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The Straw hats set to change world
The Straw hats set to change world (Image via TOEI Animation)

All One Piece episodes directed by Megumi Ishitani

Stuart RayBy Updated:9 Mins Read Anime

Megumi Ishitani, the renowned director of One Piece, is one of the youngest and yet most well-respected directors in the modern anime industry. Ishitani has had a significant and impressive impact on the three episodes she has directed thus far, namely 957 (Big News! An Incident That Will Affect the Seven Warlords), 982 (Kaidou’s Trump Card – The Tobi Roppo Appear), and 1015 (Straw Hat Luffy – The Man Who Will Become the Pirate King), despite being comparatively inexperienced than the other directors at Toei Animation.

In fact, her standing among fans of the show is so highly regarded that they have been pleading with Toei Animation to allow her to helm another thrilling episode. Fans are already aware of the fact that she is set to be involved with One Piece episode 1072. Fans had been pleading with the studio to have Ishitani return for One Piece episode 1072, but the company had been completely silent on the subject. However, that silence now seems to have changed.

The three episodes she had directed marked three major milestones in the story. Before recently directing the mind-blowing episode 1015, which stunned the viewers and is now considered one of the best directed animated episodes of all time, she made her directorial debut on the show with One Piece episode 957. She then followed it up with episode 982 before ultimately directing the incredible episode 1015. 

Also Read: One Piece theories speculate the possibilities of Imu-sama’s identity

The explanation of the Warlords’ abolition was featured in One Piece episode 957. Following which, episode 982 revealed the identities of Kaido’s subordinates and marked them as targets, setting them up to be future opponents for the Straw Hats Jinbei, Robin, Franky, and Nami. The legendary scene in One Piece episode 1015 is when Kaidou and Big Mom are eventually confronted by Kaidou and the five rebellious Supernova from the Worst Generation on the rooftop. 

One Piece episodes that demonstrate the merits of Ishitani’s direction

One Piece episode 957

Previously, news of the incident were spread by Morgans, head of the World Economy Newspaper. Morgans was threatened by a Cipher Pol agent to keep the incident private, but Morgans refuses, beating the agent. However, he receives a call from Wapol of the Black Drum Kingdom. The Levely is over, and the royal parties that were present have left for their respective nations. Garp travels with Neptune’s family as they make their way back to Fish-Man Island, where he bemoans the heated disagreements that broke out during the Levely. Garp, however, brings up a specific Alabasta-related incident that happened. 

News of the incident had previously been disseminated by Morgans, editor-in-chief of the World Economy Newspaper. A Cypher Pol agent threatens Morgans to keep the event quiet; nevertheless, Morgans rejects the warning and assaults the officer. Nevertheless, Wapol of the Black Drum Kingdom calls him. The grand last revelation is made known. The Seven Warlords of the Sea system will be eliminated at the Levely, according to the delegates. For their atrocious deeds and piracy, Crocodile, Moria, Doflamingo, and Law were all stripped of their titles, while Jinbe and Teach announced their resignation from the government. 

Kings Nefertari Cobra and Riku Doldo III, two strong leaders whose nations had been harmed by warlords, pushed for the elimination of the system during the Levely. The majority supported this move, and the Warlords all were formally disbanded. The Marines are pursuing the former Warlords, who are currently fugitive pirates. The legal immunity of Buggy, Edward Weevil, Dracule Mihawk, and Boa Hancock has been revoked, and they are now encircled by Marine personnel. Except for Buggy, who intends to flee while his lieutenants keep the Marine busy, the erstwhile warlords get ready to fight the Marines.

One Piece episode 982

Luffy and the group are seen in the opening sequence of the episode. The allies are still debating how they’ll get past the entrance gate when they realise the Straw Hats are missing. Despite the torii gate being strongly armed, they realise that they somehow have already gained control of it. The Beasts Pirates host a rowdy lunch in the dining room of Kaidou’s home. With Scratchman Apoo serving as the DJ, Queen throws a concert and then he performs his unique, hilarious tune. 

The Tobiroppo keep vigil from a remote area as well. They are presented as Black Maria, Sasaki, Page One, Who’s-Who, X Drake, and Sasaki. They remark on Ulti’s short fuse and the circumstances behind their summons to Onigashima. The Straw Hats plunder the fortress for drinking alcohol and to celebrate the arrival of their new helmsman together. The Straw Hats breach the first line of defence of the Beasts Pirates, which pleases the Nine Red Scabbards. The Straw Hats then put their mugs down and prepare to join their allies in the raid as the joint navy storms into Onigashima.

