TV Special
Description
Pandaman is a recurring joke character in the One Piece franchise who makes a notable appearance in the television special One Piece Jidaigeki Special: Luffy Oyabun Torimonocho, a feudal-era story set in the alternate world of Grand Jipangu. Throughout the main series, Pandaman normally appears as a silent figure hidden in the background of crowd scenes, but in this special his usual status is reversed, as he interacts with other characters and takes on a pivotal part in the plot.
His background is rooted in real-world origin as well as in-story lore. Pandaman was originally created by the author Eiichiro Oda as an entry in a character-design contest for the manga Kinnikuman, and he later became one of the most persistent hidden figures in One Piece. Within the story, he was abandoned as a baby in a bamboo forest and raised by pandas. During his childhood he was bullied, and he eventually trained to become what is described as a Devil Chojin. He later grew into a man of wealth and influence, reportedly presiding over his own island, but he fell into financial trouble with a debt collector and has spent much of his time on the run ever since.
In appearance, Pandaman has a human-shaped body and a head styled like a panda, sometimes marked with the word PANDA, and it is never clarified whether the head is a mask or his real face. Official artwork tends to show him tall and muscular, while his cameo appearances often depict him as slimmer so that he can blend into crowds. He typically wears black trunks and lace-up boots, and he may show heart tattoos on his chest and bamboo tattoos on his arms.
Little is firmly established about his personality in the main narrative beyond his habit of fleeing from debt collectors. In video game portrayals, he is boisterous and hot-blooded in the manner of a professional wrestler, eager to accept challenges and known for adding the vocalization sasa to his speech. His main motivation across most appearances is evading Tomato Gang, the debt collector to whom he owes money, as well as the enforcer hired to track him down.
In Luffy Oyabun Torimonocho, Pandaman's role departs from his typical background cameo. Rather than simply passing through a scene unnoticed, he engages with the other characters and serves a significant function in how the story develops. The special otherwise centers on Luffy acting as a local crime fighter in the Grand Jipangu setting while confronting the lawless Buggy family, with many familiar One Piece characters appearing in reimagined feudal roles.
Pandaman's key relationships include Tomato Gang, the debt collector pursuing him, and Unforgivable Mask, his rival, who is hired to find him. He is also said to be in love with Pandawomanmi, a similar panda-faced figure who appears in certain settings where he does not. He first crossed paths with the Straw Hat crew during the Baratie arc, and his cameos have continued in many of the places the crew subsequently visits.
Over time, Pandaman has developed from a contest submission and inside joke into one of the franchise's most enduring easter eggs, appearing across manga chapters, anime episodes, films, and video games. His appearance in the Jidaigeki special stands out as a development because it gives him an active part in the plot rather than a silent walk-on.
In terms of abilities, his cameos rarely show him fighting, but creator materials credit him with a small repertoire of wrestling techniques, including the S.P.D., also known as the Sasa no Ha Panda Drop, and the Giant Panda Deathlock. His listed strength is given as 3,300,000 Chojin Power after eating bamboo. In video games, he uses wrestling-based attacks, and in some appearances he can summon panda sharks or fire an energy beam by crossing his forearms.
His background is rooted in real-world origin as well as in-story lore. Pandaman was originally created by the author Eiichiro Oda as an entry in a character-design contest for the manga Kinnikuman, and he later became one of the most persistent hidden figures in One Piece. Within the story, he was abandoned as a baby in a bamboo forest and raised by pandas. During his childhood he was bullied, and he eventually trained to become what is described as a Devil Chojin. He later grew into a man of wealth and influence, reportedly presiding over his own island, but he fell into financial trouble with a debt collector and has spent much of his time on the run ever since.
In appearance, Pandaman has a human-shaped body and a head styled like a panda, sometimes marked with the word PANDA, and it is never clarified whether the head is a mask or his real face. Official artwork tends to show him tall and muscular, while his cameo appearances often depict him as slimmer so that he can blend into crowds. He typically wears black trunks and lace-up boots, and he may show heart tattoos on his chest and bamboo tattoos on his arms.
Little is firmly established about his personality in the main narrative beyond his habit of fleeing from debt collectors. In video game portrayals, he is boisterous and hot-blooded in the manner of a professional wrestler, eager to accept challenges and known for adding the vocalization sasa to his speech. His main motivation across most appearances is evading Tomato Gang, the debt collector to whom he owes money, as well as the enforcer hired to track him down.
In Luffy Oyabun Torimonocho, Pandaman's role departs from his typical background cameo. Rather than simply passing through a scene unnoticed, he engages with the other characters and serves a significant function in how the story develops. The special otherwise centers on Luffy acting as a local crime fighter in the Grand Jipangu setting while confronting the lawless Buggy family, with many familiar One Piece characters appearing in reimagined feudal roles.
Pandaman's key relationships include Tomato Gang, the debt collector pursuing him, and Unforgivable Mask, his rival, who is hired to find him. He is also said to be in love with Pandawomanmi, a similar panda-faced figure who appears in certain settings where he does not. He first crossed paths with the Straw Hat crew during the Baratie arc, and his cameos have continued in many of the places the crew subsequently visits.
Over time, Pandaman has developed from a contest submission and inside joke into one of the franchise's most enduring easter eggs, appearing across manga chapters, anime episodes, films, and video games. His appearance in the Jidaigeki special stands out as a development because it gives him an active part in the plot rather than a silent walk-on.
In terms of abilities, his cameos rarely show him fighting, but creator materials credit him with a small repertoire of wrestling techniques, including the S.P.D., also known as the Sasa no Ha Panda Drop, and the Giant Panda Deathlock. His listed strength is given as 3,300,000 Chojin Power after eating bamboo. In video games, he uses wrestling-based attacks, and in some appearances he can summon panda sharks or fire an energy beam by crossing his forearms.