One Piece Star Explains How They Knew the Final Act Was Coming

One Piece is one of the longest-running shonen titles out there, and it has sold hundreds of millions of copies. The Straw Hat pirates are household names across the globe, and much of its popularity comes thanks to its anime. After all, Toei Animation has overseen the series for over twenty years now, and its star admitted in a recent interview they knew the manga’s final act was imminent all because of something its creator said – or rather did not – say.

The update comes from a recent One Piece special featuring the anime’s cast. It was there Mayumi Tanaka appeared to talk about Luffy as the actress has voiced the iconic pirate for decades. And when asked about the manga’s long-awaited final act, Tanaka said they knew the saga was coming from a mile away.

“Eiichiro Oda stopped saying ‘there’s only 10 years left’ like he says every time I meet him, so I realized the end is near,” Tanaka said. So as it turns out, Luffy’s voice actor put the puzzle together with a bit of indirect help from Oda. The creator may not have told Tanaka the final act was nigh, but he got the point across thanks to his little omission.

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For those who aren’t caught up with the manga, One Piece has officially entered its final act, and it comes years after Oda began teasing its arrival. Last month, the creator took an unprecedented break as Oda worked behind the scenes to prepare his team for the manga’s final act. Now, the Straw Hat crew is wrapping up their business in Wano, and Nami is navigating them full tilt towards their final adventure on the high seas.

What do you think about Tanaka’s intuition here? Where do you want to see One Piece go with its final act? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.