Tag Archives: One Piece

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One Piece x SpongeBob McDonald’s Happy Meal Coming to Singapore

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Nobody asked what would happen if the Straw Hats crashed into Bikini Bottom — and McDonald’s went ahead and answered anyway. The One Piece x SpongeBob SquarePants Happy Meal collaboration is rolling out across more than 66 countries from 15 September 2026, and Singapore is confirmed on the participating markets list.

SpongeBob SquarePants x ONE PIECE Combined Intro | Collaboration McDonald’s Happy Meal | Coming 9.15 — via ONE PIECE Official – ENG on YouTube

Two Iconic Seafaring Crews, One Happy Meal Box

SpongeBob SquarePants crew reimagined as One Piece Straw Hat pirates in the official McDonald's collab animated promo
Image courtesy of McDonald’s, Toei Animation, Nickelodeon

The collab is a three-way partnership between McDonald’s, Toei Animation (which holds the One Piece anime licence), and Nickelodeon/Viacom (SpongeBob’s home). An official animated short blends both series’ classic opening sequences, with Luffy’s signature pose reimagined in sponge form and the Bikini Bottom gang sailing into Grand Line chaos.

One quirk worth flagging for the wider community: the collaboration is not available in Japan. For a One Piece tie-up, that’s unusual — and it means Singapore fans are actually ahead of Japanese fans on this one.

The Full Crew Manifest: All 15 Collectible Toys

All 15 One Piece x SpongeBob SquarePants McDonald's Happy Meal collectible toy figures sailing on pirate ships
Image courtesy of McDonald’s, Toei Animation, Nickelodeon

Each Happy Meal comes with one of 15 collectible figures. Every figure places a Bikini Bottom character aboard a themed pirate vessel, with design details pulling from both universes. Here’s the full roster:

  • SpongeBob as Monkey D. Luffy
  • SpongeBob as Luffy Gear 5
  • Patrick as Roronoa Zoro
  • Sandy as Nami
  • Squidward as Sanji
  • Gary as Tony Tony Chopper
  • Pearl as Nico Robin
  • Larry as Franky
  • Plankton as Usopp
  • Mr. Krabs as Jinbe
  • Smitty as Brook
  • Flying Dutchman as Marshall D. Teach (Blackbeard)
  • Mrs. Puff as Big Mom
  • Barnacle Boy as Koby
  • Mermaid Man as Monkey D. Garp

Hunting all 15 is the kind of completionist challenge that One Piece fans — already deep into collecting between the Mugiwara Store at Jewel and local game retailers — will recognise immediately.

When Can Singapore Fans Pick Them Up?

The global rollout kicks off from 15 September 2026 across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. Singapore is confirmed as a participating market; McDonald’s Singapore has not separately announced a local launch date, so watch their official social media for exact timing and stock availability. Given how fast collab Happy Meals tend to clear out, day-one is the safest bet.

For One Piece fans currently riding the Elbaph arc and counting down to Film: God Valley in 2027, this is a cheerful mid-arc detour — one that ends at the drive-through rather than at sea. Check out more anime and manga news on GameTrader.

Manga Anime

One Piece Elbaph Arc English Dub Arrives 20 October — Weekly on Crunchyroll

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English dub fans, your wait is nearly over. Crunchyroll and Toei Animation have confirmed that the One Piece Elbaph Arc English dub launches on 20 October 2026, starting with Episode 1156 — and in a first for the long-running series, new dubbed episodes will arrive weekly rather than in the multi-episode batches that have defined the dub’s release cadence for years. Southeast Asia, including Singapore, is confirmed in the list of supported regions from day one.

From Batch Drops to Weekly: A Historic Format Change

The Straw Hat Pirates prepare for the Elbaph Arc in One Piece
Image courtesy of Toei Animation / Crunchyroll

For most of One Piece’s English dub history, Crunchyroll has rolled out dubbed episodes in clusters — sometimes months apart — leaving dub-watchers perpetually laps behind simulcast viewers. That changes with Elbaph. Starting 20 October, fresh dubbed episodes go live every Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. PT, keeping pace with the ongoing weekly broadcast rather than accumulating a backlog.

The premiere episode (1156) drops 20 October at 9:00 a.m. PT. If you prefer subtitles, the simulcast already runs on Sundays at 9:00 a.m. PT. The dub will be available across the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.

