Is One Piece Film: Red Canon?

One Piece Film: Red will be the 15^th One Piece anime movie and a tie-in to the main anime series. The film was announced on November 21, 2021 in commemoration of Episode 1000’s release and will be released on August 6, 2022. The manga’s author, Eiichiro Oda, will supervise and produce the film. Although the plot is still a mystery in most aspects, the recent trailer rocked the foundations of Oda’s work by introducing Uta, a character that seems to be Shank’s daughter. This, of course, raised a vitally important question – is One Piece Film: Red canon?

Since we don’t know much about the film as of yet we can’t answer this question with absolute certainty. We know that the previous 14 movies were all non-canon, which makes it more likely that One Piece Film: Red is not going to be canon, as well. But this could very easily change, based on the recent manga developments, as well as the shifting trends in the anime world.

In this article, we are going to give you more details about the plot of One Piece Film: Red and how it could tie into the main plot of the manga. We are going to see whether there is a possibility that One Piece Film: Red could be canon, which would certainly rock the world that Oda created, especially the opinions and ideas we had about Shanks.

What is the plot of One Piece Film: Red?

At this moment, we don’t really know much about the plot of One Piece Film: Red. Namely, the movie is not going to be a direct tie-in to the manga, but an original story that will see the Straw Hats participate in a “music festival” on a yet unidentified island. Here is what was officially revealed about the movie’s plot in December 2021:

In this movie, the Straw Hats will participate in a “Music Festival” on a certain island!? This time, the character model sheets of the Straw Hats in unique costumes have been revealed, and they look like going to a midsummer outdoor live music festival. These are designed by the original author Eiichiro Oda, who is the general produce of the movie. What exactly is the music festival on a certain island!? And what kind of adventures are waiting for the Straw Hats who have become more powerful with 10 members? Stay tuned for more updates!

– Official press release

As you can see for yourselves, nothing has been officially revealed. We know that a new female character will also appear in the film, which Oda says is a departure from the older male characters who have starred as villains in four of the last five films. The teaser poster shows the woman, who appears to be a resident of Sky Island, in a strange costume, while the trailer confirms that she is, indeed, going to be the villain of the movie.

The second trailer revealed more information about the female villain, Uta, who seems to be Shanks’ daughter. As far as we know, the two of them were very close, and she became depressed when he left her. This is probably going to be the main narrative trigger for the film, but we still don’t know much about it so we cannot speculate.

Is One Piece Film: Red going to be canon?

After the release of the first trailer, this is a question that everyone has been asking themselves. One Piece Film: Red is going to be the 15^th One Piece movie. Before we continue, here is a list of the previous One Piece movies and their respective release dates:

1. One Piece: The Movie (March 4, 2000)
2. Clockwork Island Adventure (March 3, 2001)
3. Chopper’s Kingdom on the Island of Strange Animals (March 2, 2002)
4. Dead End Adventure (March 1, 2003)
5. The Cursed Holy Sword (March 6, 2004)
6. Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island (March 5, 2005)
7. The Giant Mechanical Soldier of Karakuri Castle (March 4, 2006)
8. Episode of Arabasta: The Desert Princess and the Pirates (March 3, 2007)
9. Episode of Chopper Plus: Bloom in Winter, Miracle Sakura (March 1, 2008)
10. One Piece Film: Strong World (December 12, 2009)
11. One Piece 3D: Straw Hat Chase (March 19, 2011)
12. One Piece Film: Z (December 15, 2012)
13. One Piece Film: Gold (July 23, 2016)
14. One Piece: Stampede (August 9, 2019)

So, where does this come from? What we wanted to illustrate with this list is the fact all the 14 One Piece movies that have been released are non-canon. The vast majority of these movies have not even been referenced in the anime, which speaks for itself. Now, when the movie was initially announced, we hypothesized that it wouldn’t not be a canon work, just as the rest of them. However, the situation has changed in the meantime.

Namely, not only has the recently-released trailer been a complete shock for every fan of the series, the current happenings in the manga also hint that One Piece might be heading in a completely new direction. The trailer in itself revealed facts of such nature that, if they are true, they cannot be non-canon. Uta being Shanks’ daughter is such a vital part of Shanks’ story that if it proves to be true, it must be canon. Not even Oda can make such a vital detail non-canon (okay, he can, but it would be just stupid).

On top of that, the recent manga revelations about Luffy and his Devil Fruit also changed our perception of the One Piece canon in a major way. Shanks is a very enigmatic character and we really do not know much about him in the first place. This means that his story is certainly open to interpretations and it is possible for the movie to be canon.

With the recent success of the Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen movies, both of which are canon, One Piece might also be heading in previously uncharted territories, which might work out for the best for everyone.