Super Powers!

Since my first piece for Annie’s challenge was a bit of a heavy one, I decided to go in the complete opposite direction for my second submission—by writing about a silly, awesome anime opening that I love instead!

(Attention, Sir Paul Stewart & other potential One Piece-loving readers—mild anime spoilers ahead!)

I’m a huge One Piece fan. It’s an almost ridiculously good show about a pirate crew, lead by a goofy yet determined captain named Luffy, that is looking to find the One Piece, a great treasure that a famous pirate left behind for his worthy predecessors to find. It isn’t a perfect show, by any means—especially considering that it spans over 1,000 episodes, and no one ever called it the most focused show in the world, let alone the most well-paced. But it is a very special show, a show that is so very full of hope and love.

“Super Powers”, the 21st opening track of the anime, is a fun and epic banger of a track that’s always been one of my absolute favorites. To me, this song totally encapsulates the very core of One Piece itself: passion, determination, and a whole lot of heart.

The track “Super Powers” is high-energy and epic, with so many hyper, head-banging parts throughout its fairly short duration. Its lyrics about the immensity of one’s dreams and about finding connection with one’s rivals through determination and shared respect are striking, and they correlate very well with the story. Besides being fun and exhilarating to listen to, it also highlights the themes I adore so much about the show’s story arc at this point, which is my favorite in all of One Piece.

The Whole Cake Island arc, which deals deeply with the themes of power, trauma, determination, and the significance of found family, is represented so well by this opening track. There are many moments in the song that feel tense and strung so tightly with emotion, even to someone without the proper context for the show. Despite the overall silliness and outlandishness of One Piece’s world-building and plot, the seriousness and the value of the emotional moments, too, really shines in this song and shows people there is something deeply intriguing and worthwhile to experience, just by listening to this piece of music. I think the beauty and the very soul of One Piece, alongside all the colorful animation and the flashy fighting in the opening, is portrayed so gorgeously and so genuinely by this opening track.

To me, “Super Powers” is an absolute success of an anime opening. I love the song, I love the visuals, and I love each and every idea the song breathes life into. It is a strong-willed and fierce track as well. It strikes a desire to fight into me. It calls to my very spirit to be willing to challenge others, and oftentimes myself, for what I want and what I love, and I think that’s a really beautiful and awesome thing to be motivated to do.

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You can listen to (and watch) the One Piece opening “Super Powers” by V6 below: