Even With a Schedule Change, One Piece’s Anime Will Have the Same Problem

Since its debut in 1999, One Piece’s anime has been on a weekly schedule just like the manga. Usually, a single manga chapter isn’t long enough to create one episode, but it can’t be helped in a long-running series where both mediums run on a weekly schedule. Compared to Shonen classics such as Bleach and Naruto, One Piece has a significantly lower number of filler episodes. Instead, the anime slows down the pacing and often blends anime-original filler scenes in the middle of the story. This often leads to controversies whenever the original content differs from the source material. However, the animation studio has been consistent with the series throughout all these years, further popularizing this epic story by Eiichiro Oda.

Not only that, but ever since the Wano Country Saga, One Piece has released some of the most wonderfully animated episodes of all time. What’s even more surprising is that the animation quality only improved in the Egghead Incident Arc. Not only that, but the anime almost caught up with the manga, which is why One Piece’s anime went on a six-month hiatus in the middle of the Egghead Incident Arc. However, even that wasn’t enough to fix the production issues, which is why Toei recently announced that the anime will only release 26 episodes per year. However, despite the major schedule change, the pacing won’t be fixed at all.

One Piece Will Adapt One Chapter Per Episode Even After the Schedule Change

The anime will split the episodes into two parts, releasing 26 episodes within the year. The announcement shook the fandom, with fans having mixed reactions over the schedule change, especially since most of them are used to watching the show weekly. The trend of long-running anime series has long since faded and has been replaced with seasonal anime that adapts two to four chapters per episode. Depending on the anime, new seasons drop either yearly or once every few years. One Piece was one of the few shows that continued a weekly schedule even while maintaining an animation quality that surpasses most seasonal shows.

However, maintaining that kind of quality for a weekly series is almost impossible, and it was evident that even Toei Animation was having trouble keeping up. Every few weeks, the anime would go on hiatus and release recap episodes since the broadcast schedule couldn’t be changed. One Piece releasing 26 episodes each year makes sense considering the latest trend, but the anime will still adapt one chapter per episode, meaning the pacing won’t change much.

The series will also likely slow down the fights or add original scenes. The only difference will be that fans will have to wait longer for new episodes now. The anime will go on a three-month hiatus in January 2026 after wrapping up the Egghead Incident Arc. The series will return in April 2026, commencing the highly anticipated Elbaf Arc.

One Piece’s Schedule Is Still Better Than Weekly Episodes

While the pacing will be more or less the same, the animation studio can actually benefit a lot from the schedule change. Even with all the flashy animation, the inconsistencies couldn’t be ignored. Toei had to carefully plan which episodes needed more attention, while the less-hyped episodes with almost no action got basic animation. However, this partiality always causes friction among fans, especially when Sanji often gets sidelined compared to Luffy and Zoro.

Even the latest episode disappointed fans with his scenes, especially when they expected him to get better treatment as the third most popular character. The schedule change will likely fix these inconsistencies while also allowing the animators to work on a healthier schedule. Animators often work under tight deadlines while also trying to meet fan expectations. Considering that the series only has to adapt 26 chapters a year also means that the studio can get enough manga material to work on.

Toei often struggled with almost catching up to the original source, which can significantly impact future planning, especially when the manga sometimes releases fewer chapters in a year compared to the anime. Elbaf is one of the best arcs in the series, with almost every chapter featuring shocking fights or major revelations that will keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Not only that, but just by judging the number of incredible double spreads, one can tell how much effort the animators will have to put into drawing them in the anime version.

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