In the world of manga and anime, certain items are so sought-after that they disappear on launch day. While fans are usually the ones grabbing them off the shelves, another theory has emerged in recent years. Could store employees be “hiding” them to either keep or resell for a profit?
That’s what one TikToker has claimed after filming an interaction in which Target workers refused him service and asked him to leave the premises. According to him, something suspicious may be happening.
What Happened During His Target Visit?
In the clip, TikToker Tony (@tonymak) shows part of the interaction as a security guard and a Target worker confront him. His video went viral with over 12.1 million views.
“So I have to leave because I found items under the shelf,” he says to the camera before flipping it to show the workers standing in front of him.
“Is that basically what you’re saying?” he asks the workers.
“Yes, we need you to leave the store, and you’re not going to be able to purchase those items today,” one of them says. “But on another day, if you purchase them from the shelf, you’re absolutely okay.”
“OK,” Tony responds. “Can I have someone else come in and purchase them when you guys put them back on the shelf?”
“Not today, no, cause they’re not gonna go up today,” the worker counters.
“I didn’t even do anything wrong,” Tony says. “And I have to leave the store because I found items that people hid.”
In the comments, users were convinced this was a deliberate action by the Target employees.
“I think the one holding the one piece box was the one who hid it lmao,” one user claimed.
A commenter claiming to be a Target employee also chimed in. “Hi, so I work at Target this is definitely NOT a thing!” they wrote. “Call corporate immediately!”
“I’m so confused about how they even knew you found a hidden item?” a third commenter wondered.
In a follow-up video, Tony said he wasn’t planning to escalate the issue by contacting corporate or trying to get the workers in trouble. Instead, he said he was simply curious whether there was a store policy he wasn’t aware of.
Do Target Workers Really Hide Items?
While videos online show people finding hidden items, there’s often no independent way to verify their authenticity. Some viewers have questioned whether certain “hidden shelf” finds are staged for content, though there’s no clear evidence in most cases.
However, staging isn’t the only explanation for why an item might appear to be missing from the shelf but still present in the store. Retail practices such as overstock, temporary shelf resets, or inventory staging can mean a product is available at certain times but not visible at others.
What to Do if You’re in His Position
If customers believe a retail store has treated them unfairly in any way, they can escalate the issue by first contacting the store’s customer service. If that doesn’t resolve their issue, they can also file a complaint with organizations such as the Better Business Bureau.
However, Target, like many other businesses in the United States, has the right to refuse service, as long as the decision is not based on discrimination related to race, sex, religion, disability, or other protected characteristics.
Ljeonida is a reporter and writer with a degree in journalism and communications from the University of Tirana in her native Albania. She has a particular interest in all things digital marketing; she considers herself a copywriter, content producer, SEO specialist, and passionate marketer. Ljeonida is based in Tbilisi, Georgia, and her work can also be found at the Daily Dot.
We’ve got less than two months until season two of One Piece, and Netflix has a new trailer to mark the occasion. Where previous looks were about the new lands and adventures awaiting the Straw Hats, this one’s mostly about the big threat they’ll be facing: Baroque Works. You know they’re bad dudes when the music lets the guitarist go hard the whole time.
Like Zoro says, they’re a secret group of assassins, and they’re more than happy to take down Luffy and the gang for cash. Making up this flashy group are Mmes. All-Sunday (Lera Abova), Wednesday (Charithra Chandran), Valentine (Jazzara Jaslyn), and Goldenweek (Sophia Anne Caruso), and Messrs. 9 (Daniel Lasker), 5 (Camrus Johnson), and 3 (David Dastmalchian). We’ve seen All-Sunday here and there, and this trailer gives a brief glimpse at her powers, which might make her more of a handful for the Straw Hats than the rest of her teammates.
As with last season, there’s several One Piece manga arcs getting adapted for this season’s eight-episode run. It looks like this season’s going all-in on the “Arabasta Saga,” which introduces a lot of key characters. Not all of them will make it into this season, but the ones that do, like the much-advertised Tony Tony Chopper (Mikaela Hoover), seem like they’ll make quite an impression.
The Straw Hats have a lot coming at them, and we’ll see how they fare when One Piece season two hits Netflix on March 10, with a third season already in the works.
Bandai Namco announced its popular action game, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4, is now available for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2. Owners of the PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch versions are able to upgrade to the newly released current-gen version for free.
What is improved in the new One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 release?
The PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2 version of One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 features upgraded visuals, as well as additional onscreen enemies.
Although it is now available on current-gen platforms now, Koei Tecmo won’t stop supporting last-gen versions of One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4. The developer confirmed that all versions will “continue to receive updates as new DLC will be released in the future.”
The launch of the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2 of One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 coincides with the launch of the game’s latest DLC, Character Pack No. 7. This includes three new playable characters, Rob Lucci from CP0, S-Snake, one of Dr. Vegapunk’s Seraphim, and Jewelry Bonney, captain of the Bonney Pirates and a member of the Worst Generation. It also includes three exclusive outfits. Koei Tecmo will release Character Pack No. 8 in early 2026.
For PS4 and PS5 players who are unfamiliar with One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4, here’s a description of the game:
“ONE PIECE: PIRATE WARRIORS 4 is the latest evolution of PIRATE WARRIORS action! Based on the concept of ‘experiencing a real ONE PIECE battlefield,’ buildings will come crashing down during the action and attacks will throw up smoke and dust, placing you in the thick of the ONE PIECE world! Injecting fresh elements that couldn’t be achieved in previous entries has now realized an even more thrilling brand of PIRATE WARRIORS action!”
Our sister site, PlayStation LifeStyle, gave One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 an 8 out of 10.
Why were Mexican “Generation Z” protesters flying an anime flag featuring a straw-hatted skull and cross-bones on Saturday?
Protests erupted in multiple cities in Mexico this weekend. Reuters notes that in Mexico City, people wearing hoods apparently tore down structures protecting the National Palace, where president Claudia Sheinbaum lives. Over on American right-wing cable news, Fox and Friends welcomed two besuited Spanish-language podcasters who furnished the American news consumer with the claim that Mexico is experiencing a “national awakening” against its leftist president, brought about by rampant crime. They cited the recent killing of an anti-cartel mayor, apparently by cartel assassins, as a cause, and said they would welcome foreign military invasion. Meanwhile, according to centrist magazine The Economist, homicides have actually dropped significantly under Sheinbaum.
So if you want one tidy, unifying cause for these protests, I would wait until the dust settles if I were you. But if you want a unifying symbol, you could do a lot worse than the straw-hatted Jolly Roger flag flown by the pirate protagonists of the manga and anime super franchise One Piece. The flag was all over the protests, and, thanks to its ubiquity in photos of demonstrators, feels inextricable from this movement.
What are the politics of One Piece?
One Piece has one of those sprawling textual universes that is appealing to content hyper-consumers, and intimidating to casuals, precisely because it is so huge. The protagonists are a bunch of plucky pirate-adventurers, informally called the Straw Hat Crew, and they often have traumatic backstories. Their leader, Monkey D. Luffy, often seems guided by the principle of freedom, but he also wants to be “pirate king,” which makes his an eccentrically defined form of freedom—the “freedom” to just hang out with his cool friends and go on fun adventures, basically.
There are a lot of fights in One Piece, and they aren’t all tied to the pursuit of freedom, or the related pursuit of victory over injustice, but they often are. In particular, the Straw Hats fight the global overlords known as the World Nobles who are one of those cabals of palace-dwelling, decadent, cruel tyrants you see in fictional worlds from The Hunger Games to Zardoz, along with, say, political cartoons about France in the 18th century.
