One Piece Officially Proves It Belongs at Universal Studios
Ahmed Riaz
The One Piece: Grand Pirate Show is a thrilling live-action stunt show currently making waves at Universal Studios Hollywood’s annual Fan Fest Nights. While the limited run concludes on May 16, 2026, reports from fans and reviewers online suggest that the attraction has consistently performed in front of a packed, satisfied audience. Even park goers unfamiliar with the anime series are taking to social media to express just how impressed they are with the show.
While other properties participating at Fan Fest Nights brought hit-or-miss experiences, the aquatic One Piece extravaganza ironically proved to be fire. Universal needs to take this successful reception as a clear sign that it’s time to sunset the aging WaterWorld: A Live Sea War Spectacular in favor of a more contemporary, family-friendly franchise like One Piece.
The Straw Hats Dropped Anchor at Universal Studios Hollywood for the First Time
Imge via Universal Studios
Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp and Sanji officially landed in Universal Studios Hollywood during the inaugural Fan Fest Nights, appearing at exclusive character meet-and-greet sessions from April 25 to May 18, 2025. Fans appreciated their presence so much that this year, Universal ported the high-energy live-action One Piece show directly from Universal Studios Japan. The official description promises an “ultimate voyage” filled with “high-octane battles, splash-filled stunts, and a dazzling pyrotechnic finale.”
Universal Studios Japan has gotten this stunt show down to a science, running it annually for nearly two decades since 2007. With anime now part of the American mainstream entertainment industry and the success of Netflix’s live-action One Piece adaptation, USH felt it was finally time to test the waters for this show stateside. The performance has definitely made a splash, proving there is a strong desire by Americans to experience the Straw Hat crew’s adventures in the original Hollywood theme park.
One Piece Fans Are Thrilled to See Devil Fruit Powers in Action
One Piece: Grand Pirate Show stunt actors for Nami, Zoro, Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp posing in front of a fireworks explosionImage via Universal Studios Hollywood
Universal Studios Hollywood excels at immersive experiences, from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to Super Nintendo World. The action-packed fight scenes well-known throughout the One Piece series make it the perfect brand to join Universal’s eclectic mix of theme park attractions. These iconic characters and their unique combat techniques have captured the imagination of fans across all age groups, providing an exciting spectacle that appeals to the entire family.
Fans finally get to see Devil Fruit powers in action through impressive practical effects, such as Sanji’s Diable Jambe kick being interpreted with real flames lighting up the stunt actor’s leg. Luffy’s rubbery body is brought to life via ricocheting bullet sound effects and synchronized fireworks that shoot off from multiple stage walls. Even Tony Tony Chopper appears, not as a CG character, but in the form of a plush that persistently strangles a Marine actor. Is it campy? Sure. But it’s the kind of silly theatrics fans have come to expect from One Piece.
It’s Time for the WaterWorld Stunt Show to Sail Away
Universal Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
The WaterWorld: A Live Sea War Spectacular stunt show launched in 1995 to promote the Kevin Costner film that released the same year. The admittedly visually impressive spectacle has lingered in the spotlight at USH for 31 years, even though the property never released a single sequel, prequel, remake, or spin-off show.
While talks sprang up in 2021 over a WaterWorld sequel series being in the works, it never materialized, which leaves an attraction that modern audiences have trouble connecting with. Most park goers under the age of 30 have never even seen the original film, making the show feel like a relic of a bygone era.
CBR Exclusive · One Piece Quiz WHICH ONE PIECE LEGEND ARE YOU? Set sail — Quiz sequence initiated ⚓ The Grand Line stretches endlessly before you. Across its treacherous waters, legends are born — forged in Devil Fruit power, unbreakable will, and the fierce loyalty of a crew that would sail into any storm. Twenty questions. One legendary result. Your adventure begins now. 🌊
🍖Luffy
⚔️Zoro
🗺️Nami
📖Robin
🍳Sanji
01
The Going Merry is ready to leave port. What’s your first move? 🚢 How you set sail says everything about who you are at sea.
02
A Marine warship is blocking your route. You: 🏴☠️ Crisis response reveals your true pirate nature.
03
You find a Devil Fruit on the table. What do you hope it is? 🍈 The fruit you crave is the power you were always meant to have.
04
What is your one, unshakeable dream? 🌟 Every great pirate sails for something deeper than treasure.
05
The Thousand Sunny docks at a new island. First stop? 🏝️ What you do first in port reveals your deepest priorities.
06
Your greatest weapon aboard the ship? ✨ Every Straw Hat has one thing that makes them irreplaceable.
07
What’s your natural role when things get tense? 🪝 The pressure moment is where your true function reveals itself.
08
Honest confession — what is actually your biggest flaw? 😬 Even the greatest pirates have one thing they’re still working on.
