Thriller Bark Podcast Questions!

What are your thoughts on the difference in resolve between Zoro and Sanji when it comes to sacrificing themselves for their crew? I'm reminded of when Sanji says "Shouldn't it be easy to give up your ambition" when Zoro is fighting Mihawk. I always felt as though Sanji was giving up on his dream in order to protect his crew, essentially trading one for the other. But for Zoro, his ambition now includes making Luffy the pirate king, so simply living through this scenario and continuing on to become the world's greatest swordsman wouldn't even truly accomplish the goal he has set for himself at this point. I'm interested to hear what you two read into their actions based on who you know them to be.

ChocoBoshi

i think more of lines that his fruit sucks and he's a loser that thinks he's strong because he has a devil fruit.

Cash driver

How do you predict the change in dynamics between the StrawHat crew members after Brook joins? Elaborate a bit on how you find Brook's backstory? What do you think about Brook's Yomi-Yomi no Mi?

Bun_s_Life

Did you notice clear inspiration in cartoons and american comics that Oda showed especially in this arc? What do you think of it? Would you like to see more or less of it in OP?

Bun_s_Life

It was amazing seeing you guys enjoying Thriller Bark so much! It's often considered a C tier arc, and although it has some pacing issues and doesn't really connect to the overarching story as much as others, it's a pretty neat mostly self contained story. All this to say, what was your overall enjoyment level of this arc? By itself and compared to others? I remember you saying in the previous podcast how that saga's best moments were so good that even its lowest lows were somewhat compensated for. I'd like to know how'd you feel about Thriller Bark in that sense.

Mochh at 80

What horror tropes or cliches do you two personality like or dislike and were there any you noticed in this arc?

Monkey D. Lucci

Now that Franky has had an Arc as a StrawHat, what do you think of the second "Adult" member of the crew's addition to the vibe? Ace Ventura fused with a Popeye that uses Cola instead of Spinach and has stars tatooed instead of anchors is a pretty wacky combination, are there any other characters making reference to other medias you've had a good time recognizing now that we've finished a full arc of themed content?

Tomas

Thriller barc and skypiea arc both feel like detour arcs from the main story. Do you think thriller barc was a better version of skypiea? Where will you put thriller barc arc as an whole?

Fabulous

Saying LRLL has no importance besides Aokiji is just factually wrong Not every arc has to move the plot to be important LRLL is a character focused arc and explores what it takes to break the crew Conclusion being it won't be some external force as it failed but internal frictions All that while deepening the bonds between our crewmates especially Robin who, after seeing her dream reignited, is now enjoying the times with them before being struck by the reality of the world still chasing her again through Aokiji. First thing in the arc was Luffy giving her the time to accommodate while still encouraging her to enjoy things more, like when she spotted an island. The Aokiji introduction is important because of that characterization. It's also very important in the relationships between some of the crew members, especially Zoro and Sanji but also Luffy towards his crew. Robin witnessing that was just as crucial for the upcoming events.

Sanji Joestar

Thoughts on Usopp vs Peronz as a fight, the return of Sogeking to boost his morale and the use of Dials in hus slingshots instead ?

Sanji Joestar

I wanna know your opinion on Kuma's ability and his personality I also wanna know if you expected One Piece having so many well written characters?

Necm93

Why do you insist on making a podcast episode for this arc when nothing happened?

Skele

It amazes me that we 're like 380 episodes in and you 're kind of right :-P But I think we might have some more minor ones, like Robin's story (I'm not saying Robin story is minor, just that the foreshadowing is not the most important part of it) the half-cut house in Jaya/Skypeia etc..

BTImelesS

I think it's difficult to form an opinion about long term set ups yet, laboon and the vivre card were the only connections for the moment. Other ones remains hidden.

Gino

Where would this Arc rank with the other Arcs.? Like do you think this is one of your favorite Arcs or would this Arc be lower on the ranks compared to the other Arcs?

