The highly anticipated anime adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s early manga Monsters finally has a premiere date and runtime confirmed by Netflix. Monsters, which has the English title 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation, will launch as a Netflix original on January 21st, 2024. However, at the same time, fans of the series are also wondering if Eiichiro Oda’s Monsters is somehow related to the long-running One Piece because both have the same author.
Unlike most Netflix anime releases, this will be a single, 25-minute episode rather than a full season.
This concise anime project adapts Oda’s 1994 one-shot manga of the same name, which was first published in Shonen Jump’s autumn special edition magazine.
The short story was later reprinted in 1998 as part of a compilation collection featuring some of Oda’s stories created prior to his immensely popular pirate epic One Piece.
So while Oda is best known as the creator of the long-running One Piece which began in 1997, Monsters provides an early glimpse into his signature art style and storytelling years before One Piece debuted.
After decades of being available only as a manga, this highly unique, single-episode Netflix anime will finally bring Oda’s early dark fantasy tale to life in animated form for old and new fans alike.
The Differences Between One Piece and Monsters
The upcoming Netflix anime Monsters, while created by famous One Piece author Eiichiro Oda, is set in a completely separate world and storyline from the One Piece series.
Some fans have speculated a connection between the two due to Oda once stating that the Ryuma character who appears in Monsters is the same Ryuma from Wano Country in One Piece.
However, there are several irreconcilable differences that make it clear these are two distinct characters and story worlds.
Despite both Ryumas living centuries before their respective current timelines, the setting of Monsters has a very modern world with technology similar to the present day, unlike the ancient feudal Japan aesthetic of Wano Country.
The fantasy elements and lore also differ greatly – for example, blowing a mystical horn can summon a dragon in Monsters, which doesn’t align with the established rules and mythology of the One Piece world.
Ryuma battles the dragon over a classic Western-inspired fantasy kingdom in Monsters, while the One Piece Ryuma felled his dragon over the decidedly Eastern Wano Country’s Flower Capital.
Monsters’ Ryuma does not wield the legendary sword Shusui, one of One Piece Ryuma’s most iconic weapons.
The dragon itself is also completely different, with Monsters featuring a Western-style dragon and One Piece having an Eastern Asian lung dragon akin to Kaido’s Devil Fruit power.
So while both works feature the shared name of Ryuma battling a dragon, the differences in setting, lore, and characters make clear these are stand-alone stories not intended to directly cross over.
Monsters offer early glimpses of Oda’s signature style but tells its own unique dark fantasy tale separate from the Pirates and Devils Fruits of One Piece.
Analyzing the Potential Connections Between Ryuma in One Piece and Monsters
Some argue that Ryuma’s world in Monsters can’t be more modern than the cyborgs, lasers, and other technology shown in the current One Piece timeline.
However, “feels” is not the strongest word to use when making an objective argument. There is also no evidence that dragon summoning via horns is commonplace in the Monsters world.
And even in current-day Wano, some time-traveling Devil Fruit users don’t fully understand their own powers, so it’s unrealistic to expect historical Wano residents to frequently discuss Devil Fruits.
As for the settings, Ryuma is Wano’s revered national hero, so it makes sense that aspects of his personal culture and ideals would heavily shape and influence Wano’s development.
Regarding iconic weapons, even Zoro himself doesn’t use the sword Enma during the Thriller Bark arc. And there is no definitive statement that Ryuma felled an eastern-style dragon – it is simply called a dragon without further elaboration.
Some argue that the name “Ryuma Do King” given by grateful locals suggests the One Piece character is different. However, this could just as easily be an honorary title bestowed upon the same Ryuma rather than proof they are separate persons.
As for linguistics, the theatrical speech patterns used in Wano could simply reflect Oda’s desire to emulate a traditional Japanese storytelling form in that arc’s narrative style rather than proof of an entirely distinct world.
After all, real-world Japan has also undergone language transitions from one era to the next.
In the end, while Oda distinguishes between Romance Dawn’s Garp and his later One Piece namesake, he does directly state he wouldn’t mind if readers connect Ryuma from Monsters as the same Ryuma who becomes Wano’s legend.
