One Piece Snuck a Dragon Ball Z Nod Into Its New Episode

By Megan Peters

One Piece is living its best life right now, and we're not even talking about its live-action adaptation coming up at Netflix. Thanks to Toei Animation, the One Piece anime is thriving as its Wano Country climax has fans hooked. This week, a brand-new episode dropped highlighting Big Mom's final stand, and this release caught the Internet's eye thanks to some Dragon Ball Z nods.

As you can see below, One Piece was not subtle in the slightest about its Dragon Ball Z nod. The new episode included eye catches with Kozuki Oden and his children acting adorably. With his wife on hand, the Oden clan seems blissful in these bumpers, but their outings should look familiar. After all, the bumpers mimic the ones done by Dragon Ball Z decades ago, but One Piece just subbed in Oden for Goku.

The homage is impossible to miss when put side by side, and director Henry Thurlow nailed the nostalgic nod. I mean, One Piece even gave its characters '90s anime makeovers to sell the Dragon Ball tribute. From first to last, each of these homages is gorgeous, and we're sure Goku would be flattered by them.

If you are not caught up with One Piece, you can check out this latest episode with all its Dragon Ball nods whenever you'd like. The One Piece anime is streaming on Hulu as well as Crunchyroll, after all. As for the manga, creator Eiichiro Oda began One Piece's final act months ago, and there is a lot to do before Luffy's journey wraps. You can read the manga through the Shonen Jump app stateside. So if you want more info on One Piece, you can read its official synopsis below:

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"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 think about this One Piece x Dragon Ball homage? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.

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