With One Piece Film: Red now in theaters, more recent fans of the anime are asking whether the film is canon to the rest of the series. The answer is a bit more complicated than a simple yes or no, so let’s dive into it.
Is One Piece Film: Red Canon to the Anime/Manga?
One Piece movies are typically not canon, despite occasionally having canon chapters that precede the release of a film. That’s still the case with Film: Red, as the story of the film can’t happen without causing inconsistencies. That being said, there’s precedent for One Piece films occasionally revealing details in films that could potentially be canon. Film: Z, for example, shows Admiral Aokiji/Kuzan with his injuries from the Punk Hazard battle between himself and Akainu/Sakazuki, despite taking place before the Punk Hazard arc. On a base level, however, Film: Red is not canon.
When Does Film: Red Take Place?
Despite being non-canon to the main series, Film: Red still has a place in its own One Piece timeline where the main events of the main series still occurred. Given the circumstances surrounding the story — with Luffy being referred to as the “Fifth Emperor” and the Big Mom Pirates’ disposition towards him — Film: Red seems to be set after the Whole Cake Island arc and before the Wano arc that just concluded in the manga. Given the Straw Hats are all together in the film, despite not reuniting until the Wano arc starts, this can’t take place in the manga or anime. Still, I’d recommend at least finishing Whole Cake Island before watching Film: Red if you want to avoid spoilers.
Does Uta Appear in the Manga/Anime?
Interestingly enough, Uta herself does appear in the manga very briefly. At the top left of the manga page above, you can see Uta’s silhouette as Shanks thinks about the new generation. This means the existence of Uta is technically canon, but nothing else revealed about her in Film: Red is necessarily canon. This situation echoes that of Shiki the Golden Lion, the main antagonist of 2009’s One Piece Film: Strong World, who appeared in the canon “Chapter 0” manga and was mentioned to be the first inmate to escape Impel Down and a part of the Rocks Pirates. Everything he did in Strong World is non-canon, but his existence, like Uta’s, is confirmed.
