Funimation is Bringing ONE PIECE: STAMPEDE to North American Theaters
This year is the 20th anniversary of the hit anime and manga series One Piece. To celebrate, Funimation Films has secured the rights to the 14th film, One Piece: Stampede, and will be airing it in theaters across the United States and Canada. There’s no exact release date, but the press release does say “this fall.”
“One Piece: Stampede is a stand-alone film that celebrates the anime’s 20th Anniversary and takes place outside the canon of the “One Piece” TV series. Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat pirate crew are invited to a massive Pirate Festival that brings many of the most iconic characters from throughout the franchise to participate in competition with the Straw Hats to find Roger’s treasure. It also pits the Straw Hats against a new enemy named Bullet, a former member of Roger’s crew.”
Colin Decker of Funimation released the following statement:
“We are so excited to bring ‘One Piece: Stampede’ to North America as part of our 20th anniversary celebration of this beloved anime series. It’s a blockbuster film that will delight new audiences and long-time fans alike.”
Meanwhile, Masayuki Endo of Toei Animation (the company that makes One Piece) is excited for fans in North America to see this:
“’One Piece: Stampede’ is a bold celebration of One Piece and its unique blend of action, humor and heart. Even among those who are new to the anime, Monkey D. Luffy and his crew are instantly recognizable pop culture stars. ‘One Piece: Stampede’ has plenty of surprises for every viewer, and we’re excited for North American audiences to participate in this important anniversary event.”
One Piece: Stampede is directed by Takashi Otsuka with Masayuki Sato providing the character designs. It should also be noted that Stampede does not take place in the normal storyline of the manga and anime, so anyone can watch it and they shouldn’t be too lost. Will you be watching it in theaters?