Before the Elbaph Arc dub even launches, Crunchyroll is warming up with another One Piece release: the One Piece Heroines English, Spanish, and Portuguese dubs arrive on 13 October 2026 at 9:00 a.m. PT — one week earlier. If you haven’t checked out Heroines yet, that’s a clean entry point before the Elbaph marathon begins.

What Is the Elbaph Arc?

Promotional art for the One Piece Elbaph Arc featuring the Land of Giants
Image courtesy of Toei Animation

The Elbaph Arc follows the Egghead Island Arc — widely regarded as one of the series’ best — and takes the Straw Hat Pirates to Elbaph, the legendary Land of Giants. Joined by the Giant Warrior Pirates, the crew faces fresh allies, towering foes, and long-awaited reunions in a storyline manga readers have been anticipating since the series planted seeds for Elbaph back in the Drum Island days.

On the production side, the arc is helmed by director Ryūta Koike at Toei Animation. The opening theme is “Luminous” by Aina The End, with the ending “Sono Mirai (That Future)” by rock band 36km/h. Toei and Crunchyroll also released an English-dubbed preview clip alongside the dub announcement — a taste of what to expect when Episode 1156 goes live in October.

Elbaph Arc Official Trailer via ONE PIECE Official – ENG on YouTube

Singapore: Ready to Watch From 20 October

Crunchyroll announcement confirming One Piece Elbaph Arc English dub for October 2026
Image courtesy of Crunchyroll

Singapore sits squarely within the Southeast Asia region Crunchyroll has confirmed for the dub, so there’s no importing or workaround required. A standard Crunchyroll subscription gets you both the sub and dub, with the dubbed stream going live each Tuesday morning — which works out to Tuesday evenings in Singapore time, a reasonable slot for a weekly habit.

For the complete picture: subtitled simulcast on Sundays, One Piece Heroines dub on 13 October, then the Elbaph Arc dub proper on 20 October and every Tuesday after that. The era of waiting months for batch dub releases is done — and one of manga’s most beloved arcs is finally about to get the dubbed weekly treatment it deserves.

Manga Anime

One Piece Card Game OP-18: Final Fantasy Artist Yoshitaka Amano Draws Loki and Shamrock

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Two of Japan’s biggest pop-culture giants have just collided in the most unexpected way. Yoshitaka Amano — the legendary artist who defined the visual identity of the Final Fantasy franchise — has created two exclusive cards for the ONE PIECE CARD GAME. They are arriving in Booster Pack Vol. 18, THE DOMINANCE OF GOD [OP-18], this November, and the news comes with a major bonus for Singapore collectors: OP-18 launches simultaneously worldwide, meaning no Japan import wait.

Yoshitaka Amano One Piece Card Game collaboration – OP-18 The Dominance of God
Image courtesy of Bandai
ONE PIECE CARD GAME BOOSTER: -THE DOMINANCE OF GOD- [OP-18] Trailer — via Official Bandai Card Games Channel on YouTube

The Two Amano Cards in OP-18: Loki and Saint Figarland Shamrock

At ONE PIECE DAY ’26, held at Makuhari Messe on August 22–23, Bandai unveiled the two cards Amano illustrated for OP-18. Both are Secret Rare cards, with foil-stamped parallel versions also confirmed.

  • Loki — The Cursed Prince of Elbaf, the towering figure at the heart of the manga’s current Elbaph arc, rendered as an 8,000-power character card. Amano’s flowing, ethereal style gives Loki’s immense frame an almost otherworldly, mythological weight — fitting for a character whose curse has been shrouded in mystery for over 25 years of the manga.
  • Saint Figarland Shamrock — Commander of the Knights of God, depicted alongside his sword Cerberus in a 9,000-power character card. Amano’s signature watercolour-like lines bring a dark grandeur to one of the Elbaph saga’s central antagonists.
Yoshitaka Amano's Saint Figarland Shamrock card for One Piece Card Game OP-18
Image courtesy of Bandai

The official ONE PIECE CARD GAME English account on X confirmed: “OP-18 features 2 colossal characters illustrated by the legendary artist Yoshitaka Amano! OPCG BOOSTER PACK -THE DOMINANCE OF GOD- [OP-18] releases November 2026!”