Kiki Varas

What do you think of what Morias character represents in this arc? And his ways about becoming the pirate king (with Zombie Nakamas etc...)

BTImelesS

What do you think about the themes of death and resurrection in this arc? Also about the dichotomy between the "shadow" and the "body"? Where you happy that they were left open ended or would you have preferred a more clean cut conclusion?

BTImelesS

Nothing prudish about hating Absalom's character and Sanji wanting to be an abuser as his dream to play off as a joke in my book!

BTImelesS

Now that we know that Laboon story has been tied to a strawhat story, what do you think about Odas set ups? I know that a lot of people think that saying that Oda didn't plan for everything is an insult and that he 's a master of foreshadowing (which he is), but I think his ability to just leave open ended storylines and tie them up with the main story in the future is a bit underrated, I know you 've touched a bit on this subject but I'm wondering how Brooks and Laboons story tie up felt for you?

BTImelesS

The anime frames the "Nothing happened" moment as a triumphant moment I would say in huge part because of the music being used. When I read the manga I had a different feeling and I 've found people and youtubers who have similar interpretations. From this point of view, nothing happened moment was one of humility and bravery at the same time, I think Oda doesn't showcase Zoros strength here, but more his willingness to sacrifice himself to push on Luffys dream. And so does Sanji. They are in a losing situation and they know not to repeat to Luffy what happened, because it would kill him to know that his crew was going to sacrifice themselves for him. This is just an interpretation of course, I was wondering what you think about that and what is your opinion in general about this arcs multiple multilayer messages (excluding any Absalom bullshit, we don't talk about Absalom).

BTImelesS

Based on Carson’s reaction at the end of 377, it’s clear y’all saw the “nothing happens in this arc” comments lol I’d kinda like yall to expand what your thoughts were reading those comments at the time before and after the “nothing happened” moment happened

SwaggyMan

What are your thoughts on Oda's talent for crafting distinctive and imaginative places like Thriller Bark within the One Piece world so far? Do you feel as if this arc brought his creativity up a notch compared to previous ones?

Seanthebomb

How do you guys feel about the more esoteric devil fruits in this arc? Perona's Hollow-Hollow, Kuma's Paw-Paw, Blackbeard's Dark-Dark and even Moria's Shadow-Shadow fruits all don't inherently tell you what they are capable of just in the name the way things like Bellamy's Spring-Spring and Mr.3's Wax-Wax do. Do you feel like this is used to good effect for the reader, adding intrigue and mystery, or do you feel like it leaned more towards feeling like new abilities were made up on the spot?

ChocoBoshi

What do you think of moria as a character, villian, and warlord of the sea? How does he compare to previous arc villians? How does he compared to the warlordsy ou have met? ( Crocodile, Mihawk, and Kuma)

Bezapollo

I just really hoped you liked the arc, did you listen to the dub version of Bink's Brew, if so what did you think? Brook's dub VA did such a good job, gets the emotions going everytime!

Jeremy Gullion

So far Thriller Bark is the arc with the best combo fights. Which one is your favourite?

RanSim

Where do you think Brook ranks on the crew in terms of strength? Obviously Luffy Zoro and Sanji are the 3 strongest but who you got after them

Solas

What have been your thoughts on the power scaling during Thriller Bark as opposed to other arcs?

Whoopsie

It’s crazy how well the atmosphere of this arc matched up with the time of year you watched it in. With that in mind how much do you think watching this in October added to your enjoyment of the spooky theme for this arc?

Extra Crispy

@millecamps Every arc in OP has immportance, just don't skip canon arcs for any reason even if it feels like its inconsequentual.

Artemis

Theres a few things that could be disliked in this arc (mainly pacing but thats everywhere and sanji/ absalom situation) but what did u think was done great in this arc, maybe if u think it was done better then in other arcs that have more prestige?

