During a special broadcast of One Piece Newsthe producer Ryuuta Koike and Toei Animation announced a historic change in the production of anime One Piece. From 2026the series will reduce its annual number of episodes to a maximum of 26adopting a format of two courses per year. The adjustment will begin after the conclusion of the Egghead bow and a three-month production pause, scheduled between January and March 2026.
A new calendar to improve pace and quality
Toei Animation explained that this decision seeks “incorporate more content, rhythm and fidelity to the manga“, in addition to taking advantage of the narrative advantages of the animated format. The anime will return in April 2026 with the beginning of the expected Elbaph archwhich marks a new stage in the Straw Hat saga. During the broadcast, a first promotional visual of the arc, although without revealing the exact release date.
A change after more than two decades of continuous broadcast
Since its premiere in 1999, One Piece It has been broadcast almost without interruptions, with more than a thousand episodes broadcast over twenty-five years. As time went by, the animated adaptation slowed down: currently, each episode covers an average of one chapter of the manga. The new production scheme aims to maintain visual and narrative quality without compromising deadlines, a decision aligned with the recent trend of optimizing schedules in long-duration productions.
Do you think this change will benefit the quality of the anime One Piece Or will it affect its connection with fans accustomed to its weekly broadcast?
