The vast and immersive world of “One Piece” has made another momentous leap. After 17 movies, 100 manga volumes, 56 games and nine arcs, the Strawhats have finally hit episode 1,000 of the anime.
“One Piece” is one of the highest selling manga of all time, holding the number one spot in Japan from 2007 to 2018. The franchise as a whole is estimated to be valued at $21 billion.
Senior Aidan Schutte stated, “I like how open and large the world of One Piece is and there are so many different characters viewers can relate too.It gives the story some interesting moments and enhanced depth.”
The story revolves around pirates traveling the seven seas in search of the endless treasure known as the One Piece. Crews are formed as powerful pirates with mysterious powers overtake the seas. The usage of devil fruits, which are powerful fruits that grant the user some power in exchange they lose the ability to swim.
The first type of fruit is the logia fruit. These can grant users abilities of the elements like Admiral Kizaru who controls the ability to become and create devastating light attacks. Next is the zoan fruits that allow powerful transformations like animals or even mystic creatures like the Ryu Ryu No Mi, which grants the user to become a seemingly invincible T-Rex. The final form of fruit is a Paramedic, which grants the user some form of special body modification or ability.
The main character Monkey D. Luffy has the Gomu Gomu No Mi, which grants him the ability to stretch his body like rubber. It’s truly incredible to watch Luffy’s 1,000-episode journey as he continues his goal to be the pirate king.
Luffy’s nine man crew, The Strawhats, are full of heart and passion as each character is filled with personality and drive. Unlike many other shows, the side characters aren’t just blown to the side. Over the 1,000 episodes you learn each character’s drives and motives to an extent that even villains can be sympathized with.
“One Piece” does not seem to skip a beat when it comes to immersive story building as each episode is filled with new characters and bizarre powers. It’s interesting to watch each member of Luffy’s crew grow closer to their goals and power ups don’t just seem like a physical boost, but rather a display of personal growth.
Viewers truly get to immerse themselves in the lives of StrawHat Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Nami, Chopper, Franky, Robin, Brook and Jimbeii. Viewers get to experience their momentous highs and their tragic lows and get a beautiful blend of the two to make the characters who they are.
PV Student, Xavier Mahrt commented, “My favorite character is the team’s Doctor, Chopper. I think the story is really engaging and the stories are always good.”
The show’s 1,000th episode was an amazing celebration of all the wonders of “One Piece.” Before the episode even aired, Toei Animation created a plethora of content to hype up fans worldwide. A new music video, by the talented group “Radwimps”, was made to celebrate the 100th manga volume that was released this fall.
The video was full of the Strawhats’ biggest moments, reanimated and revised. Fans were able to relive their favorite moments and fights for a few brief moments which was truly a heartwarming experience.
The episode itself was also full of content for loyal fans who had been watching since the first episode. After 22 openings, they chose to reanimate where it all began. Fans were able to reminisce over the original opening that captivated millions of viewers.
The new animation was absolutely stunning, and it maintained the similarities that fans recognized and added in the new characters that had arrived in the past 950 episodes.
“One Piece” had gained a reputation for being poorly animated which was due to its animation beginning in YEAR. Animators have completely flipped this around in the past year with the Wano Arc. This current arc is focusing on re-opening the borders of Wano for citizens and finally turning past leader Oden Sama’s dream into a reality. The Strawhats gear up with the assistance of previous foes and allies to take down the Emperor Kaido, having almost unstoppable power and the ability to become an ancient dragon.
The animation is nothing short of perfection as fights are brilliantly drawn and the scenery is absolutely gorgeous. Words cannot describe the beauty put into each 22-minute episode.
Episode 1,000 continued the current Wano Arc but added different elements to give respect to each Strawhat’s journey. Towards the end of the episode, viewers can watch each Strawhat gear up for the final raid on Kaido.
Each member of Luffy’s crew gets a small mirage of flashbacks behind them, each allowing fans to relive their favorite moments.
Triumphant moments like Zoro’s famous “I’ll never lose again” to Nami’s cry for help back in Arlong Park were re-visualised for fans to see. Even the final moments of the episode were filled with moments fans could enjoy. The episode ended with a thank you from the creator Oda and the original “To be continued…” ending, showing fans “One Piece” was nowhere near finished.
This episode was a momentous celebration but not the end of the Strawhats’ adventure. You can join the Strawhats each Saturday as their journey continues. The episode itself was not the only celebration as a teaser trailer has finally been released for the new One Piece film, “One Piece Red.”
The 30 second preview gives new hope to fans of the powerful, one-armed warlord, Red Haired Shanks. The new film appears to revolve around Shanks as his infamous three-lined scar is visible on the reveal poster. The film will hopefully be released in Japanese theaters in 2022 with no confirmation on world release dates.
There is no visible sign of the “One Piece” conclusion as the Wano arc is still in full swing. Leaving fans to wonder. What comes next and will there be an episode 2000?