One Piece episode 1015

In this episode, Ace and Yamato are featured in more flashback scenes. Yamato explains more about his interactions with Ace when he pulls out Oden’s journal. Around a campfire, Ace and Yamato talked about their dreams. Ace talked about Luffy’s dreams; ever since he was a kid, Luffy has wanted to find the One Piece in honor of Roger. 

Yamato makes an image of Ace using his fingernail for the Vivre Card. Later, Ace left the island, but Yamato maintained a Vivre Card for him. Yamato gives Momonosuke Oden’s journal after finishing his story. He asserts that the figure who would enter the nation and defeat Kaidou according to the prophecy was Luffy.

Reaching the rooftop in order to confront Kaidou and Big Mom were initially Kid, Killer, Law, and Zoro. Additionally, Luffy arrives by piercing the ceiling. Kaidou is defeated by Luffy’s Gear Third-infused Ryuo punch. Luffy vows that he would rule as the Pirate King as Kaidou stands up.

How Ishitani’s directorial style brought flavour to these episodes

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As the director, Ishitani has complete control over every aspect of the production, including the music to be used, the episode’s precise pacing, and how and when to switch between scenes. She has a strong understanding of how to convert one or more manga chapters and consequently structure an episode. Her education in film and arts have ensured the perfect know-how to use smooth transitions between scenes, which simply improve the flow of the entire production. 

This is one of her greatest skills as a filmmaker. Ishitani’s episodes feature stunning lighting to go along with all of that, which simply adds further dimension to the proceedings. All throughout the programme, the pictures are well framed, and the level of detail is astounding. Legendary animators like BahiJD have completed the amazing eye to detail and directorial pattern that Ishitani follows, while she has managed to make a name that stands beside (and in some fans’ eyes, even surpasses) other amazing directors like Aya Komaki, Tatsuya Nagamine, Yasunori Koyama, and Kohei Kureta. 

Ishitani’s hard work was evident in the dynamic flow of scenes as Kid and Killer stood on the rooftop scene, before being shortly joined by Law teleporting a lost Zoro. Soon, Luffy joins the fight, standing out in his robe and the five of them stand against the old in order to usher in the new. Similarly, the power of the Warlords that lay in their abilities even beyond their simple titles, are made evident by the close-ups of Ishitani’s direction. 

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Mihawk and Hancock confidently face the Marines while Buggy’s frenzied attempts to get away add comedy. The introduction of the Tobi Roppo as formidable fighters are made through a juxtaposition of their attitudes and quirky nature, which have transitioned well from the manga panels.

Speaking of such a transition, it proves the merit of Megumi Ishitani’s storyboarding style. Ishitani creates storyboards that depict how certain scenes ought to look and what the audience will see when they are animated. She has a keen eye for excellent storyboarding, which largely distinguishes her episodes from the competition and accounts for a significant portion of their cinematic and theatrical appearance. 

Her excellent storyboarding abilities determine everything—from the pacing to the layout of a scene—and are used by the animators to work on individual scenes in order to realise her vision. A Megumi Ishitani directed episode of One Piece only appears twice a year at most because all this painstaking work requires a lot of time and effort. But what we get is worthwhile.

What to expect from One Piece 1072

One Piece episode 1072 is set to feature the introduction of Luffy’s Gear 5, leading to a revelation that manga readers have long been waiting to see on screen. As Luffy lies on the ground, seemingly defeated, the bells of liberation sound with the distant silhouette of Zunesha approaching. The fact that Megumi Ishitani is set to direct the episode makes us manga-readers all the more hyped as the high-stakes-driven Wano arc is seemingly drawing to a close.

Luffy’s fruit, long assumed to be a Paramecia giving him the powers of the Paramecia, is soon going to have its true nature revealed as a Mythical Zoan. The protagonist, to no one’s surprise adopts the mantle of the chosen hero set to liberate the world from its darkness – and an essential step on that path is the defeat of Kaido, the monster responsible for enslaving the entire land of Wano. 

The episode is set to depict how the world of One Piece changes, and going by Ishitani’s brilliant directorial style, fans can expect to see the reactions of all the side-characters as their new sun god is revealed. As such, we desperately hope and believe that Ishitani can do justice to the episode, and show Luffy changing the world – both in the universe One Piece as well as the real world filled with eager fans waiting to see it animated.

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Stuart loves anime, writing, and writing about anime. Someday, he hopes to illustrate his own manga from his novel!