One Piece Episode 1160 Review
Oh, I’ve been waiting for this episode to get animated for a long time now! When I said that the Elbaph Arc is going to go absolutely hard, I wasn’t joking. The detail and care that Oda puts into the home of the Giants makes it clear to all that this is a story that he’s been wanting to tell for a long time. And while some people are likely disappointed that the first few episodes of One Piece’s return were a mini-arc in a LEGOland, this is about to make it all worthwhile. Not only do we finally see the size and scope of Elbaph, but we also get introduced to the best character in the arc. A character that I remembers sparking a lot of debate in the fandom about whether he was a friend or a foe: Loki.
Strap yourselves in. Things are starting to heat up.
The Straw Hats Will Reunite in Elbaph
So, while half of the Straw Hats are currently escaping the Block Kingdom of Rodo (or Road), what’s going on with the other half and the Giants Pirates? At this exact moment, Dorry, Brogy, and the other Giants are freaking out since they don’t know where Luffy or the Sunny are. They’re about ready to jump into the ocean and look for them on the sea floor, it’s so bad! Thankfully, this isn’t the first time the Straw Hat Pirates have gotten split up like this. This stuff is nothing to them! So Franky and the others tell their hosts to calm down, because they know their friends will be fine and will find their way to Elbaph.
I know it sounds callous to outsiders, but to us, it shows how much faith the the crew has in each other.
What’s of bigger interest, though, is what they read in the papers. As expected of a stooge of the World Government, the news has pinned everything that happened on Egghead on Luffy and the Giant Pirates. That weasel Morgans even says Luffy killed Vegapunk! Though there’s no way the World Government would admit that they’re the ones at fault, so what else is new?
There is one part of the news that was of particular interest, though: the X mark on Luffy’s arm. Robin vaguely remembers it, but none of the others have any idea what it means. The irony is that, besides the fans knowing what it is, the half of the Straw Hats that would recognize it isn’t present. But if you don’t know, it was a mark the crew drew on their wrists during their adventures in Alabasta with their friend, Princess Vivi. Said Princess is currently on the run with the guy who publishes that newspaper, so this was basically her letting them know that she was okay. Sadly, this won’t become important until after their time in Elbaph ends, and given how the arc’s still ongoing in the manga, we’ve got a while. Thankfully, though, the same doesn’t have to be said about Elbaph!
After making their escape from the Block Kingdom, Luffy’s half of the Straw Hats find themselves on the outside. The bad news? It’s not the fact that everything is just as big as it was indoors. It’s the fact that it’s freezing cold and in the middle of a blizzard.
The good news? Two of Road’s crewmates pass by because they heard he”s been up to his antics of kidnapping humans and have come to reprimand him. And they confirm once and for all that the group is now in Elbaph. Too bad the others tell Luffy and Usopp to be quiet so they can’t celebrate.
Full disclosure: yes, Gerd and Goldberg are part of the same crew as Road and Hajrudin. Yes, I believe that Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp met them back in Dressrosa, so they’re part of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet that pledged itself to Luffy. But since they don’t fully remember, and because the other half of their crewmembers weren’t there when it happened, they can’t ask them for help just yet. Ergo, they cross the giant rope bridge to the other side to safety.
…is what they were supposed to do. But then they hear a roar coming from the forest below, and the Monster Trio can tell right away that it’s coming from someone equally as monstrous. Naturally, Luffy decides to investigate on his own. And this is where things start getting good.
Our First Real Look at Elbaph!
Two important things happened in the chapter that this episode is adapting, and Toei did an incredible job adapting it into the anime. The first is that after all the teasing we’ve got in flashbacks and quick looks, we finally get our first full look at the island of Elbaph. And…calling it massive would be an understatement. It is absolutely gargantuan in size. In the first moments Luffy and the others step outside, they see mountains that are probably big enough to qualify as small islands in any other part of the world. The forests tower over even the biggest of Giants, and the animals are roughly the same size. To a normal Human, this is the equivalent of a sizeable insect waking up to find themselves in a city the size of New York or Tokyo. And then there’s the tree. The absolutely massive tree standing in the center of the island that dwarfs even the tallest of the mountains. I don’t know how to do the math, but that tree has to be dozens, or even hundreds of miles, in size. It’s so big that we can’t even see the top! Some fans have speculated it might be tall enough to allow someone access to Sky Islands.
But all of this pales in comparison to the character that we will get to know very well in the coming weeks. Arguably, the most important character introduced in this entire arc, a man who the Giants call an absolute terror and the “Shame of Elbaph.” The Giant Pirates tell Dorry and Brogy that he was the son of their late king, whom they believe he murdered to gain the Royal Family’s incredibly powerful Devil Fruit. The Prince of the Kingdom of Warland, and the self-proclaimed Sun God who will end the world, give it up for LOKI!!!!
And guess who just met him? Luffy.
Loki: Friend or Foe?
If you only watch the anime, then you have no idea how much of an uproar the introduction of Loki caused throughout the fandom. If you’ve seen any modern depictions of Loki in media like the MCU, or as Atreus in the God of War games, then the name alone should be enough to worry you. Regardless of if he’s a good guy or a bad guy, Loki tends to cause trouble. Heck, in Norse Mythology, he got so bad that his fellow gods had to imprison him, only for it to be said he would be set free at Ragnarok. AKA, the end of the world.
What I was most concerned about, though, was how Loki was calling himself the Sun God. We thought that Luffy was supposed to be one who had the powers of the Sun God, Nika. That he was meant to be this person who would liberate people from oppression! But here Loki was claiming to be this destroyer of the world! It had us all so confused!
Anime watchers, prepare to remain confused, as a large part of this arc involves Oda doing his best to make us question if Loki can be trusted or not. I won’t spoil anything, though!
It’s great to know that we can finally start the Elbaph Arc in earnest. I know that the Block Kingdom took up a lot of time, but trust me when I say it will be worth the wait. We are going to see things that will blow your mind! If you haven’t started watching One Piece, then now is the time to do so!
