Since 1999, One Piece aired a new episode almost every week until the end of 2025. From humble beginnings of a Japanese Manga and Anime to having widespread cultural impact across the world, there is no denying that One Piece has been enjoyed by tens of millions of fans globally. While looking goofy on the surface, the layers of storytelling in One Piece feature some incredibly serious and inspiring underlying messages, so much so that nations have recognized the meaning of the main characters, Monkey D. Luffy’s, pirate crew flag. Very few stories meant for entertainment have had this type of cultural and geopolitical impact. However, with great power comes great responsibility, and it seems like One Piece’s creator, Eiichiro Oda, is feeling this pressure.
As of 2026, the first season of One Piece has ended and will become a standard seasonal Anime series until the end of the show. The first season of One Piece has 1155 episodes and 20 movies. On average, the One Piece franchise has produced 45 episodes per year and a movie every one and a half years. Becoming a seasonal series means that at most, One Piece will only have 26 episodes, (i.e. two seasons) released per year, at most. Not to mention the movie side of this equation may be delayed indefinitely.
This is extremely disappointing news to many fans of the series, but it is also understandable. Creating 45 episodes per year is obviously unsustainable and becoming a seasonal Anime allows Eiichiro Oda to take his time with the rest of the story, fix the pacing, and lets the artists/animators take more time to create better looking episodes. In the long run, this change will be a good thing as the One Piece series approaches its completion.
Going into the second season of One Piece, the Straw Hat crew heads to Elbaph, the legendary island of giants. This arc was teased over 1000 episodes prior and over 20 years ago in real time, when Luffy and the Straw Hat crew befriended two feuding giants on Little Garden. After leaving Little Garden, these two giants, Dorry and Brogy, found their way back to Elbaph, reformed their pirate crew, and set out to help Luffy in the most recently completed arc, Egghead Island. The Giant Pirate crew helped Straw Hats crew fight off the Five Elders, avoid the Marine Buster Call, and escape with a Dr. Vegapunk who has prophesied the extinction of humanity. If none of this rings a bell, now is a great time to catch up because of this switch to a seasonal series.
There are a few ways to catch up and/or enjoy more One Piece content throughout 2026.
First is to watch all 1155 episodes, most of which have been dubbed in English already, movies are optional because they are not kanon. These episodes and movies can be found on multiple streaming platforms. Season two of One Piece, the Elbaph arc, is confirmed to be coming out in April 2026.
Second is the second season of the One Piece Live Action on Netflix, which will be released in March 2026. This season of the live action will take fans to the Grand Line through the Alabasta arc. Viewers will meet Laboon, Nico Robin, Chopper, Dorry and Grogy, and more; journey through the Drum Island, Little Garden, Alabasta, and more; and rescue the kingdom of Alabasta from tyranny, as well as learn a bit about the dark history of World Government.
Third is the “2026 but exact date to be determined” release date of “The One Piece.” The One Piece is a faster paced animated version of One Piece made by different studio that partnered with Toei, which is the studio behind One Piece. The One Piece is rumored to shave hundreds of episodes off original series. This will allow new fans who do not want to slog through 1155 episodes to enjoy the most important parts of the story without the pacing issues of the original.
