Title of Research Project - "How real life politics and power are reflected in the anime, One Piece"

Primary Source - The primary source I will be using for my research paper is One Piece, a manga (Japanese comic) and anime (Japanese animated show) written by Eiichiro Oda. The manga first started in 1997 with the anime adaptation releasing in 1999. One Piece was and still is the most popular manga in Japan, making it a big part of Japan's culture and entertainment. The story is about Luffy, main character, and his friends on the adventure to achieve their dreams. Throughout the story the characters encounter obstacles challenge their journey, however at the end of the day it only helps them reach their goals. One Piece is set in a different world and has a different government system, called the "World Government". Within this government lies corruption and power abuse that undertones the background of the anime. The show, as it is written by a Japanese artist, incorporates cultural ideas and Japanese ideals. What most people don't tend to talk about however, is how the political side of One Piece is similar that that of what we live in.

I am arguing that One Piece incorporates the politics and corruption of our world into its own in order to develop a complex and relatable story. The politics in One Piece aren't brought to attention as much as the cultures are. Many topics of One Piece cultures are talked about in pre-existing research papers such as Manish Prabhakar Singh's. I believe I am adding onto this conversation by adding complexity and incorporating another aspect of One Piece not commonly talked about, politics.

As we know the topic of humanities core this year is animals, people, and power. One Piece has characters that can shape-shift into animals giving them powers beyond the capabilities of a normal human. In the grand scheme of things people of power are in control of what happens in the world. If the higher-ups decide to destroy a island with a group of people, they very well can because of their position in society. The whole concept of animals, people, and power is incorporated into One Piece.