Film director Sunghoo Park recently included an overt visual reference to the popular anime series Jujutsu Kaisen in his new One Piece spinoff movie called Monsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation.
A Jujutsu Kaisen fan account on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that goes by the username @JJK_Mya, posted the scene in question to share it with their followers. The post shows two side-by-side images comparing Park’s movie scene to the original Jujutsu Kaisen scene.
In Park’s spinoff movie, the protagonist character Ryuma is shown looking dispirited and downtrodden with two oversized images of his enemy characters laughing maniacally in the background behind him.
Jujutsu Kaisen reference in ‘MONSTERS’
MONSTERS anime is a Spin-off of One Piece by Eiichiro Oda. It's directed by Sunghoo Park, who was also the director of Jujutsu Kaisen Season-1 anime pic.twitter.com/QAO4mnyp2m
— Jujutsu Kaisen (@Go_Jover) January 22, 2024
This composition clearly mirrors a scene in Jujutsu Kaisen where the main character Yuji Itadori hallucinates the crazed faces of his nemesis characters Mahito and Ryomen Sukuna also laughing at him in a mocking manner.
By including this specific visual reference, director Park gave a nod to Jujutsu Kaisen fans and highlighted some of the thematic similarities between the two franchises.
The post from the Jujutsu Kaisen fan account spreading awareness of this Easter egg suggests many fans appreciate the Crossover between these popular anime/manga series.
Jujutsu Kaisen and One Piece Fans Embrace Director Sunghoo Park’s Reference in Monsters
The crossover visual reference between the popular anime/manga series Jujutsu Kaisen and One Piece included by director Sunghoo Park has resonated with fans of both franchises.
Park’s new anime film adaptation called Monsters is set in the broader One Piece universe and focuses on the character Ryuma, a samurai who gets caught up in a scheme surrounding a stolen dragon’s horn.
The Monsters story was originally published as a one-shot manga in 1994 by acclaimed manga artist Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece.
In 2021, to commemorate the release of One Piece’s 100th volume, the one-shot manga was adapted into a voice comic by Jump Comics Channel.
Building on this existing connection to the massively popular One Piece franchise, director Sunghoo Park’s new anime film adaptation of Monsters recently premiered on Netflix on January 21, 2024.
The enthusiastic social media response to the crossover reference suggests that fans of both the Jujutsu Kaisen and One Piece anime/manga series appreciate seeing these two hit franchises referenced together.
Director Park has succeeded in tapping into devoted fanbases of both series with his adaptation of Monsters.
Monsters Anime Explores One Piece Lore with the Tale of the Legendary Sword God Ryuma
The character of Ryuma has an existing connection to the One Piece storyline as the legendary “Sword God” Shimotsuki Ryuma, who became renowned for defeating a dragon single-handedly.
This aligns neatly with the plot of Monsters, where Ryuma confronts a dragon after villains summon it using a stolen dragon horn.
Devoted One Piece fans likely recognize Ryuma from his appearance during the popular “Thriller Bark” story arc. In that arc, Ryuma is reanimated as a zombie in order to serve the pirate villain Gecko Moria, captain of the Thriller Bark pirates.
Ryuma briefly serves as a minor antagonist until he is defeated in battle by Roronoa Zoro, who happens to be Ryuma’s ancestor.
So director Sunghoo Park’s new take on Ryuma in the Monsters anime taps into a pre-existing One Piece storyline while putting his own spin on the character’s origins.
Seeing the legendary dragon-slaying figure from One Piece lore as the protagonist of the new anime is surely an appealing crossover for fans.
By including references to other hit anime/manga series like Jujutsu Kaisen, Park has created an adaptation aimed squarely at devoted anime/manga enthusiasts.
MAPPA Animates ‘Culling Game’ Arc to Follow Standalone Monsters Anime
Since Sunghoo Park’s new anime adaptation, Monsters, is based on a standalone, one-shot manga, fans likely shouldn’t expect any additional anime installments in this storyline down the line.
However, devotees of the popular Jujutsu Kaisen anime series, which is produced by animation studio MAPPA, do have more anime content from that franchise to anticipate.
MAPPA is currently working on adapting the highly popular “Culling Game” storyline arc from the Jujutsu Kaisen manga into an anime arc.
In the intense “Culling Game” arc, series protagonist Yuji, his ally Megumi, and other fan-favorite Jujutsu sorcerers face off in a brutal death match tournament that will ultimately determine humanity’s fate.
MAPPA has also confirmed that Yuta Okkotsu, the well-liked protagonist of the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 prequel film, will return for this arc.
Though MAPPA has not yet announced a release timeframe, a brief teaser trailer for the “Culling Game” arc has stoked anticipation amongst Keen Jujutsu Kaisen fans.
So while Monsters may be a standalone anime, devotees of the franchise have much to look forward to on the Jujutsu Kaisen anime front.
