What We Know about One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 So Far

One of Koei Tecmo’s most famous franchises is the Warriors franchise. Generally speaking, English speakers will be most familiar with the Warriors franchise through either the Dynasty Warriors series or the Samurai Warriors series, which are based on the Three Kingdoms period of China and the Sengoku period of Japan respectively. However, it is important to note that there have been other Warriors titles based on other franchises that include but are not limited to Gundam, Fist of the North Star, and The Legend of Zelda.

For those who are unfamiliar, the Warriors franchise has a very simple and straightforward formula. In short, a player chooses a player character from a roster of both heroes and villains before using them to fight through thousands and thousands of enemies. Each Warriors series has its stand-out characteristics, but on the whole, the Warriors franchise isn’t exactly well-known for its innovative nature. Still, its formula works, which is how it has managed to cross over with a wide range of other franchises.

By this point, it should be clear that One Piece: Pirate Warriors is one of the Warriors series. To be exact, it is a crossover between the Warriors franchise and the One Piece franchise, which started out as a manga about a boy named Monkey D. Luffy who wants to become the next King of the Pirates by finding the titular treasure called the One Piece. The One Piece franchise is very popular in its native Japan, which has presumably played a role in the success of the One Piece: Pirate Warriors series. However, it is important to note that the franchise boasts a wide range of colorful characters with a wide range of spectacular superhuman capabilities, thus making it very well-suited to the Warriors formula.

So far, there have been three titles in the One Piece: Pirate Warriors series. Each one has seen an increase in the number of playable characters as well as a lengthening of the storyline, which makes sense because the One Piece is still continuing in the present time. Based on this, it should come as no surprise to learn that One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 is expected to follow in the footsteps of its predecessors.

Here are some of the things that we have learned about One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 :

Jumping Will Be Implemented

Jumping is included in some Warriors titles but not in others. In previous One Piece: Pirate Warriors titles, jumping wasn’t included, though it is interesting to note that some of the characters were capable of launching either themselves or their enemies into the air through their move-sets. Now, it has been revealed that jumping will be introduced in One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4, which in turn, means that interested individuals can expect certain characters to pick up air combos as well as air dashes.

New Stamina System

Curiously, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 will have a stamina system. For the most part, this is pretty much what most people expect from it. For example, certain actions use up stamina, which must be replenished before they can be used again. Likewise, it is possible to replenish stamina by not doing anything strenuous, which in the case of a Warriors title, means not attacking anything. In particular, it is worth mentioning that the new stamina system will be used for a new mechanic called power dashes that will let players knock over their enemies while moving at high speeds. Something that should be very familiar for those who have played the Dynasty Warriors: Gundam series.

Giant Enemies

One of the most common complaints about the Warriors franchise is the lack of variety when it comes to enemies, which is a serious problem when most of the game-play is focused on fighting thousands and thousands of those enemies. The One Piece: Pirate Warriors series has been better than a lot of its counterparts because its setting is very permissive in this regard. However, it still has plenty of room for improvement. As such, it has been revealed that One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 will be making excellent use of its source material by incorporating giant enemies. Something that should offer a fair amount of much-needed variation.

For those who are curious, giant enemies will take much reduced damage from the player’s attacks until their armor gauge has been depleted. When this happens, they will become vulnerable by entering a broken armor state, which will allow the player to deal normal damage while staggering them in the process. On top of this, each time that their armor gauge is depleted, giant enemies will lose one of their shield icons. When giant enemies lose all of their shield icons, they will enter into a stunned state, thus rendering them even more vunerable to players.

Carrot Is In

The rabbit mink Carrot has been confirmed as one of the new playable characters in One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4. Furthermore, it has been hinted that her Sulong form will be showing up, which makes sense because the upcoming Warriors title will be introducing form changes that will let some characters change how they look as well as how they fight.

The Vinsmoke Siblings Are In

Since the last title in the series, the One Piece manga has revealed Sanji’s family, so it should come as no surprise to learn that the Vinsmoke family is showing up in One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4. So far, every single one of Sanji’s siblings have been confirmed as playable characters, meaning Reiju, Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji. The Vinsmoke patriarch Judge is showing up as well, but for the time being, it is unknown whether he will be made a fully playable character or not.

Charlotte Katakuri Is In

There is a real chance that One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 will be featuring the full roster of the Four Emperors, which in turn, means that interested individuals can expect increased focus on their subordinates. In particular, it should be mentioned that Charlotte Katakuri has been confirmed as a playable character, which should come as welcome news for those who are hoping to wreak some havoc with mochi.