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One Piece
Episode 976

by Grant Jones,

How would you rate episode 976 of
One Piece (TV 1999) ?
Community score: 4.5

We open on Orochi taking a bath, calling out for hotter water. His servant tells him it is already scalding hot, but he insists he is cold and cries out for them to find the bones of Oden's followers. Meanwhile, we see the grief of Oden and Toki's deaths rippling through his retainers across Wano. This includes Denjiro creating the Kyoshiro identity to get into Orochi's good graces – and his nightly existence as a thief. Hiyori separates from Kappa and two women in the capital bring her to Kyoshiro, who secretly pledges to her his identity and protection. He helps her over time, and she grows into the persona of Komurasaki.

Back in the present, Orochi becomes aware of the time-travelers arriving in Wano. Orochi reveals that he has a trained spy in the midst of the Kozuki, one who was born and raised in the theater. This informant watched their parents die on stage and is perfectly loyal to Orochi, to the point that they were prepared to die alongside Oden in the boil if that's what it took.

Finally, we get a flashback sequence reviewing the journey all the other retainers took over the past twenty years. This includes a detailed recounting of events at Punk Hazard, Dressrosa, Zou, and more. Finally, Luffy and those he has gathered are heading towards Onigashima as the To Be Continued card flashes.

Another solid episode with great moments.

Let's be honest, it's hard to follow up the emotional high watermark of the last episode (and those before it). Denjiro and Hiyori both go through their time in the valley so to speak, and seeing them adapt to life under the shogun is certainly engaging. The problem is that it's coming hot off the heels of Oden and Toki sacrificing themselves and is, by proximity, a bit less exciting and impactful.

Added to that is the second half of the episode being essentially a clip show. Now, I can't say for certain if all that animation was brand new or reused – but either way, it serves the function of a clip show. It reminds us of how everyone got to where they are just before the big capstone battle at Wano.

The real highlight of this episode is the stupendous direction. There are plenty of little touches to love, like the match cut of Kyoshiro's snot bubble to the full moon when he goes out as a thief at night, or the moments where he is kneeling before Orochi and it keeps flashing to his inner Denjiro self gritting his teeth in frustration. But the star here is the sequence of Orochi describing the traitor, which is simply phenomenal. The black and white with the film grain, the emotive faces of the traitor watching their parents be slaughtered on stage, the flashing of the text on screen rather than revealing their voice, the faceless killers and blood remaining red during the flashback – what a scene. I must, once again, tip my hat to the Toei team for taking what was already a large amount of content in the manga and finding ways to expand on and elevate it in the anime. When all is said and done, the Wano arc will likely be remembered as being the best One Piece has ever looked.

Plus the Tobi Roppo and Yamato being added to the opening????? Yes, yes, YES they all look terrific. My day was made.

Rating:

Grant is the cohost on the Blade Licking Thieves podcast and Super Senpai Podcast.

One Piece is currently streaming on Crunchyroll and Funimation.com. Save on Anime Streaming Subscriptions with Funimation.

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