Being an actor
isn’t all Hollywood glitz and glam. In fact, sometimes it can be downright
dangerous. Take these 10 Hollywood stars, for example. They all have one morbid
thing in common: they died while on the set of the show or movie they were
filming. Though there are plenty of other famous actors, like Heath Ledger, who died before
finishing a project, not all of them died while on set. Some of these deaths
were the result of natural causes, while others met a more gruesome end. Here’s
a look at 10 actors whose lives ended before they finished filming their
projects.
1. Jon-Erik Hexum
An
unintentional gunshot wound to the head on the set of the CBS adventure series Cover
Up killed Hexum in 1984, writes Access Atlanta. He played Mac Harper, the Green Beret-turned-model
in the TV show that delved into international mystery and fashion photography.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Hexum had been napping on October
12, 1984, during delays in filming. When he learned there would be more delays,
he jokingly picked up a .44 Magnum pistol loaded with blanks, said ”Can you
believe this crap?” and pulled the trigger. The blast’s impact fractured his
skull, which drove a bone fragment the size of a quarter into his brain causing
massive bleeding. He was rushed to the hospital where surgery was performed,
however, he remained comatose and was then pronounced brain dead on October 18,
writes Entertainment Weekly.
Cover Up, a show about a fashion photographer and veteran special forces soldier
who went on missions around the world, continued production with a new actor,
but never made it past the first season.
2. Vic Morrow
During the
filming of Twilight Zone: The Movie, Morrow was killed on set in July
1982, along with two child actors, Myca Dinh Le and Renee Chen, says How Stuff Works. The Twilight Zone script called for the use of
both a helicopter and pyrotechnics, a deadly combination in this case. During a
scene in which Morrow was being attacked by American Soldiers in Vietnam, the
pyrotechnics exploded, severing the helicopter’s tail, which caused it to
crash, decapitating Morrow and killing the two child actors as well, per Ranker.
Later, it came
out that the children who died were going to be paid illegally under the table.
Allegedly, the director was trying to avoid California’s laws against kids
working at night, as well as working around the potentially dangerous
combination of a helicopter and pyrotechnics, per How Stuff Works. In fact, director John Landis and four others were
later charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter due to the illegal
hiring of the children. According to Ranker, the jury decided Landis wasn’t expecting the scene
to be dangerous and found the defendants not guilty. Twilight Zone: The
Movie continued on, and the movie was released in June 1983, performing
poorly at the box office.
3. John Ritter
He collapsed
while on the set of 8 Simple Rules for Dating my Teenage Daughter on
September 11, 2003. Ritter had become ill while working on the ABS series and
ended up collapsing on set. He was rushed to the hospital where he underwent
surgery for a tear in his aorta, a rare medical condition that can hit without
warning, writes Fox News. Ritter died that evening, per Fox News. The show was retitled 8 Simple Rules and continued
for another season with David Spade and James Garner as replacements, writes Access Atlanta. Ritter was well-known for his many works in
television and on film, particularly for his role as Jack Tripper in Three’s
Company, according to Madame Noire.
4. Tyrone Power
While filming Solomon
and Sheba, Tyrone Power suffered a massive heart attack on set during a
fencing scene. He died on the way to the hospital on March 15, 1958, according
to Ranker. Power first rose to popularity in 1936 with Lloyds
of London, according to About. Solomon and Sheba was a series about King
David’s younger son, Solomon, who he names his heir ahead of his older son,
Prince Adonijah, just before his death. During Solomon’s reign over Israel, the
Queen of Sheba arrives in Jerusalem. Solomon falls in love with her, but she is
in cahoots with the Pharaoh of Egypt; their goal is to divide the 12 tribes of
Israel, according to IMDb. Eventually, Sheba falls in love with Solomon and
chooses to side with him against the Pharaoh.
5. Redd Foxx
While filming
on the set of The Royal Family (co-starring Della Reese), Foxx died of a
massive heart attack in 1991. In an ironic twist, he had become famous for
grabbing his chest and calling out to his dead
television wife, Elizabeth, while he pretended to have a heart attack on the
‘70s show Sanford and Son, per Madame Noire. Foxx was 68 years old at the time of his death.
6. Brandon Lee
Lee, the son of
martial arts legend Bruce Lee, was killed on March 31, 1993 in a
stunt accident on the set of The Crow. “Lee’s character was supposed to
get shot in a scene, but the handgun used contained a fragment of a real
bullet,” writes Ranker. During the filming of a scene, Lee was walking
through a doorway carrying a grocery bag as another actor fired blanks at him
from 15 feet away, per The Los Angeles Times. At that moment, Lee activated a
toggle switch underneath the grocery bag and set off the small charge, called a
squib, which is a device commonly used on movie sets to simulate gunfire
effects. Lee was hit in the abdomen by a projectile, and he died later that day
at the age of 28.
Director Alex
Proyas used a double and some special effects in order to complete the movie,
according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Crow tells the story of
a rock musician, Eric Draven, who is granted life and power by a mysterious
crow. Draven uses his abilities to hunt and kill the men that murdered him and
his fiancée.
