One Piece (2026-) ‒ Episode 1179
Episode 1179 of One Piece bombards us with triumph, tragedy, and a touch of tracheotomy.
Talk about a surgical (snarf) strike. This week is a masterclass in building up and breaking down a supporting cast member within the confines of a twenty-minute episode. Scopper Gaban is a legend, of course, though until now we've only had bits and pieces of him throughout the series (like many legendary figures in One Piece). The tussle with Luffy was a nice teaser for what was to come, and the main entree is plenty filling.
Watching Gaban chew up Sommers is deeply satisfying. The Knights of God have been such unflappable and unrepentant evil-doers this entire time. Finally someone gets to knock their block clean off in a way that sticks. Gaban doesn't use much in the way of fancy techniques, unique power applications, or novel strategy either - he blitzes Sommers and cuts him to ribbons. As the audience, we've been pining for this moment for weeks now, and it's great to see it come to pass.
The fight with Gunko goes the other way, emotionally and tactically. Collun does the most expected thing and cheers that his dad is here to save him, revealing a whole new dimension to conflict. The children have been hostages for a while, but this was a macro-level bargaining posture. Now it's even more personal, even more immediate. Gaban's power comes up against the twin threats of Gunko's significant capabilities and his own son being held hostage.
The Toei team puts on a tour de force in these moments. The careful slowdown of the action, shift to black and white for the overt violence projected in Gaban's mind, and the careful modulation of sound as Gunko fills him with arrows all show the deft skill being brought to the anime adaptation. I want to give a special shout-out to the change in aspect ratio during Gaban's flashback of Collun's childhood. The entire sequence gives an effect similar to watching old home movies and really twists the knife for those of us who have more than a few gray hairs (myself included).
Lastly, the charm of Gaban, Ripley, and Collun's family dynamic is very uniquely One Piece. It's all so wholesome and precious… and the obvious size difference between Ripley and Gaban is brought into unavoidable clarity. I found myself laughing just because of how goofy this cartoon pirate show can be sometimes, and yet despite the ridiculousness there's always heart underneath. One might wonder how, uh, Gaban and Ripley… managed things. But I think the answer is quite simple: when a 70-foot-tall woman starts making dreamy eyes at you, well, love finds a way.
Rating:
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