Warning! The next comprises spoilers for the Rick and Morty episode “Nomortland.” Stream it on September 1st with an HBO Max subscription and browse at your individual danger!
Rick and Morty Season 8 may simply be the very best the collection has ever been, and I am much more steadfast in that opinion after watching the newest episode reference a present I commonly take pleasure in with my Netflix subscription. At a time once I’m actively watching the anime and eagerly awaiting the live-action Season 2 of One Piece to reach, go away it to my favourite comedy to nod on the beloved collection.
“Nomortland” lastly lets Jerry have some enjoyable within the Multiverse as he meets a model of himself who discovered a strategy to journey by means of dimensions by way of a glitch in Beth’s closet. Throughout their travels on “The Highway,” they encounter a gaggle of Jerrys who declare to personal the passages, after which should run from them to efficiently return Jerry to his personal actuality. Throughout their adventures, an indication is proven within the “Bandana Jerrys” compound that pays a fast homage to One Piece. Have a look!
On a photograph listing of “banned Jerrys” is a photograph of a Jerry with a straw hat and an enormous scar resembling an “X” on his chest. Whereas that is probably not too much like the Luffy portrayed by Iñaki Godoy, it bears a really shut resemblance to the anime model, who gained the scar additional down the road. He additionally has a scar underneath the attention, which is from the place Luffy reduce himself within the manga to show he was courageous sufficient to hitch Shanks’ crew.
I used to be by no means looking out for One Piece references in Rick and Morty, however I am definitely going to be extra cautious of looking for aliens who resemble Chopper or different Straw Hat pirates. Granted, the present references popular culture a terrific deal, so this may occasionally simply be the one reference we get for a number of seasons.
I like the implication, nonetheless, that there is a model of Jerry that exists that’s both some model of One Piece‘s Monkey D. Luffy, or only a massive fan of the anime. Understanding Jerry’s common demeanor, I really feel like the chances are larger that it would be the latter, and he is simply an enormous fan of top-of-the-line anime collection for folks to look at.
It is clear that there are some anime followers within the Rick and Morty fold, so I suppose it should not be stunning that it had an anime spinoff. Past the truth that Toonami (one other in style programming block on Cartoon Community) performed a pivotal function in exposing anime to an American viewers, I suppose it is sensible that the preferred animated collection within the West would make a nod to such a well-liked anime collection worldwide.
Rick and Morty airs Sundays on Grownup Swim at 11:00 p.m. ET. As for One Piece, catch new episodes of the anime on Crunchyroll or Netflix whereas ready for the live-action collection to return in 2026.