7. Martha Mansfield
While filming The
Warrens of Virginia, the silent film star was sitting in a car taking a
break in between takes. In what can only be described as a freak accident, a passerby lit a
cigarette, accidentally flicking the match into the automobile. The match landed
on Martha Mansfield’s costume, which was a giant and highly flammable Civil
War-era dress that went up in flames, per Death and Taxes. Mansfield died in the hospital the next day (November
30, 1923) from severe burns.
8. Steve Irwin
Known as an
Australian adventurer and animal advocate, the “Crocodile Hunter” was stung and
killed by a stingray on September 4, 2006, while filming Ocean’s Deadliest,
an underwater documentary. According to The Los Angeles Times, Irwin and his cameraman, Justin
Lyons, were in chest-deep water near Queensland, Australia. The pair came
across an 8-foot-wide stingray; after filming the stingray for a while, it
ended up attacking Irwin. “It started stabbing wildly with its tail,” Lyons
told The Los Angeles Times, “hundreds of strikes within a few
seconds.” Despite the crew’s efforts to save him, Irwin died before they could
get him help. In Lyons’ interview with The Los Angeles Times, he said Irwin’s last words were
“I’m dying.”
9. Paul Mantz
Mantz was a
legendary aviator who lost his spot at the U.S. Army Flight School after
buzzing over a train filled with high ranking officers in an effort to show off
his skills. Later, he landed a role in Air Mail, where he flew a biplane
through a hangar that wasn’t much bigger than his aircraft. Mantz then appeared
in several other films, such as For Whom the Bell Tolls, Twelve
O’Clock High, and The Wings of Eagles. The daredevil died on July 8,
1965 while performing a stunt for The Flight of the Phoenix – a
movie he came out of retirement to film, according to How Stuff Works. Mantz was flying over a desert in
Arizona when his plane struck a hill and broke into pieces, immediately killing
the aviator. Most of the film had already been shot, so filmmakers substituted
another plane for some remaining close-ups. The Flight of the Phoenix was
released later that year.
10. Roy Kinnear
While in
Toledo, Spain, filming the movie The Return of the Musketeers, Kinnear
fell from a horse. The 54-year-old British actor sustained a broken pelvis and
was taken to a hospital in Madrid. The following day, September 20, 1988,
Kinnear died from a heart attack, writes Oddee. Kinnear “played the role of Planchet, the servant of the Musketeer
d’Artagnan, a role he created in the Richard Lester hit, The Three
Musketeers, in 1974,” according to The New York Times. The director, Richard Lester, was
deeply affected by Kinnear’s death and shortly after quit his own film career,
per Oddee.
sumber : http://wallstcheatsheet.com/view-image/?src=2014/05/Cover-Up-6.jpg&809cd9
We already know that a trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 will arrive in theaters with The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
on December 13th, but the first trailer for the comic book sequel will
hit the web (no pun intended) before that. Sony Pictures has announced
that the first trailer will arrive on December 5th, a
full week before it debuts on the big screen. Be sure to come back to
see that trailer when it's available. In addition, some cool alternate
designs for Spidey's suit from the first film have made their way
online. A couple of them are clearly too sci-fi to work, but one has a
feature that fans would love to see.
As you can see in the images, a couple of the suits made some serious
aesthetic changes to Spidey's eyes, but we think the final suit did it
right, and the sequel gives him some buggier ones.
But the coolest suit is the one that actually uses the webbing under
the armpits, a staple of some of the designs in the comic books. In the
end, the new suit wasn't much different, though it did have the texture
of a basketball. These other designs look like a futuristic Spider-Man
from space. We're not sure if all the designs are metallic because
that's how they originally wanted the suit to appear, or if that's just
how the computer renderings look.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is directed by Marc Webb and
written by Jeff Pinker, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. Peter Parker
(Andrew Garfield) finds, life is busy between taking out the bad guys as
Spider-Man and spending time with the person he loves, Gwen (Emma
Stone), high school graduation can't come quickly enough. Peter hasn't
forgotten the promise he made to Gwen's father to protect her by staying
away, but that's a promise he just can't keep. Things will change for
Peter when a new villain, Electro (Jamie Foxx), emerges, an old friend,
Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), returns, and Peter uncovers new clues about
his past. Sony will release Amazing Spider-Man 2 in theaters next summer on May 2nd, 2014. Excited?
SUMBER : http://www.firstshowing.net/2013/alternate-amazing-spider-man-suits-sequel-trailer-december-5th/?utm_source=zergnet.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=zergnet_112497
‘The Avengers 2′: Here’s Our First
Glimpse of Captain America’s New Costume
There
are two reasons why superheroes tend to change their costumes every time a
sequel rolls around: (A) it gives the filmmakers a chance to put their own
unique stamp on them, and (B) it means they can release a new action figure.
Thanks to video from the set of ‘The Avengers 2,’ we’ve already seen what
Hawkeye’s new outfit looks like and received our first look at the costumes for
the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, but today brings a look at Captain America‘s
new getup.
The
video comes from a very excitable fan (you may want to cut to the chase and
mute his commentary) filming the set in Seoul, South Korea. Chris Evans is
nowhere to be seen, but we do get to see his stuntman wearing the uniform and
wielding the star-spangled shield, and that’s more than enough for the time
being. Following the events of ‘Captain America: The Winter Solider,’ it looks
like Cap has ditched the black ops-friendly dark blue suit in favor of a uniform
that looks like the halfway point between ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’
and ‘The Avengers,’ taking the streamlined a
If
you watch the video past the first look of the costume, you’ll get to see the
filming of a pretty intense stunt that finds Cap falling off the roof of a
moving truck and holding on for dear life. It looks very much like a stuntman
holding onto a slowly moving vehicle, though through the lens of the camera,
it’ll look about as thrilling and dangerous as it gets.
