahead of April Return

With only a couple of weeks till One Piece’s Egghead Arc returns, it is safe to say that fans are simply brimming with excitement especially since the hiatus was intended to improve the quality of animation even further. As announced at Jump Festa, One Piece’s anime will be returning on April 6th, 2025, albeit at a slightly different time than fans are used to as the series has been moved to a different time slot for the first time in twenty years. Instead of the usual morning slot that fans are used to, new episodes of One Piece will instead be released at 11:15 PM JST.

It is likely that part 2 of the Egghead Arc will follow the same streaming schedule on Netflix as before with new episodes releasing at the same time as Japan first on Crunchyroll and making their way to Netflix a week later. This delay is probably due to the licensing rights for the series and is unlikely to change if so. Still, for fans with a Netflix subscription, this provides a much more convenient and simplified alternative to streaming One Piece’s exciting new episodes than juggling subscriptions, especially with Netflix’s anime library growing more and more expansive by the day

Source: NetflixAnime on X.

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As stunning as newer anime like Dandadan and Solo Leveling may be, they all admittedly seem to be lacking in one very specific area in the medium. This is an arena, coincidentally, where older enduring classics like One Piece, Naruto, Fairy Tail, and many more excel despite their animation being far less eye-catching in comparison. Believe it or not, these three classic shonen anime all have one thing in common, which is their distinctive soundtracks, or to be more specific, the use of one simple yet genius technique in their music that makes them so memorable even decades later.

Though often overlooked, soundtracks play a major role in any anime and can even make or break even the best series with the best of animation. While modern anime continues to make strides in terms of animation quality and global reach, most newer anime, sensational as they may be, simply no longer have the same distinctive soundtracks as older ones. Taking Naruto, One Piece, and Fairy Tail as examples, each of these shows has soundtracks that are instantly recognizable and have become synonymous with the series. Over the years the music from these particular anime has become so iconic that even those who may not have seen these series are sure to instantly recognize which anime they belong to, and a huge reason for this is the use of recurring motifs in older anime soundtracks, which has lately fallen out of use in modern anime.

Naruto, One Piece, and Fairy Tail All Have Bespoke Soundtracks in Common

While many other anime, including some shoujo and josei ones also sport excellent soundtracks, One Piece, Naruto, and Fairy Tail most clearly represent the beauty of older anime soundtracks. In One Piece’s case, most, if not all of its soundtrack has been composed by Kohei Tanaka. The series not only makes use of unique character motifs for each of the Straw Hats but also sports several iconic battle themes such as “Overtaken” and “Luffy’s Fierce Attack,” which are instantly recognizable within only a few notes.

The beauty of One Piece’s soundtrack is that these themes haven’t gotten old even two decades later and still evoke the same sense of excitement every time they are featured in the series. Kohei Tanaka also ingeniously incorporates these age-old melodies into newer compositions for the series. This is best seen in the Wano Arc compositions for Gear Five and Luffy’s awakening which feature bits of “Overtaken” and “Luffy’s Fierce Attack” hidden away between the exciting drum beats, almost as if incorporating a bit of the old Luffy into this new version of him, thus telling a tale even through the series’ music.

[RELATED: One Piece Announces Theme Songs for Egghead Arc]

Meanwhile, Naruto and Fairy Tail share the same excellent composer, Yasuharu Takanashi who gave both shows some of the most memorable, nostalgic soundtracks of all time. Both these series are known for hitting fans right in the feels and the music plays a huge role in this aspect. Fairy Tail’s signature main theme is an excellent example of the series’ use of a particular melody that is then shaped and incorporated into both the series’ battle themes as well as the sadder somber themes. Fairy Tail’s soundtrack also goes heavy on the woodwind instruments which perfectly align with the series’ medieval fantasy setting.

Meanwhile, Naruto’s soundtrack sets itself apart through its variability. The music in Naruto mostly incorporates classical Japanese instruments like the shamisen, a core aspect of Takanashi and Toshio Masuda’s style, which just so happens to perfectly fit the series’ setting. Toshio Masuda’s compositions like “Sadness and Sorrow” and “Naruto Main Theme” are excellent examples of Naruto soundtracks that have become inseparable from the series while other tracks like “Orochimaru’s Theme” are known for giving viewers goosebumps for years. Takanashi’s compositions for the series particularly shine in Naruto Shippuden with tracks like the “Akatsuki Theme” and though some of these tracks do not particularly use motifs as strongly as One Piece and Fairy Tail do, this variability in the soundtrack from the unconventional combination of Japanese instruments organs, chorals, and even electric guitar help the music stand out as an indispensable part of the series.

Modern Anime and the Death of Musical Motifs

The main issue with modern anime is that they rarely have anything to offer beyond their opening themes. Instead of musical motifs, opening themes are what fans most commonly associate with anime as of late, as seen with Dandadan’s chart-topping opening “Otonoke” or Solo Leveling’s “ReAwaker.” In the case of Solo Leveling in particular, even though the series has one of the most well-known composers, Hiroyuki Sawano, whose compositions lend perfectly to the atmosphere and mood of the series, nothing about the soundtrack stands out as particularly memorable. A huge reason for this is the lack of recognizable leitmotifs. In simple words, a leitmotif is a recurring melody or pattern within a composition that is associated with a particular character or scene.

Unlike One Piece’s “Overtaken” which might instantly conjure an image of Luffy headed into a battle or remind fans of an iconic scene like the Straw Hats marching into Enies Lobby, or Naruto’s “Sadness and Sorrow” which might instantly bring to mind various emotional moments from the series, modern anime severely lack such evocative music, and solely due to the slow death of the leitmotif.

That said, there are certainly exceptions like Demon Slayer which still makes use of distinct character themes and motifs for Tanjiro, Nezuko, and even the Hashira. Dandadan also arguably does something unique with its soundtrack in Episode 4 during the chase by Turbo Granny and the Spirit Crab which uses a remix of William Tell’s “Overture” and Offenbach’s “Can-Can” though the original soundtrack for the series does seem to be otherwise lacking. Regardless, anime music, both in terms of its opening themes and its soundtracks, has most definitely begun to change over the last few years. That said, hopefully modern anime can acknowledge what made older anime soundtracks such classics.

The post Naruto, One Piece, and Fairy Tail Prove Modern Anime Is Missing One Key Thing appeared first on ComicBook.com.

One Piece’s Elbaf Arc is finally taking off with the newly introduced Holy Knights mounting their attack on the land of the Giants through the most unexpected means. At the same time, Loki threatens to destroy his pristine homeland from within with fire and lightning, adding to the chaos unfolding on Elbaf. Amidst all this, fans have begun to theorize about the presence of a potential traitor on Elbaf, and it isn’t someone you’d initially suspect. That said, while these theories do have some substance to them, they also confirm a rather concerning pattern emerging in One Piece’s latest arcs.

Warning: Spoilers Ahead for One Piece Chapter 1142!

The events of One Piece Chapter 1142 have led many fans to suspect that Ange, the librarian of the Owl Library and the language teacher at the Walrus School, could be a traitor who facilitated the Holy Knights’ plan that was put into motion in the latest chapter. That said, while there is some merit to this theory, there is only circumstantial evidence to support these suspicions so far. Moreover, Ange is the third character to be suspected by fans of being a traitor in the Elbaf Arc so far. The first of these was King Harald, while the other was Jarul, the Hero of the Giants whose suspicious behavior was also called into question not too long ago. These recurring traitor theories go to show that perhaps One Piece has led fans to expect a betrayal in every arc from overusing the traitor trope in every arc since Wano.

One Piece Fans Suspect a Traitor on Elbaf… Again

Most of the suspicion surrounding Ange has arisen from One Piece Chapter 1142, wherein the Holy Knights, through some mysterious devil fruit ability, put the Giant children to sleep and turn their worst nightmares into a reality, bringing many fearsome beasts to life. Coincidentally, Ange happens to recognize these monsters attacking Elbaf as those from an activity she had happened to conduct with the children earlier that day, which involved them drawing their greatest fears. The theory about Ange hinges on the fact that it is far too much of a coincidence that Ange happened to conduct this drawing activity with the children on the very day that the Holy Knights set their plan into motion.

The children’s drawings have coincidentally given the Holy Knights the perfect nightmare fuel to work with as the beasts attacking the island are picked up straight from these illustrations. The chapter also includes one of the children, Ylva, claiming that she was going to have nightmares from the exercise, adding to the suspicions surrounding Ange. That said, in Ange’s defense, the Holy Knights’ original plan was to recruit Loki and assume control over Elbaf through him. Shamrock only pivoted to using the children in Chapter 1138 after Loki refused to comply, and there could have been no way for Ange to know about the Holy Knights’ plan.

Fan theories have also pointed out that Ange was in full support of the late King Harald’s reforms for Elbaf, who is also suspected to have betrayed Elbaf, though this is once again a circumstantial argument at best. Regardless, the fact that fans continue to point fingers at a character suggests that One Piece may have taken the trope too far over the last few arcs and it could grow into a troublesome issue for the series.

[RELATED: One Piece Confirms Loki’s Powers Are a Throwback to Two Classic Villains]

One Piece’s Traitor Trope is Getting Old

When One Piece’s Wano Arc first used the concept of a traitor with Kanjuro in the Wano Arc, it made for one of the most chilling betrayals the series had ever seen. A few fans had already suspected Kanjuro’s betrayal since his introduction on Dressrosa and the events that unfolded on Zou, and the big revelation in Wano finally addressed the inexplicable sense of unease fans had long felt about Kanjuro in a very satisfying manner.

However, the subsequent Egghead Arc went on to use the traitor trope once again, this time in a much more clear way. York’s betrayal was much more central to the Egghead Arc than Kanjuro’s, and in this instance, the reveal almost completely took fans by surprise, with fans most commonly suspecting Shaka or Lilith instead. While using the same plot element two arcs in a row isn’t necessarily all that bad, a consequence of doing so is that fans have now come to automatically expect a traitor in every new arc. The traitor theories have arguably spun out of control since the Egghead Arc, with some even suspecting there could be a traitor amidst the Five Elders.

