Eiichiro Oda’s little pirate manga has gone on to become one ofShonen Jump’s biggest franchises, if not THE biggest one. The Western response toOne Piecewas cooler than in its native Japan, but Monkey D.Luffy and his crew are still a familiar sight. It’s hard for an anime/manga fan to be into their hobby without being somewhat aware of the Strawhat Pirates and their quest.
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They’re so ubiquitous that they’ve appeared in crossovers with other series. Some have teamed up with Luffy and co more than others, and others were just quick one-offs for fun. But they’ve all left an impact in one way or another. So, here are 6 of the more significant series to cross over withOne Piece.
6Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma
Food Wars’ creator Shun Saeki is no stranger toOne Piece, having penned a side story to it that follows theStrawhats' cook Sanji. He’s also no stranger to fanservice, asFood Warsis keen on showcasing more than rump roast and chicken breast dishes. So, when manga readers discoveredFood Wars’ Extra Chapter, entitled ‘A Magnificent Banquet,’ its premise probably didn’t surprise them.
Senzaemon Nakiri tasks his granddaughter Erina to host a special banquet for some ofShonen Jump’s top women.Nisekoi’s Chitoge Kirisaki,Assassination Classroom’s Irina Jelavić, Kagura fromGintama, Chika Amatori fromWorld Trigger, Kyoko Shimizu fromHaikyuu!!Then, of course, Nami fromOne Piece. The food ends up so good it can knock the eater out from pure ecstasy, leading Kagura to realize the Extra Chapter is just an excuse for Shun Saeki to draw naughty pinups of the girls (bar Chika). To which Nami demands a 100,000 Beli fee as compensation. The chapter ends with Nami telling everyone to check out their respective anime shows as well as they’re getting good reviews.
5KochiKame
TheKyutai Panic Adventureshorts were made to commemorate the 45th Anniversary of Fuji TV across 2003 and 2004. They basically brought some of their biggest cartoon spinners together for a quick adventure where they have to protect Fuji TV Studio’s big Orb from getting destroyed. Neither has been rerun since their original broadcast. Both shorts broughtOne PieceandDragonballcharacters together, followed by a third surprise partner.
The second one,Kyutai Panic Adventure Returns, is perhaps the oddest of the two, as Luffy, Goku, and their respective crews have to fight offOne Piecevillain Enel with the help ofKochiKame’s Ryotsu Kankichi, a bumbling cop from downtown Tokyo.KochiKamewas one of Fuji TV’s top animated shows, and its manga was rated the 8th biggest bestseller of all time in 2016. Oda even produced tribute art to the series when it finally ended after 40 years of serialization. Nowadays, it’s probably better known asUncle Kōsuke’s favorite mangainUncle from Another World.
4Astro Boy
Still, the first short is perhaps more appealing, as its third guest was more popular within and outside of Japan. In it, Frieza gets into a fight with Goku after he wrecks the Fuji TV Orb, with the Saiyan seeking amends. Luffy and the Strawhats turn up to help, only to get distracted by the Arlong Pirates.
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That’s when Astro Boy leaps into the scene, avoids the Arlongs’ attacks, retrieves the Orb, and fixes it back into place. It makes for a neat generational crossover, as the 50s manga star steps up with his 80s and 90s successors. Still, if only they had more than 8 minutes to work with. Then it could’ve been a little more special.
3Toriko
One of Eiichiro Oda’s friends in the industry isTorikocreator Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro, which has led to the two crossing their series over a few times. Like in the fittingly named mangaOne Piece X Toriko: The True Food! Devil Fruit!!Where Toriko and Komatsu seek to create a tasty dish with the notoriously awful-tasting Devil Fruit, despite Luffy’s warning.
Then the two series met up in animated form. In Episode 492 ofOne Piece, Luffy and Toriko had to join forces to save Nami and Komatsu from the Cocoalas, with help from Toriko’s friends Coco and Sunny. The shonen chef came back for episode 542, where he helped Luffy track down the Seafood Fruit to help cure Chopper from an illness. It’s notable for a scene where Luffy appears by bursting out of a shark Toriko and Komatsu just caught.
2Dragonball
With how bigOne Piecehas gotten, it’s no surprise it would cross over withShonen Jump’s othericonic series about a monkey person. In fact, it’s perhaps the one seriesOne Piecehas crossed over with the most. They’ve clashed in merchandise, those aforementioned Fuji TV shorts, video games, manga, and anime.
Cross Epochstood out as Oda, andDragonballcreator Akira Toriyama worked together on it. Though it wasn’t exactly an epic saga, it brought both theOne PieceandDragonballgang together in a series of skits as they attended a party hosted by Mr. Satan and Shenron. The most significant crossover was perhaps Episode 590, where Luffy, Toriko, Goku, and their friends take part in a tournament to win the Carat Fruit. Only for it to be a ploy to lure in a giant fish monster that the heroes have to defeat together.
1Everyone
Sure, it’s nice seeingOne Piececross over with justDragonball, or justToriko, or the two together. But what if they clashed witheveryone inWeekly Shonen Jumpat once? That’s where the video games come in. The Nintendo DS game was rated as one of the bestSmash Bros-style games for the console, along with its sequelJump Ultimate Stars.One Piececharacters were available, as were ones fromDragonball,Naruto,Bleach,Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Hunter X Hunter,and more.
Sadly, these games were Japan-only. The West would have to wait until its bigger console entries to get a similar experience.J-Star Victory Vswasn’t as hot gameplay-wise, but its presentation topped its blander successor,Jump Force. Notably with its special intros, where Luffy, Portgas D.Ace, Boa Hancock, and Akainu snark on each other and to otherJumpcomic characters like Saint Seiya, Joseph Joestar, and of course, Goku and Toriko.