So unless the SBS translation is vastly inaccurate, it may be best to avoid overthinking their precise relationship too deeply.
With Lost Century advancements, mysteries abound regarding the One Piece world’s culture and technology shifts across eras.
A Standalone Spinoff Unraveling One Piece’s Untold Legends
While Monster’s creator Eiichiro Oda connects it to his famous series One Piece, the anime is actually a standalone spinoff story set in the same vibrant, expansive world of pirates, samurai, and more that Oda has built over decades.
The protagonist Ryuma and his ragtag adventuring companions embark on a quest dripping with myths and mysticism rooted within the lore of Oda’s shared universe.
So while self-contained, Monster’s narrative does shed light on unexplored facets of One Piece through a legendary ancestor of the Strawhat pirate crew’s own master swordsman – Roronoa Zoro.
Zoro wielding three swords as his signature combat style directly parallels that of his forefather Ryuma, a connection that is more than thematic. Ryuma has made cameo appearances within One Piece itself during the Thriller Bark storyline thanks to his lineage ties to Zoro.
So this new anime provides intriguing backstory embellishments to an existing player in the expansive One Piece mythology via Ryuma’s own standalone journey.
Casual viewers can enjoy Monsters as a gritty, supernatural samurai tale. But veteran One Piece fans may discover exciting new depths and additional world history involving a key member of the Strawhat crew who journeyed to become King of the Pirates.
Either way, Monsters promises to deliver thrilling, unexpected pathways into the rich fabric of creativity woven throughout Eiichiro Odo’s monumental fictional universe over the past three decades.
Compact One-Shot Adaptation
As Monsters is adapted from a 46-page one-shot manga, roughly the amount of content covered in a single anime episode, it will be a compact, self-contained story.
The animation studio E&H Production and director Sunghoo Park, known for episodes of Jujutsu Kaisen, currently have no plans to produce additional episodes after the 25-minute runtime.
Whether strong audience reception prompts possible continuation remains to be determined.
Alongside Park, key staff members helping bring this tight manga production to life include character designer Takashi Kojima and art director Fuminao Akai.
So while the core content is straight from Oda’s original manga, the animation quality and faithfulness will rely heavily on this team’s creative talents.
Fans can witness the final product when Monsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation premieres on January 21, 2024, exclusively through Netflix.
Of course, the massively popular One Piece anime is available on multiple major streaming platforms for those eager to spot connections, with the manga from Viz Media remaining the definitive English print release.
While very short, this compact project nonetheless offers an exciting creative reunion between Eiichiro Oda’s early manga work and the visionary direction of Sunghoo Park nearly 3 decades later.
Ancestral Bond Between Zoro and Ryuma in One Piece
Recent One Piece story developments have uncovered captivating connections between the legendary Wano samurai Ryuma and his descendant, Straw Hat Zoro, that span well beyond their shared Shimotsuki clan lineage.
In a remarkable genealogical feat, the Shimotsuki bloodline persisted all the way until present-day events, further intertwining the current East Blue pirate with his famed ancestor.
In an intriguing twist of destiny, Zoro crossed swords with a zombie version of Ryuma itself during the chaos of Thriller Bark. This fated duel carries much deeper meaning now that Zoro’s heritage is known, linking the family warriors.
Additionally, the Wano Country arc highlighted striking similarities between the two master swordsmen’s distinct combat methods and appearances that suggest a strong ancestral influence.
Veteran Wano samurai Hyogoro shockingly revealed that the iconic Ryuma also relied on a one-eyed swordsman style later in his storied career, precisely mirroring the present-day Straw Hat’s own trademark approach.
This surprising commonality hints that Zoro may inherit more than just peerless sword skills from his bloodline – but also inherent traits tied to the family’s genetics.
As Zoro continues honing his signature craft in the Land of Wano, Ryuma’s enduring legacy increasingly manifests through his descendants in unexpected ways.
Their shared Shimotsuki heritage powerfully ties the past and present legends of the blade together, fatefully linking eras through the Straw Hats’ adventure.