The Elbaf Arc alone has already given birth to multiple traitor theories ranging from King Harald secretly siding with the World Government, to Jorul being suspected of hiding something regarding Loki and the late king’s death. Ange seems to be the newest victim of these speculations and while there is a chance that fans’ intuition could be right about her after all, it would be far better if One Piece left behind the traitor trope for a change.

One Piece is available to read from Manga Plus and Viz Media.

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With the wholesome reunions, feasts, and exploration of the island all wrapped up, One Piece’s Elbaf Arc is finally gearing up for some battles as the Holy Knights finally set their evil plans for Elbaf into motion. That said, no one could have anticipated the direction this plan would take, with the latest chapter revealing the Holy Knights’ plan to use one of the strongest powers in Luffy’s possession against him, this being his childlike, vivid imagination. That said, this may have instead given Luffy’s newfound Sun God Nika powers the perfect stage to shine.

Chapter 1142 of One Piece reveals that the Holy Knights’ plan involving the children of Elbaf was to put them to sleep and turn their dreams of what they fear most into reality. The chapter sees several mythical monsters such as Jörmungandr, Nidhoggr, Fenrir, and even Sun God Nika brought to life and wreaking havoc on Elbaf, with their forms and appearances picked straight from the children’s imagination and drawings of them. As such, the latest chapter pits the children’s imagination against Luffy’s own childlike imagination, setting up what could be a very goofy and fun battle between these nightmare beasts and Gear Five.

[RELATED: One Piece Confirms Loki’s Powers Are a Throwback to Two Classic Villains]

One Piece’s Elbaf Arc Sets up the Perfect Battle for Gear Five

Though Luffy is currently contending with Loki and his threat to destroy Elbaf with his lightning, the task of dealing with the Holy Knights and the nightmarish beasts they’ve brought to life will inevitably fall to the Straw Hats. Chapter 1142 also perfectly illustrates just how tough these beasts are through Jörmungandr, who is defeated through the joint efforts of Saul and Principal Tusk. As such, powerful as the Giants may be, there are very few who are strong enough to deal with the entire hoard of monsters currently attacking the island. Given that the Holy Knights do not know about Luffy and the Straw Hats’ presence on the island, this could also be a simple way to thwart this initial plan.

More importantly, with these beasts being born of imagination, having Luffy in Gear Five at the center of it all could open up the path to a fun battle with Luffy going all out with his own imaginative powers. One Piece has still only scratched the surface of what Gear Five is truly capable of with the Egghead Arc giving fans a teasing glimpse.

The battle against the Five Elders at Egghead saw Luffy accomplish all sorts of new, inexplicable feats like conjuring items out of nowhere and even defying the rules of space-time and the current situation could give Luffy the perfect opportunity to dial up the toon force even further. It will be interesting to see how Luffy’s imagination will measure up to that of Elbaf’s children and if the Holy Knights’ abilities could also affect Luffy himself, though the latter seems unlikely to happen. Nonetheless, One Piece has plenty of exciting battles coming up on Elbaf, and Gear Five is sure to steal the show with its goofy antics.

One Piece is available to read from Manga Plus and Viz Media.

The post One Piece Creates the Perfect Battlefield For Luffy’s Nika Powers to Shine appeared first on ComicBook.com.

One Piece has taken a drastic turn in the Elbaf Arc’s latest chapters as Luffy and Zoro free Loki from his shackles. He is known as the “Cursed Prince of Elbaf,” someone who has been evil since birth. Loki has been hated among the tribe since he was a child. He would create all kinds of trouble for the villagers. However, the Giants’ patience ran out when he killed their beloved king Harald, around 14 years ago. Loki escaped the country and roamed around for six years before Shanks found him. His powers are unimaginable, as no one before Shanks was able to defeat the Giant Prince.

He was sentenced to crucifixion six years ago, and now he’s finally free. Not only that, but the Holy Knights have also waged war against Elbaf. The fabled land of the Giants is known as the strongest nation in the world. The World Government has always been after their power, and now Shamrock is leading the mission to bring them down. Of course, it’s expected that they are resorting to underhanded tactics. Even though Loki is being portrayed as a villain right now, he might turn out to be Elbaf’s savior.

One Piece’s Loki Already Knew About the Recent Threat to Elbaf

Before the Holy Knights attacked Elbaf, Shamrock, and Gunko tried to recruit Loki. The World Government has long been aware of exactly how powerful Loki is, which is why Shamrock didn’t hesitate to offer him a rank among the Holy Knights. He even made an exception because the members are ideally only World Nobles. However, Loki mocks the Holy Knights standing before him and refuses to join. Gunko even kills a wolf from the Underworld who trying to protect Loki.

She then tortures the prince, knowing he has no way of defending himself or attacking her. Shamrock witnesses the scene and realizes it’s pointless to try and force Loki to join them and leaves with Gunko. He then decides to start targeting the children. Killingham begins the attack in Chapter 1142 just as Shamrock instructed. The Holy Knights caught Elbaf off guard, and they clearly have the upper hand now.

The Holy Knights even use underhanded methods when attacking the Giants unprovoked in One Piece. Apart from the Holy Knights, no one other than Loki knew that the country was in danger. In Chapter 1142, he is acting his part and attacking blindly. However, he also seems to be in a hurry and warns the crew to unlock the shackles on his legs if they wish to save Elbaf. While the true extent of Loki’s power is unknown, the latest chapter features him swinging his hammer, Ragnir, and calling down gargantuan bolts of lightning to strike whatever the tree.

In Chapter 1141, Ripley already mentioned that Elbaf’s biggest weaknesses are fire and thunder, and Loki possesses one of these destructive abilities. However, it also doesn’t appear that he’s trying to harm anyone directly. Right now, all the Giants, including Loki, share one common enemy, and that’s the Holy Knights. Hence, if he does join the Giants’ side, his unparalleled powers will be more useful than anything else.

[RELATED: One Piece’s Gaban Shows Heartwarming Parallels to One Beloved Character]

King Harald’s Death May Have Been a Big Conspiracy

Everything about Harald’s death remains unknown, except that Loki is confirmed to be the killer. Harald was loved among his people and was known as the strongest king. He even tried to open trade with the outside world and form a peaceful relationship with them. Elbaf has been an isolated country for centuries, which is why it’s not very advanced. Even the schools and proper education there were only recently introduced, thanks to the approval of King Harald. However, the series has yet to reveal what happened during the time of his death. Some theories say Harald was conspiring with the World Government, while others believe Loki isn’t the killer.

Some of the Giants, at least those who were in the Throne Room during the time of the incident, seemed to know the truth. In One Piece Chapter 1137, Jarul was averting his eyes while saying he was hit on the head by Loki. His expression is common in One Piece characters when Oda wants to drop an obvious hint about them lying. The Throne Room has major claw marks, and the Holy Knights were already aware of where it’s located, even though it’s not supposed to be common knowledge among outsiders. Now that the Cursed Prince is finally free, the manga will likely reveal more about his past as the fight against the Holy Knights continues.

The post One Piece: Elbaf’s Greatest Fear Just Might Be Their True Hero appeared first on ComicBook.com.

One Piece has hundreds of characters, but only a select few have major fanbases. These characters are always significant to the story, an impressive achievement in itself with a series sprawling across over a thousand chapters. It’s a tradition for One Piece characters to get stunning birthday art released on social media or through official channels. Each illustration has a personal touch, further fleshing out the characters’ personalities and backstories by adding certain elements to the illustrations. Fans love to share and discuss these official illustrations during the birthdays of their favorite characters as they connect to the series on a deeper level. These arts are drawn by Toei Animators who contribute to the series.

For Shanks’ birthday, a popular Jujutsu Kaisen and One Piece animator, @Hone_honeHONE on X, drew a gorgeous illustration. In the art, Shanks is unsheathing his sword as the light’s reflection from his blade lands on his scar. His scar has a deep meaning in the story since it’s given to him by Blackbeard, one of the major antagonists in the show. HoneHone is credited for having recently contributed to Episodes 1074, 1114, and 1115 of the One Piece anime. They also drew Katakuri’s illustration back in November 2024. However, before One Piece, HoneHone was best known for his work in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2. During the time Season 2 was airing, the animator publicly spoke about the challenging working conditions at MAPPA studio, earning recognition among the fandom.

Shanks Shares His Birthday With Two More One Piece Characters

One Piece character birthdays are either decided by Oda or fans, based on what the author deems fit. A lot of birthdays are chosen based on Japanese wordplay using numbers. In Japanese, numbers can be read in different ways, allowing for puns related to a certain character’s name. Since Oda doesn’t always follow a strict rule, oftentimes, fans come up with these wordplays, and they are featured in the SBS columns of the manga volumes. Shanks and Franky sharing the same birthdays is a coincidence.

In the SBS for One Piece Volume 54, a fan asks Oda to have March 9th as Shanks’ birthday because of his name. The fan came up with it since “Shan” means 9 and “Kusu” means 3. Additionally, in SBS Volume 43, a fan came up with the birthdays of several Water 7 characters, including Franky. Cyborg is read as “Saibōgu” in Japanese, and “Sa” means 3 while “Gu” means 9. Finally, in Mihawk’s case, it appears Oda decided the birthday on his own since there are no records in the SBS.

Whether it’s a coincidence or not is unknown. It could also be another wordplay like Shanks and Franky. Their birthday arts were also shared by @OPcom_info on X, the official account of the One Piece portal site. However, Shanks and Mihawk sharing the same birthday is surely fascinating. The two only have a five-year age gap, but they are often portrayed as rivals. A few years before the current timeline, they crossed swords, but the victor was undecided. They are both swordsmen and characters who are feared for their devastating powers, with One Piece fans debating over who is the stronger of the two. Hence, these two are often mentioned together, whether in the series or in real life.

