One Piece is on another hiatus after airing the first 26 episodes of the Elbaph Arc. The anime is currently at a crucial phase as the Final Saga commences the highly anticipated arc fans have been waiting for since Little Garden. The story has come a long way in almost three decades, but it’s still far from over. The Elbaph Arc is by far the most crucial arc of the series as it brings the Straw Hat Pirates to the fabled land of the Giants. Not only does the anime introduce the Holy Knights and more new characters, but it also sets up the biggest challenge Luffy and the others have to face yet.
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Just after the Egghead Incident Arc, the anime went through a massive change in schedule for the first time since its debut. Instead of releasing weekly episodes, One Piece has taken a seasonal schedule to maintain the quality of the animation. The anime confirmed that it will release 26 episodes each year, and the batch of episodes for this year has all been released. While the anime ends its latest episode on a cliffhanger, fans have been awaiting updates on its return. Here’s a look at everything we know so far.
3) One Piece Will Return With New Episodes in 2027
The anime will be releasing new episodes next year, although the exact release date hasn’t been revealed yet. Since One Piece is taking the stage during this year’s Jump Festa as well, we can expect updates on the anime’s return before the end of the year. Just like each year, fans can expect a number of announcements and even new projects during the Jump Festa. It’s the largest anime and manga convention held by Shueisha, which is why One Piece is always in the spotlight as the most popular Shonen Jump manga. Not only that, but it’s also confirmed that the anime will be returning to Crunchyroll, where you can catch up with all the episodes. Netflix will also be airing the episodes weekly after a one-week delay due to licensing issues. The streaming giant got rights to the anime during the Egghead Incident Arc, and since then, it has been adding more episodes to its library.
2) One Piece‘s Elbaph Arc Will Take a Massive Turn After Anime’s Return
The arc begins after Luffy and the others escape from Egghead Island. Upon reaching Elbaph, it doesn’t take long for things to go downhill, especially with the arrival of the Holy Knights. They will serve as the primary antagonist of the latest arc, although the anime hasn’t shown just how far they’re willing to go to get what they want. Elbaph has always been a target of the World Government, but they’re speeding things up due to all the major events happening around the world. The anime’s latest episode ends on a cliffhanger, but things will keep going downhill for the crew. Not only that, but the anime will also focus on Loki, the Prince of Elbaph, who has been serving his sentence after killing his father. Manga fans already know about the plot twists and intense battles the anime will adapt next year, as the story enters one of its most exciting phases yet.
1) One Piece Will Be Releasing Its Canon Movie
Thanks to the change in schedule, One Piece finally got an opportunity to release its first-ever feature-length movie following the main story from the manga. The movie will be released next year, although there’s no release date for this project as well. However, we can expect it to be released after the anime’s return since the studio still has to adapt a few more chapters before kicking off the God Valley flashback. Anime movies are typically released in Japanese theatres first, and they take at least a few weeks or a month to premiere across the globe. This is the norm even for popular anime, and One Piece might not be the exception. Since there has been no announcement so far that the anime will be released domestically and internationally at the same time, we can expect quite a bit of delay before the film reaches the U.S. theatres.
What are you most looking forward to when the Elbaph Arc returns, and which chapter’s adaptation are you most excited for? Let me know in the comments below!
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