Eiichiro Oda draws MONSTERS anime's Ryuma and Shusui in new light

Friday, February 16, 2024 saw X (formerly Twitter) user and reputable One Piece leaker @pewpiece reveal a new MONSTERS anime themed illustration from series creator, author, and illustrator Eiichiro Oda. The artwork in question features the latter series’ protagonist Shimotsuki Ryuma, brandishing his sword Shusui as made famous in Oda’s flagship series.

The artwork is also a large departure from Oda’s typical art style, both as seen in the original one-shot manga the MONSTERS anime is based on, or in the ongoing One Piece series. The rough linework and heavy shading lends itself to the brutality and strength Ryuma’s character is shown to be able to possess, when pushed to his limits.

Unfortunately, the MONSTERS anime illustration doesn’t feature anyone or anything else of particular significance. Nevertheless, it’s exciting to see Oda continuing to draw popular characters such as Ryuma, who is beloved for their presence and lore in both series, even with Ryuma showing up as a zombie in One Piece.

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Oda celebrates MONSTERS anime success with new illustration of Shimotsuki Ryuma and his Shusui sword

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Part of the popularity and intrigue in Ryuma as a character in recent weeks stems from the release of the MONSTERS anime special on Netflix. Adapting the entirety of the original one-shot manga, the production made the story much more accessible and promotable than it was in its original one-shot format. Many One Piece fans have primarily praised the anime production for giving them an opportunity to learn more about and see Ryuma in action.

This is especially significant due to the events of the one-shot series being considered canonical within the universe of Oda’s legendary ongoing serialization. While fans had long suspected this thanks to Ryuma’s appearance in the Thriller Bark arc, this was eventually officially confirmed. As a result, the anime production of the one-shot helped fans to become more familiar with some of the history mentioned in the mainline series.

The MONSTERS anime production premiered worldwide on Netflix on January 21, 2024, and was produced by E&H Production. Sunghoo Park wrote and directed the project as the founder, CEO, and president of E&H Production. Takashi Kojima designed the characters, Fuminao Akai was the art director, Ryoji Nagasawa was the color designer, Lee Ju-Mi was the director of photography, Keisuki Yanagi was the editor, and Akiko Fujita was the sound director.

The One Piece manga is currently ongoing in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump publication magazine, releasing on a weekly basis. The series also has a television anime adaptation produced by Toei Animation. A remake of the anime series with quicker pacing and an updated art style is in production by Wit Studio.

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