Fans across the globe were delighted when Netflix announced it was partnering with Wit Studio to deliver a One Piece anime remake. Not only is Wit Studio one of the most respected animation production companies in Japan, producing acclaimed series like Attack on Titan, but the remake would potentially offer a new starting point for watchers. Even though the current One Piece anime from Toei Animation is beautiful in its own right, it’s also incredibly long at over a thousand episodes. Moreover, the pacing for the Toei anime is notoriously slow, hindered by the fact that it is being released in close approximation of the manga.
Toei would typically adapt a chapter of the manga into one full episode, which isn’t ideal considering they rarely have enough content in a chapter to fill a full 22-minute episode. Fans hope that the Wit Studio remake can deliver a more accessible starting point for new viewers, with improved pacing, given that the new animators will have more insight into future events. However, Netflix has been quiet on the Wit Studio remake. The streaming service didn’t even hint at the new anime during its 2025 Tudum event, instead focusing exclusively on the second season of the live-action One Piece. The absence of the Wit Studio One Piece has made people question what is happening with the series.
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One Piece Needs the Wit Studio Remake to Win Over New Viewers
The Toei One Piece is undeniably iconic, but it is also incredibly difficult to get into because of its length and pacing. There aren’t many people willing to begin investing in a thousand-plus-episode anime series, and Toei recognizes this. The early episodes are also looking more and more dated as time progresses. That is why Toei has been releasing the One Piece specials that adapt older story arcs, including Episode of East Blue and Episode of Skypia, into digestible modern episodes. Toei has also begun re-editing more recent One Piece episodes with better pacing, starting with the Fishman Island Arc. All these attempts by Toei are to get more people to watch the series and get them caught up. The Wit Studio remake would provide an excellent starting point for potential new fans, allowing new viewers a great starting point with improved animation and pacing.
The most frustrating aspect of the recent One Piece episodes is the one-to-one chapter-to-episode adaptation that the animation follows in its current state, with an even more glacial pace before its recently concluded hiatus. The amount of story in each One Piece chapter is never consistent, with some containing multitudes of narrative progression, whereas others only move the narrative slightly. Oftentimes this results in dangling the next exciting moment behind the dreaded “To Be Continued” screen. That kind of pacing works in manga but does not work in animation. Something that is meant to be a few seconds long in the manga would be stretched for minutes, potentially even episodes at a time in the anime. It’s not the ideal way to adapt, yet Toei’s One Piece perseveres and remains popular globally. The animation overcomes the pacing shortcomings with stylistic art and a beloved voice cast that carries the emotional beats.
The One Piece dilemma isn’t unique to the series, as other popular Shonen-based manga have run into the same problem. Dragon Ball Z notoriously had to extend fight scenes and moments to last several episodes when the series got close to the manga, specifically during the “five-minute” fight between Goku and Frieza. The Naruto Shippuden anime would have full arcs and sagas with anime-only storylines, earning a reputation for being mostly comprised of filler. The solution to this dilemma is to have breaks between arcs, allowing the manga more time to make extra chapters, so that animators have more to work with. However, given the importance of the One Piece brand to always have an anime on the air, extended hiatuses and breaks were never a possibility for the series. The new edited versions, akin to the Fishman Island Arc, and the Wit Studio remake were the franchise’s best option to fix the dilemma.
Wit Studio and Netflix Are Likely Taking Their Time
While Netflix hasn’t provided many details about the Wit Studio remake, the anime is likely still in production. Animation takes years to make, with a lot of pre-production needing to be decided before key animation can begin being produced. Given the quality of work Wit Studio typically provides, it makes sense for the One Piece remake to take a longer time to hit our screens as the company continues mapping out the production cycle.
Netflix views One Piece as one of its biggest brands, evident from its showing at the 2025 Tudum event. Netflix probably wouldn’t unceremoniously abandon the Wit Remake, as it is its best option to draw in new viewers to the franchise.
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