Eiichiro Oda’s hit One Piece manga began serialization in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 1997, and since then, the story has released over 1100 chapters. For almost three decades, One Piece has gained massive popularity across the world, eventually becoming the best-selling manga series of all time. Thanks to its popularity, there have been many spin-off novels by different authors who take a new approach to the vast world created by Oda. One Piece: Heroines is one such spin-off novel that takes place in the same worldbuilding as the manga and follows the original characters, all the while having a unique tone to the story. The novel, written by Jun Esaka and illustrated by Sayaka Suwa, was released in two volumes, and it’s getting an anime adaptation on July 5th, 2026.
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The anime was announced earlier this year along with a gorgeous visual of Nami standing at the center of the crowd. Even though the focus of this special episode is meant to be on Nami, Robin is seen standing on her left. While the July 5th, 2026 release date is only for the Japanese broadcast and Crunchyroll, the episode will also drop on Netflix on July 11th, 2026. Netflix streams One Piece’s latest episodes after a one-week delay, and What’s on Netflix confirms this special release isn’t an exception.
What Is One Piece: Heroines About?
Each volume of the spin-off novel has four chapters and an extra chapter focusing on the popular One Piece girls. Each of the main chapters is dedicated to one heroine, while the volume extra focuses on Nami and Robin, members of the Straw Hat Pirates. The main chapters center around Nami, Nico Robin, Princess Vivi, Perona, Boa Hancock, Tashigi, Reiju, and Uta.
While the novel follows many female characters and their adventures, the anime production is rather limited considering it’s only a 20-minute episode. It won’t be a one-on-one adaptation, since there will be some original scenes as well. The episode will adapt Nami’s story from the novel, where she goes to a designer shoe store and finds a pair of beautiful but uncomfortable shoes.
The store employee helps her with the fitting, receiving praise from Nami and encouragement to follow her own path instead of working under another designer. In the novel, Robin doesn’t originally make an appearance, but the anime will introduce her as well since the chapter centering around the crew’s archaeologist isn’t going to be adapted.
What’s Next for One Piece in 2026?
Both the One Piece anime and manga are in the middle of the Elbaph Arc. Following the anime’s schedule change, the anime will release 26 episodes per year and adapt one chapter per episode. The anime is still ongoing, but it’s scheduled to take a one-week break for the broadcast of One Piece: Heroines on July 5th, 2026. The Elbaph Arc will continue from July 11th and release the remaining 13 episodes before going on another hiatus. Additionally, the manga is in a crucial phase as the situation in Elbaph went from bad to worse. The story is delving deeper into its mysteries and the final antagonist.
2027 is going to be a crucial year for the franchise with the debut of the remake anime series, The One Piece on Februrary 2027. The remake will adapt the East Blue Saga, where Luffy’s epic journey begins. Additionally, the live-action adaptation is all set for its return since the latest update confirms Season 3 filming has been wrapped up. We can expect a release window soon, and it will most likely be in 2027.
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