After taking a six-month hiatus, One Piece has finally returned to grace our screens and give viewers the second half of the Egghead Island arc. As with every new season of One Piece, there was plenty of excitement surrounding the new opening and ending animations and songs, and the recreation of creator Eiichiro Oda’s double-page spreads. Unfortunately, this return to the current story arc was slightly soiled for fans, as Toei Animation had seemingly put the high-kicking chef of the Straw Hats, Vinsmoke Sanji, to the wayside in some strange creative choices. The end result became intense debates about the animation studios’ “preferential” treatment of some characters over others.
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Whether reading the manga or watching the anime, it’s hard not to see how important Sanji is to the Straw Hats. So, despite Toei’s inaccuracy to certain key panels in Oda’s artwork, plenty of moments still show the production staff care about the character, although popular belief suggests otherwise. It’s been a difficult few months for Sanji fans, especially as the remaster of his most infamous arc — Fishman Island– has just finished wrapping up. Still, a lot of original anime content has showcased Sanji’s strength and, more importantly, has developed his character and relationship with the other Straw Hats in a way that isn’t degrading, as some have criticized the newest episode of the series for doing.
Several Anime-Only Sequences Have Given Sanji His Dues
Before the remastered Fishman Island break, there had already been concerns regarding Sanji’s depiction in Egghead Island. Most of the complaints lay in the character’s obsessive nature with women. While this has been his defining characteristic for quite some time, it was the anime-original additions, such as him barking like a dog when around Stussy in Episode 1107, that have upset fans of the character. When isolated, this doesn’t feel like a problem; it’s the character’s placement as one of the wings of the Pirate King alongside Roronoa Zoro that has fans in an uproar, as Zoro’s anime-original content has been much more serious and feat-heavy in comparison. However, Sanji has been given plenty of impressive anime-only moments that should be considered.
One such moment comes from the Raid on Onigshima in the Wano Country arc. With Zoro momentarily incapacitated after his brief encounter with Kaido, Sanji is given time to shine in a detailed fight sequence between him and two of Kaido’s all-stars, King and Queen. It’s a stunningly animated fight, with Sanji simultaneously holding off the top players in the Beasts Pirates. Although it’s not in the manga, it’s a great addition and filler, highlighting Sanji’s capability and proving that Toei can give the character his due when they feel it’s necessary.
Moreover, there is Sanji’s fight with Jinbe’s clone S-Shark, which, while its conclusion may have upset fans because it depicted Sanji struggling, still had an impressive start in an earlier episode. One Piece Episode 1111 featured Sanji effortlessly tanking an attack from S-Shark, which should count for something despite the mishandling of its conclusion, which happened offscreen. In light of all the questionable choices made with Sanji’s character in Egghead, looking back at all the right choices and additional content should serve as a reminder that not everything Toei does is a detriment to his perception.
[Related: “Please Don’t Say This to Me”: One Piece Director Responds to Backlash From Fans]
Toei Animation Gets It (Mostly) Right When It Counts, Though Preferential Treatment Can Be Obvious
Even though the anime-original content has done Sanji justice in previous episodes, there is still the unmistakable error of the cook being omitted from the shot depicting all the Straw Hats standing over York after defeating her and the Seraphim. The shot comes from a double-page spread from Volume 108 of the manga, with each Straw Hat striking a cool pose, including Sanji carrying food. While this is a clear example of a mistake on Toei’s part, several other, much more critical moments highlight the animation studio’s fundamental understanding of character development that works in tandem with Oda’s original work.
Sanji’s big solo fight with Queen in One Piece Episode 1061 is one of the best and most recent examples of Toei’s better judgment and direction. In addition to bringing Oda’s fight layout to life with kinetic animation and intense choreography, the fight is intercut with beautiful visuals depicting Sanji’s state of mind. Showing a broken crystal statue of his biological father, Judge, followed by a beautiful moment in which he looks back on his relationship with his real father Zeff before joining the Straw Hats, it’s a heartfelt visual metaphor. The entire episode feels like a stunning love letter to the character, and it almost feels like enough to overlook the controversial choices made involving the character in recent episodes.
There is also the Roronoa Zoro aspect of it all, in which the character has seemingly been put in higher regard than most other characters, not just Sanji. Moments such as his fight with S-Hawk in episode 1109 are also changed from the manga, in which Kaku’s presence and cooperation in the fight are much more understated, and Zoro is given primary focus and credit for taking down Dracule Mihawk’s dangerous clone. Toei Animation may clearly play favorites in some instances. However, the essential thematic content, chemistry between characters, and major events remain faithful to the manga when it is most important.
Sanji Will Still Have Plenty More Chances to Shine in Egghead
Overall, any outrage fans might have toward the treatment of one of the original five Straw Hats who joined Luffy in the East Blue is entirely understandable. The critical mistake made in the One Piece anime could be revised later in a physical media release, something known to happen for other productions. Moreover, there are still a lot of big story beats and events that need to be adapted in the Egghead Island arc, some of which involve Sanji. How the rest of the arc plays out in the anime compared to the manga could be the deciding factor in the fanbase’s belief that Toei Animation may or may not have an agenda in making Sanji seem lesser than someone like Zoro.
Toei Animation may have dropped the ball in adapting one of the cooler Straw Hat ensemble double-page spreads from Oda, but the overall quality of this newest episode is hard to argue against. While some may believe that Toei has done a great injustice against Sanji, the character, like all the rest of the Straw Hats, has been well adapted throughout the 1,100+ episodes made thus far. With beautiful anime-original content and a key understanding of what makes the characters work, it’s easier to overlook mistakes like the ones currently being discussed. However, we can always hope that the Toei Animation team strives to do better.