‘The Avengers: Age of Ultron’ is set for a May
1, 2015 release. Expect every character to have a new costume. Even the Hulk
will probably have a new colored set of pants.
SUMBER
:'The Avengers 2': Our First Glimpse of
Captain America | http://screencrush.com/the-avengers-2-captain-america-setvideo/?utm_source=zergnet.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=zergnet_159862&trackback=tsmclip
God of War: Ascension is the latest installment in the popular God of War series,
released on March 12, 2013. It is the seventh game of the series, and
will chronologically be the first chapter in the series, forming part of
a saga with vengeance as a central theme.
The game predates Kratos' entire reign as the god of war, and features a timeline roughly six months after Kratos' unintentional killing of his wife and daughter. Flashbacks also occur, seeing as how this timeline follows his allegiance to Ares, which was already addressed in the original God of War.
It marks a new chapter in Kratos' story, as its listing notes to
"Join Kratos as he takes his first steps on a now legendary quest for
freedom, redemption, and the clarity to avenge his family in the most
ambitious God of War adventure in the series so far."
Prologue
In a war between the astronomically large deities known as the Primordials, the madness and rage of the war took form, becoming the three guardians of honor, the Furies, who were tasked with exacting retribution onto any oath-breaker or betrayer. The first victim of the Furies was the Hecatonchires, Aegaeon, who had broken a blood oath to Zeus himself.
The Furies set about their task, and, believing death to be too kind
for one who had broken an oath to a God, transformed Aegaeon's humongous
body into a stone prison for all who would dare follow his example in
the future.
Later on, the Furies had dealings with the God of War, Ares, and became ruthless under his 'guidance,' forming a plot to overtake Olympus,
but finding that they were lacking in their forces; they needed the
perfect warrior to aid them in their attack on the Gods. The Fury
Queen, Alecto, mated with Ares in the hopes of creating such a warrior. Unfortunately for them, their son, Orkos,
was not up to Ares' standards, and was disowned. Alecto and the other
Furies, though, saw worth in him and made him the oath-keeper.
Seeing the makings of a perfect warrior in the Spartan, Kratos,
Ares formed a blood oath with the tattooed warrior in order to mold him
into a heartless killing machine, tricking him into killing his wife, Lysandra, and his child, Calliope,
for nothing to restrict him from his onslaughts. Kratos, enraged and
saddened by the accidental killing, became a self-pitying recluse,
unable to forgive himself for his crime and adamantly refusing to serve
Ares.
Main Plot
Ares, angered by Kratos' decision, orders the Furies to capture him
for his betrayal. The trio, in order to weaken the Spartan's mind, cast
illusions which torture him to no end. Seeing the injustice in Kratos'
oath, Orkos
betrays the Furies and allies himself with the Spartan, informing him
that the answer to his freedom from his bond to Ares can be found in Delphi, with the Oracle Aletheia. After slaying Pollux and Castor,
the prophets who had imprisoned the Oracle, Aletheia reveals to the
Spartan that the only way to be free of his bond to the God of War would
be to slay the Furies.
However, after continuing his quest, the Furies ambush the
Spartan and Orkos, and proceed to imprison Kratos within Aegaeon. As
Kratos suffers from torture at the hands of the Furies, he defiantly
refuses their offers for him to return to Ares. However, one Fury, Megaera,
holding a grudge against Kratos for severing her arm in a struggle they
had prior to his capture, attacks him and unintentionally breaks the
chains binding him.
Kratos then attacks Megaera, who, enraged with his defiance, uses her parasitic brood to
return Aegaeon to life, having sections of the prison attack Kratos.
However, Kratos luckily manages to evade Aegaeon's attacks and slay
Megaera. Eventually, he comes across the remaining Furies, Tisiphone and Alecto
, who once again attempt to lure him back into Ares' servitude by
seducing him in the form of Lysandra. Kratos, refusing illusion over
reality, manages to kill both Furies, breaking Tisiphone's neck, and
stabbing Alecto to death.
Kratos, in his victory, returns to his home in Sparta,
meeting with Orkos, who reveals that he was once again made the
Spartan's oath keeper, by the Furies, before their death; the only way
for Kratos and Orkos to be free from their respective bonds to Ares, the
Spartan must kill Orkos.
The latter, accepting his death honorably, hands over his blade
to Kratos, who hesitantly drives the blade within Orkos' abdomen,
finally breaking his bond to Ares. Much to Kratos' horror, though,
haunting visions of the murder of his wife and child, which were
previously masked by his bond, suddenly plagued his mind, crippling him
out of sorrow. He then sets out to be rid of his new nightmares, burning
down his home with Orkos' corpse inside it.
