Thriller Bark
Thriller Bark (スリラーバーク, Surirābāku) is the world's largest ship from the anime and manga One Piece and is owned by Gecko Moria of the Shichibukai. At first glance, because of its size, Thriller Bark seems like an island. It is home to many victims of Moria, as well as revived dead created by Hogback. It is first seen in chapter 443 of the One Piece Manga. The general theme behind the place is one of a complete nightmare full of things from horror stories.
Part in the story
The Straw Hat Pirates become a target of Thriller Bark after opening a floating barrel they find in the sea. The barrel fires a signal flare into the sky, revealing their location to the Thriller Bark crew. The Straw Hats later become trapped behind the gates of Thriller Bark and disembark onto the island-size ship when Nami, Usopp and Chopper crash the Mini-Merry and are lost.
Pirate flag
The pirate flag of Moria's ship is a grinning face with bat-like wings.[1]
Ship
Thriller Bark was once an island in West Blue, that was somehow converted into a sailing vessel[2]. The island in the center is connected with the outer hull by four colossal chains. The Island is ringed by a broken battlement. It is covered with a forest that is full of Zombie animals, and a large graveyard where the majority of the zombie soldiers sleep. At the center is tower/mast of the ship and several other buildings including Hogback's massive mansion. Inside the mansion is Hogback's laboratory where he creates the Zombies, as well as a room where inactive zombie generals sleep. Connecting the Mansion to the mast are two large bridges. The larger, upper bridge contains Perona's wonder garden which her room overlooks.
The tower doubles as the main mast of the ship. Inside are Gecko Moria's quarters and Perona's room. The tower also has a massive freezer where the inactive Oz is stored. On the port side of the tower there is a sloping structure that leads from the tower to the ground near the battlements, which is a large stairway. After stealing a being's shadow they are taken down the stairs to their ship which is caught in a giant spider web, after which the ship is released from Thriller Bark.
Attacks
After locating a ship, the Thriller Bark crew seeks it out and traps it within the massive wall. The captured vessels are maneuvered to the port side where there is a giant spider web and an entrance to the island. Once lured inside a crew is attacked by Zombies and captured. They are transported to the mast where Moria removes their shadows, then taken down a stair that leads from the mast directly back to the trapped ship. The crew is then released back into the Florian Triangle.
Inhabitants on Thriller Bark
The Mysterious Four
Although most of the Thriller Bark crew are zombies, four of the most powerful and crucial members of the crew are not. Known as the Mysterious Four of Thriller Bark, these humans are skilled either with the power of Devil Fruits similar to supernatural abilities or (in the case of Hogback) in charge of the creation and maintenance of the zombie army.
Gecko Moria
See main article The Three Great Powers
Dr. Hogback
Master of the Mansion
- Seiyuu: Hiroshi Iwasaki
Doktor Hogback (ドクトル・ホグバック, Dokutoru Hogubakku) is a world famous doctor, who according to Chopper saved as many people as there are stars in the sky. One day he disappeared from the public eye, causing turmoil in the medical community. Nami, Usopp and Chopper meet him on Thriller Bark, and he explains to them that he is researching the nature of life and death using the zombies on the island. This is later exposed as a lie when the crew discovers that Hogback himself created the zombies, and is a crew mate of Gecko Moria, who breathes life into Hogback's zombies with the shadows he steals. Like many other characters in One Piece, Hogback has a unique laugh, which is a high-pitched fosfosfosfos.Dr. Hogback's dream was to create the world's strongest zombie as well as bringing Cindry back to life. Both of these dreams have been fulfilled thanks to Moria's powers.
After learning Hogback's secret, Chopper resents his experiments in zombification for being intended for personal gain rather than the progress of medical science. During his battle against Chopper and Robin, Hogback reveals that he never cared about saving lives and the reason he went into hiding was because so many people were coming to him seeking treatment, and that he became a doctor only for the money. He almost dies during Oz's rampage on Thriller Bark, when he tries to speak with the giant zombie but is crushed under his massive foot. However, Hogback survives from the attack, and it is later seen escaping from Thriller Bark with Absalom and a knocked out Moria in a ship.