Yoshitaka Amano: A Living Legend of Japanese Pop Culture

If you have ever seen the fantastical, watercolour-drenched box art and character designs of Final Fantasy I through Final Fantasy XVI, you know Amano’s work even if you didn’t know his name. He defined the look of Cloud, Terra, Cecil, Kefka and dozens of other icons across the franchise — and his concept art for Final Fantasy XIV remains some of the most recognised in the MMORPG’s history.

Yoshitaka Amano distinctive artwork style
Image courtesy of Bandai

Beyond Square Enix, Amano has brought his unmistakable brushwork to collaborations spanning Batman, Fortnite, and Resident Evil — but this One Piece Card Game partnership is arguably his most headline-grabbing crossover yet, placing his art alongside one of the world’s best-selling manga series. The juxtaposition of Oda’s bold, expressive character designs with Amano’s luminous, calligraphic style makes these two cards genuinely unlike anything else in the OPCG catalogue.

What Else Is in OP-18 The Dominance of God?

The Amano cards are the headliner, but OP-18 is packed with reveals for card-game players ahead of November’s release:

  • Franky’s first-ever Leader card — the Straw Hat shipwright has never led a deck before; that changes with OP-18.
  • Nico Robin featured as a new Super Parallel and Manga Parallel card.
  • Gunko debuts as a Leader card, illustrated by One Piece staff animator Takeshi Maenami.
  • Knights of God characters receive special rarity treatment, tying into the Elbaph–God Valley storyline currently driving the manga.
  • Water Seven arc callbacks — OP-18 mixes the current Elbaph chapters with one of the franchise’s most beloved early arcs, giving nostalgic hooks for long-time fans.
Yoshitaka Amano's Loki card for One Piece Card Game OP-18
Image courtesy of Bandai

When Do Singapore Players Get OP-18?

OP-18 ships in November 2026 as a simultaneous worldwide release — Singapore collectors pick it up from local game and hobby retailers at the same time as Japan. In a card game where imported Japanese sets have historically hit Singapore weeks ahead of the English version (or vice versa), day-one global parity is a genuine win for the community here.

Also worth noting: Heroines Edition Vol. 2 arrives on October 31, 2026 in Japan (MSRP US$4.99 for the English edition), featuring seven female One Piece characters across multiple story arcs — a compact, collector-friendly product ahead of OP-18’s full booster release the following month.

For more One Piece and trading card game coverage, browse our manga and anime news section.

Manga Anime

One Piece Chapter 1191: Imu’s New Form and Loki’s Arrival Change the Elbaf Battle

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⚠ Spoiler warning for One Piece Chapter 1191.

The wait is over. After the Obon break left Scopper Gaban bleeding on the battlefield while Imu kept escalating, Chapter 1191 — titled “There’s Still Loki” — delivered the moment the Elbaf arc has been building toward: Loki steps in, and the counterattack begins.

Luffy in his Elbaf arc Viking outfit, grinning with confidence
Image courtesy of Toei Animation
Elbaph Arc Official Trailer | April 5, 2026 | ONE PIECE — via ONE PIECE Official – ENG on YouTube

Imu Transforms — Four Horns, Black Arms, and a God Valley Secret

The chapter’s most striking panel is Imu’s new transformation. The World Government’s hidden ruler grows larger, sprouts four horns (two new ones above the original pair), turns both arms completely black, and a pointed goatee frames a face that has become even more monstrous. The three skeletal skull ornaments that previously dangled at his waist have migrated to his chest as a pendant — a small, eerie redesign that suggests this form was not improvised.

What makes it narratively significant is what Imu says in the middle of the transformation. Acknowledging Gaban’s strength, Imu references God Valley directly, expressing regret at not eliminating the former Roger Pirate alongside Rocks D. Xebec at that fateful incident decades ago. It is one of the bluntest moments of lore-dropping from One Piece’s most deliberately opaque villain — and it lands with extra weight right now, given that One Piece Film: God Valley was announced just this past weekend at One Piece Day 2026, headed to Japanese theatres in Summer 2027.