Multiplayer
The multiplayer part of Ascension, features multi-level arenas, where several warriors can fight one another. After starting off as the nameless redeemed prisoner (seen in the beginning of the campaign), you are then sent to the Rotunda of Olympus
to choose a godly alliance. One specific game mode, called The Favor of
the Gods, requires the champions to kill each other, while a chained Polyphemus, interferes whenever players come too close. Warriors score 100 points by killing the men from opposing teams, eventually, the Spear of Olympus
falls from the heavens and it becomes a race for each team to obtain
it. Once someone has pulled it from the ground, they can begin to attack
Polythemus and knock him unconscious. If the beast is grappled then the
warrior will split his jaw with the godly spear. The team that kills
him gains an extra 1000 points. Whoever reaches 8000 points first wins
the match. The multiplayer does not allow split-screen possibilities,
but instead pans out whenever needed to actively show all participants.
By pre-ordering the game, the player gets access to the
Mythological Heroes Pack DLC for the multiplayer. This pack contains 4
heroes who are playable in the multiplayer: Orion, Achilles, Perseus, and Odysseus. If the player pre-orders at Gamestop they get the King Leonidas costume and Spear. Pre-orders from Best Buy will get Thor's hammer, Mjölnir. Pre-Orders from Walmart will get the Blade of Judgement
Items and Abilities
Weapons
Kratos' Fists: If Krato's does not wield a World Weapon, he can attack with his bare fists.
Blades of Chaos: The cursed blades given to Kratos by Ares as a symbol of his servitude.
World Weapons: Kratos can disarm the weapons of his opponents
as a secondary weapon. They can be discarded anytime, by doing so, he
throws the weapon at an enemy stunning them in the process. There are
five World Weapons that are present:
Sword
Spear
Club
Shield
Sling
Magic
Fire of Ares: Unleash your fury and stun surrounding enemies with Ares' fire. Incinerating enemies yields Gold Orbs.
Ice of Poseidon: Summon the Ice of Poseidon to break blocks. Also allows breathing underwater. Freezing enemies yields large Red Orbs.
Lightning of Zeus: Electrify your enemies with the blinding quick attacks of Zeus. Electrocuting enemies yields Blue Orbs.
Soul of Hades: Release the souls of the Underworld to do your bidding. Vaporizing enemies yields Green Orbs.
Items
Lost treasures:
Amulet of Uroborus:
The amulet was stolen by Castor and Pollux from the Oracle of Delphi
and contains the power to warp time around the object or enemy it hits.
He uses it on several occasions in the game, able to heal or decay. In
the E3 Demo, Kratos uses this ability to reconstruct an elevator, which
is destroyed by Charybdis
(Alecto). When used on enemies, they are slowed for a while, so if they
are in the air at the time the magic is activated, they remain there
for a few seconds. This ability does not deplete Kratos' magic, instead,
it requires the relic to recharge for a short amount of time.
Oath Stone of Orkos: This stone is given to Kratos by Orkos
and contains the power to create a shadow of Kratos. This power is used
to solve puzzles as it copies Kratos' pose to hold cranks and chains in
place. Later on in the game, it had to be used in combination with the
other items to solve a puzzle.
Eyes of Truth:
The Eyes of Truth is an item given from Oracle to Oracle to overcome
the dark magic of the Furies. Kratos obtains it during his journey and
can use it dispel the magic barriers created by the Furies .
Characters
Kratos:
The main protagonist of the game. Kratos finds himself on the edge of
madness, 6 months after the death of his wife and child, he broke his
blood oath with Ares. This betrayal brought him for the judgement of the
Furies.
The Furies:
The three sisters that predate both Titans and Gods, Furies are
fearsome punishers of those who break their oaths. They are the main
antagonists of the game, hunting and torturing Kratos for turning on
Ares.
Orkos: Keeper of Oaths, he helps Kratos to break the bonds and defeat the sisters.
Oracle Aletheia: Kratos is sent to Delphi to find the Oracle, who might help him in his quest for freedom.
Lysandra: Kratos' wife, appears for Kratos in visions during the game.
Calliope: Kratos' daughter, she appears in visions to Kratos.
Archimedes: A historical mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer who built the massive statue of Apollo on Delos.
The Scribe of Hecatonchires: The first mortal imprisoned by the Furies. He's kept records since his imprisonment, which Kratos finds around the Prison.
Redeemed Warrior: The template warrior used in the multiplayer, has a small cameo as a prisoner in the game's beginning.
Enemies
Common Enemies
Centaur General: Similar to the generals in GoW III.
Cerberus:
The three-headed beast of Hades. Could be used as mount when wounded.
They look close to Mongrels, but they are stronger and have new powers,
like underworld teleporting and soul shield.
Chimera: The chimeras return and have different color from GOW III and uses ice attacks.
Cyclops Berserker: Large cyclops brutes that can be grappled then ridden to stomp out smaller enemies.
Delos Warriors: Powerful women equipped with spears.
Elemental Talos:
This new type of Talos is dressed in similar fashion to Hades. These
Talos can come with various elemental attacks, each Talos either uses
fire, ice, lightning, or soul, similar to Kratos' magics.
Elephantaur: A new species of Juggernaut, Kratos kills these large elephant monsters by cutting open their heads and exposing the brain.
Empusa: Fiery female monster with green spikes instead of limbs.
Feral Hounds: Attack canines return from GOW III.
Gorgon: These Gorgons have a new appearance, looking more like cobras and are very colorful.
Harpy: The standard Harpy returns in God of War: Ascension.