Who are the protesters using the One Piece flag?
In Mexico right now, this is a bit of a muddle—especially if, like me, you’re trying to get a read on these events from a long way away while reading about it in the wrong language. The Associated Press wrote that one protest was “attended by people from several age groups, with supporters of the recently killed Michoacan Mayor Carlos Manzo, attending the protest wearing the straw hats that symbolize his political movement.”
But the One Piece flag and its straw-hatted central emblem started going on display at protests around the world this past summer. In Indonesia, demonstrations in August were, according to the BBC, fueled by “cost-of-living woes and public frustration with the political elite,” initially sparked to “condemn what many viewed as excessive pay and housing allowances for parliamentarians.” Indonesian protesters used the symbol.
Southeast Asian politics researcher Kurniawan Arif Maspul tracked the One Piece flag phenomenon to late July, when it started being used in that country as a general purpose protest flag. He observed the following in the local media:
A truck driver from East Java told a local outlet that he hoisted the flag because ‘life is getting harder’ and ‘Luffy fights injustice, that’s what we feel too’. Others in university interviews called the flag a ‘symbol of honesty’ and ‘bravery against an oppressive system’, noting that the national flag felt more ceremonial than meaningful for them.
In September, the flag was used by protesters in the neighboring Philippines, according to the Guardian, which quotes a 23-year-old organizer named Eugero Vincent Liberato, as saying, “We see the flag as a symbol of liberation against oppression … that we should always fight for the future we deserve.”
So what does the One Piece flag mean as a protest symbol?
One flag-loving Redditor in the r/vexilology subreddit called the flag the “de facto flag of Gen Z.” Seeing its use around the world in protests, it’s tempting to rush to that bold conclusion.
NPR corespondent Eyder Peralta says the protests “were organized by young people, Generation Z, who say they’re speaking out against a narcogovernment.”
So the story on its face is that members of Gen-Z in Mexico have claimed as its banner a symbol created by a Generation X manga artist, Eiichiro Oda, in a protest set off by the slaying of a millennial mayor.
One Piecefever has gripped the world especially hard over the past few years, and now that love is spreading across the pond to the UK.
Recently, the BBC picked up the rights to air 1,085 episodes of the hit anime based on Eiichiro Oda’s equally big manga. Episodes will hit the nework’s free iPlayer streaming service starting September 1 (aka, today) and release the way through the end of 2024. The big caveat is that only the English dub will be available (sorry to any sub purists). While BBC notes this is the only place UK audiences can legally watch the show, it doesn’t sound like there are plans to bring it over to proper television like the US does via Adult Swim, and it’s also a question mark about the anime’s many, many movies released over the years.
At time of writing, there’s around 1,120 episodes of One Piece, so basically the entire anime will hit BBC iPlayer. More specifically, UK viewers will get access to the starting “East Blue” arc and all the way through “Land of Wano,” which wrapped in late 2023. Per Fiona Campbell, BBC Three’s Controller of Youth Audiences, securing the airing rights for the anime “[is] a really exciting move. […] One Piece has become a cultural phenomenon and we’re so excited to see how the fanbase will enjoy this huge canon of episodes available in English only on iPlayer.”
With over 1,000 episodes spread across four months, UK viewers will plenty of time to digest and be relatively caught up on One Piece before the year goes out. Of course, if that sounds like too much of a hill to cross, there’s always Netflix’s live-action adaptation, whose second season is currently in production, and also The One Piece, Netflix’s other adaptation meant as a more streamlined telling of the anime.
Another six months, another Netflix data blast — this time dumped unceremoniously in a blog post on the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend. Still, more information is better than no information, and the streamer’s second “What We Watched” engagement report, compiling views between last July and December 2023, is its latest officially zoomed-out picture of how Netflix movies and TV shows are doing — despite the shortcomings of crunching the numbers in aggregate on a spreadsheet that, combined, is nearly 16,000 rows long.
The biggest movie of the back half of 2023 wasn’t a major awards contender nor a bombastic blockbuster — it was an adaptation of Leave the World Behind, which despite an apocalyptic premise often feels more like a stage play than it does a feature film. And the biggest single season of TV wasn’t buzzy awards bait or even one of a revived catalogue hit like Suits — it was an American-produced, live-action adaptation of a Japanese comic full of superpowered pirate antics and snot-nosed crying. Both were notable titles, to be sure, but it would have been hard to predict that either of them would wind up as chart-toppers.
One new wrinkle in the new report: It’s now accounting for a title’s runtime, incorporating it into a “views” stat (time spent watching divided by a title’s length). This evens the field somewhat between movies and TV shows, something that Kasey Moore, founder of the pioneering tracking site What’s on Netflix, finds useful. “Incorporating the new views metric highlights the two purposes of movies and series in my eyes,” he tells Vulture. “TV shows still suck up the majority of viewing hours, but lots of people do come in for the movies, contrary to popular belief.” Moore was also struck by the continued popularity of children’s programming on Netflix. “So much of the top 100 (views or viewing hours) are family, kids, and animated titles,” he says, noting that the most popular titles are from outside studios such as DreamWorks, Illumination, Moonbug, and Nickelodeon, “which must be a source of concern.”
Moore also noticed how the premiere of a new season of a show brings new attention to past installments of the series. “When new seasons of Sweet Magnolias and Virgin River both released, it saw meaningful bumps in those earlier seasons. You can see it, too, with Squid Game: The Challenge giving a bump to Squid Game.”
With considerations like those in mind, we’ve combed through the sheet and pulled out the eight most noteworthy highlights therein.
Maybe all you really need to engineer a global hit on Netflix is Julia Roberts and an argument for physical media. But even accounting for her star wattage, Sam Esmail’s Leave the World Behind, which topped the second half of the year’s film charts in just three weeks (it was released December 8), is a curious worldwide hit. (The last movie Esmail directed made less than $20,000 at the box office.) Consider the three runners-up that its 121 million views eclipsed: Gal Gadot’s blockbuster Heart of Stone (109.6 million views across more than 20 weeks), a host of family-friendly fare including Adam Sandler’s Leo (96 million views in 40 days), and the dystopian Spanish-refugee saga Nowhere (86.2 million views in over 16 weeks).
The movie that beat those movies is an anti-blockbuster that — some shocking imagery and set pieces aside — remains a mostly quiet adaptation of a mostly quiet book that never escapes the Long Island suburbs. In some ways it feels closer to TheKiller or May December than a traditionally explosive title like Zack Snyder’s first Rebel Moon entry, which debuted December 21 and by the end of the year had not yet beaten longtime Netflix library title Paw Patrol: The Movie.
One Piece, based on Eiichiro Oda’s long-running manga, notched 71.6 million views globally — almost 20 million more than the runner-up, Germany’s Dear Child. Netflix’s track record with live-action adaptations is spotty at best (Cowboy Bebop’s second-week viewership fell like a rock and it was swiftly canceled), but it’s still cultivated an anime fanbase with high-profile legacy acquisitions like Pokémon and Neon Genesis Evangelion, as well as new simulcasts like Vinland Saga — to say nothing of the 41(!) separate batches of licensed One Piece anime episodes on the platform that added up to 50 million views globally in the second half of 2023. Those numbers are linked; the question going forward will be what Netflix can do with a Japanese title not named One Piece.
