One Piece Creator Eiichiro Oda Has Been Dreaming Up The Series' Final Arc Ever Since He Was A Kid
Fans of the beloved and long-running anime series "One Piece" will know by now that the climactic conclusion to the Wano Country arc will officially herald in the final arc of the series. Although the anime is still in the midst of a heated showdown between the alliance of Kaidou and Big Mom against Monkey D. Luffy, Roronoa Zoro, and Trafalgar Law, within the manga, the Wano arc ended in June 2022, and the final arc of "One Piece" began in July (via Gameinformer).
This means that the final arc will arrive soon within the anime, which is something fans of the acclaimed series have been waiting on for since "One Piece" first premiered back in 1999. As such, there's no question that this final story arc will be one of the most hotly anticipated television events of all time — finally giving fans a conclusion to the epic and chaotic story of Monkey D. Luffy and the Strawhat Pirates.
Although there are certainly plenty of fans out there who have been waiting a long time to see the series conclusion, their patience is nothing to that of series creator Eiichiro Oda, who admitted that he's been dreaming up this climactic final arc ever since he was a child.
Oda always wanted to write an anime that peaked in its final arc
During a statement to fans from July 2022 — in which series creator Eiichiro Oda discussed the immensity of the last arc in "One Piece" — Oda admitted that he has been dreaming of this arc ever since he was a kid. He even claimed that it was always his goal to make the final part of his manga the most electric part of the entire story (via ScotchInformer on Twitter).
""When I was a kid, I thought to myself, 'Man I would love to draw a manga with the most hyped final stage!" Oda wrote. "Now, we have only a tiny bit of Wano Arc left. The preparations are almost done. Took me 25 years." Oda's promise that this final state of "One Piece" will be the most exciting aspect of the entire manga is quite the claim, especially when one considers the decades' worth of content that came before this final arc.
Oda went on to encourage anybody who hasn't given the series a try to pick it up for the final arc, saying, "From this point on, it'll be (the) One Piece! The mysteries of this world, I'll be drawing all of them! It'll be super interesting!" Although it's obvious that Oda did not have all of the finer details of the series ironed out as a child and has made several major changes to this plan – like when it was supposed to originally end — as an adult, it's clear that he's always intended for this final arc to be the highlight of the series and a worthwhile conclusion to the enormous saga that is "One Piece."