'One Piece' creator teases fans on manga’s ending

When it comes to manga, few can rival the longevity of One Piece, currently ranked as among the longest-running mangas in the world. When it first premiered within the pages of Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine back in July 22, 1997, few could have foreseen how amazing and expansive the world of One Piece would become.

The adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his Strawhat Pirate Crew eventually graced TV screens with an anime show in 1999.

As of April 2020, the manga had over 470 million copies in circulation, in 43 countries worldwide, making it the best-selling manga in history – a feat officially recorded in the Guiness World Record.

With more than 941 episodes, 97 manga volumes and 14 feature films (and running) under its belt, fans worldwide have long talked about how things will end.

Months ago, One Piece’s editor in Japan did an interview and said that creator Eiichiro Oda wants to wrap the story up in five years. While there is no definite end date yet, it confirmed Oda’s intentions to end the series in a feasible timeline.

In a recent SBS (Shitsumon o Boshu Suru/Q&A) column, Oda answered more questions sent by fans and this time, gave important details about the conclusion of the story. It revolves around the Strawhat Crew finally finding the famed treasure of the Pirate King and the greatest battle ever to come.

“Rather than wanting to stop, it’s that the series will end because the most exciting part of Luffy’s adventure, being the story of what’s One Piece, will come to its conclusion,” Oda said.

“Things are heating up in Wano country right now, but if Luffy can set sail from there safely, there will be developments in the global scale, a thrilling story the likes of which no one has ever read before. I’ll draw the greatest battle in One Piece history,” Oda assured.

From this update, fans can be certain that even if there is a five-year deadline to end the story, Luffy’s adventure will be done by that point. Oda may have released the timetable in advance so that fans can start preparing themselves for the eventual end, and therefore, be ready for a proper closure.

Five years is still a long time to tie the loose ends of the story and give the beloved crew a well-deserved send off. And if Oda’s pronouncements indicate more exciting battles, maybe it’s better we look forward to the good things that are yet to unfold before the finale.