In 2023, in celebration of the One Piece anime’s 25th anniversary, it was announced that Wit Studio would produce a full-fledged remake of the series appropriately titled The One Piece. Ironically, production on The One Piece wasn’t finished in time for the anime’s anniversary, with it eventually set for a batch release in February 2027, but even then, there was still plenty to be excited about when it came to The One Piece.
One Piece fans old and new have been waiting years for The One Piece, and while it’s still almost a year away, a teaser trailer for The One Piece has finally been released. With how much hype there has been for The One Piece, the teaser trailer should have been the perfect way of capitalizing on that, and that makes it all the more disappointing that The One Piece, at least based on the teaser, looks to be a downgrade for the franchise, as opposed to the revival people were hoping for.
The One Piece Looks Incredible, But It Has Nothing Else Going For It
One of the major selling points of Netflix’s The One Piece was remaking the East Blue Saga with modern animation techniques, and for what it’s worth, the teaser shows off plenty of that. Every scene in the teaser trailer boasts gorgeous artwork and creative direction, even having surprisingly impressive use of 3D visuals at times. The One Piece’s staff is comprised of some of Wit Studio’s biggest names, like Masashi Koizuki, Kyoji Asano, and Takatoshi Honda, and they’re certainly putting in all their talent to make it look incredible.
Unfortunately, gorgeous visuals seem to be all The One Piece has going for it. Everything in the teaser trailer, as good as it looks, is more or less a shot-for-shot remake of scenes from the original anime, which makes it seem like it will only be a straightforward adaptation of the East Blue Saga and not feature any new content. Granted, the staff said that they were only covering the East Blue, but the general assumption was that new content would be included within that framework, so seeing this is incredibly disappointing.
As iconic as the East Blue Saga is, with how much One Piece expanded on its lore and worldbuilding in the arcs to follow, there’s plenty of room for a remake to add to the East Blue Saga for a bigger story that’s more consistent with the larger story. There’s still a chance that The One Piece is doing just that, but it’s hard to think that after watching the teaser trailer, and if that’s the case, then it won’t offer much more than things like the Episode of East Blue special, or even the original anime from 1999.
Netflix’s Live-Action One Piece Succeeds Where The Reboot Is Failing
Courtesy of Netflix
If there’s anything that truly makes The One Piece feel disappointing, it’s comparing it to Netflix’s live-action One Piece series. When the live-action One Piece released its first teaser trailer, it did a perfect job of highlighting both recreations of iconic scenes, faithful reinterpretations of others, and original content to flesh things out, all of which perfectly sold the series to old and new fans alike. The live-action series doing all of that with just a teaser trailer only makes The One Piece look worse by comparison, and both of them coming from Netflix just adds insult to injury.
Sure enough, when the live-action One Piece finally came out, it more than lived up to its initial trailer. Elements like Garp being in the East Blue and a focus on fishman discrimination did a perfect job of utilizing future lore, and season 2 went even further by finding organic ways of referencing Brook, Sanji’s backstory, and even Nika and his connection to Luffy and Elbaph. All of that was perfectly balanced by one stellar adaptation of the source material after another, and in many ways, it’s arguably an even richer experience compared to the original anime and manga.
One Piece’s Anime Has Been Officially Dethroned As The Franchise’s Blueprint
For more than 25 years, One Piece’s anime adaptation felt untouchable, but now it is no longer the best blueprint of the beloved manga.
With how well it balances sticking to the source material and creating original content, the live-action One Piece is a perfect love letter to the franchise, offering plenty to fans old and new, and it sets the standard for what any modern adaptation or remake of One Piece should strive for. Unfortunately, it looks as if The One Piece will play things safe and focus mostly on making the East Blue Saga look as good as possible, and with all the hype attached to it, that’s nothing but a letdown.
Why The One Piece Will Still Be A Hit, Despite Its Flaws
The-One-Piece-Teaser-Luffy
Whether in comparison to the live-action series or on its own merits, The One Piece looks like it will be an incredibly flawed product, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be a success. In addition to gorgeous visuals, the major selling point of The One Piece is that it will rework the anime to be shorter and with better pacing; one of the biggest criticisms of One Piece is its massive, intimidating length and the One Piece anime’s poor pacing, which makes it feel even more tedious, so that, alone, will be a major draw that most people will want to get behind.
More than that, of course, The One Piece will be a success simply because it’s One Piece. Over the past decade, One Piece has gradually established itself as the biggest anime in the world, and nowadays, any project associated with One Piece is all but guaranteed to be massively popular with fans and critics based on the franchise’s prestige alone. It would be weirder if The One Piece didn’t draw in a massive audience, and with it all but guaranteed to be a visual marvel, that might be enough for people to ignore how basic the story is.
Grand Line · Pirate Adventure Edition The One Piece Anime Quiz
⚓CrewNakama
⚡PowersDevil Fruit
🌊ArcsAdventure
☠VillainsEnemies
🌎WorldBlue Sea
01
Monkey D. Luffy is the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates and dreams of becoming King of the Pirates. He gained his signature stretching abilities by eating a Devil Fruit as a child. What was this fruit originally believed to be called?
✓ Correct! The Gomu Gomu no Mi (Gum-Gum Fruit) was what Luffy’s Devil Fruit was believed to be — a Paramecia-type fruit that turned his body into rubber. Luffy accidentally ate it from the treasure chest of the Red Hair Pirates when he was a child in Foosha Village.
✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is the Gomu Gomu no Mi. The Mera Mera no Mi is the Flame-Flame Fruit eaten by Ace, the Bara Bara no Mi is Buggy’s Chop-Chop Fruit, and the Hana Hana no Mi is Robin’s Flower-Flower Fruit.
02
The One Piece world is divided by a massive geological formation that runs around the entire globe, separating the oceans. What is this continent-like structure called?
✓ Correct! The Red Line is a massive continent that circles the globe vertically, dividing the world’s oceans into four seas: North Blue, South Blue, East Blue, and West Blue. It intersects with the Grand Line at two points, including the holy land of Mary Geoise.
✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is the Red Line. The Grand Line is the ocean route where pirates compete, the Calm Belt is a windless sea surrounding it full of Sea Kings, and Reverse Mountain is the entry point to the Grand Line. The Red Line is the massive continent dividing the world.
03
In the One Piece world, there is a spiritual power that allows users to sense others’ presence, predict attacks, and even exert their willpower over others. What is this power called?
✓ Correct! Haki is a mysterious power that exists in every living being in the One Piece world. It comes in three types: Observation Haki (sensing), Armament Haki (invisible armor), and the rare Conqueror’s Haki (dominating willpower), which only one in a million people possess.
✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is Haki. Chakra is the energy system from Naruto, Nen is from Hunter x Hunter, and Ki is from Dragon Ball. Haki is One Piece’s unique power system with three distinct forms: Observation, Armament, and Conqueror’s.
04
The Seven Warlords of the Sea (Shichibukai) were powerful pirates who worked for the World Government in exchange for pardons. Which of these characters was NOT one of the original Seven Warlords?
✓ Correct! Kaido was never a Warlord — he was one of the Four Emperors (Yonko), the most powerful pirates ruling the New World. Known as “the Strongest Creature in the World,” Kaido ruled over Wano Country with the Beast Pirates. Mihawk, Crocodile, and Doflamingo were all Warlords.
✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is Kaido. Mihawk (the world’s greatest swordsman), Crocodile (the desert king of Alabasta), and Doflamingo (the Heavenly Demon) were all Warlords. Kaido was a Yonko — an Emperor of the Sea — a rank above the Warlords entirely.
05
The Marineford War arc is considered one of the most emotional and pivotal arcs in One Piece. Luffy desperately fought to save someone important to him from execution. Who was Luffy trying to save?
✓ Correct! Portgas D. Ace, Luffy’s sworn older brother, was captured by the Marines and sentenced to public execution at Marineford. Luffy broke into Impel Down prison and then stormed Marineford itself in a desperate attempt to save Ace, leading to one of the most heartbreaking moments in anime history.
✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is Portgas D. Ace. Nico Robin was rescued during the Enies Lobby arc, Zoro is rarely in that kind of danger, and Sabo was believed dead at the time. Ace’s execution at Marineford triggered an all-out war between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Marines.
06
Roronoa Zoro is the first member to join Luffy’s crew and serves as the Straw Hats’ swordsman. He has a unique fighting style. How many swords does Zoro wield in his signature technique?
✓ Correct! Zoro is famous for his Santoryu (Three Sword Style), wielding one sword in each hand and a third in his mouth. This unique fighting style makes him one of the most distinctive swordsmen in all of anime. His dream is to become the world’s greatest swordsman by defeating Dracule Mihawk.
✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is three. Zoro’s signature Santoryu (Three Sword Style) involves wielding one sword in each hand and gripping the third in his mouth. While he can fight with one or two swords, his three-sword technique is his most iconic and powerful combat form.
07
The World Government in One Piece is controlled by a mysterious group of individuals who sit at the very top of its power structure, above even the Admirals and the Fleet Admiral. What are they called?
✓ Correct! The Five Elders (Gorosei) are the highest-ranking leaders of the World Government, residing in the holy land of Mary Geoise. They command all military and political power, including the authority to order a Buster Call. Their true nature and abilities have only recently been revealed in the series.
✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is the Five Elders (Gorosei). The Celestial Dragons are descendants of the founding kings but don’t rule directly, the Revolutionary Army opposes the government, and the Yonko are pirate emperors outside government control. The Gorosei sit at the absolute top.
08
It was revealed that Luffy’s Devil Fruit is not actually the Gomu Gomu no Mi, but a mythical Zoan-type fruit with a much more significant true name. What is the fruit’s real identity?
✓ Correct! The Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Sun God Nika is a Mythical Zoan-type fruit that the World Government had been hunting for 800 years. When Luffy awakened it during the Wano arc, he unlocked Gear 5 — gaining the power of “the most ridiculous ability in the world” with limitless imagination-based combat.
✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Sun God Nika. The Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Phoenix belongs to Marco, the Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu was Kaido’s dragon fruit, and the Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Okuchi no Makami was Yamato’s fruit. Luffy’s true fruit is the legendary Sun God Nika.
Voyage Complete Your Pirate Bounty
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Are you King of the Pirates — or still swabbing the deck?
There will surely be a lot to love about The One Piece, whether it’s because of its amazing visuals, improved pacing, or simply the enduring charm of the East Blue Saga, but if it’s only going to be the East Blue Saga and nothing else, then that doesn’t feel like it’s as worth getting excited over as people think. There could very easily be more to the series than the teaser trailer let on, but just from this first impression, The One Piece is looking to be nothing but a disappointment.
