Oda believes Zoro's anime original inclusion in MONSTERS "perfectly" tied it to One Piece

Modified Jul 13, 2024 01:30 GMT

Oda believes Zoro's anime original inclusion in MONSTERS "perfectly" tied it to One Piece (Image via E&H Production/Toei Animation)

Before Eiichiro Oda began the One Piece manga in 1999, he had written a one-shot manga piece titled MONSTERS and published it as a part of Shonen Jump Autumn Special in 1994. MONSTERS follows the story of Ryuma as he travels the world outside of the Wano Country. Up until the 'Thriller Bark' arc, MONSTERS was not a part of One Piece.

However, during the 'Thriller Bark' arc, Ryuma was introduced as a swordsman from the Wano Country. That's when fans realized that Ryuma from MONSTERS was the same Ryuma in the One Piece saga. Even though both were related, there were no instances of crossover between the two until the anime adaptation release of MONSTERS.

One Piece: Eiichiro Oda's take on anime original scene in MONSTERS anime

Shimotuski Ryuma as shown in the MONSTERS movie (Image via E&H Productions)

During the final moments of the MONSTERS anime movie, E&H Productions included an anime original post-credit scene. This scene showed Roronoa Zoro in Thriller Bark, receiving the famed Black Sword Shusui, the National Treasure of Wano Country from the Sword God, Ryuma himself. However, it wasn't known until the release of the MONSTERS anime that Roronoa Zoro would be having a small cameo in it.

During a recent interview about the MONSTERS one-shot, Eiichiro Oda revealed that about 10 years ago, he was offered an anime adaption for the MONSTERS manga. However, during that time, Oda's fans were looking forward to more content on his current work.

So he felt that introducing MONSTERS to his fandom would have a negative effect. Hence, he declined the offer. A few years later, Oda received another offer for the anime adaptation.

Ryuma slays a dragon (Image via E&H Productions)

This time, Oda thought to himself that since the fans were now well acquainted with Ryuma through the 'Wano Country' arc and the 'Thriller Bark' arc, it would be the perfect time for the fans to get a glimpse of the adventures of the Sword God as a substory to Oda's current work. However, even though Oda gave the producers a go-ahead with the anime adaptation, he didn't explain the connection MONSTERS had with One Piece.

So when Oda was presented with the storyboard for MONSTERS anime, he was taken aback by Zoro's cameo. He then thought to himself about the ending:

"Yeah, that's perfect."

One Piece: All you need to know about Sword God, Ryuma

Zoro defeats Ryuma in Brook's shadow (Image via Shueisha)

Shimotsuki Ryuma, a legendary samurai from Wano Country's Shimotsuki Family during its "Country of Gold" era, was renowned as the Sword God for his exceptional swordsmanship and for slaying a dragon. He is directly related to Shimotsuki Ushimaru and Roronoa Zoro. 23 years before the current storyline, Ryuma's grave in Ringo was desecrated by Gecko Moria, who stole his corpse and sword.

Reanimated by Brook's shadow, Ryuma became a General Zombie serving Moria on Thriller Bark, where he opposed the crew until Zoro defeated him. When he was alive, Ryuma possessed Ryuo, which he used to forge his sword Shusui into a permanent Black Blade through battles, as depicted in the two works.

Final thoughts

Ryuma as shown in the 'Thriller Bark' arc (Image via Toei Animation)

The inclusion of an anime-original post-credit scene featuring Roronoa Zoro in the MONSTERS anime adaptation not only delighted fans but also deepened the connection between the two works.

Ryuma’s legendary status and the significance of both his works highlight the richness of Oda's world-building. This thoughtful incorporation allows fans to appreciate the depth of Ryuma’s character and his enduring legacy within the One Piece universe.