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For the song, see Pandaman (song).

Pandaman is a joke character created by Eiichiro Oda, and one of the most prominent easter eggs in One Piece.

Originally designed for a Kinnikuman character creation contest,[5] Pandaman has gone on to make cameo appearances in many manga chapters, anime episodes, films, and more. He is particularly prominent in several of the video games, even being playable in the first Grand Battle! and its immediate sequel.

Due to his status as a joke character, most if not all concrete data on Pandaman has been revealed through the SBS, and may or may not be serious on Oda's part.

Appearance[]

Pandaman's most distinctive feature is his head, which is stylized to look like his namesake (and sometimes emblazoned with the word PANDA). Whether this is a mask or his real face is unknown.

Meanwhile, his physique can vary wildly from appearance to appearance. Though most "official" portraits (including Oda's original contest submission) depict him as tall and well-muscled, many of his cameos in the actual manga and anime depict him as slimmer, if not outright scrawny, to keep him better-hidden in crowd scenes.

Apart from his black trunks and lace-up boots, Pandaman usually goes undressed, and may bear a pair of heart tattoos on his pectorals, and bamboo tattoos on his arms. At times, however, he has been seen in civilian, pirate, or even Marine attire.

Pandaman does not always make cameos in the flesh. Indeed, cameos of his name have appeared scattered throughout the series in both katakana and romaji script.[9]

Gallery[]

Pandaman Digitally Colored Manga
Pandaman in the Digitally Colored Manga.
Pandaman Anime Concept Art
Pandaman's concept art from the anime.
Pandapanda
Pandaman's physique frequently varies. This example is from the "alternative" cover under Volume 52's dust jacket.
Pandaman Volume 21 Alternative Cover
Pandaman in place of Crocodile on the Volume 21 alternative cover.
Pandaman Wyper
Pandaman as Wyper on the Volume 28 alternative cover.
Pandaman as a Dragon
Pandaman as a dragon in the inside covers of Volumes 99, 100, and 101.
Pandaman Sprite
Pandaman's portrait in One Piece: Gigant Battle!.

Cameo Examples in the Manga[]

Pandaman First Appearance
Pandaman's first appearance in the manga.
Sbs 276 1
"Pandaman" written within the Poneglyph in Arabasta.
Chapter 272
Pandaman in Chapter 272's cover (in the bottom-left corner).
Pandaman at the Auction House
A very hidden Pandaman in the Human Auctioning House (in the bottom-right corner).
Pandaman in Bentham's Transformations
Pandaman mixed into the faces of Bentham.
Pandaman 634
Pandaman charging with the New Fish-Man Pirates. He can be seen right in the middle, holding a sword.
Pandaman Marine
Pandaman is a Marine in Chapter 691's cover.
Pandaman in Cross Epoch
Pandaman in Cross Epoch.

Cameo Examples in the Anime[]

KuroPandaman
Pandaman's first appearance in the anime (excluding the opening) in Episode 16.
Pandaman Baratie
Pandaman's appearance on the Baratie.
Pandaman in Loguetown
Pandaman in Loguetown.
Mr. Beans Original Anime Color Scheme
In a shirt in Whisky Peak.
Pandaman in Jaya
Pandaman on Jaya.
Liar Noland Book 1
Pandaman (back) between the crowd.
Pandaman Episode 195
Pandaman amongst some Skypieans.
Pandaman Water 7
Pandaman at Water 7's Dock 1.
Thriller Bark Victim's Association Infobox
Pandaman on Thriller Bark.
Pandaman in Sabaody Archipelago
Pandaman on the Sabaody Archipelago.
Roche Tomson and George Black Portrait
The name of Pandaman on a list of Impel Down prisoners.
Panda man in a group of Impel Down escapees
Pandaman amongst a group of Impel Down escapees.
Pandaman on a Marine Ship
Pandaman on a Marine ship.
Pandaman at Rain Dinners
Pandaman appears on a slot machine reel.
Pandaman Bon Voyage
Usopp fishing up Pandaman in the 4th opening, BON VOYAGE!.
Pandaman wanted
Pandaman's bounty poster from the 9th One Piece Movie.
Heart Pirates Members
Pandaman as part of Heart Pirates (in the far right).
Pandaman in One Piece Stampede
Pandaman as part of the crowd in One Piece: Stampede.
Pandaman Among the Gifters
Pandaman among the Gifters.
Roger Pirates While Partying
Pandaman partying with the Roger Pirates (in the center right, beside Taro and wearing a blue shirt).
PandaManWano
Pandaman in Wano Country.

