One Piece Anime Will Air Only 26 Episodes per Year

The One Piece anime will undergo significant changes starting in 2026. Ryūta Koike, the series producer, announced during a One Piece News livestream that the franchise will reduce the number of annual episodes to a maximum of 26, allowing more time to adapt manga chapters and improving overall animation quality.

One Piece Anime Will Air Only 26 Episodes per Year

After the conclusion of the Egghead arc in 2025, the anime will take a three-month production break from January to March 2026. The series will return in April with the start of the new Elbaph arc, divided into two cours (two quarters of the year). Toei Animation also released visual art for the arc.

The reduction to 26 episodes per year will allow manga chapters to be adapted with greater fidelity, pacing, and content. Historically, the One Piece anime has aired almost weekly since its debut in 1999, but in recent years, the adaptation pace has slowed, reaching an average of one anime episode per manga chapter.

The Egghead arc, which began in the anime in January 2024, underwent a strategic pause in 2025. In October of that year, the franchise announced that the story would take a break to “recharge,” returning in April with Part 2 of the arc. Episode 1.123, the first episode of Egghead Part 2, premiered on April 5 on Fuji TV, airing alongside a recap episode of Part 1. The second episode, 1.124, aired on April 6 in a new timeslot at 23:15 JST (10:15 EDT).

During the Egghead arc break, Toei Animation aired One Piece Log: Fish-Man Island Saga, a summarized and enhanced version of the Fish-Man Island arc, with 21 re-edited episodes, redone scenes, and adjustments in the artwork.