As the 25th anniversary of One Piece anime draws near, the franchise has announced a surprise new anime project.
One Piece‘s anime debuted on October 20, 1999, about two years after the manga’s debut. Toei Animation Studio has been working on the original anime ever since, releasing the episodes on a weekly schedule.
The story has come a long way in 25 years, with the anime now following the Final Saga of the series, coming after the beginning of the Egghearc Arc in January 2024. As the studio is about to celebrate the anniversary, a new anime will be released to commemorate the event.
“The special project, ‘ONE PIECE FAN LETTER,’ directed by Megumi Ishitani, is set to premiere on October 20th, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the One Piece anime,” an X/Twitter announcement reads.
Megumi Ishitani directed Episode 1015, one of the most beautiful episodes in the entire anime. She has also directed openings 25 and 26. Along with Ishitani, popular animator, Keisuke Mori will also be directing the short film.
He joined the team in the Wano Arc and has worked in four episodes, including the beloved episode 1015. The short film will follow an in-world young Nami fan girl and will adapt the stories from the Straw Hat Stories novel. The novel consists of stories from several Straw Hats, so it’s unclear which ones will be animated in the short film
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Additionally, another popular One Piece account shared, “Seems like ONE PIECE FAN LETTER might adapt more stories from the Straw Hat Stories Novel than just the Nami one. I can spot scenes from at least Luffy, Zoro, and Franky’s stories, so I wonder how many they’ll adapt and how long the film is?”
One fan wrote, “From the looks of it, it’s a small project from the POV of someone who may idolize or admire the straw hats. Obv could be wrong.”
“Ishitani 20-minute length special??? I would’ve highly preferred an episode of the anime but at this point, i’ll take it gladly. It might be the most interesting stuff she’s worked on in a long time. Still didn’t fully get what this thing is about story-wise tho,” another posted.
The One Piece manga is heading towards its Elbaf Arc, so check out the release date and spoilers for Chapter 1128. For more from the high seas, check out our article on everything there is to know about Shanks and our ranking of the strongest Straw Hats.