At the "Jump Super Stage" event held at Jump Festa 2026 on Sunday, December 21st, numerous exciting updates about ONE PIECE were revealed.
First, a letter from the original creator, Eiichiro Oda, arrived at the venue. It was read aloud by Mayumi Tanaka, the voice actress for Luffy.
The broadcast start date for the Elbaph Arc of the anime ONE PIECE was announced for Sunday, April 5th, 2026. An anime teaser trailer and key visual were also released.
Furthermore, the Japanese dub cast for the Netflix live-action series ONE PIECE Season 2 = "INTO THE GRANDLINE" was announced, with Ikue Otani cast as Chopper and Yuriko Yamaguchi as Miss All Sunday, just like the original anime. Messages from the live-action cast members were also shared.
Official Announcement Details (Quoted Below)
Letter from Eiichiro Oda Arrives! Promises Full Throttle for Next Year: "We'll be sailing at ONE PIECE's maximum speed next year with plenty of substance. A festival lies ahead!! Please look forward to it!!!"
At the Jump Super Stage, a letter from Eiichiro Oda addressed to ONE PIECE fans was delivered and read aloud by Mayumi Tanaka, who voices Luffy.
▲Letter from Eiichiro Oda
Translated:
Hello to everyone visiting Jump Festa!! Moving toward a future society where lives shine! This is O-myaku-da Myaku-ro!! (Note: A play on the 2025 Expo mascot, Myaku-Myaku)
When I was writing this comment, I asked my editor to summarize what we’re doing next year, and the list of events was huge! But then he told me, "You can't say this, or this, or this, or that yet." Hmm, so I can’t say much of anything!! Looking over the schedule, it seems like a lot of projects are aimed overseas (and I mean that to include Japan, too).
The newly announced anime THE ONE PIECE is also targeting the whole world, and it’s progressing steadily. And then, on March 10th of next year, Season 2 of the Hollywood live-action ONE PIECE will finally be released!! Chopper is making his debut! Every time a new clip comes in, I’m just shouting, "So cuuuute! So cuuuute!"
By next March, you guys will be saying the same thing!! Please look forward to the rest of the very "unique" cast, and enjoy that "Straw Hat Crew" vibe from Iñaki and the gang once again. Actually, filming for Season 3 has already started—which means the Alabasta Arc will be completed! Stay tuned!!
As for the anime movie... I haven't been told I can talk about it, and I can't exactly say it's going smoothly! But maybe me saying this will make them go, "He said it! Hurry up!!" lol. It’s a topic I think you’ll all be very interested in, so please wait for it very, very patiently.
Now, since this is Jump Festa, let’s talk about the manga! After a long, long flashback—or rather, after letting you learn a bit of history—we’ve returned to the present. Now that the way you see Elbaf has changed... BOOM!! We ended it with a bang, and things are going to get crazy from here. To that island where only the Pirate King ever went!? The Man with the Burn Mark finally appears!! This person and that person, who never would have met, finally cross paths!! And those two encounter each other, too!! Is next year a "Meeting Festival"?
The story is moving at high speed, but unfortunately, I’ve gotten older, so while I'll be doing some "maintenance" on my health, I’ll be sailing next year with maximum weight and power at the highest speed in ONE PIECE history. There’s a festival up ahead!! Please look forward to it!!!
TV Anime ONE PIECE Elbaf Arc to Begin Airing April 5th, 2026 (Sunday)! Anime Teaser Trailer and Key Visual Revealed for the First Time!
The currently airing Egghead Arc of the TV anime ONE PIECE will conclude with the episode scheduled to air on Sunday, December 28th, 2025, and the Elbaf Arc will begin airing on Sunday, April 5th, 2026.
At the Jump Super Stage, the first-ever teaser trailer and anime key visual were unveiled.
▲TV Anime ONE PIECE Elbaf Arc Anime Key Visual
TV Anime ONE PIECE Elbaf Arc Teaser Trailer
Live-Action ONE PIECE Japanese Dub Cast Additions Announced! Messages from the Cast Also Arrive
The Japanese dub cast for Chopper in Netflix's live-action series ONE PIECE Season 2 = "INTO THE GRANDLINE," set to stream from Tuesday, March 10th, 2026, has been confirmed as Ikue Otani.
Additionally, the Japanese dub cast for Miss All Sunday, who also appears starting in Season 2, has been confirmed as Yuriko Yamaguchi. Both actresses voice Chopper and Miss All Sunday in the original Japanese anime series as well, making their portrayal of these characters' debut appearances especially noteworthy. Season 2 depicts the Straw Hat Pirates' journey into the Grand Line.
[Live-Action Drama] Season 2 Chopper Japanese Dub & Multi-Language Voice Actors Announced!!
Netflix Series "ONE PIECE" Season 2: Streaming exclusively worldwide from Tuesday, March 10th, 2026
Comments from the Cast
Along with the above announcements, messages arrived from cast members currently filming Season 3 of the Netflix live-action series ONE PIECE in Cape Town, which is already in production.
Video messages in English from Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero as Usopp, and Taz Skylar as Sanji, along with a Japanese-language message from Mackenyu Arata as Zoro, were released.
[Live-Action Drama] Special Message to JF2026 from the Crew Currently Filming Season 3
About ONE PIECE
Created by Eiichiro Oda, ONE PIECE began its legendary run in Weekly Shonen Jump on July 22, 1997, celebrating its 25th anniversary in July 2022.
The series has consistently shattered publishing records. In 2010, Volume 57 set a Japanese record with a 3-million-copy first printing—a benchmark the series has maintained ever since. It later broke its own record in 2012 when Volume 67 launched with a staggering 4.05 million copies. As of August 2022, the manga has surpassed 510 million copies in circulation worldwide (over 410 million in Japan and 100 million across 60 other countries and regions).
The Toei Animation-produced anime series debuted in 1999 and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2024. Following a six-month hiatus, the show returned in April 2025 to continue the "Egghead Arc." Additionally, the hit Netflix live-action adaptation, which took the world by storm in August 2023, is set to return for Season 2 on March 10, 2026, with Season 3 already in production.
Synopsis
A high-seas adventure centered on the hunt for the "One Piece," a legendary treasure left by the Pirate King. The story follows young Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, the "Straw Hat Pirates," as they navigate treacherous waters, hone their unique supernatural abilities, and forge unbreakable bonds in Luffy’s quest to become the next King of the Pirates.
Eiichiro Oda Profile
Born January 1, 1975, in Kumamoto City, Japan, Eiichiro Oda began his rise to fame while still in high school. He earned runner-up honors for the 44th Tezuka Award in 1992 for his work WANTED!, followed by a Hop☆Step Award in 1993 for Ikki Yako. After publishing several successful one-shot stories in Jump magazine, he launched ONE PIECE in 1997, which has since become one of the most successful media franchises in history.
★Eiichiro Oda Official Works Portal Site "ONE PIECE.com"
★ONE PIECE Staff Official X (X Account @Eiichiro_Staff)
★ONE PIECE Staff Official Instagram (IG Account @onepiece_staff)
★ONE PIECE Official LINE (LINE ID @onepiece_official)
★ONE PIECE Official TikTok (TikTok Account @onepiece.staff.official)
*Broadcast dates and times may vary by region
(C)Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha
(C)Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha・Fuji Television・Toei Animation
© Animate Times
*Some parts of this text have been translated using machine translation