Absalom
Zombie Soldier and General Zombie Commander
- Seiyuu: Hiroaki Miura
Nicknamed Absalom of the Graveyard (墓場のアブサロム, Hakaba no Abusaromu), he is one of Gecko Moria's henchmen. He commands the soldier sect of zombies on Thriller Bark, and his subordinates have a tendency of making fun of his perverted nature, referring to him as "Erosalom" (Perv-salom). Although first revealed as an invisible man, his true form is that of a man with various animal parts surgically implanted onto his person by Dr. Hogback. These animal parts include a lion's face, the thick skin of an elephant and the condensed muscles of various bears and gorillas. He has eaten the Suke Suke no mi, which allows him to turn invisible on demand and to turn objects or persons invisible if he touches them. Incidentally, this devil fruit was Sanji's childhood dream. He uses this ability to conceal a pair of bazookas strapped to his arms, which allows him to fire blasts which seem to to come from nowhere. The blasts are incredibly powerful, capable of mowing down trees and setting fiery explosions. Like many other characters in One Piece, Absalom has a unique laugh, his is a growl-like garurururu.
He kidnaps Nami and attempts to marry her, but is stopped by Sanji. He fights with Sanji for abit, and Sanji defeats him, landing kicks so powerful that his thick skin failed to save him. He later recovers and tries to take Nami as his bride again, but this time he is finally defeated by Nami with a a Thunder Charge:Swing Arm, since he was badly injured after the previous fight with Sanji. After the defeat of Moria, he escapes Thriller Bark with Hogback and Moria.
Perona
Zombie Animal and Surprise Zombie Commander
- Seiyuu: Kumiko Nishihara
Nicknamed the Ghost Princess, Perona (ぺローナ) Perona is a girl dressed in the style of Gothic Lolita and a commander in the army of Gecko Moria. She is also the commander of Perona Wonder Garden, where an army of animal zombies live and protect her. She loots the Thousand Sunny with some zombies and later takes on guard duty while Absalom is attempting to marry Nami. She cannot stand anything that she feels is not cute, such as insects. Perona's dream is to have her own country made up of cute zombie animals with her as their leader. Like many other characters in One Piece, Perona has a unique laugh, which is horohorohoro.
Perona has eaten the Horo Horo no mi which allows her to create several ghostly apparitions. The ghosts can pass through someone to cause them to go into a sort of induced depression. Other versions of these ghosts can be used as extremely powerful bombs and vary in size. Aside from being able to create ghosts, Perona herself is also able to use ghostly powers such as flight, intangibility, and size manipulation, however, in order to do so Perona must leave her physical body. She is defeated by Usopp, who is seemingly the only person immune to her "hollow" attacks[3].
She later awakens and decides to flee Thriller Bark in the wake of Oz's rampage. After loading the Straw Hat's ship with food and treasure, she is confronted by Bartholomew Kuma. Perona attempts to capture the Shichibukai for Gecko Moria, but is transported to an unknown location by Kuma.
Zombies
After his crew is defeated in the New World, Moria's philosophy warped into using an undead army of zombies, believing that no matter how many times they are defeated, they can not be stopped. Using his Kage Kage no Mi abilities, Moria is able to remove the shadow of a living person and transfer it to a corpse, imbuing the newly animated body with all of the abilities of the shadow's former owner.
Victoria Cindry
Servant of Hogback
- Seiyuu: Houko Kuwashima
Victoria Cindry (ビクトリア・シンドリー, Bikutoria Shindorī) is Dr. Hogback's servant. She hates plates, to the extent of serving food directly onto the table, and constantly expresses her wish for all of the world's plates to vanish. According to Hogback, she has a tragic past - her master proposed to her, that she could test his love for her. But then she crushed his ten valuable plates, and he rejected her, and thus she has a habit of throwing plates. Her zombie number is 400.
Her history is later revealed to be a lie, and Hogback reveals her real story. Ten years ago Dr. Hogback proposed to Cindry, but she rejected him because she already had a fiance. Later she fell from stage and died in an accident. Dr. Hogback was devastated when he found out and later made a deal with Gecko Moria that he'd work for him if he could bring Cindry back to life.[4]
The zombie Cindry is killed when Moria absorbs all of the shadows of the Thriller Bark zombies.
Hildon
- Seiyuu: Taiki Matsuno
Hildon (ヒルドン, Hirudon) is one of Dr. Hogback's servants. He was introduced in chapter 444, and anime episode 339. He takes Nami, Usopp and Chopper to the mysterious Dr. Hogback's mansion. He looks like a vampire and has the ability to fly with his bat wings[5]. His zombie number is 21. Hildon is killed when Moria absorbs all the shadows of the Thriller Bark zombies.
