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One Piece Odyssey is the latest game starring Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirates crew from Bandai Namco and developer ILCA. Unlike most One Piece games, though, this one is a turn-based RPG. Since JRPGs are known to focus on the narrative and stories, many fans are wondering if this game has any relevance — or canon — to the main manga and anime story. This article will explain the plot and provide an answer as to whether the One Piece Odyssey story is considered canon to the series.
Is One Piece Odyssey Canon or Not, Explained
One Piece Odyssey‘s official site mentions that the story and characters are all made with direct involvement from Eiichiro Oda, the manga series creator, himself. However, like all original One Piece side-stories that happen in the movies and games, Odyssey‘s story is not canonical to the main manga and anime story.
As an example, this goes for the One Piece Film: RED movie as well. Despite Uta having a connection to Luffy and Shanks, the manga has made no official mention of the movie’s original character in the main plot aside from short bonus chapters that are made to promote the movie.
Katsuaki Tsuzuki, One Piece Odyssey‘s main producer, said that the development team at ILCA wants to make a game that offers players “an epic adventure to experience the One Piece world” and wants it to be “true to the original work.” To that extent, they asked Eiichiro Oda for his feedback, and he helped them design new characters and monsters that fit with the already-established world of One Piece.
Nevertheless, like Dragon Ball‘s Akira Toriyama, Eiichiro Oda is also known to be pretty hands-on on many of his series’ side-project. At the very least, his involvement in various non-canon One Piece games and movies directly contributes to character designs. In the video above, Eiichiro Oda himself wrote a personal message that the game has an incredible “immersion,” and he felt like he was “watching a movie” after seeing the gameplay footage.
One Piece Odyssey Main Story, Explained
When the Straw Hat Pirates shipwrecked on a mysterious island called the Waford, the crew is split, and Luffy loses his straw hat. Learning about the news, the Five Elders dispatch a “certain individual” to the island to deal with the Straw Hat permanently.
While exploring and looking for a way out of Waford, the Straw Hat Pirates end up meeting a wandering explorer, Adio Suerte, and Lim, a girl that has the power to steal people’s abilities and seal them in a cube. Although Lim gives Luffy his straw hat back, she steals the crew’s abilities for some reason and then disperses the cube that holds them into pieces.
Now, the Straw Hat has to discover their lost abilities and travels through Memoria, a weird realm created from their past adventures, where they run into old friends and enemies in the recreation of familiar places such as Arabasta Kingdom, Water 7, Enies Lobby, Marineford, and Dressrosa.
So, is One Piece Odyssey Canon? Although Eiichiro Oda himself oversees the game’s plot and characters, the game’s plot does not progress or reveal new information about the story of One Piece itself. It is very self-contained, making Odyssey not canon to the manga and anime series. I hope that explains it, and stay tuned to The Nerd Stash for more gaming and anime news.
Related:
Can You Change Between English & Japanese Voice Tracks in One Piece Odyssey?
One Piece Odyssey is now available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.
