In celebration of the upcoming 25th anniversary of One Piece, Toei Animation will be releasing a special anniversary episode. Officially announced earlier this month, One Piece Fan Letter is an adaptation of One Piece Novel: Straw Hat Stories, a compilation of short stories about members of the Straw Hats told from the perspective of side characters.
One Piece Fan Letter will be broadcast on October 20th in Japan. Ahead of its premiere, the official trailer has been revealed with English subtitles.
So far it's been confirmed that four stories from One Piece Novel: Straw Hat Stories will be adapted in this special, focusing on Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Franky. Here's how each of the stories is described in the original novel:
- Nami: “A young shut-in from Sabaody with an obsession for female pirates falls in love with her idol, Nami. When she hears of the Straw Hats returning at the Archipelago after 2 years, she hopes to catch a glimpse of the woman that changed her life.”
- Luffy: “During the battle of Marineford, a Marine witnesses Luffy rescuing Ace. Witnessing the bond between the two brothers makes him question his relationship with his own brother, who is also fighting in the war.”
- Zoro: “In a bar at Dress Rosa, a drunk Zoro enters a powerscaling debate with a bunch of Marines about who the strongest swordsman in the world is: Mihawk, Shanks, Vista, Ryuma, or Zoro; without any of the Marines realizing who he really is.”
- Franky: “A young girl moves to Water 7 from another island and takes the job of managing a bookstore. There she hears stories about Franky from different familiar faces, as she grows accustomed to her new life in the Water Capital.”
One Piece Fan Letter is directed by Megumi Ishitani — best known for directing episodes 957, 1015, and openings 25 and 26, of the anime series — with a screenplay by Momoka Toyoda (My Happy Marriage) and character designs and animation direction from Keisuke Mori, who also worked on opening 26.
There's been no official date given for the North American debut of One Piece Fan Letter, as the English-subbed trailer only mentions October 2024.
In other news, it was announced this weekend that the One Piece anime series will be going on a hiatus with Egghead Arc Part II not returning until April 2025. However, fans can also look forward to another special: One Piece Log: Fish-Man Island Saga, a 21-episode special edited version of the original arc involving Fish-Man Island with enhanced contemporary visuals. It will begin airing in Japan on October 27, 2024 with Crunchyroll streaming the episodes as they air.
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