One Piece fans have been eagerly awaiting the remake of the cult series since its announcement in December 2023. Netflix has already confirmed the exclusive broadcast, and WIT Studio is in charge of production. But in June 2025, it's clear that the project is moving slowly.
The studio aims for excellence for One Piece
WIT Studio is known for its high-quality animation. They are responsible for the first three seasons of Attack on Titan, Vinland Saga, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, and more recently, Moonrise. The sublime visuals, attention to detail, and meticulous storytelling are their signature features.
And it seems that the One Piece remake will be no exception. The team has reportedly decided to rebuild everything from scratch. This includes the animation, the sets, the soundtrack, and even the voices. This is reportedly the reason why the project has become complex and long to produce.
A complete remake of the East Blue saga
As a reminder, this remake will adapt the East Blue saga, that is, Luffy's beginnings. It will show his first adventures, his encounter with Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Sanji, and his first confrontations before entering the Grand Line. It's an essential, founding arc that fans know well... but which deserved a modernized version.
The original anime, launched in 1999, actually suffers from several problems. It uses an outdated 4:3 format, sometimes stiff animation, and a very slow pace. WIT Studio wants to correct all of this by offering a more dynamic version, more faithful to the manga, and more accessible to new viewers.
Slower than expected production
So far, WIT Studio has only released a series of superb concept arts in August 2024. These visuals were widely praised by fans. But since then, little official news has leaked. Recently, an update, relayed by the fan account @pewpiece, finally lifts the veil.
Famous creator Kyoji Asano, known for Attack on Titan and Ghost in the Shell 2, has indeed revealed that he is still actively working on the remake. In an interview, he claimed to have drawn scenes from One Piece the day before.
WIT Studio Faces Internal Challenges
In fact, WIT Studio is used to ambitious projects. But sometimes, the schedule becomes too busy. In fact, the studio had to abandon Attack on Titan and Vinland Saga due to lack of time. These series were picked up by MAPPA, another renowned studio.
Furthermore, their original anime Moonrise, announced in 2018, wasn't released until 2025. It took six years of development for the project to see the light of day.
Today, One Piece has exceeded 1,100 episodes. For a new fan, this is discouraging. Moreover, an episode often adapts a single chapter of the manga. This results in very slow episodes, sometimes stretched out excessively.
In any case, for WIT, the challenge is immense, because it is up to them to change this.
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