There is a lot going on with One Piece these days, but the series has not lost sight of its goal. While the Straw Hats are preparing for an epic fight in Wano, creator Eiichiro Oda is carefully navigating the group towards their end goal. Of course, that truth terrifies fans as it means the story will come to an end one day, and a new ad has netizens more freaked out than usual.
The panic comes courtesy of Shonen Jump as the magazine put out a new issue in Japan not long ago. It is there One Piece advertises its next magazine volume, but the ad contains some rather curious language. It says the One Piece manga is “headed toward the upcoming final arc” but refused to give any more information beyond that.
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As you can imagine, fans have taken to Twitter to share their fears about the comment. One Piece has been around for more than twenty years now, and it is getting awfully close to 1,000 chapters. Oda has spent much of his life curating the Straw Hat crew’s journey, but all good things must come to an end eventually.
To make things even worst, the ad has also encouraged fans to reread One Piece as soon as they can. The upcoming issue of One Piece Magazine will share tips on doing so since the team wants readers to “prepare for the climax” on the horizon.
Currently, there is no firm end date in sight for One Piece, but rumors have cropped up about its finale in the last year. Way back in 2019, reports said Oda intended to end One Piece within five years so that dated the manga to 2024. The short comment confirmed Oda is eyeing his story’s endgame, but he is not quite there yet. But after the War for Wano has wrapped, the manga may be ready to embark on its final saga whether or not fans are ready.
Do you think One Piece is really approaching its end? Or that Shueisha is trying to drum up interest in its next manga volumes? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!
