One Piece Goes Viral Thanks to One Animator's Flawless Clapback

One Piece has been on the rise for years now, and the long-running shonen is getting all its flowers. From the manga to the anime and beyond, Eiichiro Oda's hit series is thriving. All eyes are on Luffy's crew, and now, one of the very talented artists overseeing the team is going viral. After all, they just dropped one of the best clapbacks on social media, and the anime fandom can feel the sting.

The whole thing came around this weekend after a wild series of events. Taking to X (Twitter), a user by the name Oscar Bartolome posted an illustration of One Piece they crafted using AI. Given how divisive AI is, the artwork stirred up debate within the anime fandom, and the drama prompted a response from Jose B. Rebolledo. The critique earned a response from Bartolome who wrote, "Not even in your dreams would you be able to make an illustration like this."

This is incredible. AI bro makes an awful One Piece image, then tells off an ACTUAL One Piece animator over it. The ego on some of these people is off the charts 🗺️🏴‍☠️ pic.twitter.com/9gdD7UaKPK

— Reid Southen (@Rahll) February 18, 2024

And well. It turns out that is not the case. You know, since Rebolledo has worked as an actual animator on One Piece.

"I can do better," Rebolledo wrote. "I can animate it because I've been ANIMATING FOR ONE PIECE YOU IDIOT."

Honestly, there is no better clapback than this. Whether you support AI art or not, this immediate schooling is worth a laugh. Over on X (Twitter), the ratio on this thread was overwhelming in Rebolledo's favor. Ultimately, the artist chose to delete the thread to protect the One Piece IP, but millions have already seen the exchange.

If you are not familiar with One Piece, you can check out the anime and Rebolledo's work on the show easily enough. The hit anime is streaming on Hulu and Crunchyroll as well as Netflix. So for those who wanting more info on the series, you can read the synopsis of One Piece below:

"As a child, Monkey D. Luffy was inspired to become a pirate by listening to the tales of the buccaneer "Red-Haired" Shanks. But Luffy's life changed when he accidentally ate the Gum-Gum Devil Fruit and gained the power to stretch like rubber...at the cost of never being able to swim again! Years later, still vowing to become the king of the pirates, Luffy sets out on his adventure...one guy alone in a rowboat, in search of the legendary "One Piece," said to be the greatest treasure in the world..."

What do you make of this One Piece debacle? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!