Cameo Examples in the Video games[]

Pandaman World Seeker
A Pandaman cameo in One Piece: World Seeker.

Personality[]

Little has been established about Pandaman's personality in canon - save, perhaps, for his cowardice in constantly fleeing from debt collectors.

In contrast, video games frequently portray him with the boisterous, hot-blooded bravado stereotypical to pro-wrestlers. Apart from eagerly accepting any and all challenges to fight, he also constantly peppers his speech with the vocalization "sasa" (ササ?), a reference to the term for bamboo (, sasa?).

Relationships[]

Pandawoman[]

SBS55 2 Pandawoman

Pandawoman

Pandaman is said to be in love with Pandawoman, but it is unknown if these feelings are reciprocated.[10]

Tomato Gang[]

Pandaman, unfortunately, is also constantly on the run from Tomato Gang, a debt collector to whom Pandaman owes money.[11]

Unforgivable Mask[]

Pandaman's greatest rival, Unforgivable Mask, is hired by Tomato Gang to track Pandaman down and retrieve the money he owes Tomato Gang.[12]

Abilities and Powers[]

While Pandaman has demonstrated no combat ability in any of his appearances, he does - according to Oda's contest write-up - have a small repertoire of attacks:[5]

  • S.P.D., short for Sasa no Ha Panda Drop (笹の葉パンダドロップ, Sasa no Ha Panda Doroppu?, literally meaning "Bamboo Leaves Panda Drop").
  • Giant Panda Deathlock (ジャイアントパンダデスロック, Jaianto Panda Desurokku?).

The same write-up also notes that Pandaman has a strength of 3,300,000 Chojin Power after eating bamboo and before meals.

In his playable appearances in Grand Battle! and Grand Battle! 2, Pandaman uses a variety of wrestling-based attacks, with the Giant Panda Deathlock in particular portrayed as a brutal backbreaker drop; aside from these, he also possesses the ability to summon Panda Sharks against enemies. Meanwhile, Gigant Battle! portrays him with the ability to fire an energy beam by crossing his forearms.

History[]

As an infant, Pandaman was said to have been abandoned in a bamboo thicket, and subsequently raised by giant pandas. Growing up, he was frequently picked on for claiming to have seen Princess Kaguya, and as a result trained to become a "Devil Chojin" (悪魔超人, Akuma chōjin?).[5]

Eventually, Pandaman grew into a man of wealth and prestige, supposedly presiding over his own island.[13] Rumors of this island (and its panda-like populace) reached as far as Foosha Village.[6] Some time later, however, Pandaman fell into financial trouble with the debt collector Tomato Gang, who began relentlessly pursuing him, even hiring his rival Unforgivable Mask as an enforcer.[11][12]

Pandaman first crossed paths with the Straw Hat Pirates during the Baratie Arc, where he witnessed the altercation between Sanji and Fullbody.[1][4] Since then, he has appeared in the background of every locale the Straw Hats have visited (and several they have not, such as Lulusia Kingdom).[14] The one exception is the all-female isle of Amazon Lily, where Pandawoman is seen instead; it is said that Pandaman fell in love with this woman, but it is unclear whether she even knows he exists.[10]

(The true age of Pandaman remains unknown, though his chronologically earliest appearance places him among Mont Blanc Noland's voyages, some four hundred years before the Great Age of Pirates.[15])

Comprehensive List[]

Manga Appearances[]

Anime Appearances[]

