I started watching One Piece in 2009 when I was just new in Japan. And since then, I became a fan and started collecting action figures. The anime actually began in 1999 and this year, One Piece is celebrating its 25th year on being aired in Japanese television.

Last year, a 21-foot-tall Giant Straw Hat Luffy was featured at SM North EDSA’s Animezing North. This year, the mall launched its Animezing North: One Piece 25th event on August 20th. Unfortunately, I only had the chance to visit on its final day, September 8th. The event was organized in partnership with Toei Animation, Funko, and SM Fanverse.

The centerpiece of the event is the gigantic Luffy Gear 5 balloon. Gear 5 is the awakened form of the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, enhancing Luffy’s rubbery body and granting him the power to manipulate and transform his surroundings. Luffy unlocked this ability during his final battle with Kaidou on Onigashima.

In addition to the impressive Luffy balloon, the event features a variety of One Piece design elements, including the Straw Hat Crew’s Jolly Roger, the crew’s bounty posters, the entire Straw Hat Crew, members of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, and several other photo spots.