H/T: @Hone_honeHONE on X

The post Jujutsu Kaisen Animator Unveils Stunning Birthday Art of One Piece’s Shanks appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World- is now working its way through the climax of the Counterattack Arc in Season 3, and the newest episode gave fans one of the best fights in the arc yet thanks to some help from a prominent animator who’s worked on One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen and more. After making its comeback for Season 3 last Fall before taking a hiatus, Re:Zero is now back in action with the second half of its third season this Winter. After all of the build up last Fall, it’s just one big fight after another in the latest epsiodes.

Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World- Counterattack Arc has been showcasing how Subaru and the others are now facing off against the Witch’s Cult members, and the newest episode shifted its focus back to the fight between Garfiel Tinzel and the eight armed revived swordsman, Kurgan. The two of them have been going back and forth through the arc thus far, and now this fight has come to an end thanks to an awesome scene brought to life by Vincent Chansard, a major animator behind some of One Piece and Jujutsu Kaisen‘s coolest fight scenes.

What Happens in Garfiel vs. Kurgan?

Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World- Season 3 Episode 13 sees Garfiel continuing his fight against Kurgan, and he’s been struggling the entire time. It’s revealed that Kurgan comes from a race of four armed fighters, but was ostracized due to being born with eight arms. Despite all of that, he demonstrated his strength by defending his village all by himself. Garfiel also learns that if Kurgan doesn’t use all of his chosen swords in battle, then he doesn’t recognize his opponent as strong. So Garfiel is facing an uphill battle in a number of different ways.

When Kurgan knocks him into one of the underground spots where people are hiding, he sees the young children he bonded with before. With them cheering him on, Garfiel decides that he needs to defeat his opponent once and for all. This gets Kurgan to recognize his strength, and this lead to the cool animated scene that brings about the end of their fight. Thankfully, Garfiel was successful and was able to defeat Kurgan while also getting the legendary figure to recognize him as a warrior. It’s Garfiel’s biggest victory in the series to date.

RELATED: Re:Zero Season 3 Kicks Off Its Comeback With New Opening: Watch

What’s Next for Re:Zero?

Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World- Counterattack Arc is only scheduled to run for eight episodes, and that means the final episode of the season is rapidly approaching. As the Winter 2025 anime releases start wrapping up their respective runs as well, Re:Zero Season 3 is getting ready for its own explosive finale. There have been some big hits to the Witch’s Cult over the course of this half after everything that happened last Fall, and it really seems like Subaru and the others are really close to an actual victory.

But as seen with Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World– in the past, Subaru and the others really shouldn’t be comfortable until they are fully safe and clear from all of these fights. Regardless, this has been the most action-packed arc of the series to date as each episode has been filled with some big fights and action scenes. It was already a good looking series, but the latest episode has gone to a whole new level thanks to animators like Chansard who are able to take that even further. Now it’s time to see what’s coming next.

The post Jujutsu Kaisen and One Piece Animator Just Gave Re:Zero Its Best Episode Yet appeared first on ComicBook.com.

One Piece’s English dub release will be releasing a new batch of episodes later this month, and with it will finally reach a major milestone the team has been working towards for nearly two decades. One Piece‘s English dub release has been one of the more unique dubs in anime history. Not only did the series originally start its run with a different English licensing company bringing it to life, but eventually the teams that took the series up later had to go back from the very beginning for a more faithful adaptation of the original Japanese language release. So it’s been a bumpy ride.

There was even a large gap in between the production for the One Piece dub, and the former voice team at Funimation then picked up the efforts in full once more back in 2019. Each team has been working hard ever since to start dubbing the episodes all the way back from the Punk Hazard arc, and 2025 will finally see the One Piece English dub catch up to the original Japanese release. As confirmed by ADR Director Emily Fajardo, the final batch of the dub’s Egghead Arc episodes will catch up their efforts with the Japanese release after 18 years.

One Piece English Dub Catches Up to Japanese Release

“18 years in the making, the English dub of One Piece has officially caught up to the Japanese version of the main story,” Fajardo shared in a special message with fans on X. “It has been one of the biggest honors of my life to spend the last 3 years sailing toward this milestone with everyone, first as one of two ADR Directors, and as the sole series ADR Director for the last year and a half. For 3 years straight, I’ve had the privilege of working with this cast and crew 5 days a week, and witnessing their unbelievable talent and passion firsthand.”

As Fajardo also notes, this is the biggest dubbing endeavor in anime history with nearly 1500 voice actors and crew members involved across nearly two decades of work. Now that the series has caught up with the latest episode, the One Piece English dubbing team can rest a little bit as the anime prepares to return from its lengthy hiatus later this Spring. It’s a well deserved break after how much work they’ve put in to make sure dub fans can watch the entire series. Not to mention all of the feature films, specials, video games and more launched in the meantime.

RELATED: Netflix’s One Piece Set Photo Reveals Major Locale Coming in Season 2

When Does One Piece Come Back?

As officially announced by Toei Animation, One Piece: Egghead Arc Episodes 1109-1122 of the English dub will be streaming with Crunchyroll on March 18th along with One Piece Specials 14, 15 and 16. One Piece: Egghead Arc will be kicking off Part 2 of its run on April 6th in Japan with the release of Episode 1123, six months after the anime went on hiatus. This was done so that the team can properly prepare for the next half of the arc, so fans are definitely excited to see what comes next.

It’s yet to be revealed how this will be impacting the schedule for the English dub release, but these batch episode drops will likely continue when One Piece returns to its weekly schedule in Japan. Either way, fans watching along with the English dub will be able to join in on the conversations as One Piece fans are finally united after all this time and effort.

The post One Piece’s English Dub Reaches Historic Milestone After Nearly 20 Years appeared first on ComicBook.com.

One Piece: Egghead Arc is officially making its comeback to screens later this Spring after a lengthy hiatus, and the anime has locked down its streaming home ahead of its return. One Piece: Egghead Arc shocked fans last Fall when it was announced that the anime would be going on its first ever six month hiatus. The team behind the series went on hiatus to better prepare for what is coming in the second half of the arc, and the wait for new episodes will finally be over soon. Now it’s been confirmed where fans can find these new episodes when they hit in Japan.

Crunchyroll and Toei Animation have announced that One Piece: Egghead Arc will be returning for new episodes on April 6th in Japan (via press release), and they will be streaming with Crunchyroll for fans in North America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Latin America. This will be picking up from where the anime left off all those months ago as Luffy and the Straw Hats ready to escape from Dr. Vegapunk’s future island laboratory. So it won’t be too much longer now.

What Else is Coming to Crunchyroll?

One Piece: Egghead Arc‘s return isn’t the only new release for the anime coming to Crunchyroll in the near future either. Ahead of the Japanese audio simulcast premiering this April, Crunchyroll will be launching One Piece Specials 14, 15 and 16 on March 18th. On the same day, One Piece: Egghead Arc Episodes 1109-1122 of the English dubbed release will be available for streaming as well. With the new episodes officially starting on April 6th, this lengthy drought for One Piece fans is coming to an end after months of waiting to see what could be coming next.

One Piece has been in the midst of a historic hiatus as this is the first six month period in which the anime hasn’t been releasing new episodes. In the meantime, One Piece fans have instead been treated to One Piece Log: Fish-Man Island Saga, a special remaster of the pivotal anime arc. This remaster re-edits the anime’s original version of the arc’s 58 episodes into 21 new episodes with new visual and audio enhancements, new promos, new eyecatchers, theme songs and much more. But it’s been far from a totally new experience.

RELATED: Netflix’s One Piece Set Photo Reveals Major Locale Coming in Season 2

What’s Next for One Piece: Egghead Arc?

One Piece: Egghead Arc will be debuting in a new, later time slot when it returns for Part 2 in Japan, but it has yet to be revealed what that means for the content of the show itself. There’s a chance that the anime team might be able to add some darker flourish to some of the more intense stuff that comes in the latter half of the arc, but fans should likely just expect the series to maintain its tone even with this later airing. But as fans have been waiting all this time, it’s going to be a welcome return regardless.

One Piece: Egghead Arc took a brief detour from Egghead to reveal more of what’s happening in the rest of the ocean, and each of these developments have been making the Final Saga of Eiichiro Oda’s original series more intense than ever before. As the anime prepares for its return later this Spring, there’s a hope that this second wave of episodes will maintain all of the good will that’s come from the first half of the season thus far. But that’s likely not going to be an issue at all.

The post One Piece: Egghead Arc Locks Down Streaming Home for Big Return appeared first on ComicBook.com.

With the release of Netflix’s hit live-action adaptation, One Piece is stepping into the global mainstream more prominently than ever before, introducing an all-new audience to the anime and even the manga that so many have loved and followed closely for the last two decades. That said, it is arguable that One Piece’s manga had been steadily acquiring a vast global fan base for years before the live-action series could leave its mark. There are many apparent reasons for One Piece’s global popularity that any fan can list at a moment’s notice. However, one such reason that even the most diehard fans may not have noticed is that Eiichiro Oda has made one secret change to One Piece’s manga over the years, and solely for international readers.

In the SBS section of Volume 111 of One Piece, Oda was recently asked why One Piece’s manga does not make use of vertical speech bubbles, unlike most other manga, but instead breaks up long text into several speech bubbles. In response, Oda reveals that though he initially did use vertical speech bubbles, he stopped doing so after seeing the official English release struggling to fit the text into these speech bubbles. Oda’s response as translated by @newworldartur on X reads, “You see, although I originally used plenty of vertical speech bubbles, there was this one time where I saw the overseas release trying to pack the horizontally-written English words into vertical speech bubbles, and it just looked really cramped.” As such, Oda confirms he stopped using vertical speech bubbles to make localizations easier to format and read as well.

