One Piece is among the biggest anime franchises in the entire world. It boasts of an incredibly vast fanbase, and due to their efforts, it has become the best-selling manga of all time. It has sold over 500 million copies worldwide and there's no doubt that the numbers will continue to increase before the series concludes.
Along with having an anime adaptation, One Piece has also released numerous movies, with the last one being released in 2019. During the celebration of the 1000th episode of the series, an announcement was made pertaining to the next One Piece movie. The name of the movie is One Piece Film: Red, and it will hit the theaters in Japan on August 6th, 2022. So far, multiple trailers have been released, and they are enough to provide the fans with an idea of what to expect from the movie.
The Plot
The movie will focus on the Straw Hats and Uta, who is Shanks' daughter. Shanks abandoned Uta for unknown reasons, but in the trailer, Luffy reassured Uta that Shanks only left to protect her from danger. Another surprise from the trailers was that Luffy and Uta knew each other from their childhood. They were seen playing with each other before Luffy got the scar under his eye. When they meet in the trailer, Uta did not recognize Luffy right away, which is to be expected considering they last saw each other a very long time ago.
Throughout the trailer Uta stressed the fact that as long she continued to sing, there would be peace in the world. However, many times in the trailers, Uta looked distraught as if she was carrying a huge burden on her shoulders. It is plausible to assume that she is dealing with some kind of problems that are linked to her singing. Uta seems to have a devil fruit, that is associated with music just like Apoo's Oto Oto no Mi. It will be interesting to see what kind of devil fruit it is and what powers it grants its user.
The Big Cast Of Characters
Just like One Piece: Stampede, Film: Red also has an eye-catching cast. The new movie features the Straw Hats including Jimbei, which means this will be the first movie where Jimbei is officially a part of the crew. Film: Red also features Uta, but the biggest highlight of the movie is arguably Shanks and the Red Hair Pirates. Despite being introduced very early on in the series, Shanks has remained one of the more enigmatic characters, whose strength and goals remain a mystery.
Shanks is one of the Yonko, which makes him a very infamous pirate. Oddly, Shanks was able to go to Mary Geoise without any problems, and the Five Elders even granted him an audience, which implies that they respected Shanks a lot. This raises many questions about Shanks' motives, but the final saga will undoubtedly answer all of them. Aside from the main story, another big mystery surrounding Shanks is Uta, but there is no need to fret as the movie will answer this question along with revealing other new things about Shanks.
Some of the members of the Big Mom Pirates will also be appearing in the movie. So far, it has been confirmed that Charlotte Katakuri, Charlotte Brulee, and Charlotte Oven will play a part. These characters did not appear in the Wano Country arc, so it is a nice gesture to have them in the movie. Fans will be excited to see Katakuri in particular, who last appeared during the Whole Cake Island arc. It did not take long for Katakuri to become one of the most adored characters in the One Piece world.
The movie will also feature Trafalgar Law, and Bepo, both of whom have become fan favorites ever since they allied with the Straw Hats. Trafalgar Law also played a key role in Douglas Bullet's defeat in the previous movie, so he is expected to play a key role in Film: Red as well. Another character, that is making his appearance in the movie is Bartolomeo. He has been sidelined ever since the Dressrosa arc ended.
The Marines and The Cipher Pol
Film: Red also includes a lot of characters, who serve in the Marines. The names that have been confirmed so far are: Akainu, Kizaru, Fujitora, Momonga, Koby, and Helmeppo. Aside from the big names, it is a nice touch to include Koby and Helmeppo in the movie. They have not been given enough screentime in the recent arcs, so it is a great decision to make them a part of this project.
The Marines aren't the only ones, who the pirates have to look out for. The movie will also include two members of the Cipher Pol, namely Blueno and Kalifa. In addition to the Cipher Pol and the Marines, the Five Elders have also been confirmed to make an appearance in the movie. Clearly, having all these characters is an indication that the movie will have a great deal of action. There is a great deal of excitement among the fans, and many just can't wait to finally see what the movie has to offer.