09
A crewmate is in serious danger. You: 💪 How you protect the people you sail with is who you truly are.
10
Halfway across the Grand Line. What keeps you going? 🌟 Not the crew’s reason. Yours. The private one.
11
You lost the fight. The crew is watching. Now what? 😳 How you rise after falling is what separates legends from passengers.
12
Your bounty poster just went up. What’s on it? 💰 The World Government describes you the way your enemies see you.
13
Free day on a peaceful island. What actually happens? 🌴 How you rest is a window into what drives you when no one’s watching.
14
What does your crew actually say about you behind your back? 📋 The people who sail with you see the version you can’t.
15
Which Haki do you feel most aligned with? 🔮 The Haki you master reflects the deepest truth of who you are.
16
What does it truly mean to you to be a pirate? 🌊 Not Garp’s definition. Not the Marines’. Yours.
17
In a hundred years, what will they say about you? 🎬 The Void Century has room for one more name. What does yours mean?
18
A Warlord of the Sea is blocking the path forward. You: 👀 Warlords don’t intimidate legends. They reveal them.
19
The crew celebrates a big victory. Your contribution? 🎉 How you celebrate says as much as how you fight.
20
You reach Laugh Tale. The One Piece is real. What do you do? 🔥 Twenty questions. One truth. No turning back now.
⚓ The Grand Line has made its judgement ⚓ YOUR ONE PIECE LEGEND
Your scores are revealed below! The character with the highest number is your One Piece counterpart. Read their profile to discover your true pirate destiny. 🌊
🍖 Luffy
⚔️ Zoro
🗺️ Nami
📖 Robin
🍳 Sanji
You don’t understand the word impossible — not because you’re naive, but because you genuinely never accepted that it applied to you. You charge into every situation with the full force of your personality, your body, and your heart, and somehow the universe rearranges itself to accommodate you. You don’t lead through command; you lead through being so completely, recklessly yourself that everyone around you becomes a better version of who they were. You eat too much, feel too loudly, and care too deeply. The world calls it recklessness. Your crew calls it home. 🍖
You have made exactly one promise and you have organised your entire existence around keeping it. Stoic to a fault, terrifying in combat, and somehow always facing the wrong direction — you are the immovable foundation that the whole crew leans against when everything else shakes. You don’t ask for recognition. You don’t need it. The work is its own reward. The sword is the path and the path is the sword. You will lose a thousand times before you reach the top, and you will get back up every single time. That is not stubbornness. That is who you are. ⚔️
You are sharper than anyone in the room and you know it — but you also know exactly when not to show it. Pragmatic, resourceful, and carrying more than you ever show on your face, you are the reason the ship reaches anywhere at all. Every route was planned by you. Every impossible weather reading, every near-catastrophe avoided — that was you. The world tried to take everything from you once, and you built something extraordinary out of the wreckage. You love the people you’ve chosen fiercely, quietly, and without much ceremony. The map isn’t finished. You’ll get there. 🗺️
You spent so long being hunted for what you know that you forgot — briefly, painfully — that you were also worth loving for who you are. You carry the weight of erased history in your memory and the quiet certainty of someone who has survived what should have been unsurvivable. Calm where others panic, perceptive where others miss everything, and in possession of a dark humour that still catches people off guard. You don’t trust easily, and when you do, it is the most complete and devastating loyalty imaginable. You want to know the truth. You deserve to live to read it. 📖
You have principles carved so deep they function like a skeleton — invisible, structural, and the thing holding everything else upright. You cook for people because food is love expressed at its most honest. You fight for the crew because protecting them is the most natural thing in the world. You are elegant, occasionally absurd, capable of extraordinary tenderness and absolutely terrifying combat in the same five-minute span. You came from darkness and chose light so deliberately and so completely that it became your defining act. The sea called and you answered. All Blue is out there. You’ll find it. 🍳
One Piece, on the other hand, is dominating pop culture as the anime surpasses episode 1,160 and a successful Netflix adaptation finishes its second season this year. It makes perfect sense to repurpose WaterWorld’s pyrotechnic and aquatic effects for a series that is globally relevant today. This attraction update also allows non-fans to experience the franchise for the first time, potentially recruiting a new generation of Straw Hat allies to the cause as the series continues to grow.
What’s big in pop culture is always changing, but One Piece has proven to be an evergreen property worldwide. While the One Piece stunt show might benefit from a seasonal format similar to the Japan version for logistical reasons, the stage could still play host to other contemporary properties during the show’s off-season.
The limited-time Fall Guy tie-in event recently proved the venue’s versatility, suggesting that a rotating stunt schedule is entirely feasible. One thing’s for sure – WaterWorld‘s Mariner should set sail into the sunset so Luffy and his nakama can take command of the ship for good.
