One Piece: Oda's Jump Festa '22 announcement discusses end of Wano, live action series, and more

Jump Festa ‘22 took place on December 18 and 19 this year, with hit series One Piece getting its own panel for announcements and celebrations as usual. One Piece has always been a mainstay at Jump Festa, usually making big series announcements each year.

Last year, for example, Oda announced that Shanks would finally make his move in 2021. While it did take most of 2021, Shanks did indeed make his move in the form of the new film One Piece Red.

This year is no different, with Oda yet again providing an announcement covering many things One Piece.

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One Piece author Eiichiro Oda’s Jump Festa ‘22 announcement teases end of Wano, 25th series anniversary celebrations, and more

Oda’s announcement at Jump Festa 2022 came alongside the reveal of the Straw Hat pirates' presence in the upcoming film One Piece Red. He started the message by discussing how Shanks was certainly mysterious, and questioning whether he and Luffy would meet in One Piece Red.

Oda continued by saying Shanks has many scenes in the film, potentially indicating the film won’t center around Shanks but will feature him heavily.

He then discussed the Wano arc, cheekily said how he’s surprised it hadn't finished yet (after all, he was the author with the control over such things). Oda continued discussing Wano by saying he was looking forward to “that” final scene at the end of One Piece’s Wano arc.

Interestingly enough, Twitter translator @sandman_AP who translated Oda’s message referenced how two years ago, a friend of Oda and Toei Staff member said that the end of Wano would definitely be surprising. Considering the approach of One Piece Red, it was certainly a possibility that Shanks and Luffy would meet at the end of the Wano arc.

Oda then discussed how he was suffering from stiff shoulders and back pain, a tragic occupational hazard Hunter x Hunter fans know well. Moving right along, Oda asked fans to specifically pay attention to “Luffy as a protagonist” in the upcoming One Piece chapters. Following up, Oda expressed his hope that he could handle Luffy well heading towards the end of Wano.

Oda also discussed the casting announcement of the live-action One Piece, and said that the five cast members were perfect for the job. Oda also emphasized production was moving slowly and carefully, implying that Oda is ensuring the live-action series can be as high quality as possible.

Discussing the series’ 25th anniversary, Oda said that the people in charge had a bunch planned for the celebration. In the announcement’s closing words, Oda said that One Piece would be super hot next year and asked fans everywhere for their continued support.

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In summation

Much like Oda’s Jump Festa ‘21, this year's announcement also promises an exciting year ahead for One Piece. Between the release of One Piece Red and the series presumably wrapping up its Wano arc, 2022 is shaping up to be a great year for the series.

Particularly interesting is this final scene, which Oda cryptically mentioned in reference to Wano. There are tons of possibilities as to what fans could see in this final scene, but until the end of Wano comes closer, these are all just speculation.

Fans of the series can continue to show their support by reading One Piece’s official release every Sunday at 11 AM EST on various Shonen Jump platforms everywhere.