One Piece Diaries #46: Thriller Bark Arc #4

One Piece is one of the most beloved anime in history, but at over 1,000 episodes, it’s tough for those who haven’t been watching from the start to jump on board. One Piece Diaries tracks one writer’s experience with this daunting rite of passage. With hype for the highs and critique for the lows, this column will help you decide whether to take your own One Piece journey – or let you relive the one you’re already on. It will update biweekly every other Thursday.

Episodes Watched: 366 – 373 – Thriller Bark Arc

The Straw Hats are finally taking on Moria and Oars!

It might be the mezcal talking – I’m on vacation in Mexico – but this fight freaking rules. Boss fights usually aren’t my favorite parts of any anime, but I’m loving this one because it’s so inventive. I never expected Moria to turn Oars into a freaking mecha. I never expected him to be able to morph Oars’ body by controlling his shadow. I never expected a group of Moria’s victims to cram Luffy full of so many shadows that he turns into a greyed-out Incredible Hulk. I never expected Moria to suck out the shadows from every single freaking zombie on the island to power himself up. The whole thing has been one surprise after another and I’m loving it.

It’s also been really cool to see the whole Straw Hat crew fight together. Often, each of them gets siloed into their own individual fights while Luffy takes on the big bad, but this time they all had to face Moria. They work so well together! Everyone is aware of their own capabilities, and those of their teammates. Zoro doesn’t mock Usopp for being weaker than him, he counts on him for strategy and backup. Nami might not be one of the strongest fighters, but her Clima-tact dealt some serious damage. Chopper used his medical knowledge to figure out that Oars died of frostbite and his arm was weak as a result. I just really love how they all contribute in their own ways.

Another thing I loved was the introduction of Kuma. He’s a character who I’ve heard a lot about already, but I haven’t heard so much that he’s ruined for me. I liked the contrast between his extremely intimidating presence and his intention to help a fellow Warlord of the Sea. I know that he’s there to get rid of the Straw Hats because they’re considered a threat by the government, but I wonder how he feels about the whole Thriller Bark thing? Is he repulsed? Is he okay with it? I must know!

I also want to know more about Moria’s motives. He said that the reason his crew is great is that it’s full of undead zombies who can’t die. While that could just be about convenience, he also alluded to his life as a pirate before Thriller Bark. Did he have crew-mates who died? I guess I’ll find out.

One thing that’s a little upsetting to me is the fates of the zombies. Obviously, I want everyone to get their shadows back. But a lot of the zombies have developed their own personalities – Oars being one strong example, but everyone else, too. I know they shouldn’t exist, and I know they can’t be too happy being controlled by Moria, but getting hoovered up by him isn’t exactly better.

Unless I don’t finish the arc in the next two weeks, this will probably be the penultimate Thriller Bark review. So far, I feel like I like the ends of arcs better than the other parts, so I’m pretty excited to see how this one wraps up. Thanks for sticking with me, and I’ll see you then!

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