'One Piece' anime news, rumors: cancellation on the cards for anime series?

Promotional Photo for "One Piece"Facebook/OnePieceOfficial

There are rumors circulating that the anime adaptation of "One Piece" will be canceled. This is highly questionable, though, given the popularity not only of the animated series but also of the manga on which it is based.

GameNGuide, in one of its headlines, purports that "anime creators confirms cancellation," but the article says that this "has not been proven nor confirmed." News Everyday had put a similar headline but said in the body of the article that it's not true. It would be wise for fans to take such headlines with a grain of salt.

The bigger possibility is that the anime might be put on hold for a while, although this, too, is mere speculation and has not been confirmed by the people behind the production. This is because of the latest episode, episode 763 titled "The Truth Behind the Disappearance! Sanji Gets a Startling Invitation!," covers chapter 813 of the manga. The most recent chapter is chapter 845.

Given that the animated series is catching up fast on the source material, there is a possibility that it would eventually run out of scenes to present and that it will have to wait until more chapters are released. If this happens, either they will put the series on hold temporarily or decide to create filler episodes. It is unlikely that it will be canceled, however, because of the wide fanbase of the series.

On IMDb, for instance, it received a rating 8.8 out of 10 from 41,862 reviews. On My Anime List, it received an average of 8.58 from 304,472 users and is ranked No. 31 in terms of popularity. The manga is deemed as the best-selling manga series in history, according to Zakzak, with approximately 380 million in sales as of April 2015.

Also, the Straw Hat pirates captain Monkey D. Luffy seems to be getting closer and closer to finding the elusive treasure One Piece and becoming the Pirate King, so it would a disappointment for fans if the anime gets the ax when the excitement is steadily increasing.

Should the anime really be planned for cancellation, then fans can expect an announcement from mangaka Eiichiro Oda or production company Toei Animation. Until then, fans can continue enjoying "One Piece."