  • In the Strong World: Episode 0, when Buggy went to Crocus asking if Roger could fight, a panda face can be seen as a pattern on a crew-mate's back.
  • One Piece: Romance Dawn Story, when the townsfolk realize pirates are coming Pandaman can be seen running across the screen. He is also seen at the ending song.
  • In Movie 2, he is seen getting launched off by Luffy's punch as he is climbing the Trump Castle.
  • In Movie 3, he is seen with the animals that were called by the trumpet pig when the new animal king is being announced.
  • In Movie 7, he is seen as one of the inhabitants of the island the turtle is approaching.
  • In One Piece Gold, he is one of the fighters fighting in a golden cage
  • In One Piece: Stampede, a newspaper Smoker reads mentions Pandaman 20 times:
    • His wanted poster is seen near the Straw Hats three times in the intro.
    • He is also seen sitting by a table at the Pirate Expo.
    • He is among the spectators in the main event.
    • He's eating at a food stall.
    • He's passing by Smoker in the crowd.
    • He's among the pirates charging towards the treasure during the Treasure Race.
    • He's running from the Marines when they arrive.
    • He's cheering Buggy fleeing.
    • He's among Buggy's crew again later.
    • He is seen among the crowd admiring Boa Hancock.
    • He's captured by Marines behind Grount.
    • He's a Marine behind Mihawk cutting the meteore.
    • He's again a Marine on the ground later.
    • He's a Marine officer during the meeting about Bullet.
    • He's a Marine fleeing the Buster Call.
    • He's a Marine cheering Luffy's victory.
    • He's a Marine next to Kizaru when he's getting on his ship.
    • His back is seen when he's standing next to Ann, Hatchan, Camie and Pappag in the ending.
  • In opening 1 We Are!, he is seen fighting against Zoro.
  • In opening 4 BON VOYAGE!, he is caught by Usopp's fishing rod during the colored mini-boat scene.
  • In Episode 16, he is seen among the Black Cat Pirates.
  • In Episode 21, he is seen as one of the customers of the Baratie while Fullbody is being beaten by Zeff.
  • In Episode 29, he is seen as one of the Krieg Pirates boarding Gin's boat when they are leaving Baratie.
  • In Episode 45, Sanji is seen wearing an apron with a Pandaman print.
  • In Episode 50, he is seen in the crowd of the Red Hair Pirates.
  • In Episode 51, he is seen in the restaurant where Buggy was eating.
  • In Episode 52, he is seen behind the people who are stunned by Alvida's beauty.
  • In Episode 56, he runs across the deck of a marine ship preparing to give chase to Zoro and Usopp after they rammed a docked marine ship.
  • In Episode 64, his head can be seen on a boy's shirt while the crowd is cheering for the arrival of Going Merry.
  • In Episode 69, there is a panda figure on the book Koby is reading.
  • In Episode 70 during the conversation between Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek when they are first seen talking, the back of Pandaman's head can be seen with him talking to someone by the pool. He can also be seen behind Mr. 3 after he takes the orders from Crocodile. Another Panda headed person can be seen wearing a bikini, just over Mr. 3's right hand.
  • In Episode 76, there is an orange plant that has a panda figure at the lower left of screen outside the house made of wax where Sanji is drinking tea.
  • In Episode 88 after Chopper uses Brain Point to find Chessmarimo's weak spot, Pandaman can be seen engraved on the castle wall above the door.
  • In Episode 95 he is seen watching Ace and Smoker's confrontation, later in the same episode he is seen on one of the Baroque Works ships, rushing in the background among other Baroque employees.
  • In Episode 104 he is seen in the left hand corner of the crowd when showing the Casino from the plaza.
  • In Episode 105 he is seen passing Nami and Usopp, right before Luffy appears with Smoker chasing him.
  • In Episode 106 his head is seen as one of the figures in the slot machine, right after Luffy entered Rainbase
  • In Episode 120 he is seen in the crowd.
  • In Episode 133, a panda can be seen in Sanji's apron.
  • In Episode 134, a panda mask can be seen on the side of Sanji's head during the fireworks.
  • In Episode 146 he is seen behind Nami after Zoro and Luffy help Doc Q and Stronger. He is also seen at the back while Burgess is beating up one of Roshio's crew.
  • In Episode 195 he is seen among the Skypieans and Shandia when the Shandia Chief asks Gan Fall to become God again.
  • In Episode 212 he is seen as one of the Foxy Pirates when Luffy is choosing a crew member as a prize for the Davy Back Fight.
  • In Episode 228 he is seen in the crowd listening to Mont Blanc Noland's tales.
  • In Episode 230 when Chopper and Robin saw a shop selling masks, a Pandaman mask can be seen among them.
  • In Episode 238 he is seen at the crowd when Nami was cheering for Luffy in his fight with Franky.
  • In Episode 248 he is seen in the crowd when the Sea Train Puffing Tom begins its maiden voyage.
  • In Episode 249 he is seen running away from the attacks of Franky's Battle ships.
  • In Episode 291 he is the not-so-hidden Pandaman:Tot-san in the "Christmas-Special:Samurai-Detective Luffy" filler.
  • In Episode 303 he is in the restaurant drinking sake as Tot-san and at the end of the episode hiding in the crowd.
