One Piece, the long running and iconic Japanese animation series, is to take a six-month hiatus, effective immediately.
Toei Animation, the company behind the show, said that the series will take a break after Sunday’s Episode 1122 and return in April 2025 with fresh episodes from the “Egghead Arc.”
No explanation for the abrupt break was offered in a written press statement, but at an online event, it was explained that the creators need to “recharge” themselves.
Having run for 25 years since its Japanese TV debut in 1999, the “One Piece” animated series is produced by Toei Animation and airs weekly. It is based on the best-selling manga (comic book) series created by Eiichiro Oda. The stories follow the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirates to find the ultimate treasure, The One Piece, and become the Pirate King. There are currently 25 story arcs as well as 15 feature films, a slew of video games and a live-action adaptation with Netflix earlier this year.
In place of the interrupted “Egghead Arc,” Toei Animation is putting out a revised version of one of the series’ early story arcs.
It has cut down the “Fish-Man Island Arc” and given it a new look and feel, that Toei Animation says will “bring a contemporary visual style and new animation sequences,” including new opening and ending themes. The new opening theme, “We Go!” by Kitadani Hiroshi, will include a special, yet-to-be announced guest collaboration. The ending theme, “Sailing” (TV version) by BE:FIRST, “adds an exciting new touch.” “Designed to capture the essence of this fan-favorite storyline in a concise format, One Piece Log: Fish-Man Island Saga is set to captivate One Piece fans, worldwide, all over again!,” Toei Animation said in a statement.
An official synopsis reads: “The Straw Hats reunite at Sabaody! The promised day has arrived. The Straw Hats have made it back to Sabaody Archipelago after two arduous years of separation. In the very same place where they once lost to Pacifista, the Straw Hats have proven themselves to be stronger and ready to begin their journey to the New World. With the Thousand Sunny now equipped to travel underwater, the next stop is the Fish-Man Island.”
Additionally, on Sunday (Oct. 20), a special 25th anniversary episode will premiere, honoring One Piece’s enduring legacy with a 30-minute ensemble depicting the reunion of the Straw Hat crew from the perspective of the non-pirate characters. “Set in the Sabaody Archipelago after the Summit War, the story follows its protagonist, a young girl and admirer of Nami, as she sets off on a small adventure,” said Toei Animation.
In North America, the special episode and the “Fish-Man Island” season can be seen on Crunchyroll, the streaming platform that is a joint venture between U.S.-based Sony Pictures Entertainment and Japan’s Aniplex, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. Both operations are subsidiaries of Tokyo-based Sony Group.
Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, Toei Animation