One of the first big moves Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos made on the feature-film front was signing Adam Sandler to a multi-picture deal in 2014. A decade later, that pact is still bearing fruit: Two of the Sandman’s movies — the animated Leo (96 million views) and the teen comedy You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (60.6 million views) — ranked among the streamer’s 15 biggest films in the second half of 2023. But Sandler’s value is not just in his new material. Three other Netflix-produced movies featuring the former SNL legend (2019’s Murder Mystery and its spring 2023 sequel, as well as 2020’s Hubie Halloween) managed to draw more than 10 million views years after their releases, as did both of Sandler’s Grown Ups movies. And proving once again that critical acclaim and audience taste aren’t always in sync, some of Sandler’s more acclaimed roles didn’t do quite as well: Uncut Gems notched a relatively modest 3.1 million views during the report period, while Noah Baumbach’s The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) managed a mere 900,000 views. On the other hand, both did better than the critically panned Sandy Wexler (600,000 views).
Last month, a New York Times story about new Netflix film chief Dan Lin carried a rather ominous headline for fans of the streamer’s more prestige plays, warning its new strategy was “more about the audience, less about auteurs.” If that’s the case, it’s quite possible Lin could be reacting to the underwhelming performance of some of Netflix’s most acclaimed films last fall. For instance, despite near-universal raves for Colman Domingo and Rustin, the film generated a meager 2.6 million views during its first two months on the platform. The Todd Haynes–directed May December did better, but its 6.8 million views doesn’t even place it (or Rustin) among Netflix’s top 400 (that’s not a typo) movie titles during the second half of 2023.
And while the much more high-profile Maestro came out too late in the year (December 20) to get a fair read on its overall audience, Bradley Cooper’s opus never once landed in Netflix’s weekly top ten lists, and its overall audience during the last 11 days of the year — 6.7 million views — suggests that the film did not go on to become a blockbuster once its seven Oscar nominations were announced in January. By comparison, the Annette Bening/Jodi Foster team-up Nyad, with 16.3 million views (and a two-week run on Netflix’s global top-ten list inSeptember) was a relative smash. But even it ended up with far fewer views thanLove Is in the Air, a Hallmark-style rom-com from Australia (tagline: “When skies clear, hope shines through”) that tallied up an impressive 27.3 million views — and likely was produced at a fraction of the cost of those other movies.
Matt Rife and Shane Gillis might not be universallybeloved by comedy critics, but they’re very popular with Netflix subscribers. Despite coming out late in the year, Rife’s November release Natural Selection generated 12.7 million views, making it one of the year’s biggest comedy specials on the streamer, while Gillis’s Beautiful Dogs wasn’t too far behind, with 12 million views (though, since it came out September 5, it had more time to build an audience). Tom Segura’s Sledgehammer, released in July, was another comedy over-performer, generating 11.8 million views.
But in another example of how much timing matters when looking at Netflix’s engagement report, consider the performance of Dave Chappelle’s last special, The Dreamer. It dropped on the very last day of 2023, giving it very little time to generate views that count toward the semi-annual rankings. It nonetheless managed a solid 2.2 million views during that 24-hour frame. But per Netflix’s weekly top-ten lists, the special would go on to amass at least 12.8 million more views during its first two full weeks on the platform, for a total of at least 15 million views — bigger than the specials from Rife and Gillis. Those numbers might explain why Netflix execs keep making deals with Chapelle, despite his fondness for making anti-trans remarks during his sets.
The sixth and final season of The Crown did not go out with a bang: It generated a modest 25.2 million views in Netflix’s new engagement report, which is slightly less than season one of Young Sheldon (26.1 million) generated, despite not being available in every Netflix territory and it not landing on Netflix U.S. until late November (it had been on the platform in smaller countries before then). To be fair, The Crown released its final season in two batches, giving its final episodes just a few weeks to amass eyeballs. But the show also disappeared from Netflix’s global top ten by early January 2024, hinting the show didn’t exactly stay on fire once the window for this engagement report closed. No doubt there will be a long tail for The Crown as some viewers finally catch up and some die-hard royalists rewatch. But the intensity of audience interest that greeted past seasons of the show definitely seemed to cool as things wrapped up.
In a sign that people really, really love Wednesday, the fall 2022 release generated a total of 98.4 million views in 2023 — including 23.9 million views just in the second half of the year. Needless to say, that’s a bigger audience than 90 percent of Netflix’s original scripted series, including ones which actually premiered during the last six months of 2023. Case in point: Big Mouth, which in its early years felt like one of the hottest shows on Netflix, amassed a surprisingly small 8.5 million views for its seventh season, which dropped in October. The fact that year-old episodes of Wednesday drew three times as many views as brand-new installments of Big Mouth probably explains why the latter show will debut its final season next year.
What’s on Netflix has helpfully added up viewing data from both of Netflix’s 2023 engagement reports, allowing for a better look at how titles performed for the full year. And while Leave the WorldBehind remains popular no matter how you look at it, it’s clear that for Netflix, J.Lo really is mother: Her May 2023 release The Mother ended up generating a phenomenal 153.7 million views for the full year (25.5 million of which came in the second half of 2023), making it the biggest title on the streamer last year. It was followed by Extraction 2 (151.7 million)and Murder Mystery 2 (129.7 million) as the most popular movies for all of 2023.
But once again, the weirdness of how Netflix releases data means you need to be careful in drawing conclusions about a title’s overall popularity. While Mother was the No. 1 movie of 2023 for Netflix, lots of people waited until January (or later) to catch Leave the World Behind, allowing it to eventually pass Mother on Netflix’s top-ten movies of all time list.
In terms of series, while One Piece ruled the second half of 2023, it pales next to several other releases from earlier in the year. The Night Agent, for example, snagged 99.2 million views last spring, then tacked on another 19 million last summer and fall for an annual total of 118.2 million views — by far Netflix’s biggest series last year. It’s followed by Wednesday (98.4 million for the year) and Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (89.6 million). One Piece is certainly still generating views, of course, and its tally will jump once the next engagement report comes out. But it’s unlikely to catch Night Agent or even Wednesday.
Netflix’s live-action One Piece proved to be a major hit for the streamer, and now long-time fans and newcomers to the franchise are starting to wonder when season 2 will arrive.
The series marked the first live-action adaptation of the long-running anime and manga series of the same name, created by Eiichiro Oda. Given how beloved One Piece and its characters have become over several decades and Netflix’s mixed history with anime adaptation, many were skeptical of the remake. However, despite some changes from the anime, the series was a charming and faithful take on the beloved franchise.
One Piece season 1 follows the origins of the Straw Hat Pirates, as Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) slowly gathers a full-fledged crew to join him on his mission to find the legendary One Piece treasure and become King of the Pirates. By the end of the season, though, the story is nowhere near being over. Season 1 only adapts about 95 of the published One Piece manga chapters. It may sound like a lot, but considering there are over 1,000 chapters (and counting), Netflix’s One Piece has a lot of ground to cover, including countless arcs and characters that fans can’t wait to see adapted.
Does One Piece season 2 have a release date?
(image: Netflix)
Unfortunately, One Piece season 2 doesn’t have a confirmed release date yet. However, the season is definitely coming, as Netflix gave it the greenlight just two weeks after season 1 premiered. Given that it was renewed during the SAG-AFTRA strike, production wasn’t able to begin immediately. The scripts have reportedly been completed since September 2023, though. Hence, since the strike was resolved, viewers have been curious about when the season will start filming.
