Are you seeing red after watching those two characters still not get the chance
to meet in "One Piece Film: Red?" And is the newest "One Piece" film in continuity or not?
Anime films historically have a tricky place in continuity, with franchises like “Dragon Ball”
often excluding them from canon, while other properties like “My Hero Academia” incorporate
them into the wider continuity. “One Piece” tends to land somewhere in the complicated
middle with its treatment of canon in regard to the handling of its spinoff anime films,
and “One Piece Film: Red” is no exception. To make matters all the more potentially convoluted,
“Red” is produced and based on a story from “One Piece” creator Eiichiro Oda,
serving as an extension of Oda’s vision for the franchise.
Several elements of “Red” have already carried over into the manga/anime series’ story,
specifically the character Uta and her lifelong connection to Luffy as childhood friends with
him. A young Uta appears in Episodes 1029 and 1030 of the anime series as Shanks' adopted daughter,
though she's left behind by the crew in a flashback. “Red” sees Uta and Shanks finally
reuniting and reconciling by the end of the movie, and Uta rejoins the Red Hair Pirates. Though
the full extent of how the movie’s story itself impacts the main narrative is currently unknown,
Uta and her place in continuity are a loose plot thread practically begging to be followed up on.
On the other hand, there are several elements and character depictions in “Red” that either
clash with the series’ overarching timeline or simply contradict the established canon
as it currently stands. Luffy showcasing his powerful Gear 5 transformation and Jinbe being
present among the Straw Hat Pirates suggests that the events of “Red” take place after the
“Wano Country” story arc. However, “Red” also features the villains behind “Wano Country,”
the Big Mom Pirates, in a prominent way despite their defeat in the series. This isn’t to say
that the Big Mom Pirates couldn’t have regrouped under unseen circumstances,
but it does undercut Kid and Law defeating them in “Wano Country.”
According to the filmmakers, “Red” is something of a side-story that doesn’t
neatly fit into the main story, allowing for discrepancies like Jinbe’s role,
though tying into narrative elements like Luffy’s childhood. With this in mind, “Red” works like
something of a teaser for elements potentially coming to the main series in the future.
Though Shanks and the Red Hair pirates have loomed large in Luffy’s life and his decision
to become a pirate himself, “Red” puts the pirate crew front and center in contrast to
previous films in the franchise. When “Red" was released in Japanese cinemas in August 2022,
screenings handed out a special program to provide more background on the film and its characters,
including the Red Hair Pirates. This program offers more information about Shanks and Uta,
in particular, proving backstory not explicitly stated or shown in the film itself.
"Uta is Shanks' daughter."
The program reveals that Shanks and Uta share a common origin story, with both discovered
inside of a treasure chest by pirates while they were left alone as infants. Just as Shanks was
adopted by the legendary pirate captain Gol D. Roger, Shanks in turn adopted Uta after he found
her. The Five Elders making up the reigning World Government of “One Piece” describe both Shanks and
Uta belonging to the Fearland Family, descendants of the royals that used to rule the world.
The primary antagonist of “Red” is Uta, who appears to be an innocent pop star looking
to restore the devastated island of Elegia and bring music to the masses in a festival
concert. The Straw Hat Pirates are surprised to learn that Uta is Shanks’ adopted daughter
and a childhood friend of Luffy before she unveils her grand plan. In order to
unite humanity through peace and harmony, Uta plans to use her unique abilities to draw her
audience’s consciousness into the dream world to eliminate interpersonal strife in the real world.
With Luffy and his friends realizing this scheme would effectively rob humanity of
its free will in the process, they move to stop her. However, Uta herself undergoes a shocking
discovery when she realizes her powers are responsible for devastating Elegia in the first
place. This sets Uta on a path for redemption and one that she still may be pursuing should
the character resurface in the anime series beyond her flashback appearances to Luffy’s
childhood. Luffy’s long-lost friend may have been introduced as a pop idol with adoring masses but,
like many characters in “One Piece,” she has a dark history to overcome.
The rubber-like powers Luffy gained after eating a piece of Devil Fruit has led him
to achieve various combat transformations as he continues to awaken his latent potential. “Red”
features Luffy’s most powerful transformed state yet, known as Gear 5, as he battles an ancient
demon residing within the dream world that threatens to break free into the waking world.
In the comics, Luffy first achieves the Gear 5 transformation during the
“Wano Country” storyline in the middle of his final showdown against the villainous
Kaidou. Now aware of the full extent of his connection to the Devil Fruit,
Luffy gains absolute mastery over his powers as he unveils this combat transformation. In
“Red,” Luffy transforms into Gear 5 to take on the demon Tot Musica within the dream world,
having grown visibly accustomed to the abilities the new form grants him. This suggests that Luffy
won’t have any issues tapping into his Gear 5 potential moving forward.
“One Piece” has introduced different realms and dimensions to the narrative’s material world.
“One Piece Film: Red” goes one step further by prominently featuring a dream world connected
to Uta through her music, with devastating implications for the waking world. Through
powers gained by eating a Devil Fruit, Uta can draw people who hear her music
into the dreaming world, with Uta planning to shape their consciousness accordingly.
"My music will set you free. Then we'll all live happily ever after."
