One Piece on Ice Casts Its Villains
One Piece on Ice is bringing the Straw Hat Pirates and their enemies to the rink this summer in Japan. With Luffy and company looking to hit the real world thanks to the upcoming Netflix adaptation, 2023 is presenting new takes on the Grand Line on a few fronts. Now, before the creations of Eiichiro Oda hit the ice, the villains that will be front and center in this upcoming performance have been cast as Sir Crocodile and Bon Clay and are set to skate their way to this show.
While it's doubtful that this upcoming performance will reveal what the One Piece is, thanks to it revisiting the Alabasta Arc, it will cover some major moments from the shonen franchise as it stands. The two villains that will stand in Luffy's way during this ice-based extravaganza are Sir Crocodile and Bon Clay, as mentioned earlier. The official website for the performance dropped official descriptions for the nefarious pair that you can read below.
Crocodile/Bon Clay Team-Up
Sir Crocodile's description reads as such, "Former King Shichibukai. A user of the Sunasuna Fruit. The boss of the secret society "Baroque Works". His code name is Mr.0." Bon Clay's write-up was also broken down for fans who might be attending, A member of the secret society "Baroque Works" and one of the assassins who attack the Straw Hat Pirates. His codename is Mr.2. A person with the power of "mane mane fruit" that can make the face and body look exactly like the person he touches."
Sir Crocodile will be played by skater Takahito Mura, a world-class ice skater that has taken home quite a few championship victories in the past. Mura went on record about his upcoming take on the Alabasta antagonist, "While reading the manga, I was always excited to see what the next development would be. I would like to come up with an image that will bring out the personality of the crocodile."
On the flip side, Bon Clay will be played by skater Rika Hongo, who was the winner of the Grand Prix Series Cup of Russia. Rika is clearly a big One Piece fan and shared their thoughts when it came to taking on the role, "When I received the offer to appear, it was a joke that I said, "Joe~~ Dan, I'm sooooooooooo!!!" I would like to express various aspects of him on the ice, such as a character who is an enemy, but who can't hate him, who is funny, has a lot of quirks, and is passionate about his friends, and his unique movements."
The live-action anime adaptation on ice is only set to be performed in Japan at present. With three-time Olympic medalist Shoma Uno taking on the role of Luffy, the performance will be taking place from August 11th to the 13th at the KOSE Shin Yokohama Skater Center. Following this initial performance, a second show will take place from September 2nd to the 3rd at the Aichi Dolphins Arena.