According to Zoro actor Mackenyu, production will commence soon. While attending the world championship for the One Piece Trading Card Game, Mackenyu revealed he won’t be able to participate in TCG games in June because he will be off in South Africa filming the second season. If it follows the pattern of season 1, which was in production for eight months, filming for season 2 could wrap by early 2025. Then, it will just be a matter of how quickly post-production goes and how Netflix chooses to schedule it among its other big 2025 releases, such as Stranger Things and Ginny & Georgia.
At the earliest, One Piece could possibly arrive in the summer of 2025. However, a fall release date sounds more reasonable. Ultimately, fans will have to wait for official confirmation from Netflix about One Piece season 2’s release, but further updates should be forthcoming as filming is allegedly due to start soon.
(featured image: Netflix)
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Ju Peter? No, sorry. That’s not my name. Aside from a certain webslinger, I don’t know anyone named Peter. Oh wait sorry you meant the One Piece character? My b. I just thought you had one of those Jersey Shore accents.
The Big Three’s biggest is full to bursting with characters. I don’t know how Eiichiro Oda (the author, if you don’t know) keeps ’em all straight. In fact, I’m pretty sure a couple of them are gay. You can’t deny the tension between Zoro and Sanji. C’mon. We have eyes. Anyways, Ju Peter is a character of indeterminate sexual preferences that has appeared in the latest arc of the manga (although he has an evil silver fox daddy vibe). So who is he? Where did he come from? Where did he go? Cotten Eyed Joe?
Ju Peter: A Biography
Ju Peter is actually not Mr. Peter’s full title. He is actually (officially) known as Shepard Ju Peter, and is one of the five “leaders” of the World Government. Who’s the World Government? Weren’t you paying attention in your One Piece Lore 101 courses? The World Government is a massive geopolitical organization that is currently fighting for control over the entire world. Ever heard of the Marines? They own those guys. While there are oodles of people crammed into the World Gov’s halls of power, there are five men who sit at the “top” of the power pyramid. These dudes are known as the Five Elders, and there are the official leaders of the not-so-free world. Of course, you and I know that’s all a ruse, and the Five Elders actually take orders from some tall hatted dude name Im. Who’s Im? We don’t know. But we DO know that he has the power to wipe who island chains off the face of the earth (sea?) with a simple command (and a little help from a mystery superweapon). So if you didn’t already get it, Im is Ju Peter’s boss. Not a boss that I would wanna have.
As powerful as Im is, he’s only one guy. He probably read about the word “delegation” in whatever Dictatorship for Dummies book that he was reading to learn how to do the job, and found some perfect cronies to help him out around the house. Not a democratic sort of house (i.e. Representatives) because I’m pretty sure no one else gets a vote. In his infinite wisdom (his words) he decided to entrust Ju Peter with the title of Warrior God of Agriculture. Way better than “secretary” no? I’m really sure what kind of agricultural decisions need to be made by the World Government, considering that 95% of the world they govern is covered in water. But someone’s gotta grow a turnip or two on that 5%, no? I guess that’s Ju Peter’s job?
The thing is, we don’t really get to see Ju Peter making a lot of agricultural decision… cause that would be kinda boring. Instead, we see him using his frankly freaky powers of transformation to turn into a GIANT WORM STRAIGHT OUTTA ARRAKIS to fight against anyone or anything that would try to take the World Government down. Aside from his creepy powers, the man is also strapped up. He carries a flintlock pistol that he intends to use on anyone who so much as lays an eye on his boss Im. If this wasn’t enough, Peter also has the power to authorize a Buster Call against anyone or anything he deems a threat. What’s a Buster Call? It’s the closest thing the One Piece universe has to a nuclear strike. Basically a fleet of Marine warships all fire on a single target at the same time. Unsurprisingly, the target is obliterated.
So what does Ju Peter want? Above all else, to maintain status quo. The World Government (or at least Ju Peter) is content on keeping The Three Great Powers (The WG itself, The Four Emperors, and the Seven Warlords of the Sea) in… well, power. So long as nothing comes along to topple that balance, Ju Peter is content. Naturally, a rubbery shonen hell-bent on becoming King of The Pirates would mess up that balance, so Monkey D. Luffy is not exactly on ol’ Ju Ju P’s good side. If he even has a good side to begin with. Based on his tyrannical actions in the series so far, Ju Peter’s soft side likely has the consistency of a lead weight.
Jack Doyle (they/them) is actually nine choirs of biblically accurate angels in crammed into one pair of $10 overalls. They have been writing articles for nerds on the internet for less than a year now. They really like anime. Like… REALLY like it. Like you know those annoying little kids that will only eat hotdogs and chicken fingers? They’re like that… but with anime. It’s starting to get sad.
Set sail on an exhilarating journey with our One Piece pirate crew personality quiz! Immerse yourself in the chaotic realm of piracy as you explore the defining traits of the most renowned pirate crews in the Grand Line.
From the daring Straw Hat Pirates to the renowned Roger Pirates, each crew embodies a unique blend of strengths and values that resonate with aspiring adventurers worldwide. Discover which legendary crew best aligns with your personality and aspirations as you navigate through the questions designed to uncover your true pirate spirit!
Of course, there are far too many pirate crews in One Piece to possibly cram into this single quiz, so based on the answers you pick, you’ll have the chance to be matched with one of a dozen of the most renowned and beloved crews in One Piece (including a secret surprise “crew”)!
Which Crew Would You Belong To? Take This One Piece Personality Quiz To Find Out
If you stumbled upon a treasure chest filled with riches on a deserted island, what would you do first?
Image Source: Toei Animation/Eiichiro Oda via IMDB
You’ve encountered a rival pirate crew that challenges your authority. How do you respond?
Image Source: Funimation via IMDB
What is the most underrated yet essential weapon in every pirate crew’s arsenal?
Image Source: Toei Animation/Eiichiro Oda via IMDB
What do you consider to be the most important aspect of a pirate crew’s legacy?
Image Source: Toei Animation/Eiichiro Oda via IMDB
When faced with a mysterious island rumored to hold ancient treasures, what’s your approach?
Image Source: Netflix via Twinfinite
What quality do you believe is most important for a pirate captain to possess?
Image Source: Toei Animation/Eiichiro Oda via IMDB
Your crew encounters a village under siege by marauders. What’s your immediate response?
Image Source: Toei Animation/Eiichiro Oda via IMDB
Your crew has uncovered a legendary artifact with potentially world-altering power. What do you do with it?
Image Source: Toei Animation/Eiichiro Oda via IMDB
Final Question: What trait do you believe is most essential for a pirate crew to possess?
Image Source: Toei Animation/Eiichiro Oda via IMDB
And there you have it! Now that you know which pirate crew you’d be a part of in One Piece, you can watch the show with fresh eyes and finally start rooting for someone other than the Straw Hats (unless you got matched with the Straw Hat pirate crew)! For more fun One Piece quizzes, check out Twinfinite’s “Which One Piece Straw Hat Would You Be? Personality Quiz” and “The Hardest One Piece Quiz You’ll Ever Take“.
About the author
Allysen Pierce
Allysen Pierce is a freelance writer with a passion for anime and gaming who has been a part of the Twinfinite team since December 2023. Most of her favorite games fall under the horror genre, but she’s also been known to play literally any RPG or dating sim that she can get her hands on. When she’s not playing games or watching anime, she can be found reading (usually manga or anything written by Stephen King), baking, or playing with her cat.
What is the song name in One Piece opening 26? The Egghead arc has begun in the anime, and the opening theme was a visually wonderful treat. Here is a guide on the One Piece opening 26 song.
What is the One Piece opening 26 song name?