  • In Episode 317 he is seen among the crowd when Abi meets Luffy the first time.
  • In Episode 326 he is seen on the top of the stack of wanted posters that are being flipped through by Salchow.
  • In Episode 336 he is seen in a TV-show and in the audience of the fight: Usodabada vs. Chopperman.
  • In Episode 340 he is seen, in the top-middle, as one of the zombies that attack Usopp, Nami, and Chopper.
  • In Episode 351 he is seen attacking Usopp and Chopper as a zombie in the middle of the zombie group.
  • In Episode 368 he is seen with Perona's zombies cheering for her as she attacks Kuma.
  • In Episode 370 he is seen as a silouhette of a shadow getting absorbed into Luffy's body.
  • In Episode 374 he is seen in behind Lola when all the shadows are being released.
  • In Episode 376 he is seen in behind Lola as Kuma started attacking.
  • In Episode 378 he is seen in a flashback in the bar.
  • In Episode 379 he is seen in the flashback fighting against the Rumbar Pirates.
  • In Episode 379 he is seen in a flashback of the Rumbar Pirates singing to Laboon.
  • In Episode 424 he is seen in Buggy's flashback of Ace.
  • In Episode 437 his name is written in the list of Impel Down's Level 5 prisoners beside the crossed-out Emporio Ivankov.
  • In Episode 440 he is seen twice witnessing Luffy's recovery.
  • In Episode 447 he is seen as one of the escaping prisoners as they go up from Level 4.
  • In Episode 450 he is seen as one of the escaping prisoners when Emporio Ivankov finally got back up.
  • In Episode 452 he is seen at least five times as one of Buggy's new followers from Impel Down.
  • In Episode 463 he is seen charging the marines in the scene with Izo.
  • In Episode 481 he is seen as one of Squard's crew as they charge.
  • In Episode 512 he is seen behind Duval when he is telling the bandits that they cannot have the Thousand Sunny.
  • In Episode 515 he is seen cheering in the crowd for Brook.
  • In Episode 517 he is seen carrying a large bag while Robin is being followed by kidnappers.
  • In Episode 537 he is seen shocked with the other Fish-Men when Shirahoshi says Vander Decken IX is not her type.
  • In Episode 553 he watches the Thousand Sunny, along with some of the Straw Hat Pirates, land on Gyoncorde Plaza.
  • In Episode 557 he can be seen as one of the pirates being crushed by Franky's new General Weight attack as well as one of the pirates being amazed by it.
  • In Episode 582 there is a doll that looks like Pandaman in the Biscuits Room.
  • In Episode 590 he can be seen in the crowd next to Franky.
  • In Episode 636 Pandaman is seen trying to cover himself from the fake bomb Bartolomeo threw.
  • In Episode 702 he can be seen with the pirate crew beating up Doflamingo.
  • In Episode 702 he can be seen in the crowd cheering for Buggy.
  • In Episode 757 he can be seen with the Mink Tribe left of blonde deer mink shortly after Jack destroys the gate and enters the forest.
  • In Episode 766 he can be seen as part of the Heart Pirates. He can also be seen beside Nekomamushi at the start of the feast.
  • In Episode 773 he is beside Zoro when the minks were suggesting another feast.
  • In Episode 778 there is a young Pandaman in Wapol's flashback.
  • In Episode 812 he can be seen with the Chess Soldiers when Brook checks the Treasury.
  • In Episode 829 he is riding a llama in Chocolat Town, Cacao Island.
  • In Episode 832 he is seen cheering Sanji and Pudding from below when the two are flying above.
  • In Episode 838 there is a man wearing shirt with Pandaman on it and a P letter.
  • In Episode 840 he walks then stands behind Katakuri, Oven and the Charlottes.
  • In Episode 855 he is seen on the pile of Big Mom Pirates who were defeated by Germa 66.
  • In Episode 872 he is in the crowds on bottomleft below Prim.
  • In Episode 881 he is seen being staggered together with Newkama when Luffy screams for food.
  • In Episode 886 he is seen in the crowd giving a thumbs up after Donquixote Mjosgard hits Charlos.
  • In Episode 896 his bounty poster can be partially seen in Buena Festa's lair.
  • In Episode 928 he is seen in the crowd as soon as Nami and Shinobu fall from the roof.
  • In Episode 941 one of The Gifters transforms into Pandaman.
  • In Episode 951 he can be seen as part of the Heart Pirates.
  • In Episode 966 he can be seen as part of the Roger Pirates as they have a drinking party after Kozuki Oden makes oden on the Oro Jackson.
  • In Episode 969 he can be seen as a citizen in Wano welcoming Oden's return. This appears again in Episode 972.
  • In Episode 974 he can be seen cheering Kozuki Oden when he survived the boiling.
  • In Episode 976 he can be seen as part of the 4200 people fighting against Kaidou.
  • In Episode 978 he can be seen as part of the Heart Pirates.
  • In Episode 987 he can be seen as part of the Beasts Pirates after Queen gives permission to kill.
  • In Episode 1077 he is a member of the Heart Pirates and was talking to another member to the left of Law before Bepo, Sachi and Penguin rush in.
  • In Episode 1080 he can be seen as a member of the Heart Pirates when they cheer for Law's new bounty.
  • In Episode 1097 he is one of the hypothetical people accessing Punk Records during Vegapunk's speech.

