One Piece (2026-)

Episode 1167

A strong return to form for the series after a rough patch, for sure. I made no secret of the fact that I was not too impressed with the past few episodes. Wheels were spinning and a whole lot of… well, I wouldn't say nothing was happening, but there wasn't much something going on either. Thankfully, 1167 brings us back to a strong baseline with a mashup of many of the series' best elements: grandiosity, mystery, and cool yet goofy powers.

Much of the early portion of the episode focuses on Road travelling with Luffy, Nami, and Zoro. This is exposition, but of the needed variety. We get numerous insights into characters like King Harald and Harjudin alongside lore drops about the giants and their history. It's not the most revelatory information in the world, yet it's still welcome. These are details that enrich and enhance our understanding of the setting, which I always appreciate. One Piece is a series about breadth and depth, but it's nice when that depth is (largely) optional enrichment rather than mission-critical homework.

The added element to this walk down memory lane is the setting. The road is taking them through the castle, and it's such an evocative setting. Bleached skulls and rusting armaments littered about a cavernous fortress long left undisturbed; this is the perfect backdrop to deliver exposition in. You can look around the environment and even with the sound off, tell that for all Elbaph's beauty, it has a tragic past that still haunts it in the present. I was particularly taken with the image of Road walking up the spiral stairs, speaking to the small passengers in his cupped hands while gnarled roots and vines hung over forgotten stones in the background. It reinforces the mood that something is amiss and danger is approaching our heroes, both past and present.

Then there's the finale with Loki, Gunko, and Shamrock. Wowzers, what a back half of an episode, huh? It's a simple enough premise: Loki the giant is interrogated by two holy knights, and he resists their torture. Despite the basic outline, it is a visual tour de force as Saint Gunko absolutely hammers Loki again and again with her powers. Peak One Piece is taking an on-its-face goofball power (“I control big arrows that show you where my attacks are going”) and turning it into one of the sauciest and most unique combat styles around. I have to tip my hat to the Toei team for amazing cut after amazing cut during this sequence. The audience gets a sense of Gunko's speed, tenacity, and flexibility while simultaneously selling Loki's endurance and willpower. Just marvelous.

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