Hikari e, or as it known in the English version as Towards the Light, was the song sung for the third opening song of the One Piece anime. It was sung by The Babystars and by Vic Mignogna for the FUNimation dub. It was also the first opening to be featured as an opening in the FUNimation dub. It was first used on Episode 116, and last used in Episode 168.
Opening
The One Piece title appears and turns into the Straw Hats, then a Jolly Roger, and finally the Going Merry. Gol D. Roger narrates as the world is shown on the side of the ship with images of the Straw Hats running on the top right side. After Roger finishes, a still frame of the Straw Hats (including Chopper and Robin) is show until Luffy is shown. He does a few stretching attacks before punching the screen. Zoro does the same with his swords, Nami creates a Thunder Tempo which nearly hits Usopp, who hops on a cannon and fires it at a rock. Chopper comes flying off of the rock, morphing into his different points before ending in his Guard Point where Sanji, who is cooking, kicks him into the air and throws up the food as well. Chopper, back in regular form, lands on his shoulders as Sanji and he catch the dishes. Sanji nearly falls over, but Robin catches him with her ability and smiles. An overhead shot of the crew is given, the Going Merry is shown again, and the world appears before the logo comes up.
The camera sweeps over the Going Merry as it sails with her crew doing various things. After this, the Straw Hats battle a storm and try to keep the Merry afloat. They survive and get a sunrise as a reward. Next, the crew sees a dolphin sea king (resembling the one from the end of the Little Garden Arc) that looks normal until it splashes near them and nearly capsizes the ship. Finally, one more shot of the crew is given as they sail on toward a sunset. Finally, there is a still shot of the crew posing in different outfits, with Luffy wearing a captain's coat over his clothes.
Gallery
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Lyrics
| Japanese Kanji | Japanese Rōmaji | English Translation |
| 僕は今 さがしはじめた 水しぶきあげて | boku wa ima sagashi hajimeta mizushibuki agete | I've just now begun to search, over the splashing waves |
| 果てしなく続く世界へ | hateshinaku tsuzuku sekai e | For the everlasting world |
| あふれだす情熱を胸に どこまでも行くよ | afuredasu jônetsu o mune ni doko made mo yuku yo | With this overflowing passion in my chest, I will go anywhere |
| まだ見ぬヒカリ 求め | mada minu hikari motome | Seeking the light yet unseen |
| 夏色太陽が ココロの帆をゆらせば | natsuiro taiyô ga kokoro no ho o yuraseba | When the summer sun shakes my heart's sail |
| (fly away glum blue sea...) | (fly away glum blue sea...) | (fly away glum blue sea...) |
| あたらしい世界への 扉を開く合図 | atarashî sekai e no tobira o hiraku aizu | That's the signal to open the door to a new world |
| (fly away glum blue sky...) | (fly away glum blue sky...) | (fly away glum blue sky...) |
| 波間にゆれてる 絶望を抜けて | namima ni yureteru zetsubô o nukete | Swaying on the waves, surpassing my despair |
| 水平線の向こう側 (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) 目指して | suiheisen no mukôgawa (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) mezashite | Aiming for the other side of the horizon |
| 僕は今 さがしはじめた 水しぶきあげて | boku wa ima sagashi hajimeta mizushibuki agete | I've just now begun to search, over the splashing waves |
| 果てしなく続く世界へ | hateshinaku tsuzuku sekai e | For the everlasting world |
| あふれだす情熱を胸に どこまでも行くよ | afuredasu jônetsu o mune ni doko made mo yuku yo | With this overflowing passion in my chest, I will go anywhere |
| まだ見ぬヒカリ 求め | mada minu hikari motome | Seeking the light yet unseen |
| きまりきった毎日と ありふれた雲の流れ | kimarikitta mainichi to arifureta kumo no nagare | A current of repetitious days and mundane clouds |
