One Piece is one franchise anime fans can’t escape. The story has become the archetype of shonen for fans worldwide, but One Piece can be difficult to get into. However, there is hope for newcomers, and it is all thanks to a brand-new special.
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Over in Japan, One Piece is preparing to air a follow-up special to its Episode of East Blue. Last year’s episode condensed much of the first One Piece arc into a single episode, giving fans an easy way to revisit or meet the ‘East Blue’ saga.
Now, in a few months, One Piece will condense another arc for fans. The ‘Sky Island’ arc (or ‘Skypiea’ arc) is getting an episode unto itself, and the special has dropped some new stills.
Screenshots from One Piece: Episode of Sorajima (Skypeia) anime special. The show also revealed Gan Fall design and voice cast guest and staff members guest – see more at the link https://t.co/jaALadlqIz pic.twitter.com/w6P84B7XRp
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As you can see above, the stills highlight familiar faces from the saga, and they are reimagined in high-definition. In order to welcome the so-called ‘Skypiea’ saga, the stills show off Gan Fall in all his mustached glory. As for Enel, the self-obsessed ruler is seen lounging around as if he were the god he believes himself to be. And, finally, the Straw Hats are featured as Monkey D. Luffy can be seen on his ship. The captain is shown looking towards the sky as his crew members Usopp and Tony Tony Chopper follow his gaze.
Of course, fans will be able to recognize these stills as they were seen in the special’s trailer. The reel was posted back in May, but these specific stills resurfaced when new voice actors were confirmed for the recap. Gan Fall’s original actor will be replaced by Ichikawa Ennosuke IV, and the fan-favorite character will be joined by a never-before-seen character who is new to ‘Skypiea’.
Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece first began serialization in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump in 1997. It has been collected into 87 volumes, with a few chapters yet to be included. It’s been a critical and commercial success worldwide, with many of the volumes breaking printing records in Japan. The manga has even set a Guinness World Record for the most copies published for the same comic book by a single author, and is the best-selling manga series worldwide with 430 million copies sold.
So, which One Piece arc recap are you most excited for? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!
