One Piece: The Rubber Boy Series With over 1000 Episodes
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ONE PIECE and its protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy, is a Japanese anime series spanning more than 1000 episodes since its inception in 1999. In this post, we explore more about the history, characters and impact of the manga and TV show, which consistently ranks in the top five animated TV shows in both Japan and the United States.
Background: Rubber Arms and Pirate Treasure
After eating a mysterious fruit called "Devil Fruit", the show's protagonist Monkey D. Luffy's physiology is turned into rubber - a superhuman ability granting him extraordinary flexibility, among other traits.
As a young boy, Luffy was interested in pirates and the sea, and as he grows up, decided to recruit a motley crew called the Straw Hat Pirates, with the mission to find the "One Piece" treasure and become King of the Pirates, and fulfil his childhood dream.
One Piece World: A Single Continent With Rough Seas Abound
The world in which the manga and TV series take place is a mythical one, covered by two huge oceans - with the single existing continent, "The Red Line", in between the two bodies of water.
Its inhabitants include merfolk (offspring of fish and humans), dwarves, fish-men and fish-women, humans and others. Extraordinary animals also exist in the One Piece world - snails that can transmit messages, shells which can store energy, wind, sound and heat, and other mythical animals with various extraordinary powers.
The open seas of the North and East Blue contain extremely strong currents, making them very difficult to navigate.
A Wide Reach
ONE PIECE was originally produced in Japanese, and has since been translated into various languages and televised in dozens of countries around the world, including a 2004 acquisition to distribute the series in North America. Spanning over 1000 episodes, the show has been phenomenally successful and is widely followed throughout the world.
What's Next For One Piece?
Konosuke Uda, the TV show's director, said in 2018 that the series had reached approximately 80% of the intended plot, and that it would likely end in 2024 or 2025. This would make it a show lasting more than 25 years, and with already over 1000 episodes and counting, One Piece has certainly stood the test of time
One Piece Swords
Duffy and his pirates use a variety of impressive swords throughout the series, each with its own particular style and background. Our One Piece Replica Sword Collection showcases several of the swords, which you can own at home and add to your own One Piece collection.
Sandai Kitetsu One Piece Sword
Yoru - One Piece Replica Sword
SHOP ALL ONE PIECE REPLICA SWORDS
Image credit: One