by One Piece Film: Red is now out in theaters in the US and other countries, which means we can finally see more of the Red Hair Pirates in action and learn a bit more about Shank’s past. Let’s break down the ending and how it fits into the long-running anime series.
Warning: full spoilers for One Piece Film: Red Ahead!
hocks
One Piece Movie Cannon Red?
First of all, is the movie canon? That’s not the case, according to an interview with producer Shinji Shimuzu. “They’re separate stories,” he says, which makes sense because none of the other One Piece movies are fully canon. Instead, films may have small canonical references, such as Shiki the Golden Lion from the movie Strong World.
In Film: Red’s case, we learn a bit more about Shank’s background. For example, near the end of the final battle, Shanks remembers when he first met Uta. To the surprise of the Red Hair Pirates, it was hidden next to the treasure they had taken. At that moment, Shanks remembers looking up at a young Gol. D Roger and Rayleigh and he mumbles to himself, “Maybe it happened for a reason.” We knew Shanks was a young Roger Pirates teammate back then, but this seems to confirm that he’s been with Roger Pirates since he was a baby.
Why is such a small note important? According to an interview with producer Shinji Shimuzu, Eiichiro Oda himself participated in this film more than any other One Piece film as “executive producer, character designer, and script critic”. For a character as important and mysterious as Shanks to be showcased, it’s no surprise to see an extra level of care with the film.
New and old faces
It’s the biggest action we’ve ever seen from the Red Hair Pirates! We see the familiar Yasopp use his Observation Haki to connect with his son, Usopp. A few are really skilled with firearms, but we also see an electrified staff and a teammate who seems to have the ability to blast projectiles from his mouth. As the major battle ends, the Navy threatens to retake Uta and Shanks unleashes his Conqueror’s Haki which even has the power to take down some Vice Admirals. As expected, from one of the four emperors!
The Red-Haired Pirates
Will we ever see Uta again? We probably won’t. As mentioned in the movie, Uta used wake mushrooms to stay awake long enough to take people to her dream world where they can ultimately stay happily ever after when she dies from the after-effects. She denied the medicine of the Red Hair Pirates’ doctor, Hongo, so she could blackmail everyone from her dream world. As we learned in the movie, anyone affected by her singing wakes up after falling asleep. Looking closely at the latest shot of the Red Hair Pirates crew, they all surround what appears to be a coffin with their Jolly Roger flag draped over it. It’s pretty clear that Uta is deceased.
Is there a post-credits scene?
Lastly, there is no major post-credits scene in the One Piece Film Red movie. There’s a bit of Luffy saying his usual catchphrase atop the Thousand Sunny’s figurehead as he reminisces about Uta. Otherwise, the most interesting tidbit at the end of the film is the long credits as we see glimpses of the characters the Straw Hats have encountered along their journey as they enjoy what we assume is the music of the movie. ‘Uta. They even included small characters like Rika, the girl who fed Zoro when he debuted in the series, and Gaimon, the pirate trapped in a chest who also seems to have found love.
What did you think of One Piece Film Red? Let us know in the comments below and please don’t spoil the manga for anime watchers only.
If you want more anime, check out our top 10 best anime series of all time, as well as our fall 2022 anime list in case you missed the latest batch of new series.
Mike Mamon is a syndication and digital specialist at IGN, Devil Fruit user and world famous JoJo poser. Let’s discuss anime on Twitter @xPmnms
#Piece #Film #Red #Movie #Explained #IGN
