I’ll Say It: One Piece’s New Episode Proves It Needs To Stay Away From CGI

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Over the past few years, the anime adaptation of One Piece has been nothing less than astonishing, with many viewers considering the Wano Arc a pivotal moment for the series. Following the conclusion of the Wano Arc, One Piece has consistently maintained its high-quality animation, and some might argue it has elevated its game even more during the Egghead Arc. The anime took a break for six months to enhance its visuals, leaving fans eager to see how the second half of the Egghead Arc would unfold. So far, the entire Kuma flashback has not disappointed, meeting and exceeding fan expectations.

With the intense emotional flashback concluded, the Egghead Arc of One Piece is transitioning into its second phase, steadily approaching its grand culmination and the anticipated climactic battle. Unfortunately, the most recent episode has fallen short, potentially ranking among the weakest episodes in the series’ recent history, and it seems that poor CGI is to blame for this letdown.

One Piece’s Latest Episode Experiments With CGI and Fails

Episode 1140 of “One Piece” begins with the Buster Call being enacted on Egghead, as a hundred Marine ships encircle the island and open fire with their cannons. From the start, fans are met with an abundance of CGI explosions, which seem jarring when placed alongside the show’s traditional animation style. Despite some anime series like “Demon Slayer” successfully incorporating CGI for explosions and making it visually appealing, the CGI animation in “One Piece” stands out too starkly against the existing artwork of the show.

As Bonney commands the Pacifista to attack the Marines, the number of CGI-rendered explosions escalates, coinciding with the arrival of the Giant Pirates. To complicate things further, this episode intertwines standard animated and CGI-generated explosions. Despite other instances of CGI in the episode being less pronounced, these explosions remain quite jarring and detract from an otherwise thrilling episode featuring Luffy’s return in Gear Five and Bonney acknowledging him as Nika.

Essentially, Episode 1140 appears to be an ambitious attempt, yet it appears Toei didn’t quite hit the target with the CGI element. The reasoning behind this experiment could be the impending Elbaf Arc and the significant battle approaching Egghead in One Piece. While it’s great to have more naval warfare scenes, the CGI animation could use some improvement. For now, let’s hope that One Piece’s anime avoids CGI and Toei continues with their current approach.

One Piece can be streamed on Crunchyroll and Netflix.

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2025-08-19 00:15