There will never be a better time for a new One Piece film, and Toei knows it

Following the latest news regarding the anime’s 6–month hiatus, many fans of mangaka Eiichiro Oda’s franchise wonder if a One Piece film could be coming. With a franchise's popularity, having six months of no animated material seems a major misstep, even with upcoming projects like season 2 of Netflix’s live-action adaptation.

Likewise, now would be the perfect time for another One Piece film due to the opportunity the anime’s 6-month break has created. In fact, there may not ever be a better time for the franchise to make a film, thanks to the concurrent happenings in anime and manga.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the manga.

Toei Animation’s best chance at another One Piece film is now, and the final saga is the key

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One of the biggest reasons this is the best time for another One Piece film stems from the fact that the manga and anime are in the final saga. While a final saga for a series running for well over 25 years will certainly take some time, the series will likely move quicker than anticipated. This is especially true for the anime, which now allows itself to stockpile a significant amount of adaptational material.

Likewise, the anime should move very quickly upon its resumption, a pace that will likely continue into the Elbaf Arc. From here, it should swiftly progress through Elbaf and into the series’ final stages and ultimate conclusion. In turn, it’s unlikely Toei can reasonably justify pulling resources away from the animation of the series’ conclusion to produce another film.

The anime’s break is at the center of why now is the best time for a new One Piece film to be made. One of the biggest benefits is segmenting staff, given that those working on the anime won’t be under weekly deadlines for a period of time. This could justify pulling some staff to do the legwork on animating a movie while the Egghead Arc’s anime continuation is slowly worked on.

One Piece Film: RED proved just how profitable the franchise's films can be (Image via Toei Animation)

Toei would also have the benefit of the Fishman Island Arc redux sustaining interest in the anime during the larger break from new material. This would ensure that a market for a film exists during the break. While this would obviously necessitate the film having been in pre-production for quite some time by now, this is certainly a possibility.

Even if this isn’t the case, it’s still worth starting production on a new One Piece film because of the manga’s current situation. The Elbaf Arc has only just begun, and if the Egghead Arc is anything to go off of, fans have roughly a year until its climax is reached. In other words, the anime may rush through the Egghead Arc just to sit weekly at the opening stages of the Elbaf Arc.

Having a movie release coincide with this point in the anime would be a shrewd move to keep fans invested in the product overall. The production committee would also benefit from the revenue and profits it would produce, as evidenced by Film: RED’s theatrical success both in Japan and abroad.

In turn, this could then be reinvested into the anime to ensure a continued caliber of product matching that of post-break Egghead.

Final thoughts

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It’s clear that now is the best time for Toei Animation to begin working on a new anime film production for Oda’s One Piece franchise. The anime’s gap provides too much opportunity, even considering that the Fishman Island Arc redux will also require significant resources.