Cartoon Network will finally broadcast the elusive anime crossover One Piece, Dragon Ball Z, and Toriko in English on its Adult Swim Toonami block.
The 2013 Toriko One Piece Dragon Ball Z Super Crossover Special will finally be broadcast in North America.
Officially announced by Toei Animation in English, the legendary crossover special featuring the stars of One Piece and Dragon Ball Z will debut on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim Toonami block. The special aired originally on Fuji TV in Japan on April 7, 2013. Even though the special is part of the One Piece anime TV Series as Episode 590, “The Mightiest Collaborations in History vs. The Gluttonous Sea,” international viewers did not have access to the crossover. It’s not included in One Piece’s official English home media release and is not available on English streaming services like Crunchyroll. Toriko, One Piece, and Dragon Ball Z Super Crossover Special will air on Toonami on Saturday, March 4.
Excitement at the Crossover Episode’s Release
Jason DeMarco, co-creator of Toonami, is Senior Vice President of Anime & Action of Warner Bros. Discovery also shared his excitement via Twitter. DeMarco tweeted: “We still need some moves.” Adult Swim/Toonami is one of many services that Warner Bros. was operating. Discovery was a victim of the content purge, which famously affected HBO Max. The higher-ups had questioned the name as well as the future of the streaming service.
The biggest loss was the cancellation of Shenmue. The Animation aired for 13 episodes in 2022. The Shenmueanime, was also a coproduction between Adult Swim (Crunchyroll) and Crunchyroll in 2021 before Sony acquired them in 2021. It was also before Funimation’s merger with Funimation 2022. Despite setbacks, Toonami continues to air anime action series like My Hero Academia, and One Piece and also funds new anime series like Housing Complex C.
One Piece is available now on streaming services such as Netflix, Crunchyroll, or Tubi. A live-action One PieceTV show has been developed for Netflix. The release window is set for 2023.