Not keen on just having the live-action version, Netflix has a new One Piece anime in the works, and it’s got some real wind in its sails.
Franchises don’t get much more legendary than One Piece. One of the best anime going for decades now, Eiichiro Oda’s manga continues to go from strength to strength, accruing more readers for Luffy’s quest across the high seas.
Once the existing show crossed the 1,000 episode mark, though, it became a little tough for new fans to get on board. Enter The One Piece, a brand new anime tackling the manga from scratch.
It’s an ambitious undertaking, but the people involved have the right credentials, so here’s everything we know so far.
Who is making The One Piece?
The One Piece is being animated by WIT Studio, the production company behind Ranking of Kings, the first season of Vinland Saga, Spy x Family, the first three seasons of Attack on Titan, and much more. They’re working in collaboration with Netflix, who’re the exclusive distributor.
The One Piece is being directed by Masashi Koizuka, who handled numerous episodes of Attack of Titan, and he’s joined by Hideaki Abe as Assistant Director, who’s worked on Jujutsu Kaisen and My Hero Academia. They’re creatives who know how to mold a hit, and that’s exactly what One Piece deserves.
The One Piece is a complete reboot
The One Piece is kicking off with the East Blue Saga, the first saga from the manga, where Luffy meets the Straw Hats. It’s a brand new, modern interpretation of the story, built on principles of current day anime.
This version of One Piece will look closer to the likes of Jujutsu Kaisen or Blue Lock, incorporating contemporary techniques and standards. One fundamental change is that it’ll be 16:9 from the first episode, whereas the first 204 episodes of the existing One Piece anime are 4:3.
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Eiichiro Oda encouraged the team to put their own spin on his classic work. “Rather than faithfully reproducing the manga of One Piece, the anime staff should digest it and remake it in their own style,” he said, quoted during One Piece Day 2024.
Netflix’s One Piece anime isn’t replacing the original
The original One Piece anime has been going strong for over 1100 episodes, and that’s not changing. Netflix’s reboot is simply providing an easy gateway for fans who’re looking tog et into the franchise, or who haven’t gone back for the first few sagas after jumping in more recently.
For now, Netflix and Toei’s versions will run side-by-side. They aren’t competing because they’re telling very different stories, since the original show is now heading into the Final Saga, whereas this one has literally hundreds of episodes to go before then.
Does The One Piece have a teaser?
One Piece Day 2024 revealed a considerable amount of concept art, that makes for a strong teaser for The One Piece. We see select scenes from early in the manga, imagined in a bold, lightly-colored style.
We’re probably still a long way off getting any more than this, but it’s enough that fans feel reassured we’re in safe hands on this one.
That’s all we have on The One Piece, Our guide to Chapter 1123 will tell you what’s going on in the manga right now, and we have a look at live-action One Piece Season 2 if you’d like to stay updated on that.