Official announcement art for ONE PIECE FILM: GOD VALLEY (2027) and ONE PIECE FILM: BAAD (2029)
Image courtesy of Toei Animation

“There’s Still Loki” — and a Three-Way Attack That Earns Its Name

Gaban, down an arm, tells Luffy to take his crew and escape Elbaf. Luffy refuses. His reasoning is as simple as it gets: Loki is still here. Hajrudin arrives to back them up, taking the brunt of Imu’s demonic aura before refusing to yield — declaring that Loki is there to fight and protect Elbaf. Then Loki himself steps fully onto the battlefield.

Loki, the giant prince of Elbaf, in the One Piece anime — the character the arc has been building toward
Image courtesy of Toei Animation

The three — Luffy, Loki, and Hajrudin — launch a combined technique: the Gokoku Sovereignty (Sovereignty of the Three Generals), the chapter’s big action beat. It is the first time Luffy and Loki fight back-to-back with a named joint technique, and after an arc’s worth of Loki being imprisoned, talked about, and built up as a figure of legend, seeing him actually throw his weight into a fight alongside the Straw Hat captain hits the way Oda intended.

Where to Read, and What Singapore Fans Should Know Before the Break

Chapter 1191 is available now on MANGA Plus (free, official) and Viz Media’s Shonen Jump app. The bad news: Oda is taking a one-week break after this chapter, so Chapter 1192 is expected around 6 September rather than next Sunday.

For Singapore anime fans following the adaptation on Crunchyroll, the Elbaf arc has been running since April 5 and is deep into the giants-and-conspiracies territory — though the anime is still many months behind these chapter events. Check our manga and anime coverage for the full arc journey so far.

Manga Anime, News

One Piece: The Battle of Alabasta — Season 3 Reveals Koza, Pell, Chaka and Toto

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Netflix dropped four more names for One Piece Season 3 at One Piece Day ’26 on Sunday — and the Alabasta civil war just got a lot more real. Emilio Sakraya, Jamie Ward, Nabeel Khan and Omid Abtahi are joining the Straw Hats in what is widely considered one of Eiichiro Oda’s greatest arcs.

Cast Reveal | ONE PIECE Live Action Season 3 — via ONE PIECE Official – ENG on YouTube

The Four New Alabasta Cast Members

Koza is Princess Vivi’s childhood friend and the leader of the Alabasta Rebel Forces. He loves his kingdom just as fiercely as Vivi does — which is exactly what makes his arc devastating, because he and Vivi end up on opposite sides of the same civil war. Emilio Sakraya, best known for Prime Video’s Fortitude and the German series Rheingold, takes the role.

Pell is the strongest warrior in Alabasta, one of the kingdom’s head royal guards and a man whose devil fruit power makes him a formidable aerial threat. Jamie Ward (The Gentlemen, His Dark Materials) plays him.

Chaka is Pell’s fellow head guard and acting captain of the royal guard — the second pillar of Alabasta’s military loyalty. Nabeel Khan (Strike Back, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom) steps into the role.

Toto is the elder of Yuba village and Koza’s father, an ordinary man whose quiet endurance threads the personal tragedy of the Alabasta conflict. Omid Abtahi, a familiar face from The Mandalorian and American Gods, takes the part.

One Piece: The Battle of Alabasta Season 3 cast reveal at One Piece Day '26
Image courtesy of Netflix

A Season Already Packed With Big Names

These four fill in the last major gaps of an already-stacked Season 3 lineup. Joe Manganiello plays the season’s primary villain Sir Crocodile, whose underground syndicate Baroque Works is secretly fuelling the Alabasta rebellion. Charithra Chandran returns as Princess Vivi. Xolo Maridueña joins as Portgas D. Ace, and Cole Escola brings fan-favourite Bon Clay to life. Lera Abova arrives as Nico Robin, Sendhil Ramamurthy plays King Nefertari Cobra, Mikaela Hoover voices Tony Tony Chopper, Awdo Awdo is Mr. 1, and Daisy Head takes Miss Doublefinger.

Emilio Sakraya as Koza in One Piece: The Battle of Alabasta
Image courtesy of Netflix

What Is the Alabasta Arc?

The Alabasta arc — dubbed The Battle of Alabasta for Season 3 — sends the Straw Hats into the desert kingdom of Vivi’s homeland, where a full-scale civil war is brewing. A rebel army fights to overthrow the king, but the real architect of the chaos is Crocodile, who is using Baroque Works to destabilise Alabasta from the shadows so he can seize the kingdom for himself. The Straw Hats must expose the conspiracy and stop the war before everything collapses. It is a season defined by impossible loyalty tests and genuine sacrifice — and it is the arc that cemented One Piece as something more than a shonen adventure.

Filming wrapped in Cape Town, South Africa in June 2026, as we reported earlier.

Jamie Ward as Pell in One Piece: The Battle of Alabasta
Image courtesy of Netflix

When Does Season 3 Hit Netflix?

One Piece: The Battle of Alabasta is set to debut on Netflix sometime in 2027. No specific premiere date has been confirmed yet. For Singapore fans, the good news is that Netflix releases globally and simultaneously — no regional delay. The show streams on Netflix Singapore from day one.

Nabeel Khan as Chaka in One Piece: The Battle of Alabasta
Image courtesy of Netflix

Manga Anime

ONE PIECE FILM: GOD VALLEY Officially Announced — Roger, Garp, and Rocks Collide in 2027

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The God Valley Incident is finally getting the big-screen treatment it deserves. At ONE PIECE DAY ’26 this weekend at Makuhari Messe in Japan, Toei Animation and Shueisha officially announced ONE PIECE FILM: GOD VALLEY — the franchise’s 15th anime film — for a 2027 theatrical release. And that wasn’t the only bombshell: a 16th film, ONE PIECE FILM: BAAD, was also confirmed for 2029, giving fans two new One Piece movies to mark on their calendars.

ONE PIECE DAY’26 | YouTube Livestream Trailer — via ONE PIECE Official – ENG on YouTube

Roger, Garp, and Rocks — the Battle ONE PIECE Fans Have Been Waiting Decades For

If you’ve followed One Piece at all, you know the God Valley Incident’s reputation. It was the clash where Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp — bitter enemies on opposite sides of the law — put aside everything to fight together against Rocks D. Xebec and the most fearsome pirate crew the world had ever seen. The fallout from that battle shaped the balance of power that defines the entire series.

The anime flashback arc that covered God Valley in 2025 drew enormous viewership and critical praise for finally animating one of the most talked-about events in the manga’s history. A dedicated theatrical film gives the incident the full scope and budget it always deserved.

Gold Roger and the Roger Pirates charge into battle at God Valley
Image courtesy of Toei Animation

What Is the God Valley Incident?

Set roughly 38 years before the main story, God Valley was an island that mysteriously vanished from the world’s maps — and the reason is that one of the most catastrophic battles in pirate history took place there. The Rocks Pirates, led by Rocks D. Xebec and counting a young Kaido, Big Mom, and Whitebeard among their ranks, descended on the island where Celestial Dragons and their slaves had gathered.

What stopped them was the unlikely alliance of the Pirate King and the future Hero of the Marines. Garp, unable to get World Government authorisation in time, accepted Roger’s help — a collaboration that both men would keep quiet for decades. The battle ended with Rocks dead and God Valley erased from existence.

Young Monkey D. Garp and his crew at God Valley
Image courtesy of Toei Animation

A theatrical film means a bigger canvas for that confrontation — more time for the Rocks crew’s individual fights, the political intrigue around the Celestial Dragons, and the moment the alliance between Roger and Garp was forged. The anime episodes were well-received; a movie can go deeper.

ONE PIECE FILM: BAAD — 2029’s Mystery Entry

The second announcement was short on details. ONE PIECE FILM: BAAD was confirmed for 2029, with no plot information or character reveals attached to the title. “BAAD” doesn’t map to any obvious arc or character name in the current manga, so this one is firmly in speculation territory for now. Given where the manga’s Elbaf arc is heading, there’s plenty of story to draw from — but Oda has kept this one firmly under wraps.

What This Means for Singapore One Piece Fans

ONE PIECE DAY '26 official key visual
Image courtesy of Toei Animation / Shueisha

The last One Piece film, FILM RED, was a theatrical event for Singapore fans — it screened here in late 2022 and pulled huge opening-weekend audiences at local cinemas. GOD VALLEY, covering a story that resonates with long-time fans who have followed Roger and Garp’s histories from the very beginning, should land at least as strongly.

Specific Singapore release dates and local distributor details are to be confirmed — they typically follow Japan’s theatrical window by a few weeks. We’ll update as those details come in. For now, 2027 is the target, and based on today’s announcement the production appears to be well under way.

Creator Eiichiro Oda had teased the film at Jump Festa 2026 last December, telling fans it concerned “something that I’m sure all of you will be very interested in.” He wasn’t wrong. Follow our anime and manga coverage for updates as the full cast and production details roll out.

Manga Anime

Luffy Wins the One Piece WT100 — Final Top 30 Out, Mihawk Crashes the Party at 9th

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The votes are in. Monkey D. Luffy has won the second ONE PIECE WORLD TOP 100 global character popularity poll — better known as WT100 — with 2,378,519 points, clinching first place in a final tally of 13,086,239 votes cast across 1,567 eligible characters. The full top 30 was revealed live at ONE PIECE DAY ’26 on Sunday 23 August, and it came with surprises: as we previewed when the event was announced, the day promised major franchise news alongside the rankings — and the numbers delivered some genuine upsets.

ONE PIECE DAY '26 official key visual featuring Luffy with event dates August 22–23
Image courtesy of Toei Animation / ©Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha
ONE PIECE DAY’26 | YouTube Livestream Trailer — via ONE PIECE Official – ENG on YouTube

The Final Top 30 — and Two Midterm Upsets Worth Talking About

Luffy, Zoro (2nd, 2,148,793 pt), and Sanji (3rd, 1,399,204 pt) held the Monster Trio podium across both the midterm and the final count. The rest of the top 10, however, shifted meaningfully. Dracule Mihawk surged to 9th place with 202,744 points — he was not in the top 10 at midterm — while Crocodile (Mr. 0) climbed from 15th at midterm to 10th (201,971 pt). Both moves pushed Uta and Chopper out of the top 10, to 15th and 13th respectively.

The other big story is Carrot, who leapt from 29th at midterm all the way to 16th in the final — the largest upward move in the top 30. Nefeltari Vivi and Charlotte Cracker both entered the top 30 in the final count, replacing Rob Lucci, Bartholomew Kuma, and Charlotte Katakuri, who were in the top 30 at midterm but finished outside it. Vivi landing at 28th is a nod to how enduringly she is loved, even after her long absence from the main story.

The complete final top 30:

  1. Monkey D. Luffy — 2,378,519 pt
  2. Roronoa Zoro — 2,148,793 pt
  3. Sanji — 1,399,204 pt
  4. Nami — 1,007,955 pt
  5. Trafalgar Law — 732,301 pt
  6. Nico Robin — 322,461 pt
  7. Portgas D. Ace — 301,112 pt
  8. Shanks — 204,827 pt
  9. Dracule Mihawk — 202,744 pt
  10. Crocodile (Mr. 0) — 201,971 pt
  11. Donquixote Rosinante (Corazon)
  12. Boa Hancock
  13. Tony Tony Chopper
  14. Sabo
  15. Uta
  16. Carrot
  17. Rocks D. Xebec
  18. Yamato
  19. Usopp
  20. Loki
  21. Charlotte Cracker
  22. Donquixote Doflamingo
  23. Eustass Kid
  24. Perona
  25. Buggy
  26. Marco
  27. Brook
  28. Nefeltari Vivi
  29. Franky
  30. Jinbe
ONE PIECE WORLD TOP 100 2nd WT100 Final Rankings chart — complete top 100 positions with vote counts for top 10
Image courtesy of Toei Animation / ©Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha

Oda Is Drawing New “Special Outfit” Illustrations for All 30

Every character in the final top 30 will receive a brand-new illustration by Eiichiro Oda, each drawn in a custom “WT100 Special Outfit” design created specifically for the poll. The illustrations will be published as three consecutive connectable poster inserts in Weekly Shonen Jump across three December 2026 issues, fitting together into a single large artwork. The special outfits will also reach fans through merchandise at the Mugiwara Store.

Import copies of those December 2026 Weekly Shonen Jump issues will be available through the usual anime and manga import channels here in Singapore — if you want the physical posters, that is the route to watch.

