One Piece Creator Oda reveals official character details of Rain God Zaza in new message

The One Piece anime by Toei Animation is one of the longest running anime series, having started on Fuji TV in 1999. While the series is incredible, it is certainly not perfect and suffers from quite a few production issues when it comes to its adaptation of Oda's magnum opus manga. Being as busy as he is, Oda is rarely involved in the production of the anime.

But immediately after the release of One Piece Chapter 1182, an exceptional piece of information was revealed by Kohei Tanaka, the music composer of One Piece, regarding the writer's involvement when it comes to the Elbaph arc.

On May 12, 2026, it was officially confirmed by music composer Kohei Tanaka that he had been directly contacted by Oda for a big request: to make Rain God Zaza as scary as possible, but at the same time cool. For Oda to step in is a huge highlight for this new character, but the new OST reveal may take a while to reach fans.

Eiichiro Oda's message to Kohei Tanaka confirms Rain God Zaza's intimidating and cool personality

The One Piece anime by Toei Animation has been releasing consistent episodes since 1999. Currently, the anime has accumulated 1161 episodes, with no signs of stopping anytime soon. The anime has switched to a half-season format, and from now on will release a moderate batch of episodes each year. Even with the One Piece remake on the way, fans still tune in every week to see major manga events finally brought to life in the Toei anime. The latest return of the One Piece anime in April 2026 has finally marked the beginning of the Elbaph arc, and with it comes some of the most anticipated reveals, such as the introduction of Rain God Zaza.

When it comes to the manga, the latest development in the story has seen the introduction of a godly entity known as the Rain God Zaza. The Rain God was mentioned all the way back in Skypiea, and in the latest chapter 1182 it was finally brought to life as an MMA manifested by Killingham's Kirin Devil Fruit. Interestingly, Eiichiro Oda himself is particularly excited about the reveal of Rain God Zaza in the anime, to the point where he has sent a message to the composer to handle the adaptation of this character with care. Oda got in direct contact with Kohei Tanaka through LINE and made a simple request — to make Zaza's theme music terrifying, but cool at the same time.

“Zaza. What's this about 'Rhythm of Rain Prayer'…? From Mr. Oda, I received a LINE message saying

“Please make it a scary and cool one” – Kohei Tanaka (One Piece Music Composer)

How Eiichiro Oda's message shows Rain God Zaza's personality

The gods of the One Piece world had been hinted at all the way back in Skypiea, with the reveal of the Sun God, Forest God, Earth God, and Rain God created in chapter 287. It was only in Wano that one of these gods finally appeared in the manga officially. In chapter 1044 of the story, the Sun God Nika officially appeared, with Luffy finally revealing the true nature of his Gomu Gomu no Mi, or Hito Hito no Mi, model: Nika. With his godly white form and Gear 5, Luffy's Drums of Liberation also activates. The Drums of Liberation had a very specific OST made especially for the One Piece anime that debuted in episode 1070. The music for Luffy's Gear 5 is upbeat and builds excitement by making others want to dance and celebrate with Luffy, which shows a central personality trait of Sun God Nika. Oda's intention with the drums of Liberation was to strike hope in the hearts of many and make them dance and laugh. Needless to say, the anime definitely nailed the first symphony revealed to a God.

However, Rain God Zaza will have a completely different symphony that will highlight its specific character. The rain god Zaza does not inspire hope, but instead brings terror. These subtle details point out the personality of the deity. While Nika inspires hope, Zaza creates terror, meaning this God is deadly scary and cool, unlike Luffy's goofy Nika form. Fans can expect lower-level music, with clashing notes and eerie melodies to show the anguish and stress this deity brings to the celestial dragons. The Sky Dragons are extremely afraid of Zaza due to their innate fear of rain since they live above the clouds in Marijoa.

Of course, there is one more deity whose OST and musical symphony fans are looking forward to hearing in the anime, and that is Saint Imu Nerona. Imu is the devil of the world and acts as a secret sovereign who rules everything. It has already been revealed that the One Piece anime is working on a specific OST for Imu, called “Imu's Descent.” This OST will also undoubtedly be terrifying, but in a different way than Zaza's. As Imu infuses everything around him with demonic energy, his musical symphony will reflect that as well.

The rain god Zaza will make his anime appearance in 2028

Oda has already expressed what he wants to see in the One Piece anime when it comes to the musical composition of Rain God Zaza. However, Zaza's anime adaptation may still be a long way off. Zaza made his first appearance in One Piece Chapter 1182 of the manga, which was released on May 10, 2026. Currently, the anime has slowed down significantly due to Toei switching to only 26 episodes per year, compared to the 40+ they used to produce before.

At the current pace of the anime, Zaza won't appear in the anime sometime until 2028. Of course, it all depends on the pace of the anime. At the moment, according to Toei Animation, they are aiming for one chapter per episode, which is slowing down significantly. At least this gives Kohei Tanaka plenty of time to come up with a perfect symphony.

One Piece's Elbaph Arc will be filled with new music

Image by Toei Animation

The Elbaf Arc is shaping up to be a musical masterpiece, especially as it's already been confirmed to feature two massive OSTs for Zaza and Imu. Along with them, there is much more coming from the talented Kohei Tanaka, who has been working on One Piece ever since the anime began.

Many large events in Elbaph will have a special OST made just for them. First, Harley Text will have its own beat, which will make the reveal even more captivating. The Holy Knights also get a theme of their own, which could be revealed with Shamrock's entrance. Imu Descent is expected, and Domi Reversi will also have his own song, labeled as “Black Turn Domination.” In addition, the giants themselves will be highlighted with new music, along with Rogers' left wing, Scopper Gaban.

Source: Kohei Tanaka, composer for One Piece Music