Netflix’s One Piece remake being handled by Attack on Titan director

Alongside the live-action version, One Piece is getting a new anime on Netflix, and the crew behind it contains key figures from Attack on Titan.

There are a lot of One Piece episodes. So many, that even though it’s one of the best anime ever, getting started is daunting. In order to remedy this, Netflix is starting from scratch by commissioning another animated version from Wit Studio.

Known as ‘The One Piece’, this series will re-interpret Eiichiro Oda’s manga, modernizing production and allowing new fans to start from square one. A livestream on August 10, 2024 revealed the director and some other behind-the-scenes creatives, many of whom were highly involved in Attack on Titan.

Masashi Koizuka, a storyboard artist on Attack on Titan, is directing The One Piece. He’s joined by Chief Animation Co-Directors Kyôji Asano and Takatoshi Honda, who served on Attack on Titan and The First Slam Dunk.

The Assistant Director is Hideaki Abe, who has experience on Jujutsu Kaisen. A talented, tenured group who know how to get quality productions over the line, to be sure.

During the livestream, Masashi stated that he campaigned for the project because nobody else at Wit enjoys hanging out with Luffy and the Straw Hats like he does. “I knew that I love One Piece the most in this studio so I took this project because I didn’t want anyone else working on it. I will definitely create something interesting. Please look forward to it,” he says.

He added that this isn’t meant to be some short-lived parallel to the existing anime. Everyone’s in for the long haul if viewers are around. “I’m facing this as a long series. If the people like what we’ve created, we know we would be creating this in the long-run,” he states.

“And if it does, it means this work is loved by many. I want to continue this for a long period. I want to continue this forever.”

The One Piece will be starting with material that was first animated back in the late ’90s, so there’s definitely room for them to provide an alternative for the dedicated fans of the existing adaptation. Here’s hoping the wind is behind them.

Check out our guide to One Piece Chapter 1123 for latest on what the Straw Hats are up to.