One Piece will continue streaming One Piece on April 5, premiering the Elbaph Arc—along with English dub episodes streaming on March 24.
Anime fans can rejoice again, as one of the biggest series returns in time for springtime. One Piece returns to Crunchyroll with episode 1156 and the start of the Elbaph Arc, beginning on April 5, 2026. After a three-month hiatus, the anime will resume in April. Toei Animation and Crunchyroll made the announcement this week, in addition to noting the final Egghead Island English dub episodes will begin streaming on March 24.
For the first time in One Piece history, the anime entered a three-month hiatus—the longest hiatus for the anime. The final episode of the Egghead Island arc aired on December 28, 2025, with episode 1155. There were only two other major streaming breaks for the series. One was during the 202 COVID-19 pandemic, which caused a 9-week break between episodes 930 and 931. The second one was a 5-week break that occurred in 2022 due to the Toei Animation hack.
Ultimately, this three-month break was mandatory to support the new seasonal production schedule. Toei Animation posted on X back on October 28, 2025, that the weekly episodes format would switch to a “two-cour” annual format. This equates to roughly 26 episodes a year. The production company explained that this decision aims to improve animation quality, fix pacing issues, and prevent the show from catching up to Eiichiro Oda-sensei’s manga. Fans have already voiced their pros and cons for this new format, with many opposed to getting fewer episodes per year and others appreciating fewer filler episodes when the show catches up to the manga.
The Strawhat Pirates finally reach the legendary land of giants this spring. Elbaph was originally introduced through the Little Garden Arc (approximately between episodes 70-77), where giants Brogy and Dorry discuss their home. Remember the two duelling giants, who were duking it out for 100 years? Those guys. This arc was literally 25 years in the making. Finally, Usopp will fulfill his wish to visit his dream destination. Usopp was deeply moved by the honour and bravery of the giants, shaping his goal to become a “brave warrior of the sea.”
Here is One Piece’s Elbaph Arc described on the Crunchyroll site:
“After a daring escape from the Future Island Egghead, the Straw Hat Crew set their course for a legendary destination. Joined by the mighty Giant Warrior Pirates, they finally reach Elbaph, the long-awaited Land of Giants. New encounters with Giants, and long hoped-for reunions unfold. A colossal new chapter begins as the crew heads into an adventure unlike anything before, all in the pursuit of the ultimate treasure, the “One Piece!”
The first official trailer dropped a month ago, but the views continue to climb. As of writing, the trailer already has about 1.2 million views with 34,000 likes. The time to set sail again is soon upon us! To Elbaph!
