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On Friday, December 29, 2023, reputable One Piece leaker and X (formerly Twitter) user @pewpiece shared some interesting promotion of the series from China. According to @pewpiece’s tweet, recent promotion for the series’ manga in the country saw the climactic final moments of Kuma’s flashback shown on a massive skyscraper in the country.
Unfortunately, it’s unclear exactly where in China this alleged over-the-top promotion of the One Piece manga occurred, with @pewpiece’s tweet just specifying it to be somewhere in the country. In any case, the promotion is certainly unique and controversial, given that it spoils one of the biggest moments of the recently concluded Bartholomew Kuma flashback.
The One Piece promotional artwork specifically features Kuma’s birthday message being broadcast on various sides of the building in the Chinese language. This is then followed by scenes from the manga during the final moments of Kuma’s flashback, showing him going through the various stages and moments of his life.
Chinese One Piece fans spoiled by what could be series’ most unique means of promotion yet
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As many One Piece fans are pointing out in the replies to @pewpiece’s tweet, those without any context whatsoever are likely unaware of the significance of what they saw or are seeing. However, even those who’ve read the opening chapters of the Egghead arc likely have the context necessary to be spoiled by the flashback and what it revealed.
While this is an unfortunate consequence of the means of promotion used, it’s nevertheless an incredibly impressive way to advertise the series and celebrate its latest flashback. The promotion also shows how impactful the Kuma flashback has been on fans’ reception of the series, especially at a time when many began criticizing the Egghead arc.
The promotion also speaks to how significant a character Kuma was already, but has especially become in the wake of his flashback’s conclusion. Again, while only those knowledgeable of recent events in the series would draw this connection, it’s nevertheless representative of how beloved a character Kuma has become.
The One Piece manga most recently published its 1102nd chapter on Monday, December 25, 2023, at 12 a.m. Japanese Standard Time. The manga series is still progressing through its Egghead Island arc, with apparent spoilers for the upcoming issue confirming a continued focus on the events on Egghead Island itself.
The series’ television anime adaptation, meanwhile, is set to begin its adaptation of the Egghead Island arc with the release of episode 1089 this Sunday, January 7, 2024. The series will begin airing in Japan at 9:30 a.m. Japanese Standard Time and should be made available on Crunchyroll shortly thereafter. The anime has already officially confirmed that this episode will indeed be the start of the Egghead arc.
Be sure to keep up with all One Piece anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.
