One Piece (2026-)

Episode 1176

Episode 1176 of One Piece is a rare treat for the senses and the sentimental among us.

Another instance where I have to remind myself that this is a weekly television broadcast. In some respects it is merely a typical outing: there's a fight or two, an emotional beat or three, and a little villainous grandstanding thrown into the mix. All told, it's not a groundbreaking structure as far as genre television goes. But the execution is of such a high quality that it's hard to believe I didn't have to purchase a movie ticket to watch it.

A lot of the runtime is spent on Gunko and her arrows moving about on screen. And… wow, it looks incredible. There's so much fluid motion, fun camera perspectives, and dynamic lighting choices that it's difficult to capture a lot of specifics. Case in point: there's a tremendous match cut that happens when a Viking warrior battling one of the nightmare apparitions leaps through the air, and we go from an overhead shot just before his axe drops to the top of Gunko's head back at the fight with the Straw Hats - and that's not even the best looking moment in the episode.

Because wow, what a great sizzle reel the fight between Gunko and the Straw Hats is. Gunko's powers aren't a surprise or anything; we've seen her wield them for a few weeks now, but this is the first time I think we've seen them up against active opposition. In practice, the giant-arrows-as-implacable-outcomes is a great touch, acting as a bit of momentum manipulation combined with the fun but flexible visuals of the long-tailed arrows. It reminded me quite a bit of Yomiko Readman's paper manipulation powers in Read or Die, and any chance to reminisce is good.

Furthermore, the non-big-three of the Straw Hats get to flex their muscles a bit. Jinbei and Brook do a sick team attack! Franky gets to nipple blast a monster while being held like an action figure! The real showstopper for me was Nami using Zeus as a giant lightning-shark-missile that recasts the scene in dark, stormy hues while looking amazing and showing great creativity. It's always fun to see my favorite found family use their cool powers (even if they don't amount to a lot…).

Saul's scene is a real tearjerker, but that's not the first nor is it likely to be the last time. Another brutal sequence, yet I can't help but appreciate the low-angle shot during Saul's clubbing. Here the audience is brought into Saul's pov while Sommers bludgeons him, and it's all too clear how we're meant to feel during the beating. Another deft bit of craft on the way out the door and towards the credits.

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