Top 15 Get Anime Eyecatches, Top 50 Enter the Card Game

The rewards scale up the chart. The top 15 characters will appear as dedicated eyecatches in the One Piece anime during 2027 — brief character highlight cards that air during episode breaks. The top 50 characters are slated to become Leader Cards in the One Piece Card Game in a Summer 2027 expansion. For Singapore players who follow the card game competitively — the ONE PIECE Card Game has a real presence here across hobby shops and regional events — that means Luffy, Zoro, Mihawk, and Crocodile are all confirmed incoming Leader options to watch.

“Tell Us, Oda!!” — Fan Q&A Opens Today

Also launched at ONE PIECE DAY ’26 is a new fan Q&A programme: “Tell Us, Oda!!” invites fans worldwide to submit questions about any of the top 30 characters directly to Eiichiro Oda. Submissions open today, 23 August, and run through 30 September 2026, via the official WT100 website. Oda’s answers will be published in Weekly Shonen Jump and ONE PIECE Magazine Vol. 022.

The WT100 poll ran from 4 March to 11 June 2026, launched in celebration of ONE PIECE reaching 600 million circulating copies worldwide — the largest such milestone in the series’ history and the reason this second poll felt bigger in every way. With 30 new Oda designs incoming and a card game wave following in 2027, Luffy’s coronation at ONE PIECE DAY ’26 is the kind of result that keeps paying out for months. Keep an eye on the manga and anime feed here as those December Jump issues get closer.

Manga Anime

THE ONE PIECE by WIT Studio Gets New Key Art at Anime NYC — February 2027 on Netflix

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The wait is almost over. At Anime NYC 2026, Netflix and WIT Studio unveiled fresh key art for THE ONE PIECE — the highly anticipated full anime adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s legendary manga — and confirmed the series is set to premiere in February 2027, exclusively on Netflix.

THE ONE PIECE official Netflix / WIT Studio poster — young Luffy and Shanks in a bar, February 2027
Official key art for THE ONE PIECE, dropping February 2027 on Netflix. “The adventure starts here.” (© Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha; Produced by WIT Studio for Netflix)

What Is THE ONE PIECE?

Not to be confused with Toei Animation’s long-running weekly series, THE ONE PIECE is a brand-new, from-scratch anime adaptation produced by WIT Studio — the team behind Attack on Titan (Seasons 1–3) and Spy × Family. The project aims to retell Oda’s saga with modern animation quality, faithful story pacing, and a fresh visual identity.

The series was first announced in 2023. Since then, WIT Studio has been quietly in production, occasionally teasing key art and brief clips that show an aesthetic closer to theatrical film than weekly TV anime.

Anime NYC 2026 Reveal

The Anime NYC panel was a major moment for the project. Netflix and WIT Studio dropped two pieces of new key art at the event:

  • A bar scene poster depicting a young Monkey D. Luffy sharing a drink with the red-haired pirate Shanks — a callback to the formative moment in East Blue that sets the entire story in motion.
  • A dynamic action visual showing Luffy in mid-motion, manga-panel styled, hinting at the kinetic fight choreography WIT is bringing to the adaptation.
THE ONE PIECE — Luffy close-up animation still with Netflix branding
A manga-panel styled action close-up of Luffy, shown at Anime NYC. (© Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha; WIT Studio / Netflix)

WIT Studio’s Approach

WIT Studio has repeatedly stated that THE ONE PIECE will not simply retread the Toei version scene-for-scene. Instead, the team is drawing directly from Oda’s original manga panels — working with Shueisha and the author himself to ensure the adaptation captures the feel of the source material, not just the plot. Expect updated designs, condensed and re-paced arcs, and animation that justifies the wait.

THE ONE PIECE — Luffy in red vest celebrating, blue sky background
Luffy’s spirit of adventure comes through in every frame of WIT’s visual direction. (© Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha; WIT Studio / Netflix)

Watch the Official Teaser

Netflix dropped the official teaser on their YouTube channel alongside the Anime NYC reveal. It’s a short but punchy look at the production’s ambition:

February 2027 — What to Expect

Netflix has not yet confirmed an episode count, release cadence (weekly vs. batch drop), or which arc(s) will be covered in the first season. Given WIT Studio’s production pace and the scope of East Blue alone, the most likely scenario is a single-cour (12–13 episode) premiere season covering the Romance Dawn through Arlong Park arcs — the beats that the live-action Netflix series also adapted in 2023.

