It’s the Beginning of the End for ‘One Piece’
First thing in 2024, One Piece entered its first new arc since Wano began four-and-a-half years ago. Judging by the first episode alone, episode 1089, we’re in for a stunning ride.
The Egghead arc is fast-paced and action-packed, crammed with a long-awaited introduction, startling developments, and eventually one of the best (though not uncontroversial) flashbacks in the series’ history. Coupled with Toei’s renewed dedication to letting its artists explore their own strengths and styles, there’s a lot to look forward to.
As all the excitement reaches a fever pitch, there’s an easy point of confusion which keeps arising. You might have heard, in the same breath of all the excitement around Egghead, that One Piece is ending. So is Egghead One Piece‘s final arc?
First, let’s refresh ourselves on the difference between an arc and a saga—and what those distinctions mean for One Piece in particular.
Arc vs. saga
Most long-running shounen manga divide their stories into “arcs” and “sagas.” Generally speaking, “arcs” are smaller stories, often defined by the setting where the main characters find themselves. Multiple arcs then come together to make a “saga,” which is defined by the exploration of a larger theme and/or how each arc within it climaxes into a major story point at the end of the saga’s final arc.
In One Piece specifically, arcs are easy to tag, because they’re named after the island which Luffy finds himself in. There are a few sagas in One Piece which only consist of one arc—Thriller Bark and Wano-Kuni—but most sagas build on story elements that directly lead the Straw Hats from one island to another. For example, the Netflix live-action series depicted most of the East Blue saga: Romance Dawn (ie, Morgan’s base), Orange Town, Syrup Village, Baratie, Arlong Park, and (not yet included) Loguetown.
So, essentially, a saga consists of multiple arcs and can take years to complete. The longest sagas in One Piece so far—Water 7 and Wano-Kuni—both lasted about four years.
The beginning of the end
With the difference between an arc and a saga fresh in our heads, I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is, Egghead is not the final arc of One Piece. The bad news is, Egghead is the first arc in One Piece‘s final saga.
That final saga does not yet have a name, because the name might end up being a spoiler from where we’re currently at in the story. Egghead is essentially the beginning of the end of One Piece, but there’s likely years of story left to tell. Eiichiro Oda has a lot of loose ends to tie up. As sad as I’ll be when One Piece ends, the ride until that point is going to be thrilling as hell.
(Image credit: Toei Animation)
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