One Piece Ends 2026 Run as Dragon Ball Takes Sunday Slot

Toei confirmed the One Piece anime's final 2026 episode aired Sunday, with new Elbaph episodes not returning until 2027 as Dragon Ball Super: Beerus takes the timeslot.

The One Piece anime aired its last episode of the year on Fuji TV this Sunday, and Toei Animation confirmed the series will not return until 2027. According to Anime News Network, the Dragon Ball Super: Beerus anime will take over One Piece's Sunday 11:15 p.m. timeslot starting October 11. LevelUp reports that episode 1180, which premiered this weekend, ended on a cliffhanger in the Elbaph arc, and episode 1181 will premiere next year, with no exact return date yet announced.

For more than 25 years since its 1999 premiere, One Piece aired nearly every week with only a few exceptions, which is what makes a months-long blackout so jarring for longtime fans. According to Anime News Network, Toei producer Ryūta Koike announced in October 2025 that the anime would cut its annual output to a maximum of 26 episodes beginning in 2026. Toei says the new schedule lets episodes incorporate more content, tempo, and pacing of the manga while leveraging storytelling only animation can deliver.

2026 was the first full year under the seasonal model. Following the conclusion of the Egghead arc, the anime took a three-month production hiatus from January through March 2026, then returned in April for the first of two cours with the debut of the Elbaph arc, which Crunchyroll is streaming. IXBT.games frames this weekend's episode 1180 as the close of Toei's first year on the new schedule, noting the creators will announce the exact return date later. LevelUp speculates a return in April 2027 at the earliest if the pattern repeats.

The break lands at a crucial story moment. LevelUp notes the Straw Hats are fighting the Holy Knights, Gunko is recalling some kind of connection to Brook, and King Imu has made his first move and shown immense power — all left hanging until 2027. Meanwhile, fans will not go entirely without One Piece content: according to IXBT.games, Netflix releases a two-part LEGO special on September 29 in which Usopp humorously retells the events of the first two seasons of the Grand Line series.

Taking the Sunday 11:15 p.m. slot from October 11 is Dragon Ball Super: Beerus, which franchise executive producer Akio Iyoku described to Anime News Network as an 'enhanced' edition of the Dragon Ball Super anime featuring a reconstruction of the story with new and redrawn cuts. According to the official announcement, the project includes extensive new cuts, revisions to existing scenes, a complete re-rendering of all footage, and newly recorded dubbing with added score and sound effects, with extra polish on the battle sequences. Dragon Ball Super originally ran 131 episodes from July 2015 to March 2018.

LevelUp reports 2027 is shaping up as a banner year for the franchise: in February, Wit Studio's The One Piece remake readapts the first arc with tighter pacing as a new entry point for fans, and the canon-connected film One Piece: God Valley hits Japanese theaters in summer 2027, with no international date announced. The third season of the live-action Netflix series is also slated for early next year, adding Xolo Maridueña as Portgas D. Ace and Emilio Sakraya as Koza. Until then, fans are watching for any word on exactly when episode 1181 lands.