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It's the end of an iconic period for ongoing anime, with Toei Animation revealing a revised release plan for One Piece, which has run continuously for more than 25 years and included numerous non-canon storylines. Starting in the new year, once the current storyline wraps up, the animated series will go on a three-month hiatus until spring, when the next major arc kicks off.

New Release Strategy

Going forward, the series will produce two seasons every year for a maximum of 26 episodes. The studio states this will enable the anime to “dive even deeper into the core of the universe — including more material, rhythm, and pacing of the source material.” Yet, producers conclude by hinting at “exciting surprises” during the series' break, which means more related projects, such as Netflix's live-action season 2, scheduled to debut in the interim.

Previous Hiatus Benefits

The One Piece anime previously took a half-year break that started in October 2024 and ended in early 2025. The hiatus was for the production team to improve the animation quality and allow the comic to get further ahead to avoid a rushed adaptation and lengthy recap episodes. The anime greatly benefited from this break, and it has been able to deliver viewers with countless fight scenes, high-quality animation, and less filler than previously.

Adopting Modern Trends

Although some recap episodes sprouted up during this season, the benefits of this updated approach greatly outweigh the occasional interruption in the action. This additionally allows the original work, which is currently in the thick of the latest arc, to extend its lead on the anime. According to the announcement, this may result in one episode of the series adapting a single manga chapter, with others instead covering one and a half chapters or more to make up for time.

This concludes of an era for Japanese animation, as One Piece is the final major title to abandon the old-school way of production, which prioritized airing for almost the entire year. It's the reason why classics such as Bleach, and of course One Piece have so many side stories, and the quality of the animation can vary widely between one episode and the next. Nowadays, anime production is organized in cours, with one or two at most releasing each annually, enabling improved visuals and greater accuracy to the source material.