For readers of the One Piece manga, the longest arc in the series focused on the secluded country of Wano is coming to an end in just a couple of weeks. Eiichiro Oda, One Piece's creator, has announced a brief hiatus for the manga in preparation for the start of its final saga, which begins on July 24 with chapter 1054.
— ONE PIECE スタッフ【公式】/ Official (@Eiichiro_Staff) June 8, 2022
In a message from Oda yesterday, the mangaka announced the hiatus of the series will follow chapter 1053, which is scheduled to hit on June 26. At that time, no new chapters of One Piece would be available for an entire month, an almost unprecedented length of time for the pirating adventures, save for a similar gap when the series made a two-year time skip in the story over a decade ago. According to a translation from Library of Ohara on Twitter, Oda will use the break not just to rest but says, "I want to fix up the structure for the final saga so I can tighten it up as soon as possible." One Piece is known for its massive world and intricate worldbuilding, so it makes sense Oda would want to make sure the pieces are in place for the end of the story to come together sometime in the future.
Just before the return of the One Piece manga on July 24, a live stream has also been announced for One Piece Day. The series is celebrating its 25-year anniversary, and plenty is going on with the franchise this summer, begging to be included in the festivities. One Piece: Film RED is out in August, so expect some sort of news regarding that theatrical release. Namco Bandai is also listed on the One Piece Day website, heavily hinting at another look at the upcoming RPG One Piece Odyssey. However, we won't have to wait too long for our next peek at that adventure, as a new trailer is coming during tomorrow's Summer Game Fest showcase.
Poster for One Piece: Film RED
"When is One Piece going to end?" you may be asking. After well over 1000 manga chapters and anime episodes, the final saga will likely last about five years. That timeline was laid down by Eiichiro Oda himself a couple of years ago in the midst of writing the now-ending Wano arc. While we're on the last leg of the journey with Monkey D. Luffy and his lovable pirate crew, there are plenty of stories to tell, with at least a few more story arcs still expected to comprise this final saga.
If you're looking to start reading or watching One Piece but don't know where you can dive in, check out the Shonen Jump app, which has every chapter of One Piece available as part of its $2.99/month subscription. For the anime, Netflix has recently added a whole arc's worth of episodes, which brings its collection of episodes to watch just shy of 200. If you want to go even deeper into the anime, look no further than Crunchyroll, which has the latest episodes with subtitles as they air in Japan.
Eiichiro Oda wants to finish One Piece in three years. "I have answered this question so many times already I have lost credibility,” the author declared in an interview on the occasion of the manga's 25th anniversary, “so I don’t think I should answer. I shouldn’t really say this out loud, because so far I have been pretty off, but as of now it’s a three year end goal.”
Will One Piece end in 2025?
And although we all always joke about Oda's curious timing (it's as if one of his years is equivalent to many more of ours), there are several analyses of his statements that show that the author's forecasts are not usually as far from reality as we think. Well, yeah, he said that Wano would start in 2017 and ended up starting until 2019. He also promised, for example, that Shanks would make "his big move" at the end of 2021 and did not do so until this very week, already in the middle of 2022. But all in all, the differences are not that wide. Maybe his three years will turn into five, but the end already seems near and unavoidable.
In 2002, Oda talked about 20 years (until 2022). In 2014 he estimated that One Piece would last 10 more years (until 2024). And in 2020 he predicted about 4 or 5 years to go (again, 2024 or 2025). The roadmap seems clear, although you never really know since there is so much story left to tell and the characters keep moving and evolving. "We are all navigators," Oda joked.
Obviously Oda saying he plans to end One Piece in 3 years doesn't mean he necessarily will. but at the same time, he's been fairly accurate in the past and he's not a liar like some rumors say he is. Here's a chart of Oda's estimates in the past://t.co/oHehFgJIMN pic.twitter.com/dTZBEiccel
— Artur - Library of Ohara (@newworldartur) July 22, 2022
How will One Piece end?
Speaking about the ending, the author has repeated once again that he is very clear about it. He admits that some specific aspects of it have been changing, but insists that in his head he knows perfectly well how he will draw the final chapter of One Piece. And keep in mind that he also made it clear that the series will end when it is known what the One Piece is.
This is an important detail, as many theories suggested that Luffy would arrive at Laugh Tale and find the One Piece before the end. These speculations, with millions of followers, were based on the fact that the great mystery of the Void Century would be discovered there and that it would trigger the final battle against the Marines. However, if it happens, all that will be before.
“Things are heating up in the Wano Contry right now, but if Luffy can set sail from here safely, there will be developments on a global scale, a thrilling story the likes of which no one has ever read before, I’ll draw the ‘greatest battle ever’ in OP history,” commented Oda. “it will be exciting! In other words, I made such an statement so readers could be mentally prepared to understand that even a story as long as this one is properly heading towards its end. That said, for now just take your time and enjoy Wano while it’s hot. I’ll be drawing with all of my strength!”