that one piece Toei Animation's anime is one of the longest-running anime series, which began airing on Fuji TV in 1999. The series is incredibly good, but it's certainly not perfect, and it suffers from its fair share of production issues when it comes to adapting Oda's masterpiece manga. Because Oda is busy, he rarely participates in animation production.
However, soon after launch one piece In episode 1182, shocking information was revealed that One Piece composer Kohei Tanaka was involved in Elbaf's side.
May 12, 2026, The fact that he received direct contact from Oda was officially confirmed by composer Kohei Tanaka. One major request was to make Rain God Zaza as scary as possible, but also cool. Oda's appearance is a major highlight of this new character, but it may take a while for the new OST release to reach fans.
In a message sent by Eiichiro Oda to Kohei Tanaka, the scary and wonderful personality of Zaza, the rain god, was confirmed.
that one piece Toei Animation's animation has been releasing episodes consistently since 1999. Currently, the anime has accumulated 1161 episodes, and there are no signs of it stopping any time soon. The anime has switched to a semi-seasonal format, and from now on will be releasing a moderate number of episodes each year. Even with the One Piece remake on the way, fans still watch each week as major manga events finally come to life in Toei Animation. The One Piece anime's most recent return in April 2026 finally marked the beginning of the Elbaph arc, and with it came some of the most anticipated reveals, such as the introduction of Rain God Zaza.
As for the comics, the most recent development in the story shows the emergence of a divine being known as Rain God Zaza. The God of Rain has been mentioned in Skypiea for a long time, and recently in episode 1182, he was finally implemented into MMA by Killingham's Kirin Devil Fruit. Interestingly, Eiichiro Oda himself is particularly excited about the reveal of the Rain God Zaza in the anime, so much so that he sent a message to the music composer to handle the adaptation of this character with caution. Oda contacted Kohei Tanaka directly via LINE with a simple request: to make Zaza's musical theme scary yet cool at the same time.
“Let’s sleep. What is the rhythmic prayer of rain”…? I received the following LINE message from Mr. Oda.
'Please make it scary and cool'' – Kohei Tanaka (One Piece music composer)
How Eiichiro Oda's message shows the character of Zaza the Rain God
The gods of the One Piece world continued to be hinted at in Skypiea, with the sun god, forest god, earth god, and rain god revealed in episode 287. It was only in Wano that one of these gods finally made an official appearance in the comics. In chapter 1044 of the story, the sun god Nika officially appeared, and Luffy finally showed his Gomu Gomu-nomi, or Hitohitonomi, Model: Nika's true nature. With his godly white appearance and Gear 5, Luffy's Drums of Liberation are also activated. Drums of Liberation has a very specific OST created specifically for the One Piece anime, which debuted in episode 1070. The music in Luffy's Gear 5 is upbeat and exciting, making others want to dance and celebrate with Luffy. This shows the main personality traits of Sun God Nika. Oda's intention with Drums of Liberation was to instill hope in the hearts of many people and make them dance and laugh. Needless to say, the anime definitely nails the first symphony released about God.
But Rain God Zaza will have a completely different symphony, emphasizing its specific character. Tzu Chi, the rain god, does not inspire hope but rather fear. These subtle details point out the personality of God. While Nika brings hope, Zaza brings fear. That means this god is deadly, scary, and cool, unlike Luffy's stupid Nika form. Fans can expect low-pitched music with crashing notes and eerie melodies to show the anxiety and stress this god brings to his celestial dragons. Celestial Dragons live above the clouds of Marijoa, so they are incredibly afraid of Zaza due to their innate fear of rain.
Of course, there is one more scene that fans of OSTs and musical symphonies are looking forward to hearing in the anime: Saint Imu Nerona. Imu is the world's demon and acts as a secret monarch who rules over everything. It has already been revealed that One Piece anime is working on a specific OST for Imu called “Imu's Descent”. This OST will no doubt be terrible, but in a different way than Zaza's OST. Since Imu filled everything around him with demonic energy, his musical symphonies would also reflect that.
Jaja, God of Rain, scheduled for animation in 2028
Oda has already expressed what he would like to see in the One Piece anime regarding the music composition of Zaza, the God of Rain. However, Zaza's animated adaptation is still a long way off. Zaza first appeared in episode 1182 of One Piece in the manga, released on May 10, 2026. The current animation has slowed down significantly, with Toei switching to 26 episodes per year compared to the 40+ episodes it previously produced.
At the current pace of animation, Zaza won't appear in animation until 2028. Of course, this all depends on the speed of your animation. Currently, Toei Animation says they're aiming for one chapter per episode, which slows things down considerably. At least this gives Kohei Tanaka enough time to create a perfect symphony.
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One Piece's Elbaph Arc will be filled with new music
Elbaf Arc will be a musical masterpiece, especially since it has already been confirmed to include two massive OSTs from Zaza and Imu. Additionally, there are many works by the talented Kohei Tanaka, who has been working on One Piece since the early days of animation.
Many of Elbaph's major events have special OSTs created for them. First of all, Harley Text will have its own beat, which will make the reveal even more appealing. The Holy Knights also have their own theme, which could be revealed with the appearance of Shamrock. Imu Descent is expected and Domi Reversi will also have his own song labeled “Black Turn Domination”. Additionally, the Giants themselves will be highlighted with new music along with Roger's left wing, Scopper Gaban.
source: One Piece music composer Kohei Tanaka
