One Piece is getting a full-blown anime remake on Netflix. The announcement was made during the Jump Festa 2024 event on Sunday, with a teaser claiming that the series will start from the very beginning — the East Blue Saga — leveraging ‘cutting edge’ visuals to reimagine Luffy’s adventures in the sea. Wit Studio, best known for producing the first three seasons of Attack on Titan, will be developing the fantasy pirate anime, which has been rebranded as ‘The One Piece.’ I’m guessing the addition of ‘The’ is to differentiate from the original 1999 anime and Netflix’s own live-action series, which found great success upon release.
Currently, there is no release window or voice-casting information for The One Piece, but the producers aim to provide fans with a ‘fresh yet familiar experience’ which promises to be distinct from the 25-year-long running original anime. While a remake might seem futile to many, it was only a matter of time before Netflix doubled down on the success of the live-action series and tried to expand the franchise to more markets. You see, the ongoing anime clocks in at nearly 1,100 episodes, which is a huge commitment for any new audiences; so a refresh with modern animation would be easier for them to keep up with and engage in social media conversations on an episode-by-episode basis. Not only is this more traction for Netflix, but helps seasoned fans get a whole new experience.
It’s not uncommon for an anime to receive a remake years down the line — Hunter x Hunter is a huge example of that, with the original 1999 version bearing a darker theme and fleshing out its characters better. The 2014 version, however, stuck close to the manga, was faster-paced and skipped filler, and appealed to a modern shounen audience.
For now, it’s unclear whether The One Piece is a long-term project and whether it will try to catch up with the ongoing anime run, or if it will condense the overall events. For what it’s worth, it doesn’t seem like the studio has any plans to change any canon events, which should be ideal for fans. Wit Studio was founded in 2011 and has also worked on Spy x Family and the upcoming Suicide Squad Isekai anime from Warner Bros., set to release in 2024.
Based on the acclaimed manga from Eiichiro Oda, One Piece follows the aspiring pirate king with a rubber-like body, Monkey D. Luffy, on a quest to find a fabled treasure from across the perilous Grand Line. However, before setting sail, he must find a worthy ship and recruit a crew of ragtag misfits whom he can trust blindfolded — they include the green-haired master swordsman Roronoa Zoro, the pickpocket Nami, the cunning Usopp, and the romantic chef Sanji. Its Netflix live-action adaptation got renewed for a second season, whereas another fairly unknown manga by Oda ‘Monsters 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation’ is slated to premiere in January 2024.
Currently, there is no release window for Netflix’s The One Piece.
