Toei Animation announces its animes One Piece and Digimon will extend their hiatuses after the studio was hacked earlier this month. Toei Animation has produced One Piece since 1999 and has made a staggering over 1000 episodes. One Piece remains one of the most popular animes in the history of the art form and a huge success for the studio. The franchise has also spawned dozens of films and video games.
The One Piece series follows Monkey D. Luffy and his crew called the Straw Hat Pirates, as they search for the mythical "One Piece," the ultimate treasure that allows its owner to become the next Pirate King. One Piece is based on a manga series of the same name that has sold over 490 million copies, making it the best-selling manga franchise in history. The anime series airs on Fuji TV in Japan and is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
As shared on the official One Piece Twitter account (via ComicBook), Toei Animations has delayed the airing of new episodes of One Piece and other programs after the studio was hacked recently. The hackers accessed the studio's network and main website and shut down several of its systems. The issue is severe enough to warrant delays in content. It's currently unknown when new episodes of One Piece and Digimon will return.
Instead of airing a new episode this week on Fuji TV, the network will release a One Piece recap special summing up the more recent events of the series' narrative. One Piece also has a live-action series on the way at Netflix, with a season 1 order of ten episodes. That show began production earlier this year. Some, but not much, of the anime's catalog is available to stream on Netflix as well, for those looking for a distraction during the wait for new episodes.
In a world where hackers are becoming more and more of a threat, it's important to remember that their attack on Toei Animation could've been considerably worse, and the studio is making the right decision to assess its vulnerabilities to keep an even worse attack from happening. Though some will be disappointed by the delay, the real-life safety of the studio's personnel and property is more important than hitting a deadline. With One Piece having such a long and fruitful history, the studio will continue to deliver like it always has, while taking the steps to maintain safety and efficiency along the way.