The One Piece Wano Watch Party Hits April 24
It remains one of the most popular manga and anime in Japan, it has millions of devoted followers, and yet it continues to get a bum deal in the States: we’re talking about One Piece, of course. Running weekly since the late 90s, the anime has hundreds of episodes, yet is only rarely seen on US television. It was booted from Toonami twice and the only mainstream streamer that has it, Netflix, runs only a few seasons’ worth. Funimation has continued to support the Straw Hats, though, and they remain the only place where you can legally watch the full run. It’s also the place where they simulcast new episodes, and they’ve announced a special event taking place later this month.
Currently, One Piece is going through the “Wano Arc”…Monkey D. Luffy and the crew are visiting the Land of Wano, only to find it in ruins due to the villainous Kaido of the Four Emperors. Gradually they learn what happened on the island before they got there, and are now attempting to put a stop to Kaido. Episode 971 will continue the Wano Arc, but this time, the simulcast will have some special guests. Wano watch?
The “One Piece Wano Watch Party” will be hosted by Justin Rojas (Toei Animation) and YouTuber RogersBase, with special guests in the form of voice actors Mayumi Tanaka (voice of “Monkey D. Luffy”), Kazuya Nakai (voice of “Roronoa Zoro”), and Director Tatsuya Nagamine. The full presentation will run 75 minutes and those who tune in will be eligible to win special prizes.
To join the party, load up the live stream on Toei Animation’s YouTube channel and Funimation’s YouTube channel Saturday, April 24 at 7 pm CT / 8 pm ET in the U.S. and Canada. I’m gonna be king of the pirates!