From WIT Studio, the new series adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s iconic manga covers the East Blue saga with a seven-episode first season, coming February 2027.
Netflix has just revealed that its all-new, upcoming anime series, The One Piece, will debut in February 2027. Now in production at WIT Studio in collaboration with Shueisha, Toei Animation and Fuji Television Network, the show will adapt the East Blue saga, the introductory chapter of Eiichiro Oda’s iconic, long-running manga, spanning approximately the first 50 chapters across seven episodes with a total runtime of around 300 minutes.
Named after an expansive ocean, the East Blue is the birthplace of the infamous pirate Gold Roger, who inspires Monkey D. Luffy to become a pirate himself and find the One Piece treasure. It’s in this chapter that Luffy meets his ragtag pirate crew and dubs them the Straw Hats, culminating in his encounter with Sanji, the sous chef of the floating restaurant Baratie.
New concept art was also revealed depicting Luffy’s childhood in Windmill Village. The visual shows Luffy at PARTYS BAR alongside Red-Hair Pirates captain Shanks, first mate Benn Beckman and bar owner Makino, capturing an early moment that sets the tone of the show.
Rendered with “a warm and gentle touch,” the scene portrays Shanks smiling at Luffy’s boundless energy while Makino’s expression and the cozy bar atmosphere suggest the unexpected kindness of the Red-Hair Pirates despite their fearsome reputation. The image depicts a formative moment where Luffy’s great adventure to become a pirate begins.
The sprawling franchise is based on Oda’s manga, first serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1997, which has surpassed 100 volumes and more than 600 million copies in circulation worldwide. Netflix’s live-action adaptation debuted in 2023, spending eight weeks in the platform’s Global Top 10, reaching number one in more than 75 countries and becoming the first English-language Netflix series to debut at number one in Japan.
Masashi Koizuka directs the series with Hideaki Abe as assistant director and Taku Kishimoto handling series composition. Character design and chief animation direction are led by Kyoji Asano and Takatoshi Honda, with creature design and image boards by Yasuhiro Kajino and prop design by Eri Taguchi. Action animation is handled by Ken Imaizumi and Shuhei Fukuda, with art direction by Tomonori Kuroda and animation produced by Ryoma Kawamura.
Source: Netflix
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
