While it goes without saying how popular it is one piece, the hometown of its author (Kumamoto, Japan) shows a special recognition both for the series and for its characters, and that is how in this town he ended up presenting a statue in the shape of Jimbe outside the largest auditorium in the prefecture.
The project that immortalized the protagonists of the anime/manga of one piece originally had nine statues contemplated representing each of the mugiwara, but after the events that introduced Jimbe as a new crewmate, the prefecture decided to build one more statue in his image.
Photo: ANN
The bronze sculpture represents the newt and the most recent member to join the Straw Hat crew. Jimbe is introduced making a toast while holding a glass in honor of his nickname as “the knight of the sea”.
The Jimbe statue is the latest to join the group of monuments to one piece which are located in different parts of Kumamoto prefecture. These statues were erected as thanks to Eiichiro Oda when he donated much of the proceeds from the sleeve to help rebuild his hometown.
Photo: Twitter
Some of these statues helped promote local tourism during 2020, as they became meeting points for fans of one piece who visit the city where Eiichiro Oda was born (and now take pictures of his protagonists). In fact, Jimbe’s statue has also been turned into a Pokémon Go Pokestop. When they get to it, their fans can find an illustration of the monument made by the author.
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