Anime and Manga Influences[]

Pandaman was originally conceived for the New Chojin Contest (新超人コンテスト, Shin chōjin kontesuto?), a character-design contest for the pro-wrestling series Kinnikuman.[5] As such, his design is meant to evoke a costumed pro wrestler, with lots of exposed skin, striking colors, and an overall "foreign" theme akin to those used by heel wrestlers in real life.

(Oda would return to pro-wrestling for several later character designs, including Jesus Burgess, Spandam, and the Jeet-Abdullah duo.)

In addition, Pandaman's (supposed) backstory directly references the myth of Princess Kaguya, who was said to have been discovered in a bamboo stalk by a kindly woodcutter.

Anime and Manga Differences[]

The anime portrays Pandaman more-or-less identically to the manga—as a background curiosity who interacts with neither the plot nor the other characters in any meaningful way. However, the anime will often insert Pandaman cameos where the manga had none; indeed, the anime Pandaman made his first appearance during the Syrup Village Arc, mixed in among the Black Cat Pirates.[3]

Special Episode[]

Pandaman's usual status was completely subverted in one installment of the Boss Luffy Historical Special, where he not only interacted with other characters, but played a pivotal role in the plot.[17]

Tot-san

"Tou-san", a not-so-hidden Pandaman, interacting with the main characters.

In the alternate Jidaigeki-esque reality known as the Grand Jipang (グランドジパング, Gurando Jipangu?), Pandaman is a well-beloved townsman known as "Pop" (父さん, Tō-san?). This moniker led to much trouble when he fell ill, shortly after being trapped in debt to the gang-leader Buggy. On finding him in the care of a neighborhood girl, the Buggy Gang assumed she was his daughter and schemed to sell her off as collateral, even enlisting aid from a corrupt magistrate. Nevertheless, this scheme was foiled by Boss Luffy and the aristocrat Vivi.

After Buggy's threat was ended, his would-be debtor joined Boss Luffy and several close friends in celebrating the exotic foreign holiday known as Christmas.

