Skip to content

Director reveals why the “One Piece” remake should be so special


Director Masashi Koizuka gave a look behind the scenes of “THE ONE PIECE” with a video message. In it he talked about his personal relationship to the series, the way the team works and the demands that the remake should fulfill.

Detailed reinterpretation

Masashi Koizuka explained that the manga series “One Piece” by Eiichiro Oda had deeply impressed him as a student. Above all, he was thrilled by the spirit of adventure and the unpredictable plot – this is exactly the feeling that »THE ONE PIECE« should now convey to new viewers.

The team’s goal is to tell the story from a new perspective and make even long-time fans feel like they are experiencing it for the first time. Each episode and each illustration is created with so much care that even those involved in the project could become enthusiastic fans of their own work.

Particular emphasis is placed on transferring the author’s thoughts into the new anime series as authentically as possible. In this context, not only were character designs and color concepts completely revised, but numerous details of the locations were also reinterpreted.

Even the organization of everyday life played a role. The team thought about which furniture, wallpaper or cutlery would best suit the characters’ lives. The ocean is also a central element and should convey a real pirate feeling with its vastness and unpredictability.

Longer running time than planned

Koizuka also revealed that the first season was originally supposed to be significantly shorter. His desire to include as many scenes as possible ultimately persuaded those responsible to extend the running time to around 300 minutes.

Music should also make an important contribution to creating the right atmosphere. Yuki Hayashi (including “My Hero Academia” and “Haikyu!!”) was hired for the soundtrack, whose compositions are intended to underline Luffy’s emotions and his departure into the unknown world of the Grand Line.

Finally, Koizuka emphasized that everyone involved would put their heart and soul into the project. How high their own standards are only recently became clear when it became known that the faithful implementation of Eiichiro Oda’s drawing style took several months before the result convinced those responsible.

»THE ONE PIECE« is being created as a joint project between Netflix and WIT Studio and will start in February 2027. To start, the first 50 manga chapters will be adapted into seven episodes, thus retelling the »East Blue« saga up to the »Baratie« arc.

More on the topic:

Video message:

Via YouTube
© Netflix; ©Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha