I was glued to my phone when the announcement hit: One Piece will stop its nonstop weekly run and adopt a seasonal rhythm. You felt that small jolt too—an instinctive worry about pacing, filler, and whether the story would keep its pulse. I’ve tracked anime schedules long enough to know that change can sharpen a series or scatter it; here’s what I’ve learned about Elbaf.
One Piece Anime Elbaf Episode Count: How Many Episodes Will the Elbaf Arc Have?
I checked my manga volumes and the latest chapter list before writing this section. The facts are simple: Toei Animation announced the anime will deliver 26 episodes per year, split into two cours, beginning with Elbaf in 2026.
I’ll be blunt with you: Elbaf is sprawling. At the time of writing the manga already exceeds 50 chapters for this arc and is likely to reach 60–70 chapters by the time it finishes. Since Toei has confirmed a near 1:1 adaptation rate—one chapter roughly equals one episode—the reasonable prediction is that the Elbaf anime run will span around 60–70 episodes in total.
This change in cadence means the anime will no longer run all year without planned breaks; instead, those breaks are built into the schedule so production can breathe and adapt carefully to Eiichiro Oda’s material.
One Piece Anime Elbaf Release Schedule (2026)
My calendar already has the April entries circled; that’s where the momentum starts. Toei confirmed the anime returns on April 5, 2026, and the first cour comprises 13 weekly episodes—Episode 1156 is the jump-off point for Elbaf.
Because the show is now seasonal, you won’t see surprise mid-cour pauses. Think of the first run as a single, tightly-packed delivery—like a fleet arriving on schedule. The announced episodes and air dates for the first cour are below:
- One Piece Episode 1156: April 5, 2026
- One Piece Episode 1157: April 12, 2026
- One Piece Episode 1158: April 19, 2026
- One Piece Episode 1159: April 26, 2026
- One Piece Episode 1160: May 3, 2026
- One Piece Episode 1161: May 10, 2026
- One Piece Episode 1162: May 17, 2026
- One Piece Episode 1163: May 24, 2026
- One Piece Episode 1164: May 31, 2026
- One Piece Episode 1165: June 7, 2026
- One Piece Episode 1166: June 14, 2026
- One Piece Episode 1167: June 21, 2026
- One Piece Episode 1168: June 28, 2026
Toei will announce the second cour’s start date after the first cour finishes in June. The One Piece: Heroines spin-off is scheduled to air the week following the Elbaf first cour finale on June 28, 2026, so expect a quick handoff on TV blocks and streaming windows.
How many One Piece episodes will be released in 2026?
You can treat this as a production cap: Toei stated there will be 26 episodes released in 2026, split into two 13-episode cours. That means the calendar year will hold half of Elbaf if the arc reaches the estimated 60–70 episodes overall.
What is the release date of Elbaf arc?
The Elbaf arc begins with Episode 1156 on April 5, 2026. Crunchyroll and Netflix have already announced simulcast arrangements, so the Japanese subbed episodes will hit those platforms weekly starting that date.
Will Elbaf only be 26 episodes?
No—only 26 episodes of Elbaf are scheduled for 2026. The arc itself is expected to be much longer and will continue across future cours until the full chapter run is adapted.
Where to Watch the One Piece Anime Elbaf Arc?
I checked the official One Piece channels and streaming press releases before recommending platforms. Both Crunchyroll and Netflix confirmed simulcast rights for the Elbaf first cour beginning April 5, 2026; verify regional availability on each service because licensing windows vary country by country.
Streaming costs can vary—Crunchyroll’s basic tier starts at around USD 9.99 (≈ €10) per month—so weigh subscriptions if you’re chasing simulcasts and dubs. Right now, the Japanese subbed version will drop weekly; English dubbed release dates for Elbaf haven’t been announced.
Between Toei, Eiichiro Oda’s editorial team, and the licensing partners, the logistics are visible: planned cours, a simulcast pipeline, and a production schedule meant to protect quality. If you follow One Piece casually, this new rhythm will feel like a different tempo; if you’re a completist, think long-term—Elbaf will be spread across multiple release windows, not compressed into one year.
I’ll be watching release announcements from Toei and streaming partners closely; if dates shift, that will change how we map the remaining episodes. Will Elbaf deliver the scale and emotion fans expect, or will the seasonal model change how the story lands for viewers—will it keep the thunder of the manga, or quiet that crack like a spent cannon?