The Buffest Luffy is Crowned at the One Piece Bodybuilding Competition

It’s bodybuilding season, and that means muscular men showing off their oiled-up muscular man muscles. But, in the cacophony of bodybuilding contests, the One Piece Body Make Competition Presented by BragMen found its way into the Muscle Gate Kanagawa bodybuilding competition on June 1 at the Culttz Kawasaki gymnasium. The event was filled with Monkey D. Luffys, a few special guests, and entertainment for everyone.

A 15-minute walk from Kawasaki station and across the street from Fujimi Park, the Culttz Kawasaki was filled to the brim with bodybuilding events and martial arts demonstrations. For fitness fans, it’s like paradise. For One Piece fans, though, a corner of the gymnasium was dedicated to the Bragman One Piece Gym. With a parallel pull-down bar affixed with the short Buggy the Clown, a mock piece of meat, and three One Piece themed weighted vests (no weight, 5kg, and 10kg) and two 10kg Berry plates, the event space was a small window into the Bragman One Piece Gym.

Trying out each interactive display, the Buggy the Clown parallel pull-down bar and mock piece of meat weren’t that difficult to lift. However, many people might have trouble with the 20kg vest and the 10kg Berry plates. Not just because of the base weight, but the vest had the weights on the backside, causing my balance to be thrown off a bit. But thinking of it as a small core or abdominal workout alleviated my worries and made me want to see what the actual BragMen One Piece Gym offers.

Afterward, it was time to check out the One Piece Body Make Competition. Hosted by actor Tatsuta Takikawa and with former Weekly Shonen Jump editor-in-chief and special judge Hiroyuki Nakano, the contest was gearing up to an epic scale.

For the physique side of the competition, judges were looking at the outline of the upper body and S-shape line when viewed from the side, rounded shoulders and tight waists, latissimus dorsi spread from the midsection and waist from both front and back, stylish walking and balanced poses, and clean hair, smile, and skin texture. However, excessive muscle development could result in a point deduction.

For the One Piece elements, the judges wanted the costume and presentation to show an understanding of the series as seen through the poses and reproduction of One Piece protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy. The poses were a simple front and back pose seen in many men’s physique competitions (different from bodybuilding poses), a “haa” getting fired up, a Gear 2, a Gum Gum Jet Pistol pose, and a free pose that best represents Luffy.

Before the first round of judging, we were able to go backstage and check out the entrants warming up. At first, it appeared like a disorganized mess of contestants dressed as Luffy. However, the organizers quickly got everyone into three lines. Checking out the contestants, they had well-developed musculature and got in that last little pump to make their muscles pop on stage. It was a surreal experience seeing so many unique “Luffys” in one place, and it got me excited for what was to come.

The first round of judging was divided into three groups, with about 16 contestants each. It was a good mix, but in each group, there were standouts. Yet, the One Piece Body Make Competition wasn’t just about the physique of the contestants. As noted above, the contestants had to show their understanding of One Piece and Luffy, especially with the pose of their choice. While many contestants went with a variation of the front “Haa” pose, a few opted for something different, such as raising their fists to Vivi, as seen at the Alabasta Arc conclusion.

It wasn’t just the contestants having fun, though. By the time the second group came out for the first round of judging, the audience was cheering everyone on. It was as if the audience and contestants had become one in their love of the manga and anime series.

With the first round of judging over, it was about an hour before six finalists were brought on stage for the second round of judging. Going through the poses again, it was clear in the first round of judging that physique was a significant factor for the six finalists. It was heartwarming that the most energetic contestant, number 82, was in the top six.

A bit on the faster side for judging, the second round sped through the required poses and eschewed the free posing session. Despite this, the quick nature of the judging and the audience’s excitement made the second round of judging exciting.

Once again, there was an interlude as other competitions concluded. While waiting for the One Piece Body Make Competition results, there was an odd surprise during the Men’s 70kg bodybuilding class. During the free posing, one contestant, number 318, posed to the opening theme song of Witchy Precure!. At first, the audience appeared shocked. Yet, halfway through the free posing session, the audience clapped along with the song and cheered on the contestant. In my sheer disbelief at the ordeal, I almost forgot to hit the record button on my camera.

With the day’s events winding down, all that was left were the results of the One Piece Body Make Contest. One entrant, number 82, kept himself covered for a surprise reveal. That surprise was none other than a costume change from regular Luffy to Luffy seen in the 217th episode of the One Piece anime series. Or, as fans might remember him, Afro Luffy. Boxing gloves included. Sadly, Afro Luffy came in 6th place. Coming in at 5th and 4th place were entrants 76 and 107.

All that was left were the top three spots for the One Piece Body Make Competition. And to give the podium winners the medals, special guest judge and former Weekly Shonen Jump Editor-in-Chief Hiriyuki Nokano came on stage. In third place was number 74. The tension was thick in the air as it came down to the final two entrants, 86 and 109. With bated breath, second place was announced, number 86, leaving entrant 109 as the winner of the One Piece Body Make contest.

Following the awards ceremony, the six finalists posed together for one final time. And the podium winners each got a short photo session with the press in attendance.

Following the ceremony, we were able to speak with the winner of the One Piece Body Make Competition, Akira Kenmotsu. When asked how he expressed Luffy for the competition Kenmotsu noted he dressed as best he could as Luffy during his battle with Magellen (around episode 435 of the anime series) thinking other entrants would dress as Luffy battling Rob Lucci or Blueno during the Egghead arc. Kenmotsu also stated that the idea for his free pose, the Gum Gum Twin Jet Pistol, came from the second pose, Gear 2, and how Luffy only does the pose once in the series.

When asked about his training regimen, Kenmotsu was a bit guarded about the exact exercise routine he used. However, he stated he was on a six-day program where he worked on each body part individually. While only speculation, the split was likely (in no particular order) chest, back, biceps, triceps, shoulders, and legs.

To say the Muscle Gate Kanagawa Bodybuilding competition and the One Piece Bodymake Competition were fun is an understatement. While bodybuilding competitions are, to an extent, beauty competitions, the amount of time, dedication, and artistry the entrants put in is amazing. But then add a theme such as One Piece and the competition becomes something not only bodybuilding fans can enjoy. Now, where did I put those weights so I can start prepping for the next One Piece Body Make competition?