Earlier this year, One Piece announced that a remake by WIT Studio was in the works. The decision understandably perplexed many, as One Piece would likely become the first series to have two anime adaptations airing at the same time. That said, WIT Studio’s President has finally come out and revealed the real reason for the One Piece remake, and it isn’t what fans would expect.

In a recent interview with Real Sound on “The Current State of Japanese Anime”, Production IG and WIT Studio’s President, George Wada, revealed that the main goal of the upcoming One Piece remake is to reach a wider audience who may be put off by the old 4:3 ratio. Wada states that many are hesitant to watch the series because of the old format and the overwhelming number of episodes and the remake plans to address these specific issues.

While many existing fans view the initial episodes of One Piece with great nostalgia, according to Wada, the twenty-five-year-old animation may be putting off younger audiences who are used to watching modern animation, which thanks to advancements in technology, has advanced greatly since One Piece was first animated by Toei.

Wit Studio CEO Reveals the Real Reason for the One Piece Remake

The One Piece Is Aimed At Exposing New People to the Series and Anime as a Whole

Besides updating the animation, aspect ratio, and pacing, the new One Piece remake plans not only to draw in more people to the series but also spread anime and manga outside of Japan, which, according to Wada, aligns with Eiichiro Oda’s personal wishes as well.

In the interview, he states Oda has a strong desire to popularize Japanese manga around the world, which was also the main goal of Netflix’s live-action adaptation of One Piece. As such, Wada describes the upcoming remake as part of a three-pronged approach to expose more people to One Piece through the overlapping mediums of anime, manga, and live-action.

Wada: I’m currently the CEO of IG and WIT, so I’ll talk about both studios. One of the symbolic projects that involved both companies is “THE ONE PIECE”. Eiichiro Oda has a strong desire to spread Japanese manga to more people around the world, and for that reason he also took on the challenge of making a live-action version of “ONE PIECE”. In order to spread Japanese anime further around the world, it is necessary to reach people who have never been exposed to it before. For example, our production “Haikyu!!” is now a big hit in Japan, and new fans who have never been exposed to anime before are coming in. Both Oda and we have a desire to spread anime to people who don’t know about it, and to the world, and “THE ONE PIECE” was planned as an entry point.

Safe to say, One Piece‘s live-action adaptation has perfectly succeeded in this regard, enticing people old and new to dive into the vibrant world created by Eiichiro Oda. Despite fans having their doubts about the remake, the interview with WIT Studio’s President confirms that the remake only has good intentions and could actually be just as much of a success as the live-action.

Wada has also confirmed there isn’t any bad blood with Toei Animation, who have wished WIT the best with the remake, while Toei themselves continue to do their best with the latest episodes of One Piece and the inevitably approaching ending of the series.

Wada: Toei Animation also told us, “Please do your best, and we will continue to do our best with the latest episodes.” The image is that the three elements of manga, anime, and live-action will overlap and move forward to spread “ONE PIECE.”

Overall, unconventional as it may be, the upcoming One Piece remake holds plenty of promise. Judging by the interview with George Wada, WIT Studio seems to be handling the project with great passion and respect for the original anime as well as the original work by Eiichiro Oda, who will no doubt be highly involved in its production.

One Piece is available to watch on Crunchyroll and Netflix.

Source: Real Sound, @pewpiece/X