[RELATED: One Piece’s Creator Teases Luffy Needs to Visit One Place Before Laugh Tale]

One Piece’s Manga Changed Speech Bubble Shapes for Localization’s Sake

Though the shape of the speech bubbles is something most readers may have never paid much attention to, they do greatly shape the reading experience. To sum up the issue in simple words, Japanese characters, like many East Asian languages, can be written horizontally as well as vertically, and the latter generally takes up less space, leaving more room for the artwork. However, as Oda explains in the SBS of One Piece Volume 111, most Western languages, like English, are basically only written horizontally, making it difficult to fit entire sentences into vertical speech bubbles.

Thus, as Oda goes to say, he instead opted to design One Piece’s text bubbles in such a way that they would be easy to read regardless of what language they were translated into. The SBS reads, “There’s plenty of countries where the languages it gets translated into are written horizontally, so the speech bubbles are now designed to be easy to read no matter what language they are translated into.”

Overall, the fact that Oda took one look at the cramped localization and made the switch to wider text bubbles and broken up text shows a great deal of consideration on his part for One Piece’s international readers as well as letterers on the localization teams having to deal with this issue. Oda has always prioritized making One Piece as clear and easy to read as humanly possible, from the paneling to the speech bubbles, and this is one of the biggest reasons why the series continues to be as successful and widely read as it is.

One Piece is available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.

Source: @newworldartur on X.

The post One Piece’s Creator Secretly Made One Key Change For International Readers appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The fabled land of the giants known as Elbaf in One Piece is located in the New World and isolated from other islands, and is a treasure trove of mysteries. Because Luffy and his crew are familiar with the Giants, they are welcomed in Elbaf with open arms. Unaware that the Holy Knights have already invaded the land, everyone else is having a good time. As a kingdom directly tied to the Void Century and Nika, Elbaf has its fair share of mysteries. Ever since the new arc began, One Piece has been introducing new characters and unraveling several mysteries.

Elbaf is home to Giants known for being mighty warriors. It’s considered the strongest nation in the world, which is why the World Government has always wanted to conquer it. Having powerful Giants as Marine soldiers will further enhance their powers. Even so, the free-spirited warriors aren’t easy to subdue. While a handful of them served the Navy before, most of them chose to become pirates or live on their island. Ripley and Franky are exploring the land while she is unveiling several secrets in front of Franky. One of which explains the kingdom’s only perilous weakness of catching fire.

[RELATED: One Piece: The Most Dangerous Character in Elbaf Is Finally Free]

One Piece’s Elbaf Has a Strange Weakness

While Franky is with Ripley in the Adam Tree Tour, she reveals that the Giants live on the branches of this tree. Each branch has its own long history, tracing back to several centuries. Once upon a time, a village named Haugen was settled on a branch. When lightning struck, the entire village caught fire, and since the branch was old, the fire wouldn’t go out.

In order to ensure that the fire wouldn’t spread to the rest of the tree, the entire branch was cut off, including the village. It’s unclear when the tragedy struck, but Elbaf remembers it to this day. Adam Tree is a fabled species of tree known for its exceptional wood strength. Roger’s and Luffy’s ship was crafted using the wood of Adam Trees. Since Franky himself made the Thousand Sunny, he was curious to see the legendary tree in person.

Elbaf’s Adam Tree is an ancient colossal tree, said to be the oldest one in the world. It envelops most of the island with its branches and sustains the kingdom. The tree also depicts what appears to be past events from the Void Century and beyond through a mural carved on its bark. The Giants depend on the tree for living, but that’s also a fatal weakness.

Like Ripley said, once the tree catches fire, it won’t go out because the tree is so old. In that sense, lightning and fire are Elbaf’s only weaknesses. Since war is about to break out in the land because of the Holy Knights, it’s possible the tree will take considerable damage. Shamrock plans to subdue the strongest nation in the world, and the Giants won’t go down without a fight. Furthermore, Loki’s true powers remain unknown, but if it’s anything related to lightning or fire, it could spell trouble for the Giants as well.

The post One Piece Reveals Elbaf’s Only Weakness appeared first on ComicBook.com.

One Piece is now in the works on Season 2 of the live-action series with Netflix, and a surfaced set photo from the series has revealed the first look at one of the major locations making a debut in the coming episodes. Netflix’s One Piece quickly announced that a Season 2 of the live-action series was in the works, but production on that season didn’t fully kick in until last year due to delays from the then active SAG-AFTRA strike. But once work began on the new season in full, One Piece has been moving quickly as it gets reeady for its premiere.

While it has yet to be revealed exactly when One Piece Season 2 will finally hit Netflix, details revealed about the season have confirmed some of the arcs that fans of Eiichiro Oda’s original One Piece manga will get to see in the coming season. One of the arcs is Little Garden, which introduces some key allies and foes for the future, and @OP_Netflix_Fan on X has spotted a set photo revealing a little of how this Little Garden arc will look in real life. But beware as it’s a pretty notable spoiler for the coming season.

What Is One Piece’s Little Garden Arc?

At the end of Netflix’s One Piece Season 1, Luffy and the newly formed Straw Hat crew declared that they would be making their journey into the Grand Line for the first real time. It was teased throughout the season that this area would feature some of the toughest pirates in the world, but the crew is ready to take on all challengers. One of the first arcs within this mysterious area is Little Garden, which is one of the most significant arcs in One Piece overall. This place not only introduce Luffy and the others to Mr. 3 (who will be played by David Dastmalchian in the live-action series), but also fully reveals his power.

This is tied into the candle set revealed in this set photo, which is the ultimate display of Mr. 3’s Devil Fruit power. It’s a pretty perilous (and hilarious) fight in the original One Piece series, and it looks like the Netflix live-action series is going to bring this moment to life in full. This isn’t the only key factor of the Little Garden arc either as there are some huge additions to the series that make their debut here as well. It’s going to be interesting to see how they’re brought to life.

RELATED: One Piece’s Taz Skylar Proves Sanji’s Fighting Style is Harder Than It Looks (Exclusive)

What Will Netflix’ One Piece Season 2 Be About?

Netflix has yet to announce an official release window or date for One Piece Season 2 as of the time of this publication, but production on the episodes has wrapped as of last month. What has been revealed about the coming episodes makes their premiere all the more exciting as well as not only will it feature the debut of a live-action version of Tony Tony Chopper (who has yet to be officially cast for the series) but several major arcs from Eiichiro Oda’s original manga series.

In a statement to fans back in 2024, Eiichiro Oda revealed that Netflix’s One Piece Season 2 would be tackling the Loguetown, Reverse Mountain, Whiskey Peak, Little Garden, and Drum Island arcs with its episodes. It’s also yet to be revealed how many episodes this season will feature, but it’s going to have quite a lot of material to adapt. With this new look at Little Garden, it really seems like the Netflix series is going all out for this second wave of episodes.

HT – @OP_Netflix_Fan on X

The post Netflix’s One Piece Set Photo Reveals Major Locale Coming in Season 2 appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The ongoing Elbaf Arc of One Piece is introducing new characters as Luffy, and his crew begin a new adventure in the fabled land of the Giants. Elbaf is an island unaffiliated with the World Government and is considered the strongest nation in the world. It’s home to the brave and mighty warriors who take pride in their strengths. Having a much longer life span than humans, the Giants spend most of their lives honing their skills. Even with all their strength, they actually prefer a peaceful life. They were furious when Eustass Kidd attacked Elbaf and wanted to turn it into a warzone.

Since the country is isolated from the rest of the world, it’s not advanced in any way. However, things are slowly changing as the Giants now focus on educating the next generation. Jaguar D. Saul has a major role to play in it, but their beloved King Harald also contributed to the development. It’s all the more reason the country admires their king. Sadly, fourteen years ago, the kingdom met an inexplicable tragedy with Harald’s death. What’s worse is that Harald’s son, Prince Loki, was the murderer. He wandered in the sea for eight years before Shanks caught him and handed him over to the Giants. It’s been six years since then, and Loki has been serving his sentence in the underworld. However, things take a drastic turn in One Piece Chapter 1141.

[RELATED: One Piece’s Creator Teases Luffy Needs to Visit One Place Before Laugh Tale]

Luffy and Zoro Free Loki in One Piece Chapter 1141

Loki makes a deal with Luffy, promising to tell the young Yonko everything he knows about Shanks if the latter sets him free in One Piece. Despite Loki’s scary demeanor, Luffy gets along quite well with him. Luffy plans to keep his end of the deal since he desperately wants to meet Shanks. Even the Giants saying all manners of negative things about Loki isn’t enough to change Luffy’s mind.

According to the Giants, Loki has always been a source of their problems. They call him the “Cursed Prince,” someone who has been pulling dangerous pranks on them since he was a child. However, killing their beloved King was their bottom line. The Giants claim that Loki killed Harald to acquire the mysterious devil fruit that has been passed down in Elbaf’s royal family for generations. Loki was already the strongest warrior in the kingdom, and gaining the power of the devil fruit made him even more untouchable.

In Chapter 1139, Scopper Gaban reveals that before Shanks, no one was able to defeat Loki. That’s quite a statement, considering that a single Giant couldn’t be stopped even when all the warriors of Elbaf combined their strengths. Luffy has full confidence that even if Loki causes trouble, he can easily stop the Giant Prince. Chapter 1141 ends with Loki standing menacingly in front of Luffy. He is clearly way taller than ordinary Giants, which makes him even more threatening.

One Piece May Include a Brief Fight Between Luffy and Loki

Six years of being crucified and recently getting tortured by Gunko should have been enough to make Loki unable to stand. However, reality proves otherwise. Loki was already annoyed when Zoro kicked his wound to check if the Giant was still alive. Additionally, if what the Giants say about Loki is true, he may not be planning to keep his end of the deal. It also wouldn’t be surprising if Loki actually went on another rampage like he did 14 years ago.

It’s unclear if Loki met Shanks a few days ago when the pirate was in Elbaf and fought Kidd later on. However, we do know that Loki and Shanks aren’t on good terms, considering the latter imprisoned him for six years. Loki may not know much about Shanks like he’s letting on. It’s unclear what his goal is so far, but a brief fight between him and Luffy wouldn’t be surprising. The last panel of Chapter 1141 surely doesn’t look “friendly.”