Manticore Hatchling: Smaller versions of the manticore, they hatch from eggs.
Megaera's Minions: Humans and hounds infected and mutated into monsters by Megaera's parasites.
Megaera's Parasites:
Tiny green insects that originate from Megaera. Able to mutate
creatures as small as a human and as large as a Hecatonchires into
insect-like monsters.
Satyrs: Standard enemies, the satyrs carry weapons that can be used by Kratos.
Satyr Fodder: Smaller satyrs that uses range type weapons.
Satyr General: The Satyr General is bigger than his fellow satyrs and wields a bigger sword. They command hoards of common satyrs.
Siren: The Sirens are powerful female monsters that appear throughout the God of War series.
Spartan Illusions: In one of the Furies' illusions, Kratos fights Megaera, who commands imaginary Spartan warriors.
Wraith of Hades: Very powerful Wraiths able to summon spirits of themselves. The Wraiths appear throughout the God of War series.
Bosses
Aegaeon:
One of the ancient titan-like creatures known as the Hecatonchires, the
hundred-armed giant Aegaeon was captured by the Furies and tortured for
breaking his oath to the gods, while his body was shaped into a living
prison for the oath-breakers. Alive, but severely disfigured after years
of torment, he is dormant. When Kratos escapes, the Fury Megaera uses
her parasites to infect Aegaeon's arms, turning them into giant
insect-like monsters known as the Infected Hands of Aegaeon.
Eventually, she also allowed her parasites to mutate his head, turning
his mouth into a grotesque maw of teeth and mandibles, for her last
stand against Kratos.
Infected Hands of Aegaeon:The giant parasitic guardians who were mutated from Aegaeon's limbs by a small group of parasites. Three were encountered by Kratos during his escape from his prison and served as sub-bosses.
Manticore:
Sub-boss, a massive fire-breathing beast with the body of a lion, tail
of a scorpion and wings of a bat. Kratos fights two Manticores, one in
Delphi, and one on Delos.
Pollux and Castor:
Together known as the Dioscuri. Mortal prophet Castor, along with his
attached demi-god half-brother Pollux, serve as guards for the Oracle of
Delphi. However, in reality, they usurp her temple and time-shifting
powers.
Daimon: Tisiphone's pet. This creature is battled alongside Tisiphone in all battles that involve her.
The Furies:
They are pre-Olympian beings, born from an ancient battle before the
First Titanomachy. They are the main antagonists and bosses of the game.
Megaera:
A vicious Fury with four spider-like legs on her spine. She can release
a swarm of parasites from a diseased-looking rash on her chest, which
attack her victims and then bury under their skin. The result is always a
severely mutated insect-like servant. Fought alone, and together with
Tisiphone. Killed during the battle with the infected Aegaeon.
Tisiphone: Mistress of illusions, which she use to torment Kratos, Tisiphone summons a Daimon to fight her enemies. Fought alone, with Megaera, and later with Alecto.
Alecto:
The Queen of the Furies, Alecto is also a lover of Ares, with whom she
is in conspiracy with against Olympus. She is the final boss of the game
and is fought together with Tisiphone. Alecto is revealed to be able to
shapeshift into the massive sea beast, Charybdis.
One
Piece (ワンピース Wan Pīsu?) is a Japanese manga series written and
illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since
August 4, 1997; the individual chapters are being published in tankōbon volumes
by Shueisha, with the first released on December 24, 1997, and the 74th volume
released as of June 2014. One Piece follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy,
a young boy whose body gains the properties of rubber after unintentionally
eating a Devil Fruit, and his diverse crew of pirates, named the Straw Hat
Pirates. Luffy explores the ocean in search of the world's ultimate treasure
known as One Piece in order to become the next Pirate King.
The
chapters have been adapted into an original video animation (OVA) produced by
Production I.G in 1998, and an anime series produced by Toei Animation, which
began broadcasting in Japan in 1999. Since then, the still continuing series
has aired over 600 episodes. Additionally, Toei has developed eleven animated
feature films, two OVA's, and five television specials. Several companies have
developed various types of merchandising such as a trading card game, and a
large number of video games.
The
manga series was licensed for an English language release in North America by
Viz Media, in the United Kingdom by Gollancz Manga, and in Australia and New
Zealand by Madman Entertainment. The anime series has been licensed by
Funimation Entertainment for an English-language release in North America,
although the series was originally licensed and distributed by 4Kids Entertainment.
One
Piece has received wide critical acclaim, primarily for its art,
characterization, humor and story. Several volumes of the manga have broken
publishing records, including highest initial print run of any book in Japan
and the first book to sell over three million copies in Oricon history. As of
2013, the series had over 345 million volumes in circulation worldwide, making
it the best-selling manga series in history.
The
series begins with the execution of Gol D. Roger, a man known as the King of
the Pirates (海賊王 Kaizokuō?). Just before his death, Roger announces
that his treasure, the One Piece (ひとつなぎの大秘宝
(ワンピース) Wan Pīsu?), will be available to anyone who finds
it, causing the Great Pirate Era (大海賊時代
Dai Kaizoku Jidai?) to begin. As a result, countless pirates set out to the
Grand Line to look for the treasure.