Whatever the structure, the February 2027 window positions THE ONE PIECE perfectly ahead of what would be One Piece’s 30th manga anniversary in 2027. Oda’s story has never looked more alive.

Are you watching THE ONE PIECE from the start, or are you already caught up with Toei? Let us know in the comments.

Manga Anime

Kingdom Manga Turns 20: Oda, Kishimoto and Togashi Pay Tribute to Hara’s War Epic

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Yasuhisa Hara’s Kingdom turns 20 today — and the manga world’s biggest names have shown up to celebrate. A special Kingdom Magazine, published by Shueisha on 19 August 2026, marks two decades of Kingdom‘s serialisation with new art from Hara, an extended interview, and tribute illustrations from some of the most celebrated mangaka alive.

Kingdom Season 6 | Official Trailer — via Crunchyroll on YouTube

Twenty Years of War in the Warring States

Shin, Kingdom's protagonist, in battle
Image courtesy of Kingdom Production Committee

Serialised in Weekly Young Jump since 26 January 2006, Kingdom follows Xin (Shin in Japanese) — a war orphan who rises through the ranks of Qin’s army alongside the future First Emperor of China, Ying Zheng. It is a sweeping, historically grounded epic set during ancient China’s Warring States period (475–221 BCE), now stretching across 79 volumes and over 120 million copies in circulation worldwide.

English-speaking readers got official access relatively recently: Viz Media launched the English translation in November 2025, with volumes available digitally on the Shonen Jump app and Manga Plus by Shueisha — both accessible to Singapore fans. All six anime seasons are also streaming on Crunchyroll.

Legends Pick Up the Brush

Kingdom Season 6 sequel teaser visual
Image courtesy of Kingdom Production Committee

Throughout 2026, Kingdom‘s anniversary has drawn tribute artworks from mangaka who rarely pick up a pen for anyone outside their own series. Among those confirmed by multiple outlets:

  • Eiichiro Oda (One Piece) drew Kingdom‘s protagonist Xin
  • Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto) contributed a commemorative illustration
  • Yoshihiro Togashi (Hunter x Hunter) drew a tribute piece for the anniversary
  • Hirohiko Araki (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure) recreated Ou Ki — the “Wyvern of Qin” Great General — in his unmistakable style, revealed in March 2026
  • Takehiko Inoue (Slam Dunk, Vagabond) sent congratulations alongside a tribute illustration — a pointed gesture, given that Hara spent years as Inoue’s own assistant before creating Kingdom
  • Sui Ishida (Tokyo Ghoul, Choujin X) recreated the panel in which Shin eliminates Rin Ko from Chapter 231

This kind of industry crossover — Jump, seinen, and independent voices all contributing — is a quiet acknowledgement that Kingdom belongs in the same conversation as manga’s most enduring epics.

What’s Inside Today’s Kingdom Magazine

Kingdom Season 6 cast characters
Image courtesy of Kingdom Production Committee

The Kingdom Magazine — out today, 19 August — is the centrepiece of the anniversary campaign. The special issue carries new cover art and a collectible poster illustrated by Hara, making it a direct collectible for longtime fans. Inside, readers will find the results of the series’ third character popularity poll, which reveals how two decades of storytelling have shifted which generals and soldiers resonate most. An extended interview with Hara and a 20-year retrospective round out the issue.

Hara has been open about his intentions for the series going forward. “Thanks to all of our readers, we have been able to reach the 20th anniversary of serialisation,” he said at the start of the year. “However, the journey is not over yet. The story will continue to build even more momentum as it moves toward the unification of China.”

Where Singapore Fans Can Jump In

If you have been waiting for a reason to start Kingdom, this anniversary is it. The manga’s English volumes are available through major retailers and digitally via Manga Plus (free to read in Singapore). Crunchyroll streams all six anime seasons, with a seventh season sequel confirmed and already in production. The live-action film series, now at five entries, is also available on streaming.

If you enjoy the scale and historical grounding of series like Vinland Saga or the craft of Vagabond — and the fact that Oda, Kishimoto and Togashi all stopped their own work long enough to draw tribute art should tell you something — Kingdom at 20 remains one of manga’s most rewarding long reads. Explore more in our manga anime section.