Zombie animals
One of the four types of zombies on board the ship, the zombie animals are under the control of Perona. A large number of them live in Perona's domain. All of the zombie animals are killed when Gecko Moria absorbs their shadows.
Individual zombie animals:
- Bearsy (クマシー, Kumashī): (Hiroshi Iwasaki) A patchwork bear zombie with a zipper in its back and a hollow body. Despite his less-threatening appearance, Bearsy has greater strength than a full-grown bear and is the captain of Perona's Zombie Animals. Perona hates it when Bearsy talks and scolds him for doing so. Nami, Usopp, and Chopper are able to elude their zombie pursuers by unzipping Bearsy's back and hiding inside. He is purified by Usopp in Chapter 465.
- Cerberus: (Takahiro Fujimoto) A sewn-together dog with three heads (one of which is a fox). The Straw Hats tame him and ride him to Hogback's mansion. His zombie number is 82.
- Risky Brothers: (Yusuke Numata and Tamotsu Nishiwaki) A duo of zombie squirrels who deliver captives to Moria in coffins. They are knocked out by Chopper. They fight with an axe and a saw. Two pirates known as the "Risky Brothers" also exist in the Lola Pirate crew, possibly the duo used for the zombie squirrels, due to the nature of the zombies on Thriller Bark.
- Penguin Zombie Trio: Three penguin zombies who live in the Wonder Garden, they are among the group that ambushes Nami, Usopp and Chopper. The one named Inuppe with a dog's face has Sanji's shadow.
- Vice-Captain Gentleman Hippo: (Eiji Takemoto) A zombie hippo that attacks Usopp in order to avenge Bearsy. Usopp defeats him using a charged Impact Dial.
Lola
- Seiyuu: Aya Hisakawa
Lola (ローラ, Rōra) is a zombie-warthog many times the size of a normal human, found on Thriller Bark. She is franatically in love with Absalom. In her first appearance in chapter 451, she begs him to marry her, but is frantically rejected because he wants a "living female human" as bride and not a "dead and rotting female warthog". She fights in a style called "Bridal Martial Arts", and in chapter 471 she is seen using two large swords.
Zombie Lola's shadow comes from the pirate Lola, who inhabits the forest of Thriller Bark with her crew.
Surprise zombies
The surprise zombies are zombies disguised as pictures and furniture. The dining room ones are under the control of Buhichuck. They are defeated by the Straw Hats, but manage to get a message to Hogback that the crew is inside the mansion. All of the surprise zombies are killed when Gecko Moria absorbs their shadows.
Individual surprise zombies:
- Rug-Bear: A zombified bearskin rug who is one of the largest Surprise Zombies.
- Jack-In-The-Box: A zombie treasure chest that guards Cindry's room. Nami's greed tempts her to open the chest, and he pops out and scares the Straw Hats out of the room. His zombie number is 256.
- Wall Zombie: A zombie wall that drops from the ceiling to seal off a corridor.
Buhichuck
Boss of the Dining Room Surprise Zombies
- Seiyuu: Keiji Hirai
Buhichuck (ブヒチャック, Buhichakku) is the boss of the "surprise zombies", in the dining room. At first glance he looks like an ordinary taxidermied pig's head mounted on the wall, but he can come to life and wield a pair of swords mounted below him as throwing weapons using concealed hands. According to him, there are more surprise zombies hidden in every room of Doctor Hogback's mansion. His zombie number is 298. Like many other characters in One Piece, Buhichuck has a unique laugh, which is buhihihihi.
Soldier zombies
The grunt forces of the island, the soldier zombies are under the control of Absalom. Though formidable, the zombies are nonetheless comedic and generally unhappy with their lot in life. The soldier zombies are killed when Gecko Moria absorbs their shadows.
Individual soldier zombies:
- Nin: (Eiji Takemoto) An archer zombie who signals Moria of the Straw Hats' presence on the island.
- Gyoro: (Kimiko Saitō) Another of the three Zombies who work as Moria's personal servants.
- Bao: (Yūta Kasuya) One of Moria's personal Zombies.