Black Snow

Please delete comment and reread the post. They just want comments on the arc

Ty

So I have to ask... what are your overall thoughts on Absalom, his perversion, and his whole storyline? Personally, it's the thing I disliked the most about a pretty fun arc. Maybe I'm prudish, but Absalom's creepiness didn't work for me and felt too far, essentially just cheap, substance-less shock and made worst by the jokey nature of subject. It felt like Absalom was intended to be a foil to Sanji, showing how chivalrous and virtuous his character is as opposed to the more sinister predatory (in both senses) Absalom, but instead it came across as Sanji is better than an assaulter because he only wants to get off by watching unsuspecting naked women while invisible, not force himself. Really curious to hear both of your thoughts on this? Do you think it could have even worked? Additionally, how would you compare Absalom's overt perversion to Hogback's perverted nature? I felt Hogback's creepy perversion was written better, where it was never explicitly stated, but there is a strong implication that is there. So in other words, the Necrophile or the "Hopeless Romantic"?

Cornell Chase

Abraham Lever

Also, would like to make 1 question, "Did you notice those 3 huge figures in the Florian Triangle? They resemble very much 3 Umibozu (Japanese Yokai Folklore), don't you think? Just food for thought ;)

MOGOL Roli

MOGOL Roli

It’s a part of that saga tbh

Ty

long ring long land only has aokiji as an interesting point, the rest is of no importance, skypea is so important it just suffer from bad pacing and the ball ordeal.

millecamps

So Bellamy likes to jump or the fruit made him a guy who likes jumping?

Gino

Pushing the zombie back in the grave is considered one of the GOATs for comedy gags in one piece. What are some of your favorite gags through the series so far?

Nathan Chartrand

The old guy with scars

Gino

Damn, you void centuried Long Ring Island :(

Gino

When the Usopp vs Perona fight happened, you were wondering about what made that fight more enjoyable comprated to fights like the ball ordeal. What are your thoughts on it now that you had time to think about it more carefully?

fia

I saw Patrons’ comments at a different reactor channel admit that they skip these arcs because they just don’t care and just want to get to the ‘good’ arcs, so it seems its still prevalent.

Monkey D. Lucci

"Leave only questions that have to do with things that happened in this arc" but... but... nothing happened 😎

Albanese

if you wanna make a pirate crew of ur own from the characters you met along the way until now (both good and bad) who would they be and why? Select only 10 max

Varre Ram

What especially stood out in this arc for you that differentiated it from other arcs you’ve seen so far (negative or positive)?

Krykee

What do you think about the theory of fruits choosing users like with absalom, do you think he was a pervert that’s why he got the fruit or that he got the fruit then became a pervert.

Cash driver

what's your though on how the only reason brook was able to live to meet luffy is because his ghost got lost and only found his body after it decomposed.

Cash driver

how do you feel the strength of the ennemy we encounter and the difficulty of the fight has risen since we entered the grand line?

millecamps

No one skips OP anymore, this is from way back when people were just dumb and now its becoming sort of a meme/trend that persists to this day were people of this generation love to talk about it.

Artemis

another great question.

Artemis

How do you like the Oars fight in this arc? It is personally one of my favorites for very specific reasons, but ill leave you to answer.

Artemis

how do you feel about the strawhats bounties incluiding brooks, do you think they are fine how they are/too low/ too high?

megalazyguy

this is the exact Q that boldcast is saying they don't want, please remove.

Artemis

megalazyguy

Can you describe the arc in exactly two words?

Kalazana

If you could change anything about Moria to improve his impact as this arc's primary villain, what would it be?

Wardde

It felt like Absalom, his behavior, and his fruit existed only for the punchline of Sanji's extreme jealousy. In your opinion was there any way Absalom and his subplot could have been written better or was it all largely unnecessary? What would you change?

100Rainy

Kumacyyyyyy

EOussama

What was your favorite Straw Hat pair this arc? Best gag? Any theories about the massive shadows at the end of the arc?

