ONE PIECE Anime’s Next Episode Set for 2027 as Production Policy Changes With Elbaph Arc

The ONE PIECE anime aired Episode 1180 on Fuji TV in Japan on September 27. It was the final broadcast of the year, and following the episode, it was announced that the next new episode will air in 2027.

The official ONE PIECE account on X also posted, “Thank you for watching the final TV anime ONE PIECE broadcast of the year. The next episode will air in 2027. Please stay tuned for further information on the broadcast schedule.”

The Elbaph Arc has been airing since April this year. It was announced last October on the official ONE PIECE YouTube program ONE PIECE NEWS that, beginning in 2026, recap episodes would be eliminated and the anime would air a maximum of 26 episodes per year.

The program featured Hiroyuki Nakano, former editor in chief of Weekly Shonen Jump and editor in chief overseeing ONE PIECE media, alongside Ryuta Koike, producer of the ONE PIECE anime at Toei Animation. They explained the changes to the production policy for the anime.

ONE PIECE Changes Its Production Approach

Regarding the switch to a maximum of 26 episodes per year beginning in 2026, Nakano asked, “Have you been raising the quality too much lately and working so hard that the budget has become tight?”

Koike denied this, saying, “That is not the case at all!”

He explained that many viewers want to see the continuation of the main story, adding, “Next year, we will eliminate recap episodes and broadcast the main story in a way that everyone can enjoy each week. We sincerely apologize that the number of anime episodes will decrease, but there is an important reason for this.”

Nakano then asked, “Is it because the production team is under too much pressure?”

Koike again denied this, saying, “No, it is not!”

He explained that the decision to air a maximum of 26 episodes in 2026 was made so that viewers could enjoy roughly one manga chapter as one anime episode.

As for the reason behind the change, Koike said, “We want to strengthen our production structure as we move into the core of the ONE PIECE world and deliver the story in a more concentrated form.”

About ONE PIECE

ONE PIECE began serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump on July 22, 1997. The epic seafaring adventure centers on the legendary treasure known as the One Piece, left behind by the Pirate King Gol D. Roger.

The story follows Monkey D. Luffy, a boy who ate the Devil Fruit known as the Gum Gum Fruit and gained the ability to stretch his body like rubber. He gathers companions and forms the pirate crew known as the Straw Hat Crew as he pursues his dream of becoming the Pirate King.

The manga has surpassed 600 million copies in worldwide circulation, while the television anime has been airing since 1999. The 2022 animated film ONE PIECE FILM RED surpassed 20.34 billion yen at the Japanese box office and became a major social phenomenon.

Source : ORICON NEWS