The One Piece opening 26 song name is “UUUUUS!” (Us!) It’s the anime’s 26th opening theme and the 12th opening theme for the second half of the anime.
The latest opening theme is a fun watch, considering how different it is from the art style of the series. The opening credits also probably mean a lot to fans who have been there since the beginning. It shows the outfits that Luffy and the Straw Hats have gone through, which adds a nostalgic feeling to everything.
Which artist sings the One Piece opening 26 song?
The One Piece opening 26 song is by Hiroshi Kitadani.
Fans of the anime might think that Kitadani sounds familiar. It’s not his first time singing the opening theme of One Piece. He also sang the first and most iconic opening song of the series, “We Are!” Aside from that, he also sang the 15th opening titled “We Go!” He did the 19th opening titled “We Can!” with Kishidan. He also sang the 22nd opening theme, “Over the Top.” Kohei Tanaka wrote the music for the 22nd theme. Tanaka also composed the music for the 26th opening.
Kitadani is a singer who has been active since 1994. He mainly performs songs in anime. He works with JAM Project, an anison (anime song) band.
The One Piece anime has started the Egghead arc of the series. After the events of Wano, the Straw Hats end up at the futuristic island, Egghead. They meet Dr. Vegapunk and encounter his creations and inventions.
2023 flew by—hardships and all. It was only by its end, observing the releases of the year, when I realized how many absolutely incredible anime series had come along.
These series compassionately explored trauma, reinvestigated the stereotypical endings of the “girl meets boy” genre, delicately wondered what the meaning of life is once you stop defining yourself by your work, and heralded a new era of hope by referencing Tex Avery. The fact that series like Oshi no Ko, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Trigun Stampede—with huge fan followings—were relegated in my mind to “honorable mentions” only goes to show how strong the year was as a whole.
10. The Apothecary Diaries
(Toho Animation Studio)
There are numerous ways in which The Apothecary Diaries stands out. Primary among them is Maomao, the titular apothecary and an incredible protagonist. She’s clever and particular, but struggles with the conundrum of following her conscience and keeping her head down—making her quite easy to empathize with. The series also takes place in an unusual setting for anime: 15th century China. Add to this gorgeous animation and a slew of engaging mysteries, and you have one hell of a series.
9. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Swordsmith Village Arc
(Ufotable)
Despite being one of the most hyped anime series of the past several years, 2023 is the year that Demon Slayer really and truly clicked for me. A huge part of that shift lies on the shoulders of Mitsuri Kanroji, the Love Hashira, who was an absolute joy to behold and whose backstory about what the pressures of what a woman “should” be like tugged at my heartstrings.
But furthermore, the removed nature of the Swordsmith Village arc allowed Tanjiro and Nezuko space to fully grow, with a conclusion that made me way more emotional than I would’ve anticipated.
8. Attack on Titan Final Season: The Final Chapters
(MAPPA)
One of the most important—and most controversial—anime series of the last decade has come to a close. The first of the two movie-length episodes of Attack on Titan: The Final Chapters delivered one of the most epic, moving character deaths of the year. The second learned from the missteps of the manga, delivering an impactful ending worthy of these characters that so many of us have spent a very tumultuous decade with.
7. My Hero Academia
(Bones)
The second cour of My Hero Academia’s sixth season, which aired during the first quarter of the year, is the best the long-running, beloved shounen has ever been. The series began finally digging into the tougher, darker themes that have been running underneath it for years, with incredible results. There were three major tear-jerker episodes in a row, culminating with a profound, compassionate, and resonant speech that, to get personal for a second, fundamentally changed how I think about my goals in writing for the media. It is arguably the best anime moment of the year.
6. Buddy Daddies
(P.A. Works)
Buddy Daddies was one of the biggest surprises of the winter season, but perhaps even more surprising is its staying power, even as 2023 has offered several incredible series. Hell, I saw a ferris wheel last week and still got a little misty-eyed. Buddy Daddies is beautifully emotionally vulnerable, exploring the idea of intergenerational trauma—and what it takes to heal from it—with heartbreaking sincerity.
Buddy Daddies got tagged as “gay Spy x Family,” but unlike Loid Forger, both of the assassins/fathers are obviously flawed people who are simply trying their best—which is precisely why the series is so warm and heartfelt.
5. One Piece
(Toei Animation)
2023 was truly the year of One Piece—and I’m not even talking about the live-action adaptation. After more than four years, the anime has officially wrapped up the Wano arc. In the process, it continued to deliver some of the most stunning and unique fight sequences of the year, with climaxes so triumphant that even I, a manga reader who knew what would happen, teared up a few times.
As 2023 trudged on, I noticed something becoming alarmingly, widely present among my peers and within myself: burnout. And so if I could pick one series to describe 2023, it might (unfortunately) be Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead, whose absolutely brilliant first episode is one of the most accurate, affecting depictions of workplace toxicity and burnout I’ve ever seen.
There’s a reason the show nails the tone so thoroughly: The studio Akira works for, ZLM, is clearly a jab at OLM, the studio that makes Pokémon. (Zom 100′s studio, refreshingly, also practices what it preaches, opting for delayed episode releases over grinding its animators into he ground.)
Coming from an existentially dark place so many people understand, Zom 100 turns the zombie apocalypse into something funny and joyful—but resonant all the time.
3. Pluto
(Netflix)
If Buddy Daddies will make you cry at the sight of a ferris wheel, after one episode, Pluto risks reducing you to a puddle at the mere sight of a piano.
Pluto—which is a darker retelling of an arc from Osamu Tezuki’s foundational classic Astro Boy (a.k.a. Tetsuwan Atom)—found itself premiering in a timely fashion, in the midst of a lot of real-world anxiety about the ways in which AI will reduce the job market. It grapples with the hardship of AI taking over, say, creative work, while also effortlessly wooing the audience to have their hearts break over a robot in a maid outfit within less than 30 minutes of its runtime. Pluto is profound and beautifully animated—and one hell of a good mystery show, too.
2. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
(Madhouse)
For a series that deeply embeds itself within the well-worn grooves of high fantasy, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End has an incredibly unusual and fascinating premise. Its first episode drops you off at the very end of a Baldur’s Gate 3-level epicD&D campaign. The series then becomes about what it means that the elf mage, Frieren, inevitably outlives the rest of the party. While there’s certainly action, Frieren thrives when it’s at its most meditative. It’s a stunningly gorgeous, deliberate, and even-keeled look at what it means to really live—and, therefore, to die.
1. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
(Netflix)
In Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, the always-brilliant Science Saru took the most epic reunion of the last decade and delivered something suspiciously close to perfect. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off learns from and ingeniously addresses the issues that arose from the original Scott Pilgrim series and film, creating something in conversation with itself in the most hilarious, thoughtful ways possible.
It delivers a message that very few pieces of media dare to explore, and even fewer land: There’s no such thing as a fairytale “happily ever after,” because life is more complicated than that—but the absence of that fairytale ending doesn’t mean despair or failure, either. People are messy, and it’s okay if our joys, our loves, our ups and downs are a little messy, too.
The anime universe can be a lot to handle when first diving in, especially if you are in the market to buy a present for that special someone. We’re here to help you narrow down the search by providing you with some anime gift ideas for the holiday season.
Lenticular Artwork by Dominic Glover
Image Source: Dominic Glover
Dominic Glover has some of the most unique anime artwork, as its design changes based on the angle you are looking at. While one side showcases a focused Naruto, the other exhibits him in action during an all-out battle. It’s almost as if it’s a moving picture without the need for any electronics, creating an illusion with its different perspectives.