Twenty-two
years have passed since Roger's execution, and Monkey D. Luffy, a young boy
inspired by his Childhood idol and powerful pirate Red Haired Shanks, sets off
on a journey from the East Blue Sea to find the One Piece and become King of
the Pirates. In an effort to organize his own crew, the Straw Hat Pirates (麦わら海賊団篇 Mugiwara Kaizoku-dan?), Luffy befriends a swordsman
named Roronoa Zoro and they sail off to find the One Piece. They soon meet
Nami, a navigator and thief; Usopp, a sniper and a liar; and Sanji, a
womanizing chef; leading to confrontations with Buggy the Clown, Captain Kuro
and Don Krieg. Later, Luffy encounters Arlong, a fishman and member of the
former Sun Pirates who thinks that fishmen are superior to humans. After Luffy
defeats Arlong, Nami officially joins Luffy's crew and the Navy places a bounty
on Luffy's head. Luffy then meets Captain Smoker, a navy captain that can turn
to smoke. He briefly captures Luffy, but Luffy is saved by his father Monkey D.
Dragon After making their way through the Grand Line, the group meets Nefeltari
Vivi, a princess who wants to help save her country, the Alabasta Kingdom, from
the crime syndicate Baroque Works. They later befriend the doctor and
anthropomorphized reindeer Tony Tony Chopper while in Drum Island.
The
Straw Hat Pirates make their way to Alabasta, leading to battles with Baroque
Works and their leader, Sir Crocodile. Luffy eventually defeats Crocodile and
liberates Alabasta. Soon after, Nico Robin, an archaeologist and former member
of Baroque Works joins Luffy's crew. They soon meet Blackbeard, whose dream is
also to become Pirate King. After going up to the floating island of Skypiea,
the crew gets involved in a war between the Skypieans and the Shandorians,
leading to a confrontation against the island's ruler Eneru, who has the power
of lightning. Luffy defeats Eneru to save Skypiea and end the war. The crew
soon meets the navy admiral Aokiji, who reveals that Robin was involved in
searching for Poneglyphs, which are stones with markings left by an ancient
civilization to reveal the missing 100 years of history that the World
Government had erased. The group goes to Water 7, confronting the cyborg
shipwright Franky and find that their ship, Going Merry, has sailed for the
last time and must be dismantled leading to Usopp's temporary departure from
the Straw Hats. However, Cipher Pol No. 9, the World Government's intelligence
agency captures Robin and Franky for information regarding the Poneglyphs and
the ancient weapons that may come from them. Franky breaks free from the
government after burning his blueprints for one of the weapons and teams up
with the Straw Hat Pirates to declare war on the government, resulting in
battles between CP9 and its minions. The final long battle with CP9 ends when
the crew saves Robin. Franky builds a new ship, the Thousand Sunny, for the
Straw Hats and officially joins the crew. Soon after, the crew helps a musician
skeleton named Brook find his shadow in Thriller Bark, which has been stolen by
Gekko Moriah. After defeating Moriah, Brook joins Luffy's crew.
The
crew later prepares to sail off to the New World, the second half of the Grand
Line, after arriving at the Sabaody Archipelago. While there, they befriend
Silvers Rayleigh, a former member of Roger's pirate crew who plans to coat
their ship so they can travel underwater. The crew eventually gets separated
during a battle with Bartholomew Kuma, a huge cyborg under the control of the
Navy, at the Sabaody Archipelago, with Luffy being sent to the all-female
island Amazon Lily. Having learned that his older brother Portgas D. Ace has
been detained at the government prison Impel Down, Luffy goes there and
liberates several people from the prison, including the fishman Jimbei and some
old enemies. Luffy soon learns that Portgas D. Ace is at Marineford to be
executed. However, war breaks out between the Navy and a group of pirates led
by the legendary pirate, Whitebeard. In the ensuing chaos, Whitebeard and Ace
are killed. At Rayleigh's request, Luffy has the Straw Hats undergo rigorous
training regimens, some under the tutelage of prominent figures.
Two
years later, the crew regroups at Sabaody Archipelago and journeys to Fishman
Island to enter the New World. During this time, a group of fishman pirates
appear, seeking supremacy against humans, and hold a coup d'état to decide the
fate of the island. However, after Nami forgives Jimbei for releasing Arlong
into the East Blue, the Straw Hats defeat the fishmen pirates, saving the
island. The Straw Hats leave Fishman Island and finally reach the New World,
but not before starting a feud with Big Mom, one of the "Four
Emperors", the strongest pirates in the New World. Entering the half-burning
and half-freezing island, Punk Hazard, the crew encounters an old friend and
one of the new Warlords, Trafalgar Law, and they form an alliance to take down
the Four Emperors in the New World. The alliance is drawn into a fierce battle
against Caesar Clown, the scientist responsible for the destruction of Punk
Hazard four years earlier. After Caesar's defeat, the alliance goes to
Dressrosa, a kingdom ruled by Donquixote Doflamingo in an attempt to destroy
the Smile factory as the next phase to defeat another one of the Four Emperors,
Kaido.