EOussama

Oda dropped lots of new unique laughs in this arc, which was your favorite and least favorite? Moria (Kishishishi) Hogback (Fosfosfos) Perona (HoroHoroHoro) Brook (Yohohoho)

100Rainy

Congrats to crossing nearly 400 episodes of One Piece. Why do you think Skypiea, Long Ring Long Land, and Thriller Bark (memes aside) are labeled as ‘skippable arcs’ by some members of the OP community? What are they trying to experience with this anime when they skip arcs that are relevant to the main journey?

Monkey D. Lucci

What are your opinoins on "borrowed power-ups", like in this case Nightmare Luffy? Do you think this is a working concept? Do you want to see more of it and if so why/why not?

Paddington

I want to know if your opinion on Zoro has changed after his preformance in this arc.

ignorantWeed

Would you have docked on Franky? Explain your reasoning 🤖

SomeoneElse

One Piece arcs so far have always had a component or multiple components of comedy. But this is the first arc that was, by far, as heavily centered around "comedy" as this one. Did you like this kind of more breathing space, more unserious tone coming out from Water 7 & Enies Lobby? And do you think the "comedy" aspect wore off faster and/or didn't always hit because of the anime's pacing during this part of the story?

ImZeaT

How do you feel about brook's behaviour after knowing his back story, do you think it is actively perverted or just playing inappropriate due to going crazy from loneliness, personally I think it is the latter, it always seemed strange to me that he would fart an berp but not without politely saying "excuse me" first, or ask that panties question very politely and casually even sanji the simp have more since than that, at least he would not say it with a straight face as if he is asking "if it would please you my lady, can you if you may tell me what are having for lunch"

hussam abdelalim

Who was your favorite zombie?

Smelly Mammoth

How annoyed were you about "nothing happening" this ark, also kuma speculation, side note the word kuma in Japanese means 🐻

hussam abdelalim

How do you guys feel about the Vivre card explanation and introduction?

Seanthebomb

How do you feel Brook's backstory and overall situation ranks in comparison to the other Strawhat's previous backstories and situations?

Seanthebomb

How do you feel about the straw hat combo attacks? And what are your favorites? 😁 -600 million berry jackpot -Pirates Docking 6: Big Emperor -Robi-Cho Suplex -Super Frapper Gong -Sanji/Zoro combo attack -Brook, Nami, Robin and Usopp spinning attack to pierce Oars shoulders. -and the last attack where they all worked together to bring oars down. (I may forgot some, pls comment if I miss any thank you 💖)

Vivimay

Where would you rank Thriller Bark amongst the rest of the arcs and why?

Iris

Thoughts on Oda writing a smaller arc compared to the last 3 mega arcs that came before it.

Ty

How do you feel about Frankys role in the Strawhats now that you've had a full arc with him? Also, following that similar train of thought, how do you think Brook is going to fit in the crew in the future?

John Ortega

How do you feel about Brook so far? to some people his introduction can be a bit off putting, with his eccentricity and perverted remarks. After learning that for the most part the lack of social etiquette is a byproduct of the 50 years he spent alone on his ship, does it make you look at that introduction any differently?

ChocoBoshi

Were you expecting Laboon to be brought back in such a manner and what were the highlights of Brook's backstory for you ?

Sanji Joestar

On a scale from 1 to 10, where would you put Absalom on the ranking of despicable characters? And why is it 1000?

Sanji Joestar

What are your thoughts on the Strawhats combinations and pairings throughout the arc?

Sanji Joestar

What are your thoughts on Kuma's Paw-Paw fruit? How does it influence your opinion on the potential abilities of devil fruits?

Lūthér Hölâyèãhmé

if you had to rank the new devil fruits we were introduced to, what would you order be? Dark-Dark Fruit Shadow-shadow fruit Clear-clear fruit Hollow-Hollow fruit Revive-Revive fruit Paw-Paw fruit (might’ve forgot another recent one)

Chriz

Now that you guys have a more complete picture of Moria as a character, what do you think of the way he was introduced and executed, his abilities and his conclusion?

Sanji Joestar

Where does thriller bark rank in terms of arc setting and atmosphere for yall?

Christian