Glover’s collection harnesses a plethora of anime to choose from, from Demon Slayer to Dragon Ball Super to One Piece. However, you may want to get your hands on it fast since their products are typically sold out with their constant high demand.
An Ode to Attack on Titan Final Season
Image Source: Etsy & Hot Topic
If your special someone considers themself to be a member of the Scout Regiment, then you should definitely get them a gift to commemorate AOT’s finale. First up, we have the “I Survived All Parts of AOT: The Final Season” sticker, which can act as a badge of honor for dedicated fans.
You can also go for the classic Scout Regiment jackets that every Attack on Titan has wished for at some point in their life. To keep things simple, you can acquire a hoodie or shirt version at Hot Topic. Or, purchasers can go for a more cozy approach with its cloak blanket variation.
Jujutsu Kaisen Manga Woven Blankets
Image Source: Etsy
Another big anime that continues to dominate viewership is the action-packed Jujutsu Kaisen. That said, you can’t go wrong with ALLEVRO’s hand-woven manga blankets that show off the elite Satoru Gojo. The artist’s creation is perfect for those who enjoy manga and anime, reimagining these covers in an entirely new way.
ALLEVRO’s products come in many different shapes and sizes, as well as alternative design choices based on the Jujutsu Kaisen series. But if your Otaku prefers another anime, you can browse through the artist’s collection to discover other remarkable finds, including My Hero Academia, Hunter x Hunter, and Chainsaw Man.
Anime Funko Pops
Image Source: Funko
Funko’s Anime and Manga collection features many famous characters, including Dragon Ball Z, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Yu-Gi-Oh!. Figures generally cost around 12 to 15 dollars, so you don’t have to spend an exorbitant amount of money, as you may have seen with other high-priced items.
If you aren’t sure which Funko to decide on, you can filter in some content by checking out the best-selling or most exclusive products. Purchasers can also take it a step further with scenic pops that typically capture an iconic moment from the show. For instance, the Pop! Moment Eren & Zeke Jaeger takes you back to the infamous conversation shown in AOT.
Studio Ghibli Steelbooks
Image Source: Crunchyroll
When in doubt about anime gift ideas, you can always rely on the Studio Ghibli collection for presents. Any anime fan will undoubtedly have at least one favorite film, and you can use it to your advantage by getting them the Steelbook version. It’s the perfect collector’s item that commemorates the breathtaking art style of Hayao Miyazaki.
The Crunchyroll shop features Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, My Neighbor Totoro, and many more. On top of that, Miyazaki has recently launched the film The Boy and the Heron, so you may want to gift them movie tickets to give them some new content.
Demon Slayer Kimonos
Image Source: Anime Kimono
Another popular anime of 2023 is none other than Demon Slayer, with the most recent Swordsmith Village arc. There’s a lot of excellent anime gift ideas for this beloved series, but the one that takes the cake is the kimono collection. You can start with the main protagonist’s iconic clothing, exhibiting the classic green and black checkered design.
It doesn’t even have to stop at Tanjiro’s get-up with the numerous variations from other lovable characters. In particular, you can purchase outfits based on Giyu Tomioka, Shinobu Kocho, and Nezuko. You can also explore Anime Kimono’s personal designs that add a unique twist to the series’ fashion.
One Piece Wanted Posters
Image Source: Etsy & One Piece Store
One Piece has taken the world by storm (again) with Netflix’s live adaptation and the exciting new content from the animated series. If there’s one thing that any OP fan wants, it’s definitely the show’s wanted posters. Your best bet would probably be Monkey D. Luffy’s famous smiley-faced bounty or any of the other Straw Hat members like Roronoa Zoro.
But if your Otaku has been explicitly obsessed with the One Piece live-action, then head over to Etsy to claim some wanted posters there. PotterTatts’ selection showcases Monkey D. Luffy, Gold D. Roger, Buggy, and Arlong, along with various sizes (and a digital download.)
Manga Sets
Image Source: Amazon
Complete manga sets are another excellent anime gift idea that continues on the adventures in written and hand-drawn form. In general, it can be difficult to obtain each book individually, so having the set can help them experience the narrative as a whole.
One of my favorites has to be the Dragon Ball Z collection (or the Dragon Ball series, if I’m being more specific) due to its connected illustrations on its spines. Alternatively, you can go for an ongoing anime like Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen to give them some insight into what’s to come. You can also purchase them an entirely new manga set that hasn’t yet debuted as an anime if you want something more unique.
SeerLight’s Anime Artwork
Image Source: Seerlight
As an anime lover myself, I’ve always marveled at Seerlight’s artwork through their usage of vibrant colors and subtle placement of anime characters. Even those who haven’t watched any anime will be in awe of its design, whether it be through the artist’s print or phone case collection.
The artwork above shows the Cowboy Bebop-inspired High-Rise, the Hunter’s Inn, and the Meteor Shower depicted in Your Name. Even more so, Seerlight has unleashed a live wallpaper series on their Patreon, which brings your phone’s photographs to life with various anime.
Personalized Anime Portraits
Image Source: Etsy
For a more personal touch, you can get your friend or family member a customized anime portrait from Etsy. The highly recommended BlueMintAnime can use your suggestions to create your very own artwork, with a maximum of six characters (pets can be included, too.) The artist can work with almost any anime, regardless of its popularity, and an added bonus of a background.
Purchasers can explore the Etsy page to find even more depictions, like DoyourToon’s Haikyuu-inspired artwork. On a more bizarre note, you can turn your Otaku into a Titan using JasuDigitalArts’ many templates.
About the author
Kristina Ebanez
Kristina is a Staff Writer and has been with Twinfinite for more than a year. She typically covers Minecraft, The Sims 4, Disney Dreamlight Valley, anime, Call of Duty, and newly released games. She loves the Metal Gear Solid series (Snake Eater especially), Rockstar’s Bully, the Horizon franchise, What Remains of Edith Finch, and many more. Her dog is also an avid video game watcher, primarily when there’s a horse or a cat. She has a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and grew up gaming on the islands.
The Last Airbender to Return in Live Action on Netflix in 2024
Nickelodeon’s popular series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, will be making a comeback in 2024 in an exciting new Live Action version, with Netflix taking the reins. After the disappointing 2010 film adaptation, this latest adaptation looks promising, as Netflix has released images of the characters from the Land of Fire. The story follows a young boy who is the last Airbender and future Avatar, tasked with restoring order between the four nations of Fire, Air, Water, and Earth. When the previous Avatar died, the Fire Nation seized control, disrupting the peace. Now, the last airbender must discover a way to restore balance. Fans can expect this highly anticipated series to release next year, aiming to stay faithful to the original material.
Netflix’s Commitment to Staying True to the Source Material
Netflix has assured fans that they will use the original material as a guide to create the Live Action adaptation. The platform aims to give a fresh visual dimension to the 2005 animated series. This is not the first time Netflix has revived an anime, as they previously produced a successful live action version of One Piece. For those eager to revisit the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender, the animated series is currently available on the SVOD platform.
The First Reactions are Very Positive
Since the release of the trailer, fans have taken to social media to express their excitement. Messages such as “Netflix, I trust you, don’t be wrong” and “Oh my God, this is so good. I can’t wait” flooded the official Netflix tweet revealing the Fire Nation actors. Currently, no further information about the story or additional cast members has been disclosed. However, Netflix has hinted that more details will be revealed during GeekedWeek 2023, which will take place from November 6 to 12.
