While fans outside Japan eagerly await the film’s release, a new interview with One Piece Red director Goro Taniguchi shed some light on Luffy and Shanks’ father-son relationship.
Recently, Febri.jp released the second part of its One Piece Film: Red interview series with Taniguchi. There, he explained how he developed Luffy and Shanks’ relationship for the new movie.
Previously, manga editor Takeshi Takano said in an interview that Film: Red has “Luffy and Shanks” as its core idea.
Director Taniguchi then revealed in this interview how he pushed for One Piece Red to explore the story of these two iconic characters.
Specifically, Taniguchi aimed to make a movie that incorporates the content of the first chapter, where Shanks loses his arm and leaves his straw hat to Luffy.
As the film’s story was developed, Taniguchi ended up creating a father-son dynamic between the two.
While Luffy has an actual father, it’s arguable that Shanks is the bigger father figure or inspiration for Luffy.
Even though their time with each other was short, it was Shanks that served as the reason Luffy wanted to become the King of Pirates.
Aside from explaining how this father-son dynamic came about, Taniguchi also mentioned that the film also explores Shanks and Uta’s dynamic given that theirs is another parent and child relationship.
One Piece Film: Red is the fifteenth movie in the franchise, and it was released in Japan on August 6, 2022.
Shortly after its release, the film became the series’ highest-grossing movie ever, surpassing One Piece Film: Z in just under two weeks.
Its story follows Luffy and the Straw Hat crew as they attend the concert of Uta, the world’s most popular singer. But it is soon revealed that Uta is the daughter of Red-Hair Shanks.
The film’s events may not exactly be canon, but it is confirmed that Uta is a canon character in the series. She is played by Kaori Nazuka in her speaking voice and Ado in her singing voice.
Film: Red is now screening in cinemas across Japan and in select countries such as France.
Meanwhile, a Fall 2022 release is scheduled in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Ireland, and more.
Related: One Piece Film: Red Reveals Shanks and the Red Hair Pirates' Abilities
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