Warning: Spoilers For One Piece Anime And Post Wano Manga MaterialThe brand new One Piece anime opening effectively pays tribute to the Wano arc, but it also hides more than a few clues to major events anime fans can expect to see after Gear 5 Luffy and Kaido's battle ends. Wano is the longest arc in One Piece, producing four great openings throughout the anime's adaptation. Opening 25 debuted with episode #1074, and sharp-eyed fans spotted several hints regarding the series' next battles that change the One Piece world forever.
While the anime is quickly approaching the climax of Luffy and Kaido's incredible fight, readers of the manga know that Eiichiro Oda's epic doesn't slow down after the Raid on Onigashima. Previous anime openings have sometimes contained hints and even significant spoilers for the series' future events, such as showing Robin as a Straw Hat Crew member in the third opening before the Alabasta arc ended. Thankfully, Opening 25 doesn't wave major spoilers in viewers' faces. Still, it does tease several anticipated moments that manga readers are anxious to see adapted into the anime.
7 Opening 25 Reveals Who Died During The Raid & More
One Piece is a series often criticized for not killing off many characters, but Wano was a different story. Nearly half of the new opening contains an effective epilogue for Onigashima's Raid, showing the survivors enjoying their time in the land of the samurai. However, upon close inspection, certain heroes of Wano are missing from the intro, like Red Scabbards: Ashura and Izo. Although characters like Kin'emon, Zoro, and Luffy took considerable damage during the arc, Ashura and Izo did not recover from their wounds. This clearly explains why they would be missing from the post-raid festivities. Still, several vassals can be seen sharing a drink in their fallen comrades' honor.
6 Kaido's Fiery Fate
Kaido proved to be the toughest enemy Luffy has had to face in One Piece. He thoroughly earned his title of the World's Strongest Creature from the sheer amount of damage he sustained during the Raid on Onigashima. While the climax of One Piece's Wano arc will be adapted in episode #1076, manga readers are well aware of the Beast Pirate Captain's ultimate fate. Opening 25 even contains a short sequence of Kaido engulfed in a fiery glow. The hot death befalls Kaido after he is punched by Luffy so hard that he is sent through the island's ground to land into the lava pools that rests under Wano. But it wouldn't be long before the island was threatened again.
5 Wano's Next Threat: iral Green Bull
Despite the hard work of the Wano heroes to reclaim their land, they were only granted a little time to recover before a new fearsome foe arrived. With Kaido out of the picture, the World Government's newest iral, Ryokugyu (aka Green Bull), infiltrated the healing land. An epic silhouette of the iral and his Woods-Woods Fruit powers are featured in the newest intro. While his initial goal was to kill Straw Hat Luffy to gain approval from the Navy's Fleet iral, Sakazuki, his plans were interrupted by Wano's new Shogun and his remaining vassals. However, the iral was overpowered and shockingly intimidated by another One Piece character who also appeared in the latest anime opening.
4 Shanks and His First Mate Benn Beckham
Wano's new guardians struggle in their first test until the iral is assaulted with an overwhelming blast of Conqueror's Haki from another character featured in the new One Piece anime opening: Shanks. The attack was sent from Wano Island's distant shores and did not go unnoticed by Luffy as he watched Momonosuke prove their capableness in defending their home. Shanks's appearance marked the first time fans would see Luffy's mentor canonically in a very long time. Still, his demonstration of power would only be a preview for an battle that would not go so well for another Worst Generation Pirate, whose future grief is also teased in the new opening.
3 Kid's Frustrating Future
Kid, Law, and their crews were instrumental in the Raid's success, especially in taking down Pirate Emperor Big Mom in one of One Piece's Wano arc's best episodes, #1066. While that impressive victory was a massive win for Eustass Kid, his luck lasted only a short time after departing Wano and landing on Elbaf. Manga readers were shocked when Kid pulled up on the island occupied by Shanks's Red Haired Pirates and even more surprised by how effectively Shanks destroyed the Kid Pirate's dreams. The devastating change in Kid's life is perfectly foreshadowed in his sequence in opening 25, which has the character clutching his face in grief despite the ravid celebrations behind him.
2 Momonosuke's Adult Human Form
Oden's eight-year-old son Kozuki Momonosuke lost much more than family and close companions throughout the series. To assist Luffy, Momo pleaded with his retainer Shinobu to use her Ripe-Ripe fruit powers so that he would age rapidly and help with the Raid as a fully grown dragon. It'd be the last time for a while that fans would see the character in his human form, effectively building up the reveal of what Wano's next Shogan would look like. Near the end of Opening 25, viewers get a glimpse of how much Oden's son resembles him as a 28-year-old adult. But that is not the last fun Easter egg hidden in Wano's final anime opening.
1 Luffy Hiding Behind Logo
With Luffy's Gear 5 debuting and breaking One Piece during the end of the Wano arc, it felt fitting to have the new form in the anime's latest intro. The pirate emperor's awakened Human-Human Fruit Model: Nika gets some time to shine throughout Opening 25. However, other than his flashy action sequence halfway into the intro, a miniature version of Luffy in his white-haired form can be briefly spotted at the end of the opening. Inside the iconic One Piece logo, Gear 5 Luffy can be seen being surprised and running off to the left of the screen. While it doesn't necessarily tease future epic reveals for the series, it's a fun addition to the stylish and hint-filled intro.
As the One Piece anime's Wano arc comes to a close, it's a fascinating prospect to look back at the series' longest arc and reflect on many of its emotional moments. That is precisely what Opening 25 does while providing a beautifully drawn look at the well-deserved rest that Luffy and his teammates earned. Surprisingly, the intro full of hints regarding Green Bull, Kid, and Shanks seemingly has no tease for the next adventure that the Straw Hats encounter on Egghead Island. Still, the new opening provides a touching look back at the entertaining arc with exciting imagery that also teases what's next in Eiichiro Oda's pirate epic One Piece.
Watch the latest episodes the One Piece anime on Crunchyroll and Funimation.
Source: ONE PIECE Official YouTube Channel/YouTube
