Tens of thousands attend One Piece parade in Kaohsiung

Taipei, March 14 (CNA) Streaming giant Netflix held a One Piece-themed parade at the port of Kaohsiung on Saturday, drawing a kilometer-long crowd filled with people in One Piece costumes.

One Piece is a famous Japanese manga and anime about pirates with super powers that Netflix recently turned into a TV series that has become a worldwide phenomenon.

Hours before the parade, tens of thousands of fans gathered at the venue in the hope of meeting classic characters from the series, including Luffy, Chopper, Nami, Zoro, Usopp and Sanji.

Among them, some fans traveled from central and northern Taiwan to attend the parade in Kaohsiung.

A fan from Changhua County said that she and her friends all dressed up as characters from the series.

Another One Piece fan from Tainan, dressed in a pirate outfit, said she had always loved the series, so she dug out a classic costume from her wardrobe to take part in the event.

The parade kicked off at 3 p.m. with Taichung's Jenn Lann Temple Mazu statue, symbolizing blessings for safe voyages and smooth sailing.

It departed from the intersection of Haibian Rd. and Chenggong 2nd Rd., heading to Pier 16 at Kaohsiung Port.

Upon arriving at the main stage, attendees watched performances and welcomed the appearance of Chopper.

The parade celebrated season two of the live-action version of One Piece, which began streaming on Tuesday.