| (flying over sea of love) | (flying over sea of love) | (flying over sea of love) |
| 君にも映ってる 知るはずもない未来 | kimi ni mo utsutteru shiru hazu mo nai mirai | I see reflected in you a future you can't possibly know |
| (fly away endless blue...) | (fly away endless blue...) | (fly away endless blue...) |
| 変わらないことで 傷つかなくても | kawaranai koto de kizutsukanakute mo | Even if I avoid pain by not changing |
| それじゃ夢も希望さえもない さぁ行こう | sore ja yume mo kibô sae mo nai sâ yukô | That leaves me without dreams or even hope—so let's go! |
| 僕はなぜ さがしてるんだろう 何がほしいんだろう | boku wa naze sagashiteru'n darô nani ga hoshî'n darô | Why am I searching? What is it I want? |
| 答えはきっとその先に | kotae wa kitto sono saki ni | The answer is surely somewhere ahead |
| 動き出す世界の中へ ココロして行くよ | ugokidasu sekai no naka e kokoro shite yuku yo | My heart will go on to the moving world |
| まだ見ぬチカラ秘めて | made minu chikara himete | Hiding my yet unseen strength |
| 僕はなぜ さがしてるんだろう 何がほしいんだろう | boku wa naze sagashiteru'n darô nani ga hoshî'n darô | Why am I searching? What is it I want? |
| まだ見ぬタカラはどこに | made minu takara wa doko ni | Where is the yet unseen treasure? |
| あふれだす情熱を胸に どこまで行ける？ | afuredasu jônetsu o mune ni doko made yukeru? | With this overflowing passion in my chest, how far can I go? |
| わからないけれど | wakaranai keredo | I don't know, but |
| 僕は今 さがしはじめた 水しぶきあげて | boku wa ima sagashi hajimeta mizushibuki agete | I've just now begun to search, over the splashing waves, |
| 果てしなく続く世界へ | hateshinaku tsuzuku sekai e | For the everlasting world |
| あふれだす情熱を胸に どこまでも行くよ | afuredasu jônetsu o mune ni doko made mo yuku yo | With this overflowing passion in my chest, I will go anywhere, |
| まだ見ぬ光 求め | mada minu hikari motome | Seeking the light yet unseen |
| その 向こうへ | sono mukô e | To the other side |
FUNimation Version
English Title: Towards The Light
English Credits:
English Translation - Mike McFarland
English Singer - Vic Mignogna
Intro
~Aah,aah,aaaah~
The world
What a glorious place!
Seek freedom and it will lie stretched out before your eyes.
If the endless dream guides your restless spirit
Seize it!
Raise your flag and stand tall!
~Yeah,yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!~
Lyrics
I think back to the time when my search first began
I left behind those shores of sand
For the endless, everlasting world out there
I know that with this burning passion driving me
Some day, somewhere, I'll finally
see the light I have searched for everywhere (~Aaah,Aaaah~)
When the summer sun is shining
Shaking the sails of my heart, I know (Fly away glum blue sea)
A brand new world that had been hiding
has opened up its doors for me to go (Fly away glum blue sky)
Swaying in the troubled waves
From all despair I can be saved
For the horizon on the other side is
yeah yeah yeah yeah is what I aim for!
And though I traveled far from where my search began
Over seas of green and shores of sand
Through the endless, everlasting world out there
I know that with this burning passion driving me
Some day, somewhere, I'll finally
see the light I have searched for everywhere
Trivia
- As Robin was an enemy during the time this opening premiered, yet she was later pictured in the opening with the rest of the Straw Hats, it served as a spoiler that she would eventually join the crew.
- This is the first opening that features Nico Robin.
- When the song was shown on Cartoon Network's Toonami, due to their (at the time) standards and practices, all instances of Sanji's cigarette were removed and in the group shot of the crew looking at the sunset his arm was redrawn so that it was not near his face. The post-watershed Toonami reboot now airs the uncensored version of the FUNimation dub and does not omit his cigarette in the episodes.