One Piece Director Aims to ‘Rein It In’ With Overseas Animators as Elbaf Gets First-Look Anime Reveal (Exclusive)

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Wataru Matsumi, the director of the anime series, recently shared details about how the show is made and revealed something fans have been hoping to see for a long time.

One Piece Anime Director Talks Challenges of Juggling Creatives From Outside Japan

We’ve been collaborating with animators from around the world, which is bringing fresh perspectives and emotional depth to our work that we hadn’t explored before,” Matsumi explained. “This allows us to create more compelling visuals, especially with projects like this one, but we’re careful not to overdo it – we always strive for balance. It’s a really exciting process.

The *One Piece* anime first aired in 1999 and quickly became a major cultural phenomenon. Over the years, it’s grown to over 1,100 episodes, almost keeping pace with the original manga. Currently, the anime is nearing the end of adapting the Egghead Arc and will then move onto the Elbaf Arc, which is still unfolding in the manga. At NYCC, fans were given a first glimpse of official artwork for the upcoming Elbaf Arc in the anime, shown below.

One Piece Anime Fans Finally Get First Official Look at Elbaf Arc at NYCC

Fans have eagerly awaited this Q&A session since late September. Toei Animation announced it would feature key people from *One Piece* – director Wataru Matsumi, producer Ryuta Koike, and English voice actors Ian Sinclair (who plays Brook) and Madeleine Morris (Lilith). The session promised a lively discussion about the current ‘Egghead Arc’ and a special look ahead to the ‘Elbaf Arc.’ In the story, the Elbaf Arc follows Monkey D. Luffy and his crew as they travel to the land of giants, hoping Luffy can fully master his powers and finally find Captain Shanks.

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2025-10-11 06:41