Summary
Monkey D. Luffy’s rematch with Rob Lucci in Egghead was 17 years in the making for theOne Pieceanime, which is enough pressure on its own. To add to this, the battle between the two old rivals is the first major fight of the Egghead Arc, which kicks off the Final Saga of Eiichiro Oda’s long-running manga. Whereas the manga version of the fight effectively demonstrated how far both Luffy and Lucci had come since their bout in Enies Lobby,Toei Animation clearly understood the potential this fightheld when adapted to anime.
Needless to say, their retelling did not disappoint in the slightest. Currently placed as the highest ratedOne Pieceepisode on IMDb, Episode 1100, titled: “Powers on a Different Level! Luffy vs. Lucci!” presented a spectacular interpretation of its source material, delivering arguably one of the best fights in the entireOne Pieceanime. Continuing thetrend of extended anime fight scenesthat began with Law vs. Blackbeard, this is a promising sign of how Toei Animation is really stepping up their game to cover the Final Saga.
Building up to the fight, the previous episode had ended on a massive cliffhanger, where Luffy was struggling to rein in his rage upon seeing the damage that Lucci had inflictedon Atlas, one of Vegapunk’s satellites. While Jinbe and Chopper tried to convince him to retreat with the injured Bonney and Atlas, Kaku and Stussy were urging Lucci to think rationally and avoid engaging in a fight against Luffy, since CP0 was not authorized to take on an Emperor of the Sea.
Unsurprisingly,neither Luffy nor Lucci heeded their comrades’words, since they were far too fixated on fighting one another. As Luffy commanded Jinbe and Chopper to go ahead without him, Lucci ignored his fellow CP0 agents' pleas, indicating that he had no intention of backing off, since the prospect of fighting Luffy was far too enticing to turn down. The shots here were initially centered mainly on frames of the two combatants facing off, with a few reactions from their allies thrown into the mix.
As the tension escalated, the focus shifted to Luffy and Lucci, through a series of quick cuts that visually conveyed the intensity of their rivalry and mutual animosity. With the anticipation having built up to a point of no return,Luffy finally told his comrades that he wasleaving the task of saving Bonney and Atlas to them, as he charged towards Lucci, who intercepted him with an equal degree of momentum.
Following a few cleverly choreographed exchanges in their base forms and a reference to Luffy’s iconic Gear 2 pose — an anime-only addition — the two backed away as Lucci inquired aboutLuffy’s altered appearance in his latestbounty poster. Once again, all this was all unique to the anime, illustrating how Toei Animation went above and beyond to make the anime version of this long-awaited rematch hit even harder than the source material.
A Scintillating Gear 5 Transformation
One other department in which this episode reallyexcelled was Luffy’s Gear 5 transformation, which actually took place off-screen in the manga. By contrast, Episode 1100 featured a lengthy transformation sequence which included callbacks to Luffy’s first Devil Fruit Awakening against Kaido in Onigashima.
Focusing heavily on the Drums of Liberation alongside references toJoy Boy as well as Sun God Nika, it cleverly portrayed Luff’s mental state when accessing Gear 5. Upon tapping into his first out with Gear 5, waves of power rushed out from him, astounding everyone in the vicinity.
Capped off by an explosion of cartoon physics and maniacal laughter —all signature features of Gear 5— this transformation illustrated the studio’s attention to detail, spearheaded by the episode director, Nozomu Shishido. Having worked on titles such asDragon Ball Z: Battle of GodsandDragon Ball Super: Broly, among other projects, Shishido is no stranger toOne Piece, as he directed Episode 1089, which featured the destruction of the Lulusia Kingdom — a sequence that also surpassed its depiction in the manga.
Expanding The Scale Of Luffy And Lucci’s Battle
Seeing the truly absurd power that Luffy now wielded, Lucci was left dumbstruck for a moment, until his shock turned into a sneer of excitement. However, before he could even move a muscle, Luffy had closed the distance between them in a single bound to deliver a punch that sent him flying backwards into a building. Again, this entire anime-only sequence was a breathtaking sight to behold, highlightinghow much of a menace Gear 5 really is.
In response, Lucci pulled out his own Awakened Zoan form, in another transformation that evoked the first appearance of his Leopard form in Water 7. What ensued was the kind of pure, unadulterated chaos the series has become known for in its best moments, but ten times as grand in scale.Luffy’s flippant and crude taunts, coupled with his insane new abilities, only fueled Lucci’s anger even more, as the pair tore through the Fabiriophase and wreaked havoc. Supplementing this was the episode’s impeccable soundtrack, which combined pieces from the series' regular score with newer, more modern sounding tracks to align with Egghead’s futuristic setting.
As Luffy bounced around and comically evaded everything thrown at him, Lucci’s frustration reached a breaking point, making his hulking predatory figure more frightening and inhuman each time Luffy escaped his clutches. These sequences were cleverly juxtaposed with Vegapunk’s expositionregarding Luffy’s Devil Fruit and Sun God Nika, which added more context to the near-divine power he now had at his disposal.
Surpassing even the closing act of the Wano Country Arc, this episode had some of the most fluid and dynamic animation the series has put out in recent years.Luffy and Lucci’s appearances morphed and twistedin accordance with the divergent extremes on the emotional spectrum they embodied — the former a manifestion of unbridled joy, and the latter, a picture of unhinged fury . With regard to Gear 5’s depiction, it is clear that Toei Animation has refined it to a degree where the cartoon physics is still just as surreal but not as outlandish as in the Wano Country Arc, which was the reason behind some of the criticism it initially received.
Could This Be A Sign Of Better Things To Come?
From this fight alone, it seems clear that Toei is no longer content with the standards it had been maintaining prior to the Raid of Onigashima. With the pressure of delivering onOne Piece’sFinal Saga, the quality of this fight is almost a declaration of sorts, inviting viewers to keep their eyes on the anime, which is now gradually experiencing a resurgence in popularity with a new art style, a streaming deal with Netflix, andthe buzz surrounding the Final Saga. If this is an indication of how the anime will be produced from now on, anime-only fans can be assured that the best of the Egghead Arc is still yet to come.
One Pieceis available to stream onCrunchyroll.
One Piece
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
