One Piece: Episode of Sabo - Bond of Three Brothers, A Miraculous Reunion and an Inherited Will
ワンピース エピソード オブ サボ ～３兄弟の絆 奇跡の再会と受け継がれる意志～ (One Piece: Episode of Sabo - 3 Kyoudai no Kizuna Kiseki no Saikai to Uketsugareru Ishi)
- Action
- Adventure
- Fantasy
- Episodes
- 1
- Duration
- 1 hr 46 min
- Aired
- Aug 22, 2015
- Status
- Finished Airing
Synopsis
One Piece: Episode of Sabo - Bond of Three Brothers, A Miraculous Reunion and an Inherited Will returns to the childhood days of Luffy, Ace, and Sabo, tracing the time when the three sworn brothers first shared their dream of becoming pirates.
The special also follows Sabo’s path into the kingdom of Dressrosa—material not shown in Eiichiro Oda’s manga or the TV adaptation—and revisits his long-awaited reunion with Luffy through Sabo’s own eyes.
Otaku Consensus
Otaku Den Consensus: A brisk, emotionally charged companion piece that reframes the Luffy–Ace–Sabo bond with Sabo’s perspective and a handful of welcome new connective scenes. Fans widely praise the refreshed presentation of key Dressrosa beats and the catharsis of revisiting the brothers’ shared dream, but the most common knock is that it’s marketed as “Episode of Sabo” while functioning largely as a high-speed Dressrosa recap, which can feel thin on truly new Sabo material and potentially confusing if you’re not already caught up.
Why You Should Watch
Watch this special if you want One Piece’s brotherhood theme distilled into a single, punchy event—less a slow-burn arc and more a curated emotional highlight reel with Sabo placed firmly at the center. The biggest draw is perspective: familiar moments hit differently when filtered through Sabo’s eyes, and the added path into Dressrosa provides extra texture that manga and TV viewers didn’t get in the same way. It’s also a strong “production polish” showcase from Toei Animation, updating the look and feel of major scenes for a one-shot runtime. Best for fans who love the series’ inherited-will ethos, pirates-and-superpowers spectacle, and character-driven catharsis—and who don’t mind recap structure in exchange for momentum.
Key Characters
- MMonkey D., Luffy(VA: Tanaka, Mayumi)
A rubber-bodied, big-hearted pirate-in-training whose unshakable drive pulls allies and rivals alike into his orbit.
- PPortgas D., Ace(VA: Sakaguchi, Daisuke)
A fiercely independent older-brother figure whose pride and warmth make him both a beacon and a challenge to those closest to him.
- SSabo(VA: Takeuchi, Junko)
The missing link in a legendary trio—sharp, idealistic, and defined by the tension between personal freedom and the weight of legacy.
What Makes It Stand Out
- 1
Sabo-forward framing: the special revisits cornerstone events through Sabo’s point of view, emphasizing how perspective changes the emotional read of familiar One Piece milestones.
- 2
Childhood-to-Dressrosa structure: it jumps from the brothers’ formative days to a condensed Dressrosa retelling, creating a “memory and aftermath” rhythm rather than a standard arc progression.
- 3
Polished one-off visuals: as a single-episode special from Toei Animation with multiple animation directors (Ryou Oonishi, Tetsurou Niregi, Kumi Nakajou, Hidemi Kubo), it aims for a more refined look than weekly pacing typically allows.
- 4
Sound craft that sells impact: with dedicated sound effects work credited to Hidenori Arai, action hits and dramatic beats are designed to land with theatrical punch despite the recap compression.
- 5
Shounen pirate spectacle in miniature: it concentrates Pirates/Shounen/Super Power appeal into a standalone runtime—big emotions, big clashes, and the series’ signature inherited-will theme front and center.
Fun Facts & Trivia
- Fun fact 1
- This is a single-episode TV special (Episodes: 1) produced by Toei Animation and aired on August 22, 2015, positioned as a finished, standalone companion to the main series.
- Fun fact 2
- Eiichirou Oda is credited as the original creator, with the special’s script handled by Hirohiko Kamisaka and direction by Gou Koga.
- Fun fact 3
- Multiple animation directors and assistant animation directors are credited (including Ryou Oonishi, Tetsurou Niregi, Kumi Nakajou, Hidemi Kubo, Fumi Nasuno, and Yoshie Anzai), a staffing approach often used to keep character acting and corrections consistent in a high-visibility special.
- Fun fact 4
- Reception skews solidly positive but divisive on expectations: it holds a 7.7/10 on MAL (22,945 votes) and a 73/100 on AniList, with recurring viewer comments praising upgraded presentation while criticizing how recap-heavy the runtime feels for an ‘Episode of Sabo.’
- Fun fact 5
- The special is explicitly described as including Sabo’s path into Dressrosa with material not shown in the manga or TV adaptation, making it a notable perspective add-on even for long-time readers and weekly viewers.
Studios
- Toei Animation
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