In Just 2 Weeks, One Piece Enters a New Era of the Anime

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The anime series One Piece will be back in just under two weeks, marking the start of a new phase for the franchise. Although One Piece is always popular thanks to its ongoing manga and the recent success of the Netflix live-action series, the anime hasn’t released new episodes since finishing the Egghead Arc last year. Now, fans are eagerly anticipating the return of the animated series.

After a three-month hiatus, new episodes of One Piece are coming soon! The next season begins in April, and the One Piece: Elbaph Arc will premiere in under two weeks, offering a fresh direction for the anime. However, the release schedule has changed, meaning only 26 episodes will be released each year going forward, marking a new phase for the series.

When Does One Piece: Elbaph Arc Come Out?

I’m excited to share that the One Piece: Elbaph Arc will be premiering in Japan on April 5th as part of the Spring 2026 anime lineup. And for those of us in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, it will be available to stream on Crunchyroll! However, things are changing with how the anime will be released. Instead of new episodes every week all year long, the production team is moving to a seasonal release schedule starting in 2026.

The team behind One Piece has announced they will now release 26 episodes each year, following the typical anime seasonal schedule. While it’s unclear if there will be a pause between the two parts of each year’s release, the hope is that the One Piece: Elbaph Arc will premiere new episodes from April to September 2026, covering both the Spring and Summer seasons. However, this timeline is still unconfirmed.

What Does This Mean for One Piece’s Future?

Now that One Piece is switching to seasonal releases, the production team has announced changes to how they adapt the manga. Episodes will be paced slightly faster, aiming to cover about one chapter of Eiichiro Oda’s original story per episode. This means that even though there will be fewer episodes each year, the anime will cover more of the story overall.

For a long time, One Piece was one of the few hugely popular anime still releasing new episodes every week. Its recent shift away from this weekly schedule signals a major change for the anime industry. It’s likely that more shows will move away from strict weekly releases, which should give production teams more time and result in higher quality animation.

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2026-03-24 18:10