Shinji Shimizu, the producer of One Piece Film: Red broke down the importance of giving the elusive Red-Haired Shanks a significant presence in the movie.
One Piece Film: Red will have Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates journey to the island of Elegia to witness a performance by the world-renowned diva Uta. However, Uta is not just another singer; she also happens to be the daughter of Red-Haired Shanks, the same character that inspired Luffy to take up the life of a pirate. This information was unveiled a few months back, and CBR inquired about the type of role that Shanks would take in the film.
"Shanks, as you mentioned, is a very mysterious character, I would say," Simizu said. "Since the beginning, he's made his appearance in the manga, but there hasn't been too much development. I would say, even from where we stand, on the Toei Animation side, we don't fully understand him as a character," Shimizu said. "In this movie, of course, he's going to be making some significant appearances." Shimizu, however, did not elaborate on whether Luffy would have any interactions with Shanks in the film.
"One thing I can say is we expect, as fans, that Luffy and Shanks, at some point encounter each other in the manga," Shimizu said, "but whether that's going to happen in the movie remains to be seen."
Shanks and Uta Will Be a Major Focus of Red
While discussing Shanks, questions were also raised about Uta, a character with lofty goals that the trailers have hinted may make her Shank's target. When asked Shimizu if there were any challenges in making Uta so closely related to a character like Shanks, he answered: "What I can say is that Uta was designed very heavily by Oda-san himself," referring to One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda, who is officially on staff as the film's General Producer. Shimizu explained that Oda "personally oversaw and played a major role in her design."
The producer was also asked about how One Piece fans would be able to resonate with Uta. In his answer, Shimizu went on to discuss the relationship between Uta's character and her music.
"There is going to be seven different tracks that Uta will be singing in this film," he said. "These seven different emotional journeys that she goes through will draw the audience in, and that's when fans will be able to resonate with her. Uta's diaries are available online, and she talks about her emotions as she writes each song. As we experience this--and Oda thought of this himself--as we experience this, the characters of Red are also experiencing this."
Shimizu also described Oda's mindset, as the author is currently working on One Piece's final arc. Shimizu stated that Oda is "getting the fireworks ready, and I think he's really poured his heart into this one."
One Piece Film: Red hit theaters in Japan on Aug. 6. The North American release window is currently Fall 2022.
Source: CBR