With One Piece's 1000th episode less than a week away, streaming service Crunchyroll released a new AR filter to get fans of the long-running pirate anime hyped for the series' epic milestone.
The AR filter lets fans become a member of the Straw Hat Pirates crew and create their own wanted poster. Fans can access the filter by heading to the Crunchyroll Instagram account on a mobile device and clicking on the sparkly icon that appears above the feed.
Created by Eiichiro Oda, the ongoing One Piece manga was first published in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump on July 22, 1997, with the first anime episode premiering in Japan two years later on Oct. 20. One Piece tells the story of Monkey D. Luffy, a young pirate with a body made out of rubber and a dream to become the next King of the Pirates, and his wacky crew as they explore the Grand Line and search for the titular treasure.
The series has experienced overwhelming success with more than 490 million copies of the manga sold globally and the anime earning ¥77.474 billion ($817.87 million) in net profits as of September 2020. One Piece has also inspired a myriad of adaptations, including music, light novels, tie-in films, video games, a live-action One Piece TV series adaptation and even a kabuki play.
Crunchyroll's new AR filter isn't the only way the streaming service has been gearing up for the 1000th episode. The company also teamed up with Anime NYC and Midtown Comics to create a giant One Piece mural on the corner of Grand St. and Kent Ave. in Brooklyn, NY. If fans take a picture of themselves in front of the mural and post it to Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #OnePiece1000Mural, they'll be entered in a special photo contest. The winner will receive weekend passes to Anime NYC 2022, a $100 gift card to Midtown Comics and a one-year subscription to Crunchyroll.
Other preparations for the landmark episode include the Twitter account for the series asking fans to post short video messages about their favorite moments and memories from the One Piece anime and the official One Piece website sharing art previews of the episode's massive battle. Additionally, the 1000th episode will be screened at this year's Anime NYC, and the screening's attendees will get to take part in a trivia contest beforehand as well as receive an exclusive commemorative coin for the event.
Fans who want to binge One Piece before the 1000th episode airs on Nov. 20 can stream the series on Funimation and Crunchyroll.
Source: Crunchyroll