The producers of Netflix’s surprisingly popular One Piece live-action series say scripts for a potential second season are done and the show could return on the streamer as early as next year.
Netflix’s One Piece Live-Action Trailer Has A Treasure Trove Of Anime Easter Eggs
In an interview with Variety, Marty Adelstein, the CEO of Tomorrow Studios (the folks who made the One Piece live-action series as well as Netflix’s swiftly canceled Cowboy Bebop live-action series) confirmed that, “We’ve got scripts ready.” The caveat, however, is that production of a possible second season of the One Piece live-action series can’t start until Hollywood’s SAG-AFTRA strike is resolved.
“Realistically, hopefully, a year away, if we move very quickly, and that is a possibility,” Becky Clements, president of Tomorrow Studios, told Variety. “Somewhere between a year and 18 months, we could be ready for air.”
A faithful and charming live-action anime adaptation, the Netflix series has become something of an anomaly in the anime community since its August 31 premiere: a rare success story. It debuted as the top show on the streamer with 18.5 million views—a feat Clements says “exceeded” Netflix’s expectations.
“I think [Netflix is] looking at various situations about how many episodes they do, do they break them up?” Adelstein said. “I think they’re trying to figure that out this week. I suspect we’ll hear from them in the next week to two weeks. There seems to be a big impetus to keep this going and to come up with a long-term strategy. So we’re just waiting for that.”
Adelstein told Variety that a potential second season of Netflix’s One Piece series needs to expand its audience beyond just existing fans of the series, a process he said the first season had already started.
“We’re getting a lot of family viewing and that is really the key, is to bring in the non-fans and people who aren’t aware of the IP because the show stands on its own and you get people to watch it and people really love it,” Adelstein said.
In our review of Netflix’s One Piece, we said the show “is one of the rare well-made live-action anime adaptations” that is “full of heart, from its vibrant set and wardrobe designs to the disarmingly charming found-family dynamic that the live-action crew so effectively exudes.”
One Piece is a series built on lofty promises. Chief among them: that its hallowed treasure, which still has yet to be revealed since the series began 26 years ago, will be worth the journey; that protagonist Monkey D. Luffy will someday fulfill his dream of becoming the king of the pirates; and that its long-running manga series and intimidatingly long anime will ultimately end on a satisfying note. The release of Netflix’s One Piece live-action series adds yet another promise to the series’ tab—the promise that, in being adapted to live action, it will emerge as one of the good ones, avoiding the dismal fate of so many anime that have made that journey before. The show doesn’t completely succeed in keeping this promise, but it makes a decent if uneven first impression, beckoning long-time fans and newcomers alike to stay aboard and see where it could go next.
Netflix’s One Piece Live-Action Trailer Has A Treasure Trove Of Anime Easter Eggs
The live-action anime seas are treacherous waters for anime fans who’ve, either earnestly or out of morbid curiosity, watched as series like Dragon Ball Z, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Fullmetal Alchemist, and most recently Cowboy Bebop, capsized under the weight of their own misguided ambition to recapture the magic of their source material by throwing real people into the mix. These experiments, for lack of a better term, led to the consensus that any subsequent live-action adaptations would be doomed to fail because the grand worlds, battles, beauty and kineticism of anime can’t be reproduced in a live-action format, at least not without looking cheap and uninspired by comparison.
One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has been more than aware of fans’ trepidation that the One Piece live-action series could well besmirch his magnum opus’ legacy by becoming yet another example of live-action drivel. Stoking those fears was the fact that producer Marty Adelstein’s Tomorrow ITV Studios also did Netflix’s live-action Cowboy Bebop, which was promptly canceled after its first season. Still, Oda promised that the adaptation, on which he serves as an executive producer, wouldn’t “betray” fans who’ve been supporting the series for the past twenty years, and stressed that the show wouldn’t launch until he was satisfied with it.
Netflix
The first season of the One Piece live-action series, which covers the major story beats from the start of the manga’s opening East Blue saga up until the conclusion of the Arlong Park arc, sees Luffy assemble his pirate crew as they set sail to find Gold Roger’s titular hidden treasure. The show covers a lot of ground, especially when you consider that it’s condensing what would be 93 chapters (or roughly 17 hours of anime) into eight hour-long episodes. The result is an occasionally clumsy show that opts to streamline major story beats by dual-tracking arcs together in a single episode, thus giving fans who felt intimidated by the manga and anime’s lengths a gateway into Oda’s grand world.
And while it leaves a bit to be desired, the Netflix One Piece is one of the rare well-made live-action anime adaptations. The show is full of heart, from its vibrant set and wardrobe designs to the disarmingly charming found-family dynamic that the live-action crew so effectively exudes.
What Netflix’s One Piece live-action series does right
What surprised me most about Netflix’s One Piece live-action series is how it deviates ever so slightly from being a rote, SparkNotes summary of the source material’s first major arc by adding its own original wrinkles to Oda’s epic, allowing one of the series’ subtler relationships—that between Admiral Garp (Vincent Regan) and marine recruit Koby (Morgan Davies)—to take center stage.
Throughout the season, the show balances this thread with the cat-and-mouse chase of the Marines pursuing the Straw Hats as they sail toward the Grand Line. While manga and anime One Piece enjoyers like myself know the pair eventually develop an unbreakable bond, we never get to see how the relationship between the fearsome admiral and the former pirate takes root outside of a few stray manga panels interspersed between latter arcs in the series. Thankfully, the Netflix series is more than willing to dedicate time to depicting the humble beginnings of their wholesome friendship.
Throughout the live-action series, Garp instills agency in Koby by teaching his subordinate that he should get out of his own head and trust his gut instincts. In one of the earlier episodes, Garp instills this lesson in Koby over a game of Go, which Koby proceeds to best Garp in after accepting his advice. While innocuous on the surface, this scene serves to fill in the anime’s gaps in Koby’s sudden and awesome character development, as he goes from being a timid coward to one of the Marines’ bravest heroes.
This all comes to a head when Koby chooses to defy Garp’s orders to detain Luffy because he believes his friend is a good pirate—something marines are indoctrinated into believing doesn’t exist. Instead of chastising Koby, Garp praises him for being honest with himself and doing what he thought was right.
Rather than feeling like filler or glorified fan fiction, Garp and Koby’s conversations build upon the series’ long-running theme about throwing caution to the wind in the pursuit of one’s dream. For Koby, that dream is being a good marine.
While the series does an exceptional job of characterizing the dynamic of the Straw Hats’ burgeoning camaraderie, Garp and Koby’s flourishing relationship steals the show, and instilled a desire in me to see other relationships explored more deeply in the live-action series, should it get renewed for a second season.
Netflix’s One Piece suffers from growing pains, but they aren’t deal breakers
That’s not to say that Netflix’s live-action series doesn’t make some sacrifices along the way. In the show’s slightly brisker pacing, which combines both origin stories and early character-defining arcs for characters like Sanji and Zoro, you miss moments of character development for Usopp and Luffy, who come off as one-dimensional bystanders to whatever scenes they accompany. This is particularly disappointing considering their manga and anime counterparts play a more active role in their crewmates’ arcs by having salient conversations about how their friends are feeling. Instead, the live-action pair are often delegated to onlookers who either incessantly comment about how strong their friends are or, worse, quip like Marvel heroes.