The dream world isn’t unpopulated, however, with an ancient demon known as the Tot Musica residing
within and plotting to escape into the real world to unleash chaos and destruction. A flashback late
in “Red’ reveals Uta accidentally allowed Tot Musica to enter the real world 12 years before
the events of the film, devastating the island of Elegia. Though Tot Musica is destroyed by the
combined efforts of the Straw Hat and Red Hair Pirates, the experience makes Uta reconsider her
powers. There may be additional monsters lurking in the dream world and, having gotten a taste of
the outside world, this new dimension adds more complexity and peril to the world of “One Piece.”
One of the major antagonists of the “Wano Country” story arc are the Big Mom Pirates,
a rival faction that has held a longstanding deep grudge against Luffy and are led by their
power-hungry captain Charlotte Linlin. After their botched alliance with Kaidou and the Beast Pirates
to conquer the world, the Big Mom Pirates were last seen trying to rescue Charlotte from a fiery
fate in the wake of their defeat. Not only are the Big Mom Pirates back in “Red,” but they appear
to be restored in strength and just as dangerous as ever, seeking new ways to subjugate humanity.
Witnessing Uta’s powers firsthand during her concert on Elegia Island,
the Big Mom Pirates attempt to kidnap Uta to exploit her Devil Fruit powers for themselves.
Though the pirate crew is unsuccessful, the crew's appearance in the movie is a welcome
reminder that, recent defeat or not, the Big Mom Pirates are a dangerous enemy to have.
The Red Hair Pirates and their captain Red-Haired Shanks have been regarded as
one of the most notorious pirate crews in the New World for years, despite their more
heroic actions. In the movie, they play a pivotal role in not only stopping Uta from
misusing her powers to unleash Tot Musica but helping her recover from the ordeal. However,
Uta’s impressive abilities haven’t gone unnoticed, especially by the Navy and the World Government.
Believing Uta to be too dangerous to be allowed to roam free, the admirals plan to bring the pop
star into custody. Shanks is able to intervene and get the admirals to stand down, bringing Uta on to
his crew of Red Hair Pirates before departing from the island for parts unknown. Now with Uta in tow,
Shanks and the Red Hair Pirates are more wanted by the authorities than ever. Shanks and his crew’s
reputation gives them a fair bit of leeway on the open seas but, with a musical secret
weapon in their midst, the Red Hair Pirates may have just become the world’s most wanted.
More than Uta being Luffy’s long-lost childhood friend,
the biggest revelation coming out of “Red” is why the beloved pop star was separated
from Shanks' crew. Shanks is revealed to have left Uta behind as he sailed the New
World with his Red Hair Pirates when she was still at an early age. This abandonment causes
Uta to strongly resent all pirates due to their association with Shanks’ decision to leave her,
straining her friendship with Luffy when he sets out to follow in Shanks’ footsteps.
After stopping Uta from unleashing Tot Musica and saving her life, Shanks finally accepts Uta as his
daughter. Welcoming her to join him with the Red Hair Pirates, Shanks is also fiercely protective
of Uta when the admirals attempt to take her into custody. With Uta now serving alongside them,
Shanks not only has his daughter by his side but the Red Hair Pirates potentially have their
most powerful crew mate yet. “Red” effectively humanizes Shanks by bringing his daughter into
the fold while hinting at further adventures together in the main series moving forward.
Luffy truly owes everything to Shanks, with the pirate saving his life as a boy at the
cost of one of his arms. Not only is Luffy forever indebted to Shanks for this but,
after receiving Shanks’ signature straw hat as a gift to remember him by,
Luffy decided to follow in his idol’s footsteps to lead a pirate crew himself. Luffy and Shanks
promised to reunite someday, always just missing each other over the course of “One Piece,” with
“Red” continuing this narrative tradition despite the two ostensibly working together.
Though Luffy and Shanks lead their respective pirate crews to work together to stop Uta
and destroy Tot Musica, the two captains don't actually encounter each other over the course of
“Red.” This largely has to do with the dimensional separation stemming from the dream world,
with Luffy inside of the dream world to confront Tot Musica while Shanks remains
elsewhere. As Shanks and his crew depart from Elegia Island at the end of the film,
he still hasn’t reunited with Luffy to see how far the boy he saved has come
as a pirate in his own right. With the promise unfulfilled,
Luffy and Shanks still have unfinished business between them to eventually resolve.
"My little brother used to go on and on about you saving his life when he was young."
“One Piece Film: Red” does include a post-credits scene that shows Luffy back on his pirate ship
sailing away from Elegia Island for new adventures as he contemplates his recent experiences. Just as
determined as ever, Luffy declares to the open sea that he will one day become the
King of the Pirates, a lifelong ambition he has maintained since childhood. “Red” offers more
insight into Luffy’s long-standing dream, with his adventure with Uta reaffirming why
he intends to seize this position among the pirate community in the New World.
By the end of the film, after reconciling with her father and seeing the error of her ways,
Uta expresses her confidence in Luffy one day achieving his dream. The esteemed role in the
pirate community has remained vacant since the passing of Shanks’ mentor Gol D. Roger,
leading various pirate captains to bicker amongst
themselves for the title. Now with a vote of confidence from his childhood friend,
Luffy is more determined than ever to finally become King of the Pirates.