After going on hiatus back in October, Toei’s One Piece anime is officially coming back on April 6, 2025.
The company broke the news during this weekend’s Jump Festa. Last we left off, the series was in the middle of the “Egghead” arc, and the flashy new preview shows things about to pop off as the Straw Hats prepare to smuggle Dr. Vegapunk off the titular island…right as the Marines are showing up to siege it. The second half of the arc will also move One Piece to a new timeslot: Sunday nights at 11:15 PM JST.
A new time isn’t the only change coming—going forward, the crew’s super! shipwright Franky will now be voiced by Subaru Kimura (who previously played young Buggy) in the Japanese dub. Franky’s longtime actor Kazuki Yao announced his retirement in early December, and to make the transition official, he gave Kimura a pair of Franky’s underwear onstage. In a statement, One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda thanked Yao for playing Franky “for so long! No matter where you go, you’ll always be our nakama!! And Subara-san, I’m looking forward to having you on board!!”
Oda also commented on this year marking the anime’s 25th anniversary, and gave his “deepest gratitude to our large team of staff,” and shouted out Netflix’s live-action adaptation. Interestingly, he teased 2025 would see “various projects and announcements” for One Piece; Netflix’s show is getting a second season, and the streamer is also remaking the anime for newcomers. The franchise puts out a new film about every three years, so could a new film be on the horizon? Meanwhile, the manga’s current Elbaph arc will see “the arrival of a particular man,” and more strife across the seas as “that one guy begins shaking up the world.”
Kazuki Yao teaching Subaru Kimura how to say “SUUUUPPPEEEEER!” pic.twitter.com/Pok54X2LO3
— Pookie Piece (@PookiePiece) December 22, 2024
2025 will be a “SUUUUUUPER year of One Piece,” says Oda—starting with its anime coming back with “Egghead Part II” on April 6.
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