A One Piece remake by WIT Studio, the hands and heart behind Attack on Titans, Vinland Saga, and Spy x Family, is in production. It was announced during Jump Fiesta 2024 and will begin from the East Blue Saga. Netflix has licensed the rights to stream it.
The remake is titled The One Piece, and will be quite different from the original anime that began in 1999. From a new staff to animation, the upcoming anime offers a whole other experience of Eiichiro Oda’s story. The two will run concurrently once Netflix begins its release. So, what are the key differences we’ve found that make The One Piece worth watching?
1. The One Piece’s Animation Will Be a Completely Different Style
For the original anime, Toei Animation has been in charge of the animation since 1999. Although the art has evolved since the beginning of the series, it still holds that nostalgic and old style that reminds you of 90s anime. However, this will be completely different in the remake.
WIT Studio is animating the remake of One Piece. The studio is best known for many famous dark fantasy works as well as light-hearted series. However, fans are concerned about the remake’s continuity, as the studio is notorious for dropping projects. They only produced three seasons of Attack on Titan and the first season of Vinland Saga
2. WIT Studio Will Maintain a Consistent and Modern Art Style
From the preview images of The One Piece, the remake’s animation looks stunning and consistent throughout with the unique watercolor art. While Toei’s art style has been incredible since the Wano Arc, we’ve also witnessed its evolution.
WIT Studio, having a fresh start with more resources, gives fans a more cohesive and consistent art style for One Piece. The most prominent issue with Toei was making the skin color of many main characters, specifically Nico Robin, Usopp, and Zoro, too light in some arcs. Let’s hope WIT will fix that and not retcon any of it.
3. The One Piece Will Have Better Pacing Than the Original
The bane of One Piece fans’ existence, whether seasoned or new, are the filler episodes and the poor pacing. Toei loves to overextend any scene, whether it’s a fight or a flashback. This especially soured the experience of the Dressrosa and Whole Cake Island Arcs.
WIT Studio, however, promises to keep the narrative tight. The investment time won’t be 1000+ episodes, as the studio aims to do it in a limited number of episodes. The One Piece is also more violent in comparison, which is in tune with the manga. We can all agree that the remake doesn’t need any filler episodes or terribly extended scenes, so this is a welcome change.
4. The New Staff Offers a Fresh Perspective on One Piece
WIT Studio brings in a new production staff to create the remake of One Piece. Toei Animation remained faithful to Eiichiro Oda’s manga, though they’ve changed a few scenes here and there. Meanwhile, Netflix’s live-action series takes many creative liberties, but both still have the heart of One Piece.
The remake will be situated in the middle, honoring Oda’s vision while adopting a new approach to the story. The production staff haven’t worked on One Piece quite as long as Toei has, but the team members are veterans in the anime industry. Here’s a list of who is involved in The One Piece:
With this talented staff who have much experience under their belts, The One Piece is pulling out all the stops.
5. One Piece Arcs Will Be Shorter and More Concise
The remake’s entire purpose is to make the viewer experience easier to digest in comparison to the original anime. The episode count of arcs will be much shorter. In One Piece, an arc as simple as the East Blue Saga took 61 episodes. The One Piece should complete the same story within 30 episodes, if they actually keep their promise.
Thus, many arcs that Toei Animation overextended with filler will be far more coherent to audiences. People can finally watch the Dressrosa Arc without getting frustrated. It also doesn’t have the problem of keeping up with the manga that the original anime did, allowing WIT to decide its pace.
6. Fight Choreography in The One Piece Will Be More Consistent
In the realm of pacing issues, one of the worst issues was Toei constantly extending fights. The ridiculous pace did not match the tone of the fight one bit. A surprise ambush taking more than 10 seconds to depict on-screen isn’t impressive. Most One Piece fans would agree they wish it would just get to the point.
WIT Studio has the advantage of seeing Toei’s vision of the fights and creating their own. We’ve seen them punch out visual masterpieces with Attack on Titan, especially with how fluid and concise the fights are. There were no unnecessary extensions. Let’s hope The One Piece won’t repeat Toei’s mistake.
7. The One Piece Has More Scope for a Worldwide Audience
The original 1999 anime is a huge and intimidating investment for any anime fan. It’s easy to drop the series without revisiting it due to the 1100+ episodes. What makes it more daunting is that it’s ongoing, meaning that it looks impossible to catch up to. This is where the remake comes in.
The One Piece will be far easier for audiences to follow if they keep their promise of cutting the episode count. Moreover, since it’s been licensed by Netflix, the reach will go beyond Crunchyroll’s. The anime streaming service has grown exponentially over the years, but it hasn’t entered the mainstream and remains a niche.
Netflix, on the other hand, has tapped into the anime market and offered many anime originals to a wider audience. The live-action series has also welcomed and converted more One Piece fans. Thus, there’s no doubt that Netflix will bring in more and more people to watch One Piece if they nail the remake.
Are you excited for the One Piece remake, or do you find it unnecessary to create? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
One Piece can currently be streamed on Crunchyroll, and the manga is available on VIZ Media.