Translation and Dub Issues[]

All English translations generally preserve Pandaman's cameos faithfully, with the Viz manga accurately relaying all of Oda's SBS contributions and both the Funimation and 4Kids anime dubs leaving his cameos unremarked upon. His name, however, is generally written out as two words ("Panda Man") rather than one.

Much larger liberties were taken in 4Kids' localization of the video game One Piece: Pirates Carnival. This game originally featured Pandaman in a minor role, as the focus of a Where's Waldo-styled mini-game; the localization kept this mini-game, but also extended his role into a separate mini-game originally hosted by Blueno (since 4Kids had made no preparations for dubbing the Water 7 Arc). As a result, this Pandaman possesses Blueno's abilities, as well as an unusually dark and vengeful personality, claiming to have trapped the Straw Hat Pirates in a burning maze as revenge for picking him out of crowds.

Merchandise[]

Video Games[]

Playable Appearances[]

Enemy Appearances[]

Support Appearances[]

Non-Playable Appearances[]

Trivia[]

  • In the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th and 7th fan popularity polls, Pandaman was ranked 19th, 31st, 39th, 51st, and 97th, respectively.
  • Several of his attributes are linked with the number three (, san?), in reference to the Japanese term for bamboo (ササ, sasa?). This extends to his anime-only bounty of Beli3,333,333.[8]
  • The anime occasionally inserts Pandaman on items such as shirts, similar to fellow Easter Egg Doskoi Panda. The "official" relationship between these two—if any—remains to be seen.
    • The video game Treasure Battle!, notably, has Pandaman being summoned through a Doskoi Panda token.
  • His design foreshadows—perhaps inadvertently—the Gifters, whose names and physiques likewise combine human and animal parts. Indeed, he makes a cameo among the group of the Gifters introduced in Chapter 943 (Episode 941), though no in-story connection has yet been established.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 One Piece Manga — Vol. 5 Chapter 44 (p. 9), Pandaman appears as one of the patrons in the Baratie.
  2. One Piece Anime — Episode 1, Pandaman makes a cameo in the first opening as one of the many enemy pirates Zoro is fending off.
  3. 3.0 3.1 One Piece Anime — Episode 16, Pandaman is seen among the Black Cat Pirates as Kuro threatens to unleash his Shakushi technique.
  4. 4.0 4.1 SBS One Piece Manga — Vol. 6 (p. 66), Oda acknowledges Pandaman for the first time and his name and occupation are revealed.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 SBS One Piece Manga — Vol. 7 (p. 68), Oda supplies a biography of Pandaman.
  6. 6.0 6.1 One Piece Red: Grand Characters (p. 0), In a message on the dust jacket, Luffy recounts rumors of a "Panda Island" he heard at Partys Bar.
  7. SBS One Piece Manga — Vol. 85 (p. 138), Pandaman's birthday is revealed.
  8. 8.0 8.1 One Piece Movie — Episode of Chopper Plus: Bloom in Winter, Miracle Sakura, Pandaman's wanted poster is briefly seen at the beginning.
  9. SBS One Piece Manga — Vol. 30 (p. 24), Fan question: I found Pandaman's name on the Poneglyph. Is Pandaman an important thing in Arabasta?
  10. 10.0 10.1 SBS One Piece Manga — Vol. 55 (p. 46), Oda confirms Pandawoman and Pandaman relationship.
  11. 11.0 11.1 SBS One Piece Manga — Vol. 27 (p. 66), Fan question: Who is that guy in the same panel as Pandaman?
  12. 12.0 12.1 SBS One Piece Manga — Vol. 48 (p. 166), Unforgivable Mask revealed.
  13. SBS One Piece Manga — Vol. 22 (p. 146), Fan question: where does Pandaman live?
  14. One Piece Manga — Vol. 29 Chapter 272, cover story: Ace's Great Blackbeard Search Vol. 1.
  15. One Piece Manga — Vol. 31 Chapter 289 (p. 5), Pandaman is seen among all the Noland crewmen that have been captured by the Shandia. This cameo is not present in the anime.
  16. Weekly Shounen Jump 07 - 17 - 2017, 20th anniversary
  17. One Piece Anime — Episode 291, The second installment of the Boss Luffy Historical Special spotlights Pandaman.

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