One Piece Day Is an Annual Celebration of the Widely-Popular Manga

Spoiler alert! This article contains plot details for One Piece.

It's no stretch (pun very intended) to say that One Piece has become one of the most massive and popular manga and anime series of all time in its decades-long ongoing run. The series follows Monkey D. Luffy, elastic captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, as he and his crew set sail across the sea in search of the fabled One Piece treasure and meet all kinds of kooky characters and terrifying rivals along the way.

The original manga by Eiichiro Oda began back in 1997 with an anime adaptation premiering shortly after in 1999. Since then, One Piece has blown up into an enormous franchise beloved by fans around the world. As of August 2022, it became the best-selling manga series in history. That same year, One Piece Film: Red was released in Japanese theaters to become one of the highest-grossing anime films of all time.

With success like this, it's no wonder we celebrate One Piece Day every year.

Though both the manga and the anime have been around for several decades, One Piece Day only came about in 2017 during the 20th anniversary of the manga's debut. As the name suggests, it's a day that celebrates One Piece in its entirety with special events, screenings, and even some exciting announcements. One Piece Day takes place every year on July 22, the same day that the manga first began serialization in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1997.

The day was made official by the Japan Anniversary Association on July 21, 2017. Since then, it has become a day that fans all over the world celebrate One Piece. The day is typically marked with special events, screenings, and even a few surprises.

2023 marked one of the most momentous One Piece Days to date. The celebration mostly revolved around the unveiling of Luffy's strongest power to date, Gear Fifth. Having debuted in the manga in March 2022, Gear Fifth is a nigh-unparalleled ability in Luffy's arsenal that allows Luffy to perform outlandish assaults against his opponents.

Gear Fifth will soon make a fully-animated appearance in the ongoing anime and is expected to be one of the most gorgeously-animated One Piece fights ever.

One Piece Day 2023 also debuted a sizeable glimpse at the live-action One Piece adaptation set to debut on Netflix on Aug. 31. The eight-episode series will star Iñaki Godoy as Luffy, Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp, and Taz Skylar as Sanji.

Just as Dragon Ball fans have multiple days dedicated to their characters, One Piece fans gather in celebration every July 22 to honor One Piece Day.

New episodes of One Piece debut every Sunday on Crunchyroll.