One Piece Hires French Animation Legend Ahead of Wano Climax
One Piece might be exploring the final saga in the pages of its manga, but the anime adaptation is continuing to follow the Straw Hat Pirates as they battle against the Beast Pirates in the isolated nation of Wano. Recent episodes have seen fans of the shonen series declaring battle scenes some of the best animated in the series' history and with good reason. Now, as the Wano Arc inches closer to its climax, an animation legend from France is looking to join the series full-time as the battle featuring Luffy and Kaido ramps up.
These latest One Piece episodes certainly don't fall under the category of "One Piece filler", as the television series is following the manga to a tee with its amazing visuals. The anime adaptation is preparing to hit a new level for Monkey D. Luffy as readers of the manga wait for the transformation known as "Gear Fifth" to make its way to the small screen. While Luffy's ultimate transformation did make a brief appearance in the latest film of the franchise, One Piece: Red, anime viewers haven't had much of an opportunity to see how the cartoonish form works in motion. Now, French animator Chansard Vincent is hoping aboard to lend a hand for Gear Fifth's debut.
One Piece Animation Changes
For those who might not be aware of Chansard Vincent's resume, the animator has worked on Western properties such as The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf and Castlevania. The artist has also lent his talents to a number of anime projects in the past including Black Clover, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, RWBY, Mob Psycho 100, and Glepnir to name a few. Vincent also had previously worked on One Piece's television series as well as the aforementioned fifteenth film in the franchise.
I will be working full time for Toei's One piece for a few months. It is something I have been wanting to do for some time, and finally took a break from my main work in France for it.
— Chansard Vincent (@Sparkleredpanda) March 18, 2023
The one piece staff is full of amazing people, and I am very thankful to tokita-san!
As it stands, One Piece's anime adaptation has yet to reveal how many more episodes it has before the War For Wano comes to an end. While there are still some major battles that have yet to be animated, we're definitely in the "end game" for the arc that has spanned years of the television series. While the manga might be documenting One Piece's final saga, fans should buckle up for years more material when it comes to the anime itself.
What do you think is the best animated One Piece battle to date? Are you dying to see more of Gear Fifth in motion? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of the Grand Line.