How Netflix’s Monsters 103 Serves as a One Piece Prequel

One Piece is undeniably one of the most prolific and long-lasting series out there. With a new arc beginning early in 2024, there’s a lot to get excited about, including Monsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation. But how is Netflix’s Monsters a One Piece prequel?

How Is Netflix’s Monsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation a One Piece Prequel?

Monsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation, or Monsters for short, is a one-shot manga that author Eiichiro Oda released in 1994, several years before One Piece was published. The manga follows a samurai named Ryuma, who sets off on an adventure to slay a powerful dragon. While that may sound relatively simple, it’s all in the presentation, with the anime directed by Sunghoo Park, who anime fans may know as being the director of the first season of Jujutsu Kaisen and God of High School.

That’s all well and good, but how is this a prequel to One Piece? Well, it all has to do with the main character. Ryuma is a samurai who hails from Wano, although he was alive centuries before the Straw Hats ever set foot on that island. He’s regarded as being the Sword God and was known as the greatest swordsman of all time. He appeared during the Thriller Bark arc of the series, where his corpse was revived by the villain of the arc and was used to fight against the Straw Hat Pirates. While there are no direct references to One Piece in the one-shot for obvious reasons, there may be a nod and a wink to Luffy and Co. somewhere in Monsters, so fans should keep an eye out for that.

How Long Is Netflix’s Monsters & When Does It Release?

While there is a fair amount of hype surrounding Monsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation and its upcoming release, it’s a fairly modest production. Due to it being based on a one-off manga, Monsters will only last a single episode. That episode will last only 23 minutes, so it’s really more of a short film than anything else. Monsters will be animated by E&H Production, a relatively young production company founded by Sunghoo Park, who assisted with last year’s Undead Murder Farce and will be releasing Ninja Kamui this year.

As for when Monsters will be released, it will be released on Netflix in all regions except for Japan on January 21st, 2024. Monsters will be released in Japan a few days after it drops on Netflix, releasing there on January 23rd, 2024.

So, now you know everything you need to know about Monsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation! If you’re at all interested in this unique and fascinating piece of One Piece history, it won’t be long until it releases and fans can enjoy this short film!