One Piece Fans Celebrate First Anniversary of Crunchyroll-Crashing Event

Exactly 365 days ago, One Piece caused a frenzy on Crunchyroll and ignited the internet with a transformation that continues to captivate fans.

Despite being over 20 years old, One Piece continues to deliver epic moments. Most recently, fans who have read the manga were finally treated to two highly anticipated scenes: Garp’s Galaxy Impact and the showdown between Shanks and Kid. These monumental moments have kept the excitement and anticipation alive for readers.

Despite the excitement of both, they do not compare to what has been referred to as a “generational”revolution – the first time Luffy, leader of the Straw Hats, went Gear 5.

One year ago today the greatest transformation in fiction happenedpic.twitter.com/IM5qtgoaiq

— Pew (@pewpiece) August 6, 2024

The incident occurred in Episode 1071, as a part of the Wano Country Arc. Luffy unleashes his Devil Fruit abilities in his battle against Kaido, the leader of the Beasts Pirates. It is easy to speculate the victor of the confrontation.

The event had been highly anticipated for years, resembling Goku’s transformation into Super Saiyan, but on a much grander scale. Fans eagerly flocked to watch it, causing Crunchyroll to crash and solidifying this moment as the time One Piece took over the world of anime.

Despite it being a year later, viewers still hold onto fond memories of it. According to one comment on an X/Twitter post, the internet was deemed legendary on that day. Another user even declared it as the greatest transformation of all time.

A third person stated, “I love how the community was happy during that time period. You really had to experience it yourself.” This sentiment is widely shared by those who feel like they were present for a significant moment in pop culture history.

To tell the truth, they did. These kinds of moments have a lasting impact. They are usually grand conclusions, but there are also instances where individual events stand out, such as The Simpsons’ ‘Who Shot Mr Burns?’ and Luffy accessing a power that was previously only mentioned.

As One Piece enters its Final Arc, there may be a higher frequency of events like this. However, considering Eiichiro Oda’s style, it is safe to say that we still have a considerable journey ahead.