One Piece Needs a Filler Arc Before Elbaf and Here’s Why

In the upcoming episodes of the One Piece anime, the Egghead Incident Arc is nearing its conclusion as Saturn wreaks havoc on the island. Amidst the turmoil, the Giants make their appearance to link up with Luffy and guide his crew towards their native land. While there are still several months left before the Elbaf Arc officially begins, each chapter corresponds to one episode, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats as the Final Saga unfolds and reveals numerous secrets. Twenty years ago, the Elbaf Arc was subtly hinted at during the Little Garden Arc, and now it’s finally time for Luffy and Usopp to realize their lifelong dream of exploring the legendary Land of the Giants.

The manga started the Elbaf Arc over a year ago, and we’ve only just begun to explore the enigmatic yet captivating island. The arc begins when six crew members of the Straw Hat Pirates, including Luffy, mysteriously vanish. As the secret of the Land of the Giants unravels, the series introduces Loki, the cursed prince of Elbaf, who has been penalized for murdering his own father. Each chapter in the Elbaf Arc is either brimming with action or reveals new insights, making it crucial for the anime to include some filler episodes between them.

One Piece’s Anime Is Facing One Huge Problem Without Filler

In simple terms, the long-running anime series “One Piece” has been consistently airing new episodes for over two decades. However, since the manga is still ongoing, the anime risks running out of content to adapt. The studio recognized this challenge and took a six-month break last year, but the issue persists as the show continues to follow a slow pace, adapting one chapter per episode. On the other hand, newer series manage to cover three to four chapters in an episode while maintaining a seasonal format, which seems to work better for them due to a more efficient pacing.

In contrast to more recent series, One Piece continues the tradition of extended runs that were popular in the ’90s and 2000s. To prevent the anime from exhausting its source materials, studios often included filler arcs – these were mostly original stories featuring our beloved characters. These filler episodes served as enjoyable breaks between instalments of the main story, particularly in One Piece, which offered a fresh view into its extensive world-building. Arcs like G-8 and Warship Island remain engaging even after all this time.

One Piece Should Instead Adapt Cover Stories or Expand the Lore

Presently, One Piece isn’t producing any filler episodes; instead, it labels them as recap episodes, which fans generally find uninteresting. Instead of consistently providing recaps, One Piece could greatly profit from incorporating filler content. This would give the studio more time to prepare for the Elbaf Arc and minimize gaps in its broadcast. The Elbaf Arc is quite intense, so the current frequent recaps might disrupt the series’ momentum as it progresses through its final story arc.

In the comic, we finally unveiled the breathtaking island of Giants, brimming with artifacts from eras past. The narrative also introduces a host of fresh characters, some appearing during the current timeline and others within ongoing flashbacks. The animation could either expand on the Land of the Gods segment from the comic, or it may present original content while adapting side-stories as intermittent fillers for several weeks. This approach would address pacing issues, keeping viewers engaged even when following the manga, and possibly avoid dips in quality like those experienced during the Dressrosa Arc.

In the expansive world of One Piece, the creator Eiichiro Oda often can’t delve into every side character’s life during critical story arcs. Instead, he uses these ‘cover stories’ that last for a few weeks or months, which provide details about characters like Bon Clay, Buggy, Enel, Ceaser Clown, Yamato, and others. The main storyline doesn’t always reveal that Bon Clay is still alive, but this information can be found in one of these cover stories.

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2025-08-29 17:40