

In One Piece, Marco has the rare power to transform into a phoenix, granting
him the ability to fly like a bird and heal from his wounds.

In episode 463 of the One Piece anime, Marco is shown guarding against an
attack from Admiral Kizaru. This is when his phoenix powers are first
revealed. In this moment, his wings are the only parts of his phoenix form
that are manifested so far. However, he isn't flapping them, yet he's somehow
able to still hover in the air in front of Kizaru and have a conversation with
him. He's been shown flapping them in other instances, but there are also
scenes where he's able to fly without flapping them.

Is he actually able to fly without flapping his wings, or is it just the
animation studio being lazy?


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one-piece
Does Marco need to flap his wings to fly?


I'm pretty confident that the reason here is indeed [limited
animation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limited_animation) and not the actual
way Marco flies. In exactly the same way, you don't see Monet flap much her
wings in episodes 612-613 for example.

It might result from or just be confused with laziness, as you mention. Don't
forget, though, that anime isn't just a story, it is also the entire team
behind it, their short deadlines (often one episode a week!) and limited
budget, [artistic considerations](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/chicks-on-
anime/2008-09-16)...

> Originally limited animation was not only a budget-saving choice, but a
> stylistic one as well.

...cultural aspects and [a few more relevant
parameters](https://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/22178/why-is-anime-
limited-in-animation), all of which influence the final product.


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