Toei Animation announced significant changes for the One Piece anime during a live stream on October 28, starting next year. Despite these changes, a consistent design error involving a member of the Straw Hat crew remains. The studio revealed the anime will switch to a seasonal format beginning in 2026. Weekly episodes will continue to air through the end of this year, finishing the Egghead arc and leading into the new Elbaph arc. The seasonal schedule will officially launch in April 2026, with One Piece releasing just 26 episodes annually from then on.
Recent announcements confirm the anime will be split into two parts, with the first 13 episodes airing from April to June and the second part coming this fall, roughly three months later. Along with this news, previews of the upcoming Elbaph story arc were shown, including redesigned characters for the Straw Hat crew. However, fans have noticed that Toei Animation continues to make Usopp’s skin tone lighter, despite previous concerns and the creator’s original vision for the characters. It seems the studio isn’t planning to fully restore the Straw Hats’ intended appearances.
Toei Animation Will Continue the Design Inconsistency With Straw Hat’s Usopp
USOPP ELBAPH OFFICIAL DESIGN
— Pew (@pewpiece) October 28, 2025
In volume 56 of the manga, creator Eiichiro Oda revealed that Usopp was originally conceived as a character of African descent, and that aspect was always part of his design. The recent live-action One Piece series accurately reflects this intention, making it clear Usopp is meant to have dark skin. However, the animation studio Toei has gradually made Usopp appear lighter-skinned over time, especially after the time skip in the story. While Nico Robin also experienced changes to her appearance, her redesign seemed to move towards Oda’s original vision for her, unlike the trend with Usopp.
are we fr rn
— L ☆ (@pixinoodles) October 28, 2025
Usopp’s character design has become increasingly inconsistent, and it doesn’t look like the studio plans to fix it, even with the upcoming anime updates. Fans are now noticing that his skin tone is even paler than Zoro’s, and each new design reveal brings the same criticism. It’s doubtful Toei Animation will address this, and the upcoming Netflix remake doesn’t seem to be acknowledging the issue either. This means One Piece‘s most racially diverse character may never be portrayed accurately, despite all the changes happening in the series.
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2025-11-03 16:12