‘One Piece’ Creator Eiichiro Oda Confirms How Many Years of Story Is Left to Tell

‘One Piece‘ has spent nearly three decades cementing itself as one of the most enduring stories in manga history, and even as it edges closer to its long-teased conclusion, the finish line keeps stretching further into the distance. Fans have grown accustomed to waiting, but the latest update from creator Eiichiro Oda gives them a much clearer picture of what’s still ahead.

The manga first launched in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump back in 1997, and Oda has spent years signaling that the story is finally approaching its endgame after entering what he’s called the Final Saga in 2022. That doesn’t mean the journey is anywhere close to over, though, as Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates continue battling their way through some of the story’s biggest threats yet.

At this year’s One Piece Day event, held on August 23, Oda gave fans his clearest timeline yet for how much story remains. According to the event, Oda confirmed there is still at least four more years of narrative left to tell before ‘One Piece’ reaches its true conclusion, pushing the manga’s expected wrap-up date to somewhere around 2030 at the earliest.

That announcement lines up with Oda’s long history of extending his own estimates, something that’s become something of a running joke among longtime fans. As far back as Volume 42, Oda had originally planned for the series to run just over five years from its 1997 debut, a timeline that has since ballooned dramatically as the scope of his story grew far beyond his initial vision.

The current arc, Elbaf, continues to unfold with each new chapter, with Luffy and his crew now locked in conflict against Imu, the mysterious figure at the head of the World Government. Given how much ground still needs to be covered even within this arc alone, Oda’s four-year estimate suggests there are still major story beats waiting well beyond Elbaf’s conclusion.

One Piece Day also brought major news for the franchise’s expanding film slate. ‘One Piece Film: God Valley’ is set for release in summer 2027, adapting the long-teased God Valley Incident that’s already been referenced throughout the manga, marking the first time a franchise film has drawn directly from established canon material.

A second film, titled ‘One Piece Film: BAAD,’ will follow in 2029, and Oda has reportedly taken a more hands-on creative role in that project, even designing the film’s title poster himself. Unlike God Valley, BAAD appears to function as an original story rather than a direct manga adaptation, and its 2029 release window further reinforces just how far out the manga’s ending realistically sits.

Between the ongoing manga, an anime that returned from hiatus to adapt the Elbaf arc, and Netflix’s live-action adaptation continuing to expand with new seasons, ‘One Piece’ shows no signs of slowing its cultural momentum anytime soon. For a franchise built on the promise of eventually reaching its treasure, fans may need to keep sailing a while longer before that moment finally arrives.

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