When & Where Does ‘One Piece: The Movie’ Take Place?
One Piece: The Movie was the 1st One Piece anime movie and a tie-in to the main anime series. The film was produced sometime during 1999 by Toei Fuji Television and premiered officially on March 4, 2000. How much influence Oda had on the plot is unknown, but seeing how the movie is the only one that could technically fit the canon, it can be assumed that Oda played a role in the movie’s creation. The plot of the movie could be pinned on the transitional period between the Syrup Village Arc and the Baratie Arc, which actually served as a prequel for the movie. In this article, we have decided to tell you when and where One Piece: The Movie takes place.
One Piece: The Movie came out on March 4, 2000. It was the first One Piece movie in the series and was an expanded filler from the anime. It is set in the transitional period between the Syrup Village and Baratie Arc. One Piece: The Movie is the most canon-related movie in the series, as it doesn’t openly contradict any canon plots and it is set in a period where nothing important happened in the canon, so it could fit in the canon much better than the other movies. The majority of the plot focuses on Gold Island as the main location.
In this article, we will give you more details about the plot of One Piece: The Movie and how it could tie into the main plot of the manga. We are going to see whether there is a possibility that One Piece: The Movie could be canon, which would certainly rock the world that Oda created, especially the opinions and ideas we had about Shanks.
One Piece: The Movie takes place in a period where nothing major happened, so it could fit the timeline better than other movies
Fans will know that anime movies are mostly non-canon in all major anime series. Sometimes they can be canon, but in most cases, a movie is just an expansion of the original plot and is considered to be filler content that is not connected to the canon; in fact, in many cases, these movies either openly contradict the canon, or are simply impossible to place on the timeline.
One Piece: The Movie is a non-canon movie, that much is obvious, but due to its specific settings, we can actually confirm that it doesn’t openly contradict any manga story and that, out of all the movies in the series, it could actually be considered canon without any major issues.
The story of One Piece: The Movie is a standalone story not connected to anything seen in the anime, which is in line with how anime movies were traditionally produced and written at the time (unlike some later movies, which were connected to some filler arcs).
We don’t know the exact moment in the timeline when this movie takes place, but we do know that it takes place in the transitional period between the Syrup Village Arc and the Baratie Arc. Since nothing major happened in that transitional period, One Piece: The Movie could very well be a canon story. It is not, but as we’ve said, it doesn’t openly contradict anything major in the canon, and the story itself is “quirky” enough to fit the general narrative, but sadly, none of the movies produced so far are canon.
The main location in this movie is Gold Island
Somewhere in East Blue, the Straw Hat gang find themselves without food. Blame it on the crew’s captain, Monkey D. Luffy, who ate a month’s worth of food in just two days. Amid the crew’s ensuing argument, three unknown pirates burst in to seize the treasures on the ship.
While Luffy is still busy eliminating the three troublemakers and their ship, another strange ship appears on the horizon. In the confusion caused by the ship’s attack, Luffy and swordsman Zoro are separated from navigators Nami and Usopp.
Zoro and Luffy, together with the boy Tobio, who was held on the ship by the three unknown pirates, can save themselves on Tobio’s grandfather Ganzo’s small restaurant ship. There, Tobio says that his dream is to meet Woonan, a true Robin Hood among the pirates who has settled on an island.
These plans do not suit the grandfather, who wants to know that his grandson will be sure to succeed him on his ship. When the four of them ended up on a deserted island in the meantime, Tobio ran away from his grandfather in a rage in order to finally be able to find Woonan.
Luffy and Zoro, who had been bound with steel chains by Ganzo because they couldn’t pay the bill for the meal they ate, follow the boy’s heels to help him achieve his dream. Meanwhile, Nami has been hiding on the ship from Eldoraggo, the captain of the unknown ship, and learns that he found a map to get to Woonan’s island. Once there, Eldoraggo’s pirates meet Usopp, who spontaneously says that he is a good friend of Woonan and knows where he hid his gold treasures so that the pirates wouldn’t kill him.
He leads them to an abandoned palace, and when Nami appears out of nowhere and claims that the treasures are buried under this palace, the two see their chance to escape. But Eldoraggo does not intend to dig under the palace for the treasure but uses his devil powers to reduce the building to rubble. Luffy and Zoro appear out of nowhere and confront Eldoraggo.
However, since the two are still bound, Luffy’s mishap causes them to be catapulted across the island to a nearby hill. Nami and Usopp use the confusion to their advantage and flee as well. On the far hill, Nami frees the two from their bonds, and the four pirates decide to hike with Tobio to a faraway mountain where, according to a whale statue, Woonan’s hut should be found. During the ascension, they meet Ganzo and learn that he was a very good friend of Woonan’s when they were children.
From an early age, Woonan wanted to be a pirate and collect all the gold treasures in the world, much to the chagrin of Ganzo, who at the time set his sights on becoming East Blues’ best chef. During an argument, the two fall off a cliff, and Ganzo is badly injured. Feeling guilty, Woonan left his home island to pursue his dream. After the history lesson, the pirates, Ganzo and Tobio, continue their ascent and, as suspected, find Woonan’s hut at the top.
In it, they discover a secret passage that leads to a cellar under the hut. Before they can go down the stairs, however, they are attacked again by Eldoraggo’s pirates, destroying the building. Luffy now faces Eldoraggo with all his strength and manages to catapult him to the other end of the island with the help of his own devil powers. The pirate gang also takes to their feet and flees from the invincible rubber man.
After the incident, Luffy and the others go into the basement, but instead of finding any treasure, they find the last remains of the already deceased Woonan and a note apologizing to Ganzo for the argument between them two years ago. Instead, Nami steals all the gold treasures found on Eldoraggo’s ship, and the Straw Hats set sail for new adventures, leaving a promise that they will see Tobio and Ganzo again someday.