One Piece is arguably one of, if not the, most popular anime series ever. Not only does it have the distinction of being one of the longest ongoing modern shonen series with 1,122 episodes and 1,130 manga chapters, it also extends its reach via its Netflix live-action show, which introduces the world of Eiichiro Oda’s odyssey to folks less familiar with anime.
Amid all the One Piece fervor, discussions about the deep adoration fans harbor for the series often become overshadowed by speculative fan theories about the nature of its titular treasure and frivolous debates over character power rankings. Fortunately, a new anime featurette, reminiscent of Chainsaw Man creator Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Look Back, strips away the excess to remind long-standing fans of their initial love for the series.
One Piece Fan Letter, which premiered on Crunchyroll October 20, is a featurette celebrating the series’ 25th anniversary. The episode, which loosely adapts One Piece: Novel: Straw Hat Stories, takes place right after the series’ time skip (between Marineford and Sabaody). Rather than center on the Straw Hat Pirates’ long-awaited reunion, the special pulls the lens back by following the perspective of everyday citizens and lowly Marines that adore them.
Throughout the 24-minute special, we meet a Marine who admires Luffy’s stick-to-it-iveness, drunk soldiers arguing that Zoro’s the strongest swordsman of all time, a macho Marine captain hiding an affinity for Chopper’s cuteness, and a sardonic bookstore clerk daydreaming about Brook’s soul-stirring music. By far, the most poignant narrative throughout the special follows a shut-in girl whose favorite straw hat is Nami.
While her outward love for Nami is apparent in how she’s copied Nami’s fashion sense, deciphered the Straw Hats’ meet-up spot like a lurker on a forum page, and written the navigator a heartfelt letter, the real reason why she loves Nami speaks to the heart of One Piece fans. To her, Nami represents how even feeble folks without devil fruit powers can make a difference in the world. Witnessing the diminutive girl struggle throughout the special to deliver her letter to Nami not only tugs at the heart strings, it also speaks to the mass appeal for the series.
💌 🍊 #ONEPIECE #ONEPIECEFANLETTER pic.twitter.com/wTv7zK42VI
— .☆Zoe☆. (@strwberryroll) October 21, 2024
Much like how Look Back served as a love letter to creatives about why they pursue art, One Piece Fan Letter is a stark reminder to fans about why they love the show. Speaking from personal experience, One Piece captured my heart during the pandemic because reading it felt like I was a part of the crew’s ensemble. It’s also got a stellar socialist political narrative about a band of freedom fighters liberating oppressed people from overruling police states (i.e., the Marines), and that’s based AF.
Not only has One Piece Fan Letter skyrocketed into the second spot on anime database MyAnimeLists‘ highest-rated anime of all time with a rating of 9.25, it has also surpassed the mainline show, which sits at 8.72. Upon the episode’s premiere, fans took to social media with testimonials glorifying the special as a masterpiece and the artistic embodiment of their love for the Straw Hats. Here are some of our favorite fan reactions from the special:
and this is why the strawhats that are not beasts at fighting are so important for the narrative pic.twitter.com/aEtoXy13Mu
— rion 🇻🇪 (@peronyawns) October 20, 2024
The biggest thing that strikes me about Fan Letter is how it encapsulates the soul of how One Piece affects us ourselves. Small, insignificant people who are able to look up to these larger than life characters and have it change them for the better. I love One Piece. pic.twitter.com/xEUFgzs0UQ
— PhenomSage (@PhenomSage) October 20, 2024
she is very real to me pic.twitter.com/mSaZDmyaRj
— franz ⚢ brook kisser (@favsoulking) October 20, 2024
One Piece Fan Letter not only serves as an emotionally resonant reminder to fans about their love for the series, it also serves as a precursor to the anime’s upcoming re-edit of its Fishman Island arc. The special also comes at an opportune time because both the anime and manga are on hiatus. While the former is on hiatus to improve the animation quality of the show’s Egghead Island arc, the latter is on break in preparation for Oda to give a guiding hand to the Netflix show’s upcoming second season. There’s also Netflix and WIT Studio’s upcoming One Piece remake in the works. In short, it’s a good time to be a One Piece fan.
One Piece season two, featuring several new cast additions including Joe Manganiello and Lera Abova as Crocodile and Nico Robin, is currently in production at Netflix.
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