While production on Season 3 One Piece's live-action series now in full swing, Netflix subscription also have even more to look forward to from Eiichiro Oda's franchise. In fact, the streamer recently announced a release date for The One Piece, a remake of the ongoing anime set to retell the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and crew. I was originally excited to see it, but a new rumor about its length has given me pause.
As Netflix announced, The One Piece will premiere with seven forty-minute episodes in February of 2027. The anime is set to tackle the first fifty chapters of the manga, with the high-quality animation that Wit Studio, which worked on Attack on Titan, is known for. Unfortunately, franchise insider @Emunopla alleged that this fun ride might not last as long as anticipated as The One Piece won't be adapting the entire story:
Wit Studio never intended to remake the entirety of One Piece. The project’s scope has reportedly always been limited rather than a full-series reboot...Sources indicate that the remake is primarily focused on revisiting the early era of the original anime — specifically the classic 4:3 aspect ratio period — with a modern production approach...Overall, the remake appears to be a targeted reimagining of the early arcs, rather than a complete retelling of the full One Piece saga.
Assuming this rumor is true, and to be clear readers should take it with a grain of salt for now, then The One Piece will only adapt the beginning of the series up to the end of the Skypeia arc. The anime switched to widescreen format during the Long Ring Long Land arc, which was around Episode 207.
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What originally had me pumped about The One Piece was the notion of the remake serving as a more accessible entry point for newcomers intimidated by the original anime's 1,160+ and counting episodes. If this new remake -- crafted with creator Eiichiro Oda's blessing -- is only to reduce the episode count by a small margin, then I fail to see why it's necessary.
A full-on remake of One Piece may ultimately be necessary, as the original anime is plagued by pacing issues, recap episodes and other filler meant to keep the distance between it and the manga. The series has since fixed the issue by switching to a seasonal release, meaning fewer episodes rather than year-round.
All this to say, the entire series could do with a remake that trims the fat and streamlines the important bits to those who do not wish to watch or read the whole thing. At a time when it feels the franchise has reached its peak popularity globally, accessibility to the mainstream feels most important.
Again, this is just a rumor, and I'm still excited for the 2026 TV schedule to end so that we can get to the premiere of The One Piece. While I often find myself hoping for rumors to come true, I'm rooting against this one and hoping fans get to see this upcoming series have a sweet, long run as well.
