The official One Piece Film Red anime movie website has announced that Uta will make an appearance in the next episode of the anime that is scheduled to air on Christmas eve, i.e., December 25, 2022.
Note that the next episode is a recap episode and not One Piece Episode 1046. You can check the anime episode release schedule here.
Uta will appear in an animated end-card sequence in the episode, wearing a Santa costume. A preview image of Uta in the costume has also been released.
The animation video will also be screened in Tokyo and Osaka for a limited time from December 19 to December 25, 2022.
UTA HAPPY XMAS Cards
It was also announced that for a limited time, from December 17 to December 25, 2022, “UTA HAPPY XMAS Cards” will be distributed to those who watch One Piece Film Red. (Limited to 200,000 copies nationwide in Japan)
The card depicts Uta wearing a Santa costume designed by Eiichiro Oda, which was recently unveiled. The Santa costume matches perfectly with Uta’s trademark red and white hairstyle.
More about the One Piece movie
One Piece Film Red is the fifteenth feature film of the One Piece film series, based on the manga of the same name written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda.
Goro Taniguchi directed One Piece Film Red at Toei Animation. Fun Fact: Goro Taniguchi made his debut as a director with One Piece: Defeat Him! The Pirate Ganzack! in 1998.
Tsutomu Kuroiwa was in charge of the screenplay. Masayuki Sato designed the characters. He was also the General Animation Director. Yasutaka Nakata composed the music.
As of December 11, 2022, the movie has earned over ¥18.67 billion in Japan, making it the highest-grossing One Piece movie. The previous highest-grossing One Piece movie was One Piece Film: Z.
One Piece Film Red is the highest-grossing movie of 2022 in Japan, overtaking Jujutsu Kaisen 0. It is also the sixth highest-grossing anime movie of all time in Japan and the ninth highest-grossing movie of all time in Japan.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train still remains the top dog.
For more information on the movie, you can check out the official One Piece Film Red anime website. There is also a global version of the One Piece Film Red website that you can check out if you are an English speaker.