One Piece Returns in 2026: How to Watch All 1,155 Episodes in Time

Watching One Piece from start to finish has always been a challenge, but rarely has there been such a clear and time-defined opportunity as the current one. With the anime on hiatus until spring 2026, a concrete window opens to start from scratch and reach the day just before its official return. The challenge is simple to understand but demanding to complete: more than a thousand episodes, just over ninety days, and a daily goal that leaves no room for improvisation.

For those who have never watched the series—or dropped it years ago—this is the exact moment to try again with a realistic and measurable plan.

The current state of the anime

Since its premiere in October 1999, One Piece, an adaptation of the manga by Eiichiro Oda, has maintained an almost uninterrupted broadcast for more than 25 years. By the end of 2025, the anime totals 1,155 officially released episodes.

In October 2025, Toei Animation announced a significant structural change for the series. Starting in 2026, One Piece will move away from the traditional weekly model and adopt a seasonal or “cour” release format, with an estimated production of 26 episodes per year. This shift will be accompanied by a broadcast hiatus between January and March 2026.

The anime is scheduled to return in April 2026, marking the beginning of the Elbaf arc under this new production model.

The available time window

Taking January 4, 2026 as the starting point and considering the anime’s return on April 5, 2026, the available window to catch up is 91 days.

That period must cover all 1,155 existing episodes, allowing for a concrete calculation of the daily effort required to complete the series before the new format premieres.

The challenge calculation

To finish the anime within the available timeframe, the breakdown is as follows:

• Total episodes: 1,155
• Days available: 91
• Required average: approximately 13 episodes per day

Each One Piece episode has an average runtime of 22 to 24 minutes, excluding openings and endings. In practical terms, watching 13 episodes per day requires an investment of around 4.5 to 5 hours of viewing daily.

This pace demands daily consistency for more than three months, without accounting for extended breaks.

How to make the viewing more manageable

Despite its length, One Piece has a narrative structure that makes organized viewing easier. The story is divided into sagas and story arcs, each with relatively self-contained plots that allow for intermediate milestones.

Watching the anime by arcs—such as East Blue, Alabasta, Water 7, Marineford, Dressrosa, or Wano—helps maintain narrative continuity and distribute the daily effort more effectively.

Additionally, the series includes filler episodes that do not directly adapt manga content. Some viewers choose to skip them to reduce total viewing time, especially when the goal is to reach the current point by a specific date. This choice depends on the type of experience each viewer is looking for.

Where to watch the anime

One Piece is legally available on several streaming platforms. Crunchyroll offers the most complete and up-to-date anime catalog, while Netflix includes selected seasons and specific dubbed versions in certain regions.

Availability may vary by country, so it is recommended to verify full episode access before starting the challenge.

The challenge is demanding but achievable with planning, consistency, and proper content organization. Those who manage to maintain this pace will reach the premiere of the new seasonal format fully caught up with one of the longest-running stories in anime history.