However, even if they do fight, it won’t last this long because Elbaf has worse things to worry about now. With the Holy Knights planning to attack the kingdom, the beautiful land will soon turn into a battlefield. Considering Loki’s hatred toward the Celestial Dragons and his personal vendetta against Gunko and Shamrock, he may be willing to fight the villains.

The post One Piece: The Most Dangerous Character in Elbaf Is Finally Free appeared first on ComicBook.com.

After what can only be described as a spectacular run from start to finish, Dragon Ball Daima has at last dropped its final episode. Almost as if consoling fans sad to see the series go, the final episode of Daima was also accompanied by an unexpected post-credits scene, which, besides including a hilarious twist about the Evil Eye, has also blown fans away with its stunning animation to wrap up the series. That said, what many fans may not know is that the animator behind Daima’s stunning new epilogue is, in fact, one of One Piece‘s most talented and underrated animation directors.

The key animation for Dragon Ball Daima’s new post-credits scene was handled by Takashi Kojima, who most notably served as the Animation Director for Episode 1015 of One Piece, one of the most highly rated episodes of the Wano Arc. Kojima is also credited as the Assistant Animation Director for One Piece’s hit special Fan Letter as a Key Animator for Episode 1071 of One Piece, which is the famous episode in which Luffy awakens Gear Five. Besides One Piece, Kojima has also made a name for himself in various hit anime like Attack on Titan’s final season, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Your Lie in April, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean, and the upcoming anime reboot of Yaiba, to name a few. That said, Dragon Ball Daima’s post-credit scene speaks for his talent as an animator just as well as his vast portfolio of work.

[RELATED: Dragon Ball Daima: Do Characters Fuse In The Finale?]

Dragon Ball Daima’s Finale Shines A Light On Takashi Kojima’s Brilliant Animation Work

While the animation in Dragon Ball Daima as a whole has been quite charming, the post-credits scene at the end of Episode 20 no doubt has a charm of its own that can be attributed entirely to Takashi Kojima’s distinct touch. Much like the rest of Kojima’s work, the scene mostly stands out for its brilliant character acting. Not only is the animation in the scene fluid, but it’s also incredibly expressive with close detail to even the smallest of micro facial expressions such as Goku’s slightly quirked eyebrow upon entering the shop.

Another excellent example of Kojima nailing the character acting in the post-credit scene is Bulma’s reaction to finding out the bug she picked up is a Beautbug, which turns her earlier disgust into gushing delight and enthusiasm to buy them all. Every frame of Bulma’s reaction strongly communicates her emotions in the moment, so much so that the animation alone almost entirely conveys what is happening in the scene without any need for subtitles.

Though these may be small, almost unnoticeable details at first glance, they do help make the entire scene better as a whole. As much as Kojima’s contribution to Daima may come as a surprise, there is no doubt that his touch is a huge reason why the post-credit scene is so memorable, and hopefully, fans get to see more of his stunning animation work in the next installment of Dragon Ball’s franchise, regardless of what it may be or when that time may come.

Dragon Ball Daima is available from Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Netflix.

The post Dragon Ball Daima’s Post-Credits Scene Has One Underrated One Piece Animator Behind It appeared first on ComicBook.com.

One Piece has been in the midst of a special remastered version of the Fish-Man Island Saga for the past few months, and this anime has been hit with a delay ahead of its grand finale. One Piece announced last year that it would be going on a six month hiatus as the team gets ready for the next phase of the Egghead arc. But to pass the time while fans wait, One Piece has been broadcasting a new version of the Fish-Man Island arc that includes new tweaks and edits to make it feel like an entirely new and upgraded anime experience.

One Piece Log: Fish-Man Island Saga has been showcasing this major revision for the anime over the past few months, but it is now in its final stretch of episodes as One Piece: Egghead Arc prepares for its full return later this Spring. But there’s going to be a brief delay for the remaster as it has also announced that there will be no episode broadcast on March 9th, and will be officially returning for Episode 19 (of the 21 total planned episodes for the remake) of its run on March 16th.

What Is One Piece: Fish-Man Island Remake?

One Piece Log: Fish-Man Island Saga began its run last November, and re-edits the anime’s original version of the arc’s 58 episodes and brings it down to 21 new episodes. The remaster not only includes enhanced visuals and audio, but also re-edits the anime to include new eyecatchers, remixed opening themes, new ending themes, and more across all of the episodes seen thus far. Now as the final fight of the arc enters its climax, it’s time to look ahead to the anime’s future as the remaster ends.

One Piece Log: Fish-Man Island Saga has indeed been living up to the promise it had when it was first announced as it has been offering a revamped version of the anime. Placing newer techniques from more recent episodes such as Haki’s full visualization into these previous moments that didn’t have them before have come a long way to modernize the game-changing arc. It also seems to tease that this arc is going to be very relevant once more in the future, so hopefully fans have been checking out the remake as it aired.

RELATED: One Piece Shares Official Los Angeles Lakers Crossover Video: Watch

When Does One Piece: Egghead Arc Come Back?

It won’t be too much longer until One Piece: Egghead Arc returns for brand new episodes, however. One Piece: Egghead Arc will be kicking off Part 2 of its run on April 6th, and it will be shaking things up with the much later time slot of 11:15PM JST in Japan. It’s yet to be revealed how this later time slot will be impacting the content of the coming episodes, nor how it will impact the international streaming releases with both Crunchyroll and Netflix. But with new episodes coming this soon, the long wait is finally going to be over.

One Piece Episode 1123 will be picking up from where it all left off last year as not only are Luffy and the Straw Hats still scattered throughout Dr. Vegapunk’s future island laboratory, but the Marines are quickly closing in with the intention of wiping the scientist’s advancements off the map completely. It’s going to be one intense moment after another as the anime continues its adaptation of the Final Saga for Eiichiro Oda’s original manga thus far, and hopefully there won’t be another months long hiatus in the near future as we wait to see what’s next.

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One Piece’s popularity is spreading all over the world, with more avenues finding ways to capitalize on the Straw Hat Pirates becoming household names. In one of the wildest crossovers of the shonen franchise to date, Luffy and his crew have jumped onto the court to team up with the Los Angeles Lakers. The One Piece/NBA collaboration gave basketball and anime fans alike a fun-filled night with plenty of merchandise, but the team-up also gave fans a special animation from Toei itself that shows how Luffy would do if he were an NBA player himself.

The special anime night took place on February 28th, with the National Basketball Association being more than willing to dive right into the Grand Line. When it came to describing the collaboration, here’s how the Los Angeles basketball team described joining the Straw Hat Pirates, “The Straw Hat Crew takeover LA in Purple and Gold! ONE PIECE x Los Angeles Lakers collaboration is here and check out this special animation celebrating the crossover. Can our captain Luffy take home the win?” Thanks to Monkey’s Devil Fruit powers, he seems like the perfect anime protagonist to pick up the ball and take it to the hole.

[RELATED: One Piece Shows Off New Los Angeles Lakers Collab Ahead of Game Night]

Luffy Takes It To The Hole

The animation itself was made by a major animator in the medium, Masami Mori. On top of storyboarding the One Piece series, the prolific artist has had a hand in quite a few other major franchises. On the artist’s resume, they have worked on Digimon, Dragon Ball Super, Sailor Moon, Jujutsu Kaisen, My Hero Academia, Mob Psycho 100, and One-Punch Man respectively. Needless to say, Mori once again shows off their skills with this new unbelievable collaboration.

One Piece’s Sports Collaborations Are Just Getting Started

The NBA isn’t the only sports league that the Thousand Sunny crew is looking to team up with. In May of this year, One Piece is teaming up with Major League Baseball and the Boston Red Sox for “One Piece Theme Day.” Arriving on May 3rd, this event isn’t the first time that the Straw Hats teamed up with the Red Sox as the success of the first outing led the way for this new collab.

Here’s how the Red Sox describes the crossover, “Back by popular demand: ONE PIECE Theme Day at Fenway Park! Grab your mighty crew and let’s set sail for ONE PIECE Theme Day on Saturday, May 3. Join your fellow Straw Hat Pirates to help cheer on the Red Sox as they take on the Minnesota Twins. Ticket holders who purchase through this special offer will receive a Red Sox & ONE PIECE jersey. Jerseys will be available in sizes Adult Small to XL, with preferred sizes distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Additionally, arrive early for special ONE PIECE-themed entertainment and activation. Join Luffy on his search to become King of the Pirates. Don’t miss this epic adventure!”

Want to stay updated on the Straw Hat Pirates’ sports collabs in the future? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for all the latest on One Piece and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

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The world of One Piece is vast and full of mysteries. The story begins with a lone pirate setting out to sea in hopes of acquiring the legendary treasure One Piece. The King of the Pirates, Gol D. Roger, stated before his execution that he gathered everything the world has to offer in one place. Anyone that can acquire the treasure can keep it to themselves. His final words commenced the Great Pirate Era twenty years ago, driving countless souls to sea. Twenty years after Roger’s execution, Monkey D. Luffy also becomes a pirate and commences this epic journey.

While the story starts out as a cheerful adventure, it slowly unravels the true mysteries of the world. One Piece has hundreds of characters playing important roles throughout the story. Most of these characters are often underrated, especially those who are introduced in the early arcs. Doctor Kureha, Chopper’s mentor, is one such character. However, what fans don’t know is that she is secretly a Harry Potter fan. Eiichiro Oda referenced the iconic youth fantasy franchise through one of the most underrated characters in One Piece, Dr. Kureha.

