One Piece Anime Announces Historical Hiatus

One piece was teasing a big announcement this week and fans may be dismayed to learn that the anime hasn’t released the news that a new anime is in the works. Instead, the Straw Hat Pirates are taking a long break from the anime scene, as Toei Animation wants to put more effort into the current Egghead Arc. Since One piece typically airs weekly, Grand Line fans may be dismayed to learn how long Luffy and company will be off, but it’s for a good reason. Despite the hiatus, Toei has something special in store for fans.

One piece announced during a live stream event, “One piece News #1″ that the Egghead Arc will be absent until next April. The reasoning given by Toei Animation was for the animators to “recharge,” which makes sense considering the series has been regularly producing new episodes weekly for some time. Fortunately, anime viewers won’t be left without One piece entirely, as the producer has something in store. Instead of a new episode for the next release date, Toei Animation will air the “One piece Special fan letter.” The Fan Letter Special is a celebration of the series’ 25th anniversary and will feature new material for the Straw Hat Pirates.

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The Grand Line hiatus

Following the “One piece Fan Letter Special”, Toei is planning to air a new special edition of the “Fish-Man Island Arc”, one of the first stories in the series. Acting as the twenty-fifth storyline in the anime series, the Fishman Island Arc is one that focuses on new aquatic villains who have put a plan into action to take control of the place. When suggesting the arrival of the remaster, Toei Animation presented new images from the next episodes that you can check out below:

What does this mean for the manga?

One piece the manga, thankfully, made no mention of a break in the same vein as its anime. Creator Eiichiro Oda is still working on the final saga and, as far as we know, is still working on weekly installments that document the Straw Hat Pirates after their big fight on Future Island. Heading to the land of the giants, one of the Five Elders has been permanently defeated, but in typical hydra fashion, someone new has taken his place and the villainous Imu still has big plans in the works.

Anime adaptations on hiatus are nothing new, although they may come as a surprise compared to One piece. The long-running anime routinely releases episodes on a weekly schedule, tracking events that happen in the printed story. Considering the amount of effort the animators have put into the Straw Hats’ journey, it makes sense that they would need more time to take a break, especially considering that Toei Animation has another big series coming out right now. Dragon Ball Daima.

When One piece anime returns with new episodes, it’s sure to be a big event, as the Egghead Island Arc has major implications for the past, present, and future of the Grand Line. Unfortunately, not everyone makes it out of this latest anime story alive, thanks to the sheer number of characters who go to war.

Do you want to follow the Straw Hats and stay updated about their big break in the world of anime? Follow Team Anime at ComicBook.com for the latest updates on Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates, and contact me directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.