The One Piece anime is finally set to return sometime in 2025, picking up on the events of the long-awaited Egghead Island Arc.
The beloved pirating anime has been on the air for over 25 years, telling the story of the lovable Captain Monkey B. Luffy as he attempts to become the greatest skallywag the high seas has ever seen.
This has resulted in over 1,100 total episodes so far, as well as several canon and non-canon One Piece movies. However, fans were shocked to see at the end of 2024 that the series was taking an extended break, with its creators starting their efforts of retelling sections of the One Piece story in new condensed, remasterd arcs.
When Is One Piece Coming Back?
Fans finally know when the One Piece anime is coming back in 2025 to continue the ongoing Egghead Island Arc.
As revealed by a new video on the official One Piece YouTube channel, One Piece will return with new episodes starting on April 6, 2025,at 11:15 p.m. JT (9:15 a.m. ET).
This will mark the first new episodes from the series (outside of its new remaster/reboot project) since Season 21 took a break starting in October 2024.
Fans previously heard recording for the new episodes had started in January (via Game Rant), marking the first hints that it was ramping back up for release some time soon. This update came by way of several photos of the cast sitting in a recording studio reading what looked to be new lines from the series.
The reason for this extended gap between releases was an intentional hiatus taken by the animation studio Toei Animation. According to reporting from Variety at the time, this move was an attempt by the team to "recharge," but no further explanation was given beyond that.
In the meantime, the One Piece team has put out an updated version of the Fish-Man Island Arc, remastering it with new animation as well as condensing its story for modern audiences, as a part of a greater remastering effort for the series.
What Will Happen Next in One Piece?
When the One Piece anime picks back up in April, it will kick things off from where it stopped the story back in October—right smack-dab in the middle of the Egghead Island Arc.
This particular part of the One Piece story sees Luffy and the Straw Hat pirates venture to an ultra-futuristic island run by the mysterious super genius Dr. Vegapunk. However, it is not just Luffy and co. who is on the lookout for the dangerous scientist.
The primary conflict of the arc sees the World Government taking an interest in the Vagapunk as well, aiming to assassinate him and take his discoveries for themselves.
This eventually leads to a Marine seige on the island that leads to a near-cataclysmic event that comes to be known as the Egghead Incident. This globe-shifting conflict comes as a result of Luffy (who is now harnessing the power of an ancient god) clashing with the ultra-powerful Bartholomew Kuma and the Five Elders.
This leads right into the Elbaph Arc, which is the currently ongoing story being told in the One Piece manga. So, fans may need to brace for even more breaks in the ongoing anime as the show tries not to run out of source material to adapt.
In the meantime, though, the One Piece creators will continue with their ongoing remastering project, release new movies set in the pirating world, and continue work on Netflix's live-action One Piece adaptation (which, according to a recent update, has seemingly been pushed out of 2025).
One Piece Season 21 returns on April 6 at 11:15 p.m. ET, with new episodes coming to Crunchyroll immediately after they air.