While the CGI in the live-action One Piece series is on par with what you’d see in Netflix’s Witcher series, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment whenever the show attempted to recreate Luffy’s rubberman fighting style. Mind you, my disappointment wasn’t with how uncanny it looked, but how sparingly the series showcased Luffy’s devil fruit powers. Whenever he actually fights using his rubber man abilities, it’s contained in brief, tight camera shots, as if the showrunners were self-conscious about how goofy it might look to viewers. If anything, the series would’ve benefited from hanging on shots of Luffy going wild with his rubber man antics, especially considering the great first impression the show makes by displaying how effective Luffy’s Tom and Jerry-esque punches are at knocking folks out.
As a whole, the first season of Netflix’s One Piece live-action series is a satisfying start, one that’s faithful to the source material while adding its own fresh, welcome insights. Whether the show’s success eventually leads its live-action crew to sail to the sands of Alabasta, the clouds of Skypiea, or the impenetrable fortress of Enies Lobby has yet to be seen, but I hope to witness its efforts to live up to its promising first season.
One Piece celebrated its 25th anniversary this year. The length of the series has come to be a joke in and of itself, with people who have not been Converted wondering if the 1000 episode-plus anime or nearly 1100-chapter manga could possibly be worth it. (It is.) So, if you want to dip in your toe, you might think about checking out one of the One Piece movies. The problem is that, with the release of One Piece Film: Red, there are 15 of those. Which one, if any, are worth a watch?
I’m someone who was encouraged to start watching One Piece after first watching some of the movies. So I can tell you from experience that, while none of the films are canonical, they can be an excellent way to get you excited about One Piece‘s universe and characters. Not all of them are worth watching, though. Some are very bad. Here are the ones that I’d recommend checking out, in order of excellence.
7. Dead End Adventure
Dead End Adventure is basically the first goodOne Piece movie, heralding all the way back to 2003. Honestly, it’s been a hot second since I’ve seen this one, but the fact that I still remember the very striking final fight—which takes place on a decaying ship—speaks to the film’s strength. Even though it drags a bit in the middle, it also does a good job of letting the Straw Hats shine, which tends to be important in these films.
First OP-friendly? Sure? But I’d watch the higher-ups on this list first.
Pre- or post-timeskip? Pre. No Franky or Brook even.
6. Stampede
To be honest, Stampede barely makes this list. The computer animation clashes with the hand-drawn aspects, the narrative hangs on by a thread, and the new character/villain isn’t interesting in the slightest. The only reason to watch Stampede is if you’re a diehard One Piece fan who wants to say hi to all your faves. Which, to be fair, is something we One Piece fans really love to do, which gives it a modern viewing edge over Dead End Adventure. Even though Dead End Adventure is probably a better film overall. Seriously, cameos are crammed in here at the direct expense of the plot. But it at least culminates in a battle where Luffy, Law, Sabo, Hancock, Smoker, Crocodile, and Buggy all fight on the same side, which is (mostly) a delight.
First OP-friendly? Absolutely not.
Pre- or post-timeskip? Post, but no Jinbe.
5. Z
One Piece Film: Z is many fans’ favorite One Piece film. I think it depends on what aspect of One Piece you like the most. If you love a good shounen fight, you probably love Z. If you’re more interested in watching bizarre narrative situations go down, the first two choices on this list will probably rank higher for you, as they did for me. It does have an extended scene of the men in a hot spring, which is a nice change of pace. Otherwise (in addition to?), Z strikes me as pretty macho.
Also, to be honest, the ending credit song for this film is Avril Lavigne covering Nickelback’s “How You Remind Me,” which felt like I had been suddenly doused with freezing cold water as I was cuddling with my cats on the couch. The fact that Avril Lavigne is wildly popular in Japan to this day only helps a little. Because then you learn that she was dating Nickelback’s singer at the time this film was done. Which is weird, right—to cover your boyfriend’s song for the “theme song” to a major motion picture? And then pair that with another, but better-chosen, cover—of Joan Jett’s “Reputation”?! And then you find out that Oda personally wrote her a letter thanking her?! I talked more about this than the actual film. As you can see, it continues to blindside me. Z is fine.
First OP-friendly? Yes, but I’d try another one first, personally.
Pre- or post-timeskip? Post, but no Jinbe.
4. Strong World
There are a couple very good reasons to like Strong World. One is that, until Red, it was the One Piece movie which mangaka Eiichiro Oda was most heavily involved with: he produced it, helped with the script, etc etc. It’s also the One Piece movie which introduced the concept of giving the Straw Hats epic as hell Outfit Changes, which is very good. Their entrance at the climax of the film is truly something to behold, because it involves black coats and everyone having a rifle for some reason.
But the biggest reason to love One Piece Film: Strong World is Billy. In a series which some very memorable animal pals, and in particular some truly incredible ducks—shout out to my wonderful boy Karoo—Billy stands out. All hail Billy, the King of Ducks. He’s even got a little booger coming out of his bill. Can you deny his majesty?
First OP-friendly? Yes. Great choice.
Pre- or post-timeskip? Pre! It was the last thing Oda wrote where Luffy was still a teenager.
The plot of Gold can be sold in one incredibly intriguing sentence: “One Piece does Ocean’s Eleven.” Indeed, Gold is set in what is basically Las Vegas and is a heist film. I actually saw Gold before I ever saw Ocean’s Eleven, and I think Gold is way better. There, I said it. Do you have car races in Ocean’s Eleven? No. Do you have a character trapped in gold in a way incredibly reminiscent of Hans Solo? No. Are the security cameras living snails? No. Ergo, Gold is better.
As all of that suggests, One Piece Film: Gold does a great job of showcasing the over-the-top and zany attitude makes One Piece so great. It also has the best introductory montage of the Straw Hat crew that currently exists, except for perhaps Episode 1000 in the anime.
First OP-friendly? Hell yes. I would actively recommend this be your first One Piece film. Get ready for the fanservice, though.
Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island holds a special place in cinema history, in One Piece-dom, and in my heart respectively. To start with the latter, this is the first bit of One Piece media I ever saw. Ever. To the second, it’s the only thing in One Piece‘s oeuvre (until Red) to take a psychological, reality-twisting approach to its narrative. Baron Omatsuri even borders on horror. And to the former point: Baron Omatsuri was the first film ever directed by Mamoru Hosoda. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because he went on to found Studio Chizu and direct hits like Belle, Mirai, and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.
The result is a narrative which fully and delightfully grasps the absurdness of One Piece‘s universe, while also stretching the series’ heartwarming devotion to friendship to a horrifying conclusion.
First OP-friendly? It was mine, and look at me now! So yes!
Pre- or post-timeskip? Pre. Not even Franky or Brook is in this one.
1. Red
You might see the date of this article’s publishing and assume I’m high of my first impressions of Red’s North American release on November 4th, but the truth is that I’m still high off of the first time I saw Red in Japan two and a half months ago.
Like Baron Omatsuri, Red pushes the boundaries of what One Piece “typically” looks like by making the film a full-fledged musical with relatively little fighting. But by doing that, Red‘s not only pushing the boundaries of One Piece; as I wrote in my review, it’s pushing the boundaries of the entire shounen genre. In other words, it’s ambitious as hell, and it succeeds.
Red is a spectacle with spectacular animation and even more spectacular music which celebrates how far One Piece has come. But its focus isn’t Luffy; it’s the new character, Uta. And seriously, each song in Red is genuinely phenomenal, and the lyrics tie into the narrative with mind-blowing detail and ease. I say this as a bonafide music snob, too.
First OP-friendly? Yes! As long as you know One Piece doesn’t usually have pop star-worthy bangers everywhere. There are some post-Whole Cake spoilers casually dropped, too.
Pre- or post-timeskip? Post! And wow, look, it’s Jinbe!
