Continuing on its longstanding reputation in the industry, One Piece is once again getting another installment in the form of a movie. It had been years since a previous movie based on this popular anime hit the theaters, which makes the idea of another upcoming movie even more exciting among avid fans. This is especially true since the anime movie is finally launched commercially in Japan and is expected for a worldwide release later in the year.
All previous One Piece films have been truly fascinating to fans, with twists and surprises. But this latest entry is more or less so as it centers around a character named Uta who appears to be directly linked to one of the anime’s major figures, Shanks. But who is Uta in One Piece Film Red and how does she relate with Shanks?
Uta is the “Greatest Diva”
Recognized as the “greatest diva” in the world of One Piece, Uta is a name with universal renown within the anime. Although this anime persona is revered for her ability to entertain with music, she is also allegedly related to Shanks by blood, given by the similarity of their hair color. Whereas Shanks, who played the major catalyst towards One Piece’s main character’s journey into becoming a great pirate, Uta seeks to stop that altogether—as seen in the official Japanese poster whose translation means, “Luffy, I want you to stop being a pirate.”
However, while that can be dismissed as Uta hating the illegal profession, being a daughter of a pirate herself, hers is more of jealousy that was fueled by the manipulation of the movie’s antagonist, Gordon. Yet, what makes One Piece’s greatest diva’s formidability against the Straw Hat Pirates crew is not just her prominence, but more so the influence of her voice, which is said to inflict its listener with a sense of perpetual happening or a feeling of never-ending imprisonment.
Blood relation and the film’s premise
Uta’s real affiliation with Shanks and the event that act as the film’s premise were revealed early on when, in the movie’s initial trailer, it shows a scene between the suspected daughter and child having a discussion, a decade before the fateful event with Luffy.
The conversation ended with Shanks reassuring the young Uta that she would remain his precious daughter even if they become separated—which is a massive reveal even among hardcore One Piece fans as it was never hinted in the original manga that Shanks is a father to a child.
Luffy and Uta
Uta has been essentially unheard of until only One Piece Film Red, but another revelation that comes with the trailer is that of Luffy’s affiliation with Uta—that of being a friend as a child, as seen in the trailer where the two plays just across Shanks’ Red Force ship.
One Piece Film: Red is scheduled to hit Philippine cinemas next month. Rumors say it will have a special screening on September 17 and 18.