Zombie generals
Referred to as legendary warriors of ancient times, these zombies are far beyond the rest in terms of combat ability. They are a diverse group mostly consisting of heavily armed and armored knights and various felons. While they remain vulnerable to fire like all zombies, they carry buckets of water in order to overcome this weakness. All the general zombies (except for Jigoro and Talaran) are defeated by Oz when they try to stop him from moving the rudder of Thriller Bark. They are killed when Gecko Moria absorbs their shadows.
Individual zombie generals:
- Captain John (キャプテン・ジョン, Kyaputen Jon): Introduced drinking from a bottle of alcohol, he is criticized by Absalom for lagging behind compared to his compatriot generals, and not living up to his notorious reputation. In Volume 49, Oda reveals that Captain John was once a great pirate who obtain an phenominal amount of treasure and decided to keep it all for himself. His crew, out of spite, turned on and murdered their captain. John's treasure is never found and becomes a great myth. Buggy the Clown is seen looking for this treasure in the Jaya Arc.
- Jigoroh of the Wind (風のジゴロウ, Kaze no Jigorō): Once killed 7000 pirates to protect his own family; died at age 59. He possess the shadow of Zoro. His zombie number is 850.
- Talaran (タララン, Tararan): (Kazunari Tanaka) A bizarre, gigantic combination of a spider and a monkey. He has web glands in his hands and commands an army of "spider mice," who quietly kidnap victims in the mansion with their special, unbreakable webbing. He is defeated and purified by Brook.
Samurai Ryuma
Zombie General and Guardian
- Seiyuu: Yūichi Nagashima
Samurai Ryuma (サムライ・リューマ, Samurai Ryūma) is a deceased elite swordsman from the New World island "Wano Country", who Hogback said lived centuries ago. He is the vessel for Brooks shadow. He is well-known for slaying a dragon. Ryuma defeats Brook and prepares to slice off his afro, but is stopped by Roronoa Zoro, who defeats the swordsman and receives his sword as a result.
Samurai Ryuma is the name of a character from the story Monsters, written by Eiichiro Oda prior to One Piece. Oda has confirmed that the two characters are the same individual.
Oz
Special Zombie
- Seiyuu: Mayumi Tanaka
The 'Special Zombie' known as Oz (オーズ, Ōzu) is the 900th zombie created by Dr. Hogback for Gecko Moria. His physical appearance is that of a red, massive, horned creature even larger than a normal giant. In his past life he was known as 'the Demon of the Frozen Land', having conquered and mercilessly ruled over many countries and islands over five-hundred years ago. His 'rebirth' as a zombie is an event of great importance to the crew of Thriller Bark. In order to make Oz the strongest zombie ever created, Gecko Moria implants the shadow of Straw Hat Luffy into the zombie's body.
Having Luffy's shadow in his body, Oz's attacks have names similar to Luffy's moves (Gomu Gomu no Scythe, Gomu Gomu no Volcano). Though he is initially incapable of stretching his body, he gains this ability when Gecko Moria takes control of his body. Despite his immense size, Oz is extremely fast, moving so quick that he almost disappears for an instant before unleashing an attack. Making matters worse, small doses of salt have no effect on him because of his size. These characteristics gave the Straw Hats an immensely hard time when fighting him, to the point where they were almost defeated until Luffy showed up in his guise as 'NIghtmare Luffy'. As Nightmare Luffy, Luffy is able to thrash Oz soundly, but the giant zombie still manages to remain conscious when the time limit for the shadows stored in Luffy's body is up.
Oz is ultimately defeated by the combined efforts of the entire Straw Hat crew, in which Nami freezes his legs to keep him still while several other Straw Hats force his spine into an upright position. Finally, in Gear Third, Luffy shatters his spine with a full force "Gomu Gomu no Gigant Bazooka", rendering him immobile. He is rendered completely lifeless after Gecko Moria absorbs the shadows of all of the Thriller Bark zombies.
His name is the Japanese name for the Norse god Óðr.
Members' strength
Being made up of mostly zombies, Thriller Bark can be labeled as a nightmare come to life. The whole island has been created to lure in and trap pirates and other criminals. Once the crew is trapped, the residents of Thriller Bark then attack and capture them in order to steal their shadows and create more zombies. To aid them, they have the bodies of hundreds of dead legendary warriors from all over the world frozen ready for use with the shadow of any strong fighters they come across. The island's strongest zombie is the demon Oz.
The zombies are afraid of fire and can be purified (their captured shadow released) by sea salt. Since they are zombies, they are unable to feel pain, a fault which can be used against them.
