This article contains slight spoilers for Chapter 1135 of One Piece. Now available on the official Shonen Jump Viz Media app.
Eiichiro Oda's One Piece has been running non-stop for over 26 years. Telling the long-running adventure of Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat crew's goal to the One Piece, the series has accumulated an army of devoted fans and its fair share of criticism for length. With over 1,000 chapters and episodes at the time of writing, One Piece is a modern epic that gets naysayers believing it's far too long and never-ending. But many fans know that One Piece is closer to its end than people think.
The series has reached its Final War Saga, Luffy has achieved his most potent power-up yet, and the mysteries that have plagued fans for over two decades are starting to be uncovered. While the author said the series would end in 2019 at one point, it was clear that his predictions were far off. However, with recent claims, unconfirmed due to the nature of rumors, that Oda said the series will end in early 2025 this year, some fans are wondering if that's true. The validity of One Piece ending in 2025 can be checked with evidence compiled.
The Current State of One Piece, Explained
What Are Luffy and The Straw Hat Pirates Up To?
In January of 2025, One Piece's Elbaph arc kicked into gear. Finally, on the island of Giants, the crew looks as if they'll be set up against Prince Loki and the growing turmoil of the country's political landscape. Recently, Luffy met Loki and audiences learned more about the supposed exiled prince. Then, a heartwarming scene between Robin and Saul shows why One Piece is a series worth reading, as it rewards fans for their long commitment to these characters and this world. Currently, the entire Straw Hat Crew is partying with the Giants, unaware that the island is currently under attack by two World Government agents with special powers.
Outside of the Straw Hats, other characters have also been making their moves. After the Egghead incident, where Vegapunk revealed horrific facts about the world, characters like Shanks and Blackbeard have made great strides to get to the One Piece. Meanwhile, others like Kid and Law have fallen victim to the cruel world of pirating. On the Marine side, they've also been increasing their power, mainly thanks to SWORD and vigilante movements. The world is constantly changing as the story kicks into its final gear. With most of the known world explored, only a few islands remain for the cast to get to and a few loose questions to answer.
What Questions Are Left For One Piece To Answer?
One Piece Is Filled With Many Mysteries That Have Not Been Solved
One Piece still has many questions to answer and many events to happen. Everyone anticipates that these answers will be worth the wait for a series like One Piece, which has been rewarding its fans for two decades. Some of these questions that need to be answered include:
- What is the Will of D? — Fans have been developing theories on the shared naming scheme between Luffy, Blackbeard, Roger, and Portgas and its connection to the main antagonist, Imu
- Who is Imu? — What is Imu, and what is their power that wiped out an island in one move?
- Who is Joyboy? — More of the enigmatic figure that is the worst enemy Gorosei has faced is being revealed, and so is his connection to the Poneglyphys, Roger, and the One Piece
- What is Laughtale? — The final island that holds the One Piece is only accessible through the Poneglyphs
- What happened in the Void Century? — Vegapunk revealed a climactic battle, but audiences still wonder what the event was like
- What is Luffy's dream? — Luffy revealed another aspect to his dream beyond becoming Pirate King. Roger shared this dream, and fans are eager to know Luffy's absolute dream.
Outside of these questions, the series still has to resolve future battles and conflicts, such as:
- Shanks Vs. Luffy — the mentor and mentee will inevitably battle it out, especially to see if Luffy's earned the straw hat
- Koby Vs. Luffy — Koby stated that he'd stop Luffy from getting the One Piece if it meant keeping the world safe
- The Cross Guild Needs to be Resolved — Whether it is Shanks fighting his old friend or Luffy taking down Buggy, it is more than likely Zoro and Mihawk will fight for the title of strongest Swordsman
- The Final War — The term describes the eventual climactic Marineford-level war between Pirates, Revolutionaries, and the World Government
- Monkey D. Dragon's Backstory — Fans expect Dragon's backstory to be one of the most horrific parts of the series. As one of the lead revolutionaries who abandoned his son, many fans need to know what happened to him to make him this way
There are many more questions and events for the series to cover, and with the release schedule of the series, it may be too much for the series to cover.
Analyzing One Piece's Breaks & Release Schedule
With It's Current Release Schedule, Could One Piece Finish in 12 Months?
With One Piece's current release schedule and the lengths of the arcs, the chances of the entire series finishing by the end of the year are very slim. In 2024, the series released 30 chapters, with Chapter 1104, "Thank You, Daddy," starting the year and Chapter 1134, "The Owl Library," ending the year on December 22nd. In these 30 chapters, Oda finished the Egghead Arc and started the Elbaph Island arc. What's important to remember is that the Egghead arc didn't begin in 2024. It started in 2022. For over 2 years and over 64 chapters, the Egghead arc was what fans were dealing with. The arc before that, Wano, was over 100 chapters.
At this rate, there's no feasible way for Oda to answer all the questions, carry through on every promised event, and finish the story of One Piece by the end of the year, even if he rushed it. If the Elbaph arc has the same number of chapters as Egghead, it's likely the island of Giants will be the primary setting for the next 2 years, and that's only if the event isn't any bigger, or if Oda doesn't take longer breaks. He recently took a long break after legendary Akira Toriyama's passing. Oda even created a beautiful art piece celebrating the late author. While his breaks are planned throughout the release, events are always subject to change. At this rate, One Piece may not end for another five years. If two or three islands are left, along with their significant events, it's more likely that One Piece will end after 2030.
One Piece is Not Ending in 2025 and That's Perfect
The Story Deserves Fan's Patience as Oda is Finally Carrying out On Decades of Build Up
One Piece isn't ending in 2025. It simply can't. And this is a good thing. One Piece isn't a simple story, and its ending is motivated by years worth of build-up and fan investment. Fans would be devastated if the ending was rushed or anticlimactic because Oda wanted to hit an arbitrary time limit. Oda has already stated that the final reveal of One Piece won't be a "friends made along the way" ending because he is highly aware of the kind of investment fans have in the franchise. Oda knows to do right by One Piece fans by telling the story at his pace. It's his world-building and character work, no matter how long it takes, that makes fans keep going.
Story aside, One Piece simply makes too much money to be tossed aside. In the 2024 fiscal year, It earned over 22.2 billion yen, even beating out Dragon Ball as the Shonen Jump manga's highest-grossing series. Seeking to rush the ending would be ridiculous from a business perspective. Shonen Jump would likely be delighted if Oda kept One Piece running for years. For those wanting to dive into the series or even rewatch it, there are multiple official ways to watch the series. One Piece is available on platforms like Netflix, Crunchyroll, Hulu, and PlutoTV.
