第110回：Sumo Like it Hot

It was over 200 chapters ago that Kinnemon told a stinker about the females of Dressrosa going about their daily lives naked but it seems that only Usopp’s lies have a chance of coming true because it turns out the opposite holds true in Wano!

The sumo wrestlers gallivanting about town were 90% nude making the opposite of Kinnemon’s fib regarding Dressrosa true for Wano!

Oh, and does Zoro officially have a new weakness!? He won’t cut a naked man?? Wonder how he’d feel about No-Swords Style!

One Piece’s world is something of a curiosity in that large swathes of the story and settings appear to be based on real world destinations with Luffy hailing from a region heavily influenced by what we’d call Western hemisphere culture. But under that surface, no matter the locale or the character, the characters are always written with an underlying influence from Japanese culture and human relationships. This is of course due to Eiichiro Oda writing his work for a Japanese audience.

That’s not to say the Strawhats are experts on the culture of Wano as it exists in their world but they are matter-of-factly knowledgeable about real-world Japan. For example, we don’t find it anymore odd that Usopp is armed with shurikens than he is a sling-shot.

Similarly, the use of Japanese honorifics like ‘san’ to refer to others is (putting it mildly) a *big deal* in Japan. Honorifics tells us a lot about a relationship without describing it via exposition and Oda-sensei’s characters inherently understand them despite not hailing from Wano. Their relationship with Japanese culture has always been just below the surface.

And now, at long last, after years and years of holding back, Oda-sensei is able to release the flood gates of Japanese-related gags, themes, games and culture on his crew. We’re essentially seeing our favorite pirates act on those subcutaneous Japanese urges in the ULTIMATE Edo-period Japanese LARPing experience.

Luffy’s done sumo with Usopp in the past. Now he gets to do it with a REAL sumo wrestler!

Zoro’s most popular nickname for a LONG time was ‘Mr. Bushido’, well, look at him now, well on his way!

Usopp has always used ninja-influenced weapons and here he may actually get to be one!

Long has Oda-sensei depicted Robin and Nami in kimono and here, Robin is learning to become an actual geisha!

I wonder who’s having more fun in this arc getting to live out their Japanese-influenced fantasy role-playing, the Strawhats or Oda-sensei?

It is my sincerest hope that you have seen the boundless creativity involved in the Germa 66 suit-up sequence from Episode 839!

How to describe it? Well, let’s just say there’s a little something for everyone in this titillating scene!

Three new potential additions to the Charlotte family this week along with one Charlotte family member confirmation!

Kanten!

Zuccotto!

High-Fat!

And *finally* the confirmation of Charlotte Bassquarte!

Here’s a great look at the full Big Father which was a little bit tough to see unobscured in the manga.

Also, I love how Bege’s imagination sees him going off to Heaven upon death. He’s no angel ^O^