One Piece fan spots “two random dudes” in opening
CrunchyrollWe all know the Straw Hats aboard the Going Merry in One Piece – but does anyone recognize these two stowaways?
Openings in anime are often one of two types: full of scenes that could spoil the incoming episodes or a video with fantastic animation mixed well with action relating to the series, both containing catchy music. One Piece utilizes both of these types, with the former being most common since the time skip.
One Piece houses a wide cast of memorable characters introduced naturally as the series progresses. In comparison, the One Piece anime often tries to expand the cast within filler episodes, giving the show some breathing room with mediocre episodes.
Teasing an upcoming character is understandable, but you wouldn’t guess they would introduce new characters through an intro outright, would you?
Fan finds unknown characters in One Piece opening
Reddit user Jmdin83 has found a pair of unrecognized characters among the Straw Hats during this intro and rightfully asks, “Who are they?” Although they ask it more colorfully after being surprised with something new in an opening they’ve seen tens of times at this point.
At first glance, any reasonable person would think this scene is purposely edited for a joke, so someone in the comments would play along. Saying: “That’s just Jim and Bill the best Straw Hats!” This would be par for the course because they look like relatives of Nami and Nico Robin, who are just out on a field trip with their distant family. Thankfully, a simple search can answer the question of who these mystery men are.
Who are these guys?
Apparently, these characters are supposed to be the singers of the eighth One Piece opening song, “Crazy Rainbow,” by Japanese idol duo Tackey and Tsubasa. They were added to the intro of episode 303, a filler episode during the Enis Lobby arc of One Piece, to celebrate April Fools Day and catch fans off guard.
One Piece contains a lot of episodes, so it is natural to want to skip an intro once in a while. With that said, if the animators start adding unique easter eggs in their openings per the day an episode is set to release, fans may find themselves on the hunt for secrets in One Piece intros for episodes that release on holidays.