[RELATED: One Piece’s Elbaf Arc May Have Already Teased Luffy’s True Dream]

Kureha Has Many Special Books in Her Library Apart From Harry Potter

Harry Potter is one of the most popular fantasy book series in the world, written by J.K. Rowling. In Chapter 153, we see a glimpse at Kureha’s library where a Harry Potter novel is placed on the shelf. Additionally, we see One Piece and The Shining books. Even America and the iconic British band Queen are canon in the world of One Piece. Eiichiro Oda takes a lot of references from mythologies, pop culture, literature, etc., to contribute to his story. However, this time, while these references don’t add anything of value, it’s still a fun detail to add.

Kureha is a 141-year-old woman, introduced when she was 139, older than even Professor Dumbledore, who died at the age of 115. She was first mentioned in Chapter 133 when Dalton revealed strange things about her. On moonlit nights, she rides a sleigh through the sky and comes down the mountain. Many have seen her come with a strange beast, unlike anything they have ever seen.

However, she is the Drum Island’s only remaining doctor, so the people rely on her for her vital role in the community. Kureha is one of the greatest doctors in One Piece, using methods that seem almost magical to ordinary people. Since medicine was limited in the Drum Kingdom under Wapol’s rule, she would often come down the mountain and treat people using strange methods.

She would also live alone in a cold and isolated castle over the mountains where almost no one can go. The island called her a witch, which could be referencing Harry Potter, a story centered around witches and wizards. However, labeling witches is a common trope in history where knowledgeable or independent women were given the title out of fear.

Kureha isn’t a Typical Witch as People Claimed in One Piece

Contrary to popular belief, she wasn’t a witch as people claimed. Instead, she’s an extremely talented woman who lived the past of age of ordinary humans. Kureha is also Chopper’s mentor, someone she took under her wing after Dr. Hiriluk died. Everything Chopper knows about medicine is thanks to her and his hard work. Over time, Kureha came to love Chopper the same way a mother did and even called him her son when he was leaving the island with the Straw Hat Pirates. She fulfilled Hiriluk’s lifelong dream of covering the snowy island in cherry blossoms.

This was her way of bidding farewell to Chopper since she knew it would be years before the two could meet again. Additionally, in Chapter 906 of the Reverie Arc, she is seen wearing a t-shirt with 100 berries written on it, referencing Chopper’s bounty. Despite being in different corners of the world, Kureha is keeping track of any news about Chopper. She is proud that Chopper is now a full-fledged pirate with a bounty on his head, even though it’s low. Chopper fulfilled his wish of traveling through the sea and making friends, living the life she wanted him to be.

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One Piece, Dragon Ball, and One-Punch Man have one thing in common, and no, it is not the fact they’re all some of the best shonen and seinen series out there. Popular as their respective manga may be, these three series are all known for their amazing anime adaptations, made all the more popular by their memorable openings, which is precisely where they share one particular thing in common. Believe it or not, artists from one popular musical group are responsible for many of One Piece, Dragon Ball, and One-Punch Man‘s most iconic openings, including One Piece’s “We Are!” and even Dragon Ball Z’s “Cha-La Head Cha-La.”

A little-known fact about Hiroshi Kitadani, the artist behind One Piece’s very first opening theme “We Are!” and various other hits like “We Go!” “Over the Top,” and “ASSU!” is that he is actually part of a rock band known as JAM Project. Fans of One-Punch Man will likely instantly recognize this name as the artist behind both of the series’ iconic openings so far, namely “The Hero!!” in Season 1 and “Seijaku no Apostle” in Season 2. Furthermore, one of the founding members of JAM Project includes Hironobu Kageyama, who fans of Dragon Ball may best know as the voice behind one of the franchise’s most beloved opening themes, “Cha-La Head Cha-La” as well as “We Gotta Power.”

One Iconic Music Group is Responsible For Anime’s Most Memorable Openings

Formed in the 2000s by Ichirou Mizuki, JAM Project, which stands for Japan Animationsong Makers, was created with the sole purpose of creating music for Japanese anime. Dragon Ball’s Hironobu Kageyama was one of the founding members alongside Ichirou Mizuki, Masaaki Endoh, and Rica Matsumoto (the Japanese voice of Ash Ketchum) with One Piece’s Hiroshi Kitadani joining two years later to form the epic supergroup made up of many of anime’s most recognizable voices.

As a group, JAM Project, as One-Punch Man fans may already know, are best known for their hard rock and metal style influenced greatly by Western artists like Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, The Beatles, Queen, KISS, Ozzy Osbourne, and Bon Jovi to quote a few. The group channels this fiery spirit into every one of their anime themes, even in their individual careers, and never fails to hit the mark in terms of getting audiences excited for their favorite anime.

[RELATED: Winter 2025’s Best Anime OP Is … From a Netflix Romance?]

JAM Project Needs to Return For Season 3 of One-Punch Man

Despite their phenomenal track record, JAM Project’s last feature in an anime was in 2021 in the opening for Bee Media and Studio A-Cat’s Getter Robo Arc series. Having said that, with One-Punch Man finally returning for Season 3 in 2025, it may not be too long till JAM Project steps into the spotlight once more. Seeing as the group has performed and nailed every One-Punch Man opening so far, it would only be fitting to bring them on board again for Season 3. It would arguably even be a little nostalgic to hear the group perform for the series again, given that it has been a decade since One-Punch Man‘s anime was first released featuring the first opening by JAM Project. Even though they featured once again for Season 2’s opening, a three-season hat trick is in high demand from the viewers at this point.

Nonetheless, it is quite interesting that one supergroup has been behind so many fans’ favorite anime opening themes over the years. For one, having this knowledge makes it even more fun to listen to One-Punch Man‘s openings and recognize Kitadani’s energetic vocals that fans have so strongly associated with One Piece for decades. It is also worth mentioning that the group and all of its members have, at this point, been active for well over two and a half decades. Still, they manage to sound just as good as when they first began their music careers, which is quite a feat in and of itself.

Lastly, though anime openings are gradually moving away from traditional J-rock to more funky pop themes like Creepy Nuts’ record-breaking single “Otonoke” from Dan Da Dan, it is safe to say JAM Project and the veteran music artists that make up the group will never go out of style. Their hand in beloved franchises like One Piece, Dragon Ball, and One-Punch Man means JAM Project will always hold a special place in fans’ hearts.

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Earlier this week, the One Piece franchise dropped a major bombshell regarding a factoid that many shonen fans had been mulling for quite some time. While the likes of Luffy, Nico Robin, Tony Tony Chopper, and countless swashbucklers have relied on the power of the Devil Fruit, there is another power that some pirates capitalize on. The power known as Conqueror’s Haki is one that can only be accessed by a limited few and recently, the Eiichiro Oda creation had seemingly confirmed that Zoro had access to this. Unfortunately, One Piece might have changed its mind thanks to a big retraction.

For years, many One Piece fans had believed that Zoro was able to control the power known as Conqueror’s Haki. With this power, many pirates can instantly knock out those around them with “inferior spirits” or infuse the energy into weapons if need be. In an upcoming “Birthday Cards” release from the series, a profile for Zoro specifically listed that the green-haired swordsman had the ability to use the energy. Shonen fans swore they had seen Zoro use the power during his fight against Kaido in the Wano Arc but the cards themselves have seemingly been retracted, leaving many to wonder if One Piece is hightailing it away from the previous confirmation.

[RELATED: One Piece Confirms Long-Held Fan Theory About Zoro]

Roronoa Zoro Might Not Be A Conqueror Yet

In a wild turnaround, Jump Shop Tokyo deleted the original post that previewed the upcoming birthday cards, while also stating that the cards themselves would be “postponed.” While the retailer doesn’t say specifically that this is to make any corrections to Zoro’s status and his ability to use Haki, it makes for some wild timing that this retraction takes place following the big reveal. A retraction might not mean that Zoro has never used the power of Haki but it makes for a wild announcement all the same.

Zoro’s Big Battles

One Piece’s manga is in the throes of its final saga, seeing the Straw Hat Pirates narrowly avoid death at the hands of the Five Elders. Now arriving on the island known as Elbaf, the land of the giants, Zoro might have his work cut out for him if he plans on fighting any giants himself. When it comes to his dream of becoming the Grand Line’s best swordsman, he has a major obstacle to overcome since Dracule Mihawk still holds that title. With Mihawk heading up the Cross Guild with Crocodile and Buggy, this confrontation is sure to be one of the biggest of the series to date.

Of course, the anime adaptation and the manga aren’t the only places that will feature Zoro. One Piece’s second season on Netflix will see Mackenyu return to the role as the prolific actor has teased that he is getting into fighting form to be Zoro once again. While we might not see season two this year, the live-action One Piece’s return will make for a big streaming event.

Want to see what happens with Zoro’s Haki status? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on all things One Piece and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

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Netflix has been heavily investing in One Piece, especially after the success of its live-action adaptation in 2023. The live-action series was well-received by both fans and critics, leading Netflix to officially renew it for a second season just a month after its release. The third season is also rumored essentially already be in production to follow Season 2. Not only that, but the streaming giant continues to stream the One Piece anime, including various arcs and movies. The anime remake by WIT Studio will also find a home on this platform. Considering the massive global success of Eiichiro Oda’s manga, it wouldn’t be surprising if Netflix invested further in One Piece-related content, possibly through new projects, collaborations, or anime distribution.

On the other hand, the streaming giant will be removing One Piece Film: Strong World from the United States, according to What’s on Netflix. It’s a famous film by the franchise released in 2009, around the same time the Marineford Arc was airing. Strong World is also the first One Piece movie that Eiichiro Oda was personally involved in, so it’s considered canon. Hence, it was a massive success both critically and commercially. The film will officially be removed on March 15th, so if you haven’t checked it out yet, now is the perfect time. While Netflix remains predominantly the best place to watch One Piece’s most recent movies barring Japan-exclusive releases, this is inevitably a blow for fans wishing to watch the movie on demand.

[RELATED: One Piece’s Elbaf Arc May Have Introduced Another Traitor in the Holy Land]

What is One Piece Film: Strong World About?

