Is interstellar life real? What did dinosaurs sound like? What happens after we die? These are some of the most ubiquitous, unanswerable questions of life. Many people have different theories on them, yet there’s no concrete, refuted answer. For manga and anime fans, though, there is one mysterious question more important than all of the other ones combined; when will One Piece end? It’s a question that has haunted fans of the seemingly never-ending action-adventure series for years. According to a statement from One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda in a recent YouTube video, though, the end may be coming within the next five years.
In a special video to commemorate the release of the newest One Piece anime film, One Piece Stampede, Japanese YouTube comedy collective Fischer’s visited the home of Oda for a rare in-person interview. In the video, they spend an afternoon with the acclaimed mangaka and ask him a number of questions about all sorts of topics. There’s a fun moment where a member of Fischer’s is beyond excited to learn that he has the same shoe size as Oda, a U.S. 8.5, and we also learn that Oda loves sushi and, despite popular rumor, is not so incredibly rich that he has an ATM installed in his own home.
Things get really interesting, though, once Fischer’s start asking about One Piece. They lob a few questions about fan theories and story mysteries at Oda, but his answers to these get bleeped to prevent spoilers. One response, in particular, makes it past the censoring, though, and it’s a bombshell. Ndaho of Fischer’s asks Oda how many more years One Piece will continue for, and Oda responds with “I want to end it in five years.”
Five years is still a vague timeframe, but it doesn’t seem entirely inaccurate. Back in a July 2016 interview, Oda revealed that he had finished around 65% of the manga. Then, in a tv appearance in January, Oda also shared that the ending of the manga is near and that the manga will have “just over 100 volumes”.
This isn’t the first time One Piece creator Oda and Fischer’s have collaborated. If you watch One Piece Stampede, you’ll notice a bevy of cameo voice acting appearances by the members of the comedy group. Fischer’s also has a crossover manga with One Piece that came out last year.
One Piece Stampede marks the 20th anniversary of the series, and premiered in Japan on August 9. Fuji TV shares a synopsis of the film:
The world’s greatest exposition of the pirates, by the pirates, for the pirates – the Pirates Festival. Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hat Crew receive an invitation from its host Buena Festa who is known as the Master of Festivities. They arrive to find a venue packed with glamorous pavilions and many pirates including the ones from the Worst Generation. The place is electric.
