Summary:
- One Piece anime will go on a three-month hiatus starting in January 2026.
- This will give the studio more time to improve and maintain the anime’s animation quality.
- Here’s everything you need to know about One Piece’s three-month break.
It’s finally happening! With the Egghead Island arc coming to an end, One Piece is set to take its much-anticipated break. Toei Animation confirmed the anime would be on hiatus for three months, from January to March 2026. This means that the anime will return in April 2026 with the highly anticipated Elbaf arc.
This isn’t the first pause in One Piece’s broadcast. The anime had previously gone on a six-month break between October 2024 and April 2025, allowing the production team to work on improving the visuals and pacing of the show. So, let’s find out more about this 3-month break.
Why Is the One Piece Anime Going on a Break?
A representative from Toei Animation explained during a special livestream that this is part of a broader plan to revamp the anime’s production model. Starting in 2026, One Piece will switch to a seasonal format, releasing only 26 episodes per year, split into two parts.
According to producer Ryuta Koike, this new approach will help the team “incorporate more content, tempo, and pacing from the manga,” while easing production pressure on the animators. Fewer episodes, in other words, will mean better animation, storytelling, and faithfulness to Eiichiro Oda’s original vision.
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What’s Next for One Piece Fans?
While you might miss their weekly dose of Luffy and the Straw Hats, there’s plenty to look forward to in the future. The break will actually fall around Netflix’s One Piece Live-Action Season 2, which will premiere on March 10, 2026, and Toei has promised “exciting surprises” during this downtime.
With the Elbaf arc in sight and a new production schedule, One Piece is about to enter a whole new era. One that replaces quantity with quality, setting the pace for its most visually stunning and emotionally charged saga yet.