The
world of One Piece is populated by humans and numerous other races, including
mermen and mermaids, "fishmen" (a race of fish/human hybrids), and
giants. It is covered by two vast oceans, which are divided by a massive
mountain range called the Red Line (赤い土の大陸（レッドライン） Reddo Rain?). The Grand Line (偉大なる航路（グランドライン） Gurando Rain), a sea that runs perpendicular to the
Red Line, further divides them into four seas: North Blue (北の海（ノースブルー） Nōsu Burū), East Blue (東の海（イーストブルー） Īsuto Burū), West Blue (西の海（ウェストブルー） Uesuto Burū) and South Blue (南の海（サウスブルー） Sausu Burū). Surrounding the Grand Line are two
regions called Calm Belts (凪の帯（カームベルト） kāmu beruto), which experience almost no wind and ocean currents and
are breeding ground for the huge sea creatures called neptunians (海王類 kaiōrui, lit. "sea kings"). Because of
this, the calm belts are very effective barriers for those trying to enter the
Grand Line. While marine ships, using sea-prism stone (海楼石 kairōseki) to mask their presence, can simply pass through, most have
to use the canal system of Reverse Mountain (リヴァース・マウンテン Rivāsu Maunten), a mountain at the first intersection
of the Grand Line and the Red Line. Sea water from each of the four seas runs
up that mountain and merges at the top to flow down a fifth canal and into the first
half of the Grand Line. The second half of the Grand Line, beyond the second
intersection with the Red Line, is also known as the New World (新世界 Shin Sekai).
The
currents and weather on the Grand Line's open sea are extremely unpredictable,
whereas in the vicinity of islands the climate is stable. What makes it even
harder to navigate is the fact that normal compasses do not work there. A
special compass called a Log Pose (記録指針（ログポース） Rogu Pōsu?) must be used. The Log Pose works by locking on to one
island's magnetic field and then locking on to another island's magnetic field.
The time for it to set depends on the island. This process can be bypassed by obtaining an
Eternal Pose (永久指針（エターナルポース） Etānaru Pōsu), a Log Pose variation that is
permanently set to a specific island and never changes.[12]
The
world of One Piece is filled with anachronisms, like the Transponder Snails (電伝虫 Den-Den Mushi?), snail-like animals that can be
attached to electric equipment and function as rotary phones, fax machines,
surveillance cameras, and similar devices. Dials (貝（ダイアル） daiaru), the shells of certain sky-dwelling animals,
can be used to store kinetic energy, wind, sound, images, heat, and the like and
have various applications.
A
Devil Fruit (悪魔の実 Akuma no Mi) is a type of fruit which when eaten confers
a power on the eater. There are three categories of Devil Fruit. Zoan (動物系（ゾオン） Zoon) fruits allow the user to fully and partially
transform into a specific animal (real or otherwise [some fruits allow a person
to turn into mythical beast such as a phoenix or a dragon.]).[18] Logia (自然系（ロギア） Rogia) fruits give control over and allow the user
"to change their living body structure into the powers of nature".
Paramecia (超人系（パラミシア） Paramishia) is a catch-all category for fruits that
give the user superhuman abilities. They
are said to be incarnations of the Sea Devil himself, and as a result, Devil
Fruit users cannot swim in sea water, as "they are hated by the sea".
When even partially submerged in sea
water, they lose all of their strength and coordination, although some
abilities remain, such as Luffy still being able to stretch after being totally
submerged. "Moving" water, such as rain or waves, does not have this
effect. When a Devil Fruit user dies, the powers will be reincarnated into a
new Devil Fruit.
Haki
(覇気?, lit. "Ambition") is a latent ability
every living being in the world of One Piece possesses, though it is quiescent
in most. It comes in three varieties: Color of Observation Haki (見聞色の覇気 Kenbunshoku no Haki) allows to sense the presence of
other beings and predict their movement. Color of Armament (武装色の覇気 Busōshoku no Haki) allows one to envelop body parts
and even inanimate forms with a force akin to an invisible armor that possesses
defensive/offensive properties, which also allows one to inflict harm upon
Devil Fruit users. The rare Color of the Conquering King (覇王色の覇気 Haōshoku no Haki) enables one to intimidate or render
beings of weak determination unconscious.
Original video animations
Three
original video animations (OVAs) have been released in Japan. The first, One
Piece: Defeat The Pirate Ganzack!, was produced by Production I.G for the Jump
Super Anime Tour of 1998 and directed by Gorō Taniguchi. It is 29 minutes in
length and features character designs by Hisashi Kagawa. Luffy, Nami, and Zoro
are attacked by a sea monster that destroys their boat and separates them. Luffy
is found on an island beach, where he saves a little girl, Medaka, from two
pirates. All the villagers, including Medaka's father, have been taken away by
Ganzack and his crew as forced laborers. After hearing that Ganzak also stole
all the food, Luffy and Zoro rush out to get it back. As they fight the
pirates, one of them kidnaps Medaka. A fight starts between Luffy and Ganzack,
ending in Luffy's capture. Meanwhile, Zoro is forced to give up after a threat
is made to kill all of the villagers. The people from the village rise up
against Ganzack, and while the islanders and pirates fight, Nami goes and
unlocks the three captives. Ganzack defeats the rebellion and reveals his
armored battleship. Now it is up to the Straw Hats to "Defeat the Pirate Ganzack!"
and prevent him from destroying the island.
