Reading Now:

One Piece’s Emotional Next Episode Is 20 Years In The Making

Entertainment

One Piece’s Emotional Next Episode Is 20 Years In The Making

Warning: Contains spoilers for One Piece.Even more so than its great action and worldbuilding, One Piece’s biggest claim to fame comes from its consistently strong emotional writing. Whether it’s...

Maria Nushi
May 20, 2026 9 Mins Read
32 Views
0 Comments


Warning: Contains spoilers for One Piece.Even more so than its great action and worldbuilding, One Piece’s biggest claim to fame comes from its consistently strong emotional writing. Whether it’s through a tragic backstory or the satisfaction of seeing someone make it through a hard time, One Piece always knows how to give even the most minor of characters emotional depth and satisfying catharsis, and it’s to the point that those moments are often what people look forward to more than the fights.

The best arcs in One Piece are always the ones that can draw people in with phenomenal emotional moments, and even after almost 30 years, the franchise has only gotten better at it with time. Sure enough, the Elbaph arc has boasted some of the best emotional moments to date, and the next episode of the anime is set to deliver a massive one with almost 20 years of build-up.

Why One Piece’s Next Episode Will Be Its Most Emotional Episode Yet

In one of One Piece’s most shocking twists in years, the Egghead arc revealed that Jaguar D. Saul, Robin’s first friend, who seemed to have been definitively killed in her backstory, was actually alive and had been living on Elbaph the entire time. While one could criticize it as another case of One Piece using a fake-out death, Robin reuniting with one of the people who gave her the will to live was still an amazing idea for the story, and it added even more hype to the long-awaited Elbaph arc.

Robin and Saul will finally reunite in One Piece episode #1163, and sure enough, the anime is doing a lot to hype it up. Not only does the trailer suggest that episode #1163 will be another episode with gorgeous animation and direction to highlight the emotional moments, but they also put out an additional trailer and promotional art to go along with it, as well. It all does a lot to draw attention to just how emotionally cathartic Robin and Saul’s reunion will be, and it makes episode #1163 all the more exciting.


A crying Usopp


One Piece Finally Delivered The Moment Fans Have Waited 20 Years For, And It Didn’t Disappoint

One Piece fans have been waiting over 20 years for the long-awaited reveal of Elbaph, and in episode #1162, the anime nailed it in every regard.

Robin is arguably the Straw Hat who has suffered the most throughout their life, and while Saul’s sacrifice helped her get to a place where she could learn to be happy with herself, having him still be alive doesn’t diminish that in the slightest; if anything, it works by both relieving Robin of Ohara’s burden and creating a way of emphasizing her growth. It’s as emotional a moment as someone could ask for, and hopefully, the One Piece anime will more than do it justice.

One Piece’s Next Episode Will Be Everything Great About The Anime

Saul, young Robin, and Professor Clover
Saul, young Robin, and Professor Clover

One Piece episode #1163 has everything going for it to be an emotional masterpiece, and that, of course, embodies everything great about the anime. As previously discussed, One Piece’s story always hits the hardest when it’s delivering emotional and tragic stories and giving them tremendous catharsis, no matter how many years it takes to happen; now, Robin, of all characters, is on the receiving end of that, and with just how tragic her backstory was, seeing her get more closure on it is bound to hit incredibly hard.



















Grand Line · Pirate Adventure Edition
The One Piece
Anime Quiz

⚓CrewNakama

⚡PowersDevil Fruit

🌊ArcsAdventure

☠VillainsEnemies

🌎WorldBlue Sea

01

Monkey D. Luffy is the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates and dreams of becoming King of the Pirates. He gained his signature stretching abilities by eating a Devil Fruit as a child. What was this fruit originally believed to be called?




✓ Correct! The Gomu Gomu no Mi (Gum-Gum Fruit) was what Luffy’s Devil Fruit was believed to be — a Paramecia-type fruit that turned his body into rubber. Luffy accidentally ate it from the treasure chest of the Red Hair Pirates when he was a child in Foosha Village.

✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is the Gomu Gomu no Mi. The Mera Mera no Mi is the Flame-Flame Fruit eaten by Ace, the Bara Bara no Mi is Buggy’s Chop-Chop Fruit, and the Hana Hana no Mi is Robin’s Flower-Flower Fruit.

02

The One Piece world is divided by a massive geological formation that runs around the entire globe, separating the oceans. What is this continent-like structure called?




✓ Correct! The Red Line is a massive continent that circles the globe vertically, dividing the world’s oceans into four seas: North Blue, South Blue, East Blue, and West Blue. It intersects with the Grand Line at two points, including the holy land of Mary Geoise.

✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is the Red Line. The Grand Line is the ocean route where pirates compete, the Calm Belt is a windless sea surrounding it full of Sea Kings, and Reverse Mountain is the entry point to the Grand Line. The Red Line is the massive continent dividing the world.

03

In the One Piece world, there is a spiritual power that allows users to sense others’ presence, predict attacks, and even exert their willpower over others. What is this power called?




