During a
special broadcast of One Piece News, the producer Ryuuta
Koike and Toei Animation they announced a historic
change in the production of the anime OnePiece. From 2026,
the series will reduce its annual number of episodes to a maximum of 26,
adopting a format of two courses per year. The adjustment will begin after the
conclusion of the egghead Arch and a three-month production
break, 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 Arch, which
marks a new stage in the Straw Hat saga. During the broadcast, a first was also
presented promotional visual of the arc, although without
revealing the exact release date.
A change
after more than two decades of continuous broadcasting
Since its premiere in 1999, OnePiece 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 calendars in long-term productions.