The
second OVA, One Piece: Romance Dawn Story, was produced by Toei Animation in
July 2008 for the Jump Super Anime Tour. It is 34 minutes in length and based
on the first version of Romance Dawn, the pilot story for One Piece, but
includes the Straw Hat Pirates up to Brook and their second ship, the Thousand
Sunny. In search for food for his crew, Luffy arrives at a port town, defeating
a pirate named Crescent Moon Gally on the way. He meets a girl named Silk in
town, who was abandoned by attacking pirates as a baby and raised by the mayor,
which has caused her to value the town as her "treasure". The
villagers mistake Luffy for Gally and capture him just as the real Gally
returns. Gally throws Luffy in the water and plans to destroy the town, but
Silk saves him and Luffy goes after Gally. His crew arrives to help him, and
with his help, he recovers the treasure for the town, gets some food, and
destroys Gally's ship. It was later released as a triple feature DVD with
Dragon Ball: Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!! and Tegami Bachi: Light and
Blue Night, that was available only though a mail-in offer exclusive to
Japanese residents.
The
third OVA, One Piece Film Strong World: Episode 0, is the animated version of
the One Piece Manga Special called "Chapter 0" which shows how things
were before and after the death of Roger. It is also the introductory chapter
to the long-awaited tenth film, Strong World.
Anime series
Toei
Animation produced an anime television series based on the manga chapters, also
titled One Piece. The series premiered in Japan on Fuji Television on October
20, 1999. Since then, the still continuing series has aired more than 600
episodes and has been exported to various countries around the world.
The
first attempt at an English Language adaption of One Piece was attempted by
Odex who licensed the first 104 episodes in Singapore, which were split between
two seasons. Because of the bad VCD sales and low television ratings, attempts
at a third season of 52 episodes, and a DVD box set release were both scrapped,
and most voice actors were replaced for season 2.
In
2004, 4Kids Entertainment acquired the license for distribution of One Piece in
North America. 4Kids collaborated with Viz Media to distribute the series for
home video release. This dub was heavily edited for content, as well as length;
reducing the first 143 episodes into 104. Such edits included changing the
appearance of guns, replacing Sanji's cigarettes with lollipops, and story
edits pertaining to violence or the mention of death. 4Kids originally created
an English version of the original opening theme; however, the music was
replaced with an alternate score composed by their in-house musicians. The
series premiered in the United States on September 18, 2004 on the Fox network
as part of the Fox Box block, and later aired on Cartoon Network in the Toonami
block in April 2005. 4Kids released a statement in December 2006 confirming
that it cancelled the project.[48] In July 2010, an interview was conducted
between Anime News Network and Mark Kirk, the Vice President of Digital Media
for 4Kids Entertainment. In this interview, Kirk explained that 4Kids acquired
One Piece as part of a package deal with other anime, and that the company did
not actually watch any of the series before acquiring it. However, once 4Kids
realized One Piece would not work with their intended demographic, the company
decided to edit it into a more child-oriented series until they had an
opportunity to legally drop the license. Kirk said the experience on producing
One Piece "ruined the company's reputation." Since then, 4Kids
established a more strict set of guidelines, checks, and balances to determine
what anime the company acquires.
Following
the 4Kids dub in 2006, Funimation Entertainment began production on an
English-language release of One Piece. In an interview with voice actor
Christopher Sabat, Sabat stated that Funimation had been interested in
acquiring One Piece from the very beginning, and produced a "test
episode," in which Sabat played the character of Helmeppo and Eric Vale
played the part of the main character, Monkey D. Luffy (they would later go on
to provide the English voices for Roronoa Zoro and Sanji, respectively). After
producing a new English voice dub, which featured minimal edits compared to the
4Kids dub, the company released its first unedited, bilingual DVD box set,
containing 13 episodes, on May 27, 2008. Similarly sized sets followed with
fourteen sets released as of October 26, 2010. The Funimation dubbed episodes
premiered on Cartoon Network on September 29, 2007 and aired until its cancellation
on March 22, 2008. The remainder of Funimation's dubbed episodes continued to
be aired on Australia's Cartoon Network, and then shifted into reruns of the
Funimation dub before being replaced by Total Drama Island. On October 28,
2011, Funimation posted a press release on their official website, confirming
the acquisition of episodes 206-263 and the aspect ratio, beginning with
episode 207 onwards, will be changed to the 16:9 widescreen format. On May 18,
2013, the uncut series began airing on Adult Swim's revived Toonami block from
episode 207 onwards.
Funimation,
Toei Animation, Shueisha, and Fuji TV announced in May 2009 that they would
simulcast stream the series within an hour of the weekly Japanese broadcast.
This free, English-subtitled simulcast is available at
www.onepieceofficial.com. Originally scheduled to begin on May 30, 2009 with episode
403, a lack of security resulted in a leak of the episode. As a result,
Funimation delayed the offer until August 29, 2009 at which point it began with
a simulcast of episode #415.
In
early February 2013, Manga Entertainment announced that it will start releasing
the Funimation dub of One Piece in the United Kingdom in 4 disc collection
format, starting on May 27, 2013.
In
early November 2013, Crunchyroll announced that it will start simulcasting One
Piece from November 2, 2013 in the territories United States, Canada, South
Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Latin America.[61] They announced in
February, 2014 that they would start backlogging the One Piece episodes with
25-30 episodes per week starting from March 1, 2014.
