One Piece by Eiichiro Oda is one of the longest-running anime and manga series of all time. The manga began serialization in the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 1997 and has been continuing since then. The story entered its Final Saga in 2022, but Luffy’s journey is far from over. Meanwhile, the anime is all set for its return in April 2026 from a brief hiatus to adapt the highly anticipated Elbaph Arc. As fans await the anime series, the live-action adaptation dropped its Season 2 and became a massive global hit. Following the second season’s success, Netflix released a special six-episode podcast series with the crew to talk about the behind-the-scenes and the production process. The first episode featured Iñaki Godoy, who plays the protagonist Monkey D. Luffy.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Additionally, the podcast surprisingly welcomed Eiichiro Oda through a video call as he answered Iñaki’s questions regarding the series and his plans following the manga’s ending. Oda has been working diligently on One Piece for almost three decades, and it’s his only serialized story. The manga’s ending has long been decided, and Oda already knows what he is going to do next.
One Piece Creator Doesn’t Have Plans to Continue Working After The Manga Finale
During the interview, Iñaki asked him, “Is there anything that Oda-san would like to learn how to do in the future that he doesn’t know how to do now? Just for fun?”
Oda replies, “I’d travel non-stop. Once I finish, I’d just travel.”
While the author doesn’t delve deeper into his statement, it implies that he doesn’t have plans for working on another story, at least for a while. Oda has previously stated that if he were to write spin-offs after the story’s ending, he would like to focus on Garp and Dragon. However, that isn’t an official confirmation of the spin-offs. One Piece has hundreds of characters, and many of them are well-loved among fans.
Even after the story’s ending, there will be no end to how much Oda can explore of the vast world he has created. However, for now, Oda simply wants to give fans the ending they have been anticipating before taking a long vacation, which is always difficult for most mangaka, especially those who work on a weekly schedule.
One Piece Will Take Several Years to Reach Its Conclusion
While the anime has yet to commence the Elbaph Arc, it’s been ongoing in the manga since September 2026. The Straw Hats travel to the fabled land of the Giants, where they meet new enemies and get one step closer to their goal. The Elbaph Arc will be continuing for a while, as there are many things left to resolve.
Even after the latest arc concludes, the story will continue for several years as the crew has yet to reach Laughtale. Additionally, the Final War is going to be long as well, which means fans don’t have to prepare themselves to bid farewell to the series anytime soon.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of Prime Video & Dark Horse Comics -
Image Courtesy of MAPPA
