Published Jun 28, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT
Joshua Edward Ryan Fox is a freelance writer for Screen Rant with a passion for pop culture. Joshua grew up in Connecticut where he developed an appreciation for writing and entertainment and has earned a Master’s degree in professional writing and technical writing. His writing has been quoted by both the anime streaming site Crunchyroll and the anime YouTuber Gigguk.
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After years of relative silence, The One Piece, a full-fledged remake of One Piece, has finally dropped a teaser trailer ahead of its February 2027 release window. The teaser, of course, didn’t show off much, but in terms of visual spectacle and paying tribute to the original anime’s legacy, it looks like it will be more than a success, and there should be no doubt that The One Piece will be well worth the wait.
One of the biggest selling points of The One Piece has been the idea of it improving on the original anime by Toei Animation, and while that’s mostly been in regards to pacing and animation, that’s far from the whole story. Just from the teaser trailer, The One Piece will set out to fix many of the issues that have plagued the original anime for decades, and fortunately, that includes a major controversy that the anime has seemingly doubled down on in recent years.
One of the biggest controversies plaguing the One Piece anime has been One Piece’s habit of whitewashing dark-skinned characters; not only would characters with dark skin in the manga have lighter skin in the anime, but characters depicted with dark skin in the pre-timeskip era would suddenly look white from the post-timeskip era onward. Granted, characters like Robin and Zoro were never supposed to have dark skin, but even Usopp, a canonically black character, has been getting progressively lighter over the years to the point that he looks white in recent arcs, and that’s as confusing as it is disgusting.
One Piece’s whitewashing controversy has only been getting worse over the years, but Netflix’s The One Piece will finally fix it. Usopp briefly appeared in The One Piece’s teaser trailer, and he was depicted with a dark skin tone more akin to how he used to look in the anime; considering how common it had become for Usopp to be given light skin in official One Piece media, it wouldn’t have been strange for The One Piece to be the same, especially after Usopp’s terrible concept art was revealed, so it’s great that the reboot is avoiding that controversy altogether.
Whitewashing doesn’t appear to be an issue for The One Piece, and that only highlights how terrible it was that it even became a problem. A big part of One Piece’s charm has always been its themes of love and compassion transcending the superficial boundaries people set for themselves, and time and time again, it’s been clear that race has been part of that. The *One Piece *anime going out of its way to whitewash its people of color blatantly flies in the face of that idea, and it deserves all the criticism people have given it and more.
One Piece’s constant whitewashing is especially bad because Usopp, of all characters, isn’t immune to it. Having a black character as part of the main cast in an anime, especially one that started in the 90s, has always been a major selling point of the anime, as it showed that it was a story that always understood the importance of highlighting minorities in media. That was always a hallmark of One Piece’s story, so to see Usopp constantly be hit with whitewashing has been incredibly disappointing for fans old and new.
Interactive Quiz
Grand Line · Pirate Adventure Edition The One PieceAnime Quiz
⚡PowersDevil Fruit ☠VillainsEnemies
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QUESTION 1 / 8CREW
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?
AMera Mera no Mi BGomu Gomu no Mi CBara Bara no Mi DHana Hana no Mi
✓ 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.
QUESTION 2 / 8WORLD
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?
AThe Grand Line DReverse Mountain
✓ 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.
QUESTION 3 / 8POWERS
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.
QUESTION 4 / 8VILLAINS
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?
ADracule Mihawk CDonquixote Doflamingo
✓ 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.
QUESTION 5 / 8ARCS
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?
BPortgas D. Ace
✓ 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.
QUESTION 6 / 8CREW
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.
QUESTION 7 / 8WORLD
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?
AThe Five Elders (Gorosei) BThe Celestial Dragons CThe Revolutionary Army
✓ 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.
QUESTION 8 / 8POWERS
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?
AHito Hito no Mi, Model: Sun God Nika BTori Tori no Mi, Model: Phoenix CUo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu DInu Inu no Mi, Model: Okuchi no Makami
✓ 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.
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Toei Animation’s constant whitewashing of people of color in One Piece has been a consistently disgusting display of blatant racism, and while the main anime is unlikely to stop anytime soon, it’s great to see The One Piece going in the opposite direction and at least giving Usopp his proper skin tone. It’s unknown how far The One Piece will go with everything, but at the very least, it’s safe to say that one of the worst issues plaguing One Piece has finally been resolved.
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Eiichiro Oda, Taku Kishimoto
Monkey D. Luffy (voice)