'One Piece' anime releases PSA for coronavirus awareness

The first 534 chapters of the 'One Piece' manga was made available for free on the Shonen Jump App.

By AARON REICH
The members of the Straw Hat Pirates from 'One Piece' are seen here. (photo credit: NET SAMA/FLICKR)
The members of the Straw Hat Pirates from 'One Piece' are seen here.
(photo credit: NET SAMA/FLICKR)
As the coronavirus outbreak spreads across the world and has more people worried than ever before, many celebrities and influencers are reaching out to their international fan bases to raise awareness for the deadly contagion. Now, that includes the characters of the most successful Manga franchise in history.
Speaking on Japanese TV, the anime adaptation of the popular manga series One Piece released a PSA where protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates encouraged fans to practice social distancing and to wash their hands multiple times a day in order to stem the spread of COVID-19, comicbook.com reported.
One Piece, which has been in weekly serialization in the magazine Weekly Shonen Jump since 1997 and has been on the air since 1999, is one of the most successful franchises of all time in any medium, and is read and watched throughout the world. However, with over 95 volumes worth of issues and (at the time of writing) 924 episodes, jumping into the series can be difficult. However, with millions of people around the world stuck at home due to the pandemic, the publisher behind the series, Shueisha, has decided to release the first 524 chapters of One Piece for free on the Shonen Jump smartphone app, comicbook.com reported.
In addition, another iconic Japanese franchise, Pokemon, has released the first 299 episodes of its popular anime series for free on Amazon Japan.