The film begins with the Straw Hat Pirates hearing reports of East Blue being attacked. Since most of the crew members are from that sea, they express their concerns. However, while they were investigating, a legendary pirate, Shiki the Golden Lion, crossed their path. Shiki is a canon character mentioned in the Marineford Arc as Roger’s rival and the only pirate in history to escape from Impel Down.

Shiki cut off both his legs in order to escape and later replaced them with swords. The power of the Float-Float Fruit allows him to float and even make objects and islands float in the sky. He now seeks revenge on the World Government and plans to destroy East Blue using monstrous, genetically enhanced animals. After being impressed by Nami’s navigation skills, Shiki kidnaps her and forces her to work for him.

Of course, knowing that the rest of the crew will try to save her, Shiki strands them on different islands full of mutated and dangerous creatures. The film continues as the Straw Hats reunite to save Nami and stop Shiki’s plan to destroy East Blue. On the other hand, Nami pretends to cooperate with Shiki while secretly trying to escape.

Eiichiro Oda personally wrote, designed, and supervised the film, making it more relatable to the original story as compared to other One Piece films. The film features intense battles, with Luffy facing off against Shiki in an aerial fight. Additionally, in order to create hype for the film, Oda created One Piece Volume 0, a special manga that revealed Shiki’s backstory, his connection to Roger, and the events leading up to the movie.

Source: What’s On Netflix

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One Piece is in the throes of its final saga and thanks to Eiichiro Oda holding nothing back during the last ride for the Straw Hat Pirates, some big revelations are being unveiled in the manga. One of the biggest recent developments has been Shanks’ “evil twin”, a mysterious figure who looks like the spitting image of Luffy’s mentor who seemingly is working on the side of the government. While many questions are still surrounding the “Evil Shanks,” this fact isn’t stopping fan artists from sharing their own takes on the villainous figure with one artist imagining a very JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure stand-off taking place.

Despite the fact that Shanks has had such an impact on the life of Monkey D. Luffy, One Piece has all but kept the two pirates away from each other throughout the history of the series. One of the biggest moments that many shonen fans have been waiting to see is the meeting between Luffy and Shanks, with this being a major promotion for the latest film in the franchise. One Piece Film: Red hinted at the two finally coming face-to-face, only to once again keep them at arm’s length as they fought for a common goal. Should Shanks actually have an evil twin, this throws a wild new curveball at the world of the Grand Line and its inhabitants.

[RELATED: One Piece Foreshadowed Shanks’ Brother Over Two Decades Ago]

Shanks’ Bizarre Adventure

Recreating one of the most recognizable scenes from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, a fan artist has imagined what the potential meeting of Shanks and his twin will look like. Considering that Shanks is a powerhouse in his own right, defeating the likes of Kidd with a single blow, it will ultimately be interesting to see how strong this diabolical doppelganger will be. It’s also entirely possible that One Piece fans might have been following the “wrong” Shanks in previous stories when the red-haired swashbuckler appeared, once again proving how devious creator Eiichiro Oda could be.

If you’re not a fan of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, let’s explain what this now legendary scene entailed. The star of the series, Jotaro Kujo, attempted to take down the nigh-invincible vampire known as Dio Brando. During their encounter, Jotaro approaches his foe and in doing so, creates an anime meme that has withstood the test of time. If Shanks should encounter his brother, expect it to be one of the wildest moments of the One Piece franchise to date.

When Will One Piece End?

While One Piece is in its final saga, Oda has yet to confirm when we can expect the final chapter to arrive. In the past, the shonen’s storylines could often continue for years, and from where the manga currently is, it appears that there are still plenty of big moments and battles that have yet to be seen. With the anime adaptation currently airing a remaster of the Fishmen Island Saga, the final saga will return this April with some big surprises for those following the anime’s antics.

Want to stay updated on Shanks? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on One Piece and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

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One Piece Day is coming to the United States for the first of its kind celebration with a new event coming to Dallas, TX next month. One Piece Day is a huge event that is held each year to commemorate the series’ success with a look at not only some of its big releases, but even features teases of what’s to come in the future. While this event has been previously limited to just taking place in Japan, One Piece Day is coming to the United States for the first time for a huge event for the One Piece Card Game and more.

Bandai Namco, Shueisha, and Toei Animation have officially announced their plans for the ONE PIECE DAY Dallas –Card Game Celebration– taking place in Fair Park, Dallas, TX on March 8th and 9th. This will be the first time the event is held in the United States, and will be featuring a special exhibition, a drone show to help commemorate the occasion, regional qualifier for the One Piece Card Game Championship, live music performances and much more.

What to Know for One Piece Day Dallas -Card Game Celebration-

As detailed in a press release from Bandai Namco, One Piece Day Dallas -Card Game Celebration- will be a two day event with 5,000 fans expected to be in attendance. Saturday, March 8th will be kicking off with a special One Piece drone show to help signal the start of the One Piece Card Game Championship for the 25-26 year. There’s a tease of a big announcement for the One Piece anime on the first day, which will also feature special screenings of the anime alongside special talks with series producer Ryuta Koike and Tony Tony Chopper voice actor Brina Palencia. Then it will be followed up by performances from artists Hiroshi Kitadani and Maki Otsuki.

The second night is also teased to feature special screenings of the anime alongside an appearance from Rob Lucci voice actor Jason Liebrecht. Along with the regional qualifier for the worldwide One Piece Card Game Championship 25-26 over the two days, fans in attendance will be able to check out a special exhibition featuring art from the anime and manga. For those interested in attending, tickets are available now and offered on a first come, first served basis.

RELATED: One Piece Shows Off New Los Angeles Lakers Collab Ahead of Game Night

An entry pass for admission on both days can be secured via the BANDAI TCG+ mobile app with registration closing on Wednesday, March 5 at 9:00 am CST (you can check here for more information). With One Piece‘s anime returning from its lengthy hiatus later this Spring, it’s a great time to be a fan for sure as there are going to be even more reasons to celebrate in the coming weeks and months.

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Pivoting from the exciting recent revelations, things are finally heating up on Elbaf, the land of mystery as One Piece introduces two all-new members of the elusive Holy Knights. First mentioned by Akainu back in Chapter 1054, the Elbaf arc, nearly a hundred chapters later, is finally introducing this mysterious elite guard that serves the World Nobles. As if Gunko and Shamrock weren’t exciting enough already, another two of the nine known members have joined the fray in the latest chapter of One Piece as the arc gears up towards another Egghead-style battle royale.

Following Loki’s refusal to join the Holy Knights, Chapter 1140 of One Piece sees Gunko summon two more members of the Holy Knights as per Shamrock’s orders. The chapter sees Gunko create an abyss pentagram that instantly teleports these reinforcements to Elbaf with the two new members revealed to be Saint Killingham of the Rimoshifu Family and Saint Sommers of the Shepherd Family. In true One Piece fashion, the two new Holy Knights also sport quirky character designs, with the latest chapter also giving fans a few hints about the nature of their powers and abilities.

One Piece‘s Elbaf Arc Debuts Two Quirky New Holy Knights

Considering Gunko and Shamrock were formally introduced not too long ago in chapters 1136 and 1137 respectively, it was quite a surprise to see One Piece expand on the Holy Knights’ roster again so soon. That said, compared to Gunko and Shamrock who were all business since arriving on Elbaf, St. Killingham and St. Sommers seem much quirkier and laid back by comparison, leaving fans waiting to see not only more of their powers and abilities but also their peculiar personalities.

St. Sommers, in particular, makes quite a memorable first impression with Gunko summoning him straight from his home in his deceptively cutesy heart-printed boxers with his stubbly legs on full display. Sommers is also revealed to be part of the same Shepherd Family as St. Sheperd Ju Peter and though their exact relationship is still unclear, Sommers does seem to bear quite a strong resemblance to Ju Peter except for his spectacles and longer hair. The chapter does not provide any hint as to what kind of devil fruit power Sommers could have though he is seen carrying a sword with a very peculiar spiky hilt. But Sommers isn’t the only one to stand out for his character design as a Holy Knight in One Piece, with St. Killingham drawing from some compelling influences.

[RELATED: One Piece Secretly Revealed a New Future Sight User on Elbaf]

Chinese Mythology and Clever Naming Help One New Holy Knight Stand Out in One Piece

St. Killingham is comparatively far more interesting in terms of his character design, which is indicated by his name inspired by the qilin. St. Killingham’s name in One Piece refers to a chimera-like creature that typically sports a Chinese dragon-like head with a singular horn and the body of a deer, horse, or goat. The qilin is also found in Japanese mythology where it is known as the kirin, a yokai that is regarded as highly sacred and powerful due to being associated with purity, goodness, and times of peace.

The kirin is also said to be gentle and supposedly does not attack others with its holy fire unless threatened. This could hint at St. Killingham possibly being a pacifist and his attacks being flame-based. Killingham also appears to have awakened his devil fruit judging by the smoke sash around his shoulders and seeing as he was introduced in his hybrid form, the coming chapters will likely reveal his regular human appearance.

As things stand, it is very likely that the Holy Knights will need to call in further reinforcements to successfully enact their evil plan to conquer Elbaf. This is especially true with the Straw Hats being present on the island and Luffy well on his way to freeing Loki from his chains. This means it might not be too long until One Piece introduces the rest of the Holy Knights as well. For now, it seems Eiichiro Oda could be setting the stage for an all-out battle against the entire might of the Holy Knights much like the battle against the Five Elders at Egghead. If so, chaos is about to rain down on Elbaf and the upcoming chapters are about to be a complete rollercoaster ride of action and excitement.

One Piece is available to read on Manga Plus and Viz Media.