✓ Correct! Haki is a mysterious power that exists in every living being in the One Piece world. It comes in three types: Observation Haki (sensing), Armament Haki (invisible armor), and the rare Conqueror’s Haki (dominating willpower), which only one in a million people possess.

✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is Haki. Chakra is the energy system from Naruto, Nen is from Hunter x Hunter, and Ki is from Dragon Ball. Haki is One Piece’s unique power system with three distinct forms: Observation, Armament, and Conqueror’s.

04

The Seven Warlords of the Sea (Shichibukai) were powerful pirates who worked for the World Government in exchange for pardons. Which of these characters was NOT one of the original Seven Warlords?




✓ Correct! Kaido was never a Warlord — he was one of the Four Emperors (Yonko), the most powerful pirates ruling the New World. Known as “the Strongest Creature in the World,” Kaido ruled over Wano Country with the Beast Pirates. Mihawk, Crocodile, and Doflamingo were all Warlords.

✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is Kaido. Mihawk (the world’s greatest swordsman), Crocodile (the desert king of Alabasta), and Doflamingo (the Heavenly Demon) were all Warlords. Kaido was a Yonko — an Emperor of the Sea — a rank above the Warlords entirely.

05

The Marineford War arc is considered one of the most emotional and pivotal arcs in One Piece. Luffy desperately fought to save someone important to him from execution. Who was Luffy trying to save?




✓ Correct! Portgas D. Ace, Luffy’s sworn older brother, was captured by the Marines and sentenced to public execution at Marineford. Luffy broke into Impel Down prison and then stormed Marineford itself in a desperate attempt to save Ace, leading to one of the most heartbreaking moments in anime history.

✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is Portgas D. Ace. Nico Robin was rescued during the Enies Lobby arc, Zoro is rarely in that kind of danger, and Sabo was believed dead at the time. Ace’s execution at Marineford triggered an all-out war between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Marines.

06

Roronoa Zoro is the first member to join Luffy’s crew and serves as the Straw Hats’ swordsman. He has a unique fighting style. How many swords does Zoro wield in his signature technique?




✓ Correct! Zoro is famous for his Santoryu (Three Sword Style), wielding one sword in each hand and a third in his mouth. This unique fighting style makes him one of the most distinctive swordsmen in all of anime. His dream is to become the world’s greatest swordsman by defeating Dracule Mihawk.

✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is three. Zoro’s signature Santoryu (Three Sword Style) involves wielding one sword in each hand and gripping the third in his mouth. While he can fight with one or two swords, his three-sword technique is his most iconic and powerful combat form.

07

The World Government in One Piece is controlled by a mysterious group of individuals who sit at the very top of its power structure, above even the Admirals and the Fleet Admiral. What are they called?




✓ Correct! The Five Elders (Gorosei) are the highest-ranking leaders of the World Government, residing in the holy land of Mary Geoise. They command all military and political power, including the authority to order a Buster Call. Their true nature and abilities have only recently been revealed in the series.

✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is the Five Elders (Gorosei). The Celestial Dragons are descendants of the founding kings but don’t rule directly, the Revolutionary Army opposes the government, and the Yonko are pirate emperors outside government control. The Gorosei sit at the absolute top.

08

It was revealed that Luffy’s Devil Fruit is not actually the Gomu Gomu no Mi, but a mythical Zoan-type fruit with a much more significant true name. What is the fruit’s real identity?




✓ Correct! The Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Sun God Nika is a Mythical Zoan-type fruit that the World Government had been hunting for 800 years. When Luffy awakened it during the Wano arc, he unlocked Gear 5 — gaining the power of “the most ridiculous ability in the world” with limitless imagination-based combat.

✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Sun God Nika. The Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Phoenix belongs to Marco, the Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu was Kaido’s dragon fruit, and the Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Okuchi no Makami was Yamato’s fruit. Luffy’s true fruit is the legendary Sun God Nika.

Voyage Complete
Your Pirate Bounty

/ 8

Are you King of the Pirates — or still swabbing the deck?

One Piece’s Enies Lobby arc is hailed as one of the best arcs in One Piece because of the cathartic element of Robin’s character arc, and with the Elbaph arc repeating that by reuniting Robin with Saul, it will be another reminder of how One Piece’s emotional moments are the real reason it’s become such a legendary anime. The Elbaph arc, opening with such an emotional moment as Robin and Saul’s reunion, perfectly encapsulates why it’s one of One Piece’s greatest arcs of all time, and with any luck, episode #1163 will deliver on that in every regard.

One Piece releases new episodes Sundays on Crunchyroll.


0388694_poster_w780.jpg


Release Date

October 20, 1999

Network

Fuji TV

Directors

Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou

Writers

Jin Tanaka, Akiko Inoue, Junki Takegami, Shinzo Fujita, Shouji Yonemura, Yoshiyuki Suga, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hirohiko Uesaka, Michiru Shimada, Isao Murayama, Takuya Masumoto, Yoichi Takahashi, Momoka Toyoda

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Mayumi Tanaka

    Monkey D. Luffy (voice)

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Kazuya Nakai

    Roronoa Zoro (voice)


Share Article

Our site uses cookies. By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Accept