5-One Piece is filled with heartbreaking moments and deaths throughout the series. Two of the worst moments for fans occurred during the Marineford Arc when beloved characters Whitebeard and “Fire Fist” Ace die during Ace’s rescue mission. Their deaths sent ripples throughout the world of One Piece and its fandom. In the manga and anime, the “father” and “son” pirates were buried next to each other with their graves decorated with their personal possessions.
In 2013, Universal Studios Japan brought these iconic images to life for their annual One Piece Premier Show. As part of this show, memorable scenes and locations are recreated in real life for fans to visit. These graves were exact replicas of the ones depicted in the story and included a listening area where fans could hear the two characters speak some of their famous lines.
4-While anime exists as a simple form of entertainment in Western countries, it has become a way of life in Japan. Popular characters have been incorporated into commercials, advertisements and plastered all over subways, trains and other public transportation. Its global popularity also makes anime the perfect market for the world of fashion.
The characters of One Piece have been used as animated models for A|X Armani Exchange. In 2009, they joined forces to promote the 10th movie of the franchise One Piece Film: Strong World. Luffy became the first manga character to appear on the cover of the Japanese fashion magazine Men’s Non-no in its 24 years of publishing. This was also the first cover design Oda has done that was not for a manga.
In the magazine, real-models posed as the manga’s characters in nautical themed attire. The partnership returned in 2012 for the release of One Piece Film Z. This time, the characters wore outfits designed by A|X Armani Exchange that were selected by Oda himself. To expand on the cross promotion, these outfits were made available for purchase too!
3-One Piece fans will be happy to know that they can experience their favorite anime beyond the manga, anime, and numerous movies. If you are willing to make the trip overseas, you can become fully immersed in the world of the Straw Hat Pirates.
In Japan, you can visit the Universal Studios Japan’s “Universal Jump Summer” event that will include attractions based on One Piece, Dragon Ball Z, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and Gintama beginning on June 30. You can also enjoy a live One Piece show and take a ride on the life-size version of the Thousand Sunny at Laguna Ten Bosch One Piece area in Gamagori, Japan. This park also has real-life memorials for Ace and Whitebeard on display too.
However, if One Piece is your only focus, travel to Minato-ku, Tokyo, and visit the dedicated indoor theme park Tokyo One Piece Tower. The park contains sculptures, themed restaurants, and games for fans to enjoy. You can also visit replicas of the inside of their ships, full-sized recreations of iconic scenes from their journey, and take in a One Piece live show!
2-Since its official announcement video aired during the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, Tokyo seems to have amazing plans for its own games in 2020. Japan’s Olympic Committee incorporated iconic characters from TV, anime, video games, and other aspects of its entertainment into its video. It was the perfect nerd’s dream come true.
To further build on the global reach of anime, one of its most profitable “exports”, Tokyo announced that several anime characters would serve as its Olympic ambassadors. With its worldwide appeal and dedicated following, One Piece had to be included in this lineup.
As reported by Anime New Network, the official ambassadors are, “Astro Boy, Sailor Moon, Shin-chan, Luffy (One Piece), Naruto, Jibanyan (Yōkai Watch), Goku (Dragon Ball Super), Cure Miracle and Cure Magical (Maho Girls Precure!)” They will be included on promotional items and merchandise for the event.
1-Oda is notorious for hiding Easter eggs throughout the One Piece manga, with many of these references popping up in the anime as well. One of his most well-recognized hidden gems is his placement of Pandaman throughout the story.
Oda originally created the characters when he was a teenager and submitted his design to the Yudetamago’s wrestling manga Kinnikuman. Fortunately, the character was selected and used in the manga. Since then, Oda has been slipping the character into the pages of his manga.
Other Easter egg characters include Pandawoman, the Tomato Gang, and the Unforgivable Mask. He also included fictional brands that he has created including Criminal, Doskoi Panda, and Cyberpanda. These brand are often displayed in stores or even the clothing of the Straw Hat Pirates and other characters.
As discussed earlier, Oda enjoys a subtle “shout out” to fellow manga artists and their work in his manga. However, he does like to include himself in his work as well. Oda has included his own name and his work on random library books in the series. How many of these have you seen?