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The Elbaf Arc of One Piece introduced a few members of the Holy Knights for the first time, teasing fans with an increasingly engrossing final saga. While fans are familiar with Garling Figarland, the rest of the group remained a mystery till now. In Chapter 1134, Gunko and Shamrock arrive in Elbaf using a Summoning Circle. They first try to recruit Loki as a member of the Holy Knights, however, Loki hates the Celestial Dragons. He takes the opportunity to mock both Gunko and Shamrock before refusing their offer. Of course, the duo didn’t come with any good intentions. Gunko tortures Loki into agreeing but his decision doesn’t change at all. Not only that, but Shamrock plans to take Elbaf down.

Despite being the strongest nation in the world, Elbaf isn’t associated with the World Government. Instead, the land of the Giants is a peaceful kingdom isolated from the rest of the world. However, the arrival of the Holy Knights confirmed that the beautiful nation would soon turn into a battlefield. After Loki’s refusal, Shamrock plans to capture the children of Elbaf. However, his true plan appears to be much more devious than he’s letting on. While One Piece is currently focusing on the trouble brewing in Elbaf, it may have quietly dropped a hint about Gunko possibly being a traitor living in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise.

[RELATED: One Piece Creator Believes This Character Is Better Off Dead]

Gunko May Be a Traitor From the Revolutionary Army in One Piece

One Piece fan deduces this theory from Gunko wearing goggles over her hat, which, as fans are aware, is common among several members of the Revolutionary Army. This includes Koala, Sabo, Morley, Belo Betty, and Lindbergh among their roster. Furthermore, when Gunko is introduced, her name just says “Gunko.” Meanwhile, the manga revealed the family names of all the other three Holy Knights introduced in this arc. This is especially peculiar considering her full name should have been displayed if she were a Celestial Dragon. While it’s currently only speculation for Gunko, this would also easily line up with the similarly simple naming schemes of the Revolutionary Army in One Piece.

Every member of the Holy Knight is supposed to be a World Noble. Loki being recruited is an exception and there’s no guarantee that it never happened before. However, Gunko, originally being from the Revolutionary Army and betraying her people, wouldn’t be that surprising. As she has demonstrated, Gunko is exceptionally strong, and her devil fruit ability has high offensive capabilities. Another detail is how she is way more arrogant than the other Holy Knights or Celestial Dragons. She also doesn’t forget to mention how lucky Loki is to be granted a place among the gods.

Gunko Would Not Nearly Be the First Traitor in One Piece’s History

One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda often includes traitors in the story to spice things up. In the Egghead Island Arc, the manga introduced York, one of Vegapunk’s Satellites, who betrayed everyone in hopes of becoming a Celestial Dragon. Hence, it’s fair to assume there are more people like York who are hungry for more power.

However, while a member of the Revolutionary Army turning a traitor will be an interesting plot twist, it also decreases the credibility of such an organization. The only reason Monkey D. Dragon created it was because he wanted to overthrow the World Government. It’s unprecedented a member would suddenly want to join the ranks of Mary Geoise’s elite royal guard.

H/T: yurnero_x on X

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When it comes to super powers in the Grand Line, Devil Fruit isn’t the only way that a pirate can become a mover and shaker in the shonen universe. One Piece has introduced Straw Hats that have serious strength at their disposal and when it comes to Devil Fruit enthusiasts, Luffy, Nico Robin, Tony Tony Chopper, and Brook fit the bill. While Zoro has never eaten the legendary edible, a recent piece of marketing for the shonen franchise has confirmed a major aspect of the green-haired Straw Hat. Many fans had suspected this factoid about Roronoa and many will be placated thanks to this recent news.

Alongside Devil Fruit, the mysterious power known as Haki has been a long-time essential part of the Grand Line. With there being three different types of the kingly energy (Observation, Armament, and Conqueror) the energy has been displayed by Devil Fruit users and “normal” swashbucklers alike. In a recent promotional item for One Piece, a breakdown of Roronoa Zoro was included which confirms that not only is the green-haired swordsman a Haki user but he has the power to wield the strongest iteration of the energy. While fans have theorized in the past that Zoro could wield Conqueror’s Haki, it wasn’t officially confirmed in the series until now.

[RELATED: One Piece: Zoro Prequel Releases First Trailer]

Zoro The Conqueror

To help in celebrating the long-running shonen franchise, the official One Piece social media account gave fans a first look at the “Birthday Cards” that will be released at specific Japanese retailers. Alongside Luffy, Sanji, and Shanks, Zoro has received a card of his own which confirms his ability to use the Conqueror’s Haki. In the past, many fans believed they had seen Roronoa wield this energy during specific moments in the Wano Arc but nothing was officially confirmed outside of Kaido hinting at the fact. Now, Zoro is one step closer to becoming the world’s greatest swordsman.

Zoro’s Grand Finale

One Piece is in the throes of its final saga in its manga, while the anime adaptation has taken a break from the Future Island arc thanks to a Fishman Island remaster. With each of the Straw Hats attempting to make their individual dreams come true, Zoro himself has one of the toughest roads ahead of him. The major way that Roronoa can become the world’s greatest swordsman is by defeating the current title holder, Dracule Mihawk. The Cross Guild leader has left an impression on Zoro in more ways than one so far, and it’s clear that the two are going to have a showdown before the series finale.

The anime and the manga aren’t the only mediums that will focus on Zoro. Netflix’s live-action adaptation is returning for a second season with the young actor Makenyu teasing that the upcoming episodes will feature some wild action for the swordsman to be a part of. Even with the grand finale on the horizon for the series, it remains a great time to be a Grand Line fan.

Want to see if Roronoa Zoro achieves his ultimate goals? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on One Piece and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime or leave a comment!

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One Piece is getting ready to team up with the Los Angeles Lakers in a cool new collaboration, and fans have gotten the first look at what to expect from this Game Night team up with a cool new poster. Ever since One Piece kicked off the 25th anniversary celebration for the anime not long ago, fans have gotten to see Eiichiro Oda’s original manga series make the jump to all kinds of new locations. It’s been steadily taking over the world, and some major sports teams have even gotten in one the fun with cool new team ups too.

The newest team up is certainly the biggest yet as One Piece and Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. are now collaborating with the Los Angeles Lakers for a new special Game Night celebration on Friday, February 28th at the Crypto.com Arena starting at 7:00 PM. This special collaboration will come with free goodies for fans in attendance, but for everyone else, fans can now check out a special poster of One Piece‘s Straw Hat crew all decked out in Los Angeles Lakers’ purple and gold colors. Check it out below.

RELATED: Netflix’s One Piece Star Teases Season 3 Ahead of Season 2 Launch

What to Know for One Piece x Lakers Collab

As detailed in a press release shared by Bandai Namco Entertainment, this special first of its kind collaboration between One Piece and the Los Angeles Lakers will take over the Lakers vs. the Los Angeles Clippers game taking place on Friday, February 28th at the Crypto.com Arena. This poster art featured here will also be one of the many giveaways that fans in attendance will be treated to that evening along with exclusive One Piece x Los Angeles Lakers shirts that will only be available during the event.

Along with the giveaways fans in attendance can also hit up the One Piece Bounty Rush photo booth inside the Crypto.com Arena, and randomly selected fans will be invited to compete for prizes in a special on-court One Piece game during the event as well. Which means it’s going to be quite a night for not only One Piece fans, but NBA fans as well as they get to celebrate both of their fandoms in one of the coolest ways yet. While this is the first of its kind team up for One Piece, hopefully it’s far from the last we’ll get to see.

The post One Piece Shows Off New Los Angeles Lakers Collab Ahead of Game Night appeared first on ComicBook.com.

One Piece’s live-action series is gearing up for its return to Netflix with Season 2 in the near future, but one of the stars behind the series has teased the series is going on to Season 3 long before Season 2 even hits. One Piece‘s live-action series was one of the most successful anime adaptations released with Netflix in the last few years, but it’s also one of the most complicated. Because Eiichiro Oda’s original One Piece manga has been going for over 1100 chapters at this point, there’s a lot of ground to potentially cover for a live-action show.

Netflix announcing One Piece Season 2 shortly after the successful premiere of the first season wasn’t a big surprise, but fans had been wondering whether or not it could continue considering how much there still is left to go. Netflix themselves have yet to announce whether or not the live-action series will be getting a third season, but in a recent interview with Crunchyroll, One Piece star Mackenyu teased that work on that third season will begin soon.

One Piece’s Mackenyu Teases Work on Season 3

When asked about some of the new projects he has in the works, Mackenyu stated, “The next project is going to be One Piece Season 2. We do have projects lined up for this year before we shoot Season 3 of One Piece, but I can’t tell you anything about that, so it’s not going to be fun for y’all.” One Piece Season 2 has officially wrapped its production as teased by Netflix earlier this year, but it has yet to be announced when fans will get to see the new season for themselves. But it seems like the third season is going into production much quicker than expected too. Which makes a lot of sense considering the demand overall.

There’s not only going to be a demand for more episode of One Piece‘s live-action series, but the timeline of the show itself also demands a speedier production in between seasons. So much happens to Luffy and the Straw Hats within a short amount of time that the live-action series needs to somehow reflect how little time actually passes for the crew too. If there indeed is a third season on the way, it would make a lot of sense to get to work on it as fast as they possibly can. But as mentioned, Netflix themselves have yet to announce a third season officially.

RELATED: One Piece’s Taz Skylar Proves Sanji’s Fighting Style is Harder Than It Looks (Exclusive)

When Does One Piece Return to Netflix?

With a potential Season 3 on the horizon, all eyes are now going to be on One Piece Season 2. The live-action series is currently scheduled to make its debut with Netflix in the near future, but has yet to confirm a release window or date as of the time of this publication. As Netflix teased their upcoming releases for 2025, One Piece was unfortunately not a part of their announced line up. This means that the live-action series might not even release until next year.

Mackenyu will be returning to the series as Roronoa Zoro alongside the fellow returning Straw Hat crew of Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero as Usopp, and Taz Skylar as Sanji. It’s yet to be revealed how long this One Piece series will last with Netflix, but a third season makes a lot of sense given how everything going down in Season 2 will help to set up the huge climax in the third season.

HT – Crunchyroll

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