Over the last few months, One Piece has endured quite a lot of hiatuses, with the most recent one coming after the release of Chapter 1196 on October 18, 2026, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 47.
One Piece’s hiatuses are certainly growing in frequency, which is concerning for many fans of the series. Based on the publication schedule of the manga over the last few months, it can now be said with certainty that One Piece has a new hiatus update that will not only slow down the manga but also give the fans less content to look forward to every single month. On the flip side, this gives Eiichiro more time to recuperate, take care of himself, and plan his story out better, all of which is extremely important in its own way.
One Piece’s Latest Manga Break Confirms New Release Schedule By Eiichiro Oda
One Piece’s manga release schedule has been quite consistent over the nearly 30 years of publication in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump. The series by Eiichiro Oda began its run on July 18, 1997, and released consistent chapters for the vast majority of its run. That said, writing manga is certainly not easy, and eventually, this incredibly taxing work took its toll on Eiichiro Oda. Around the time of the end of the Dressrosa arc, Eiichiro Oda started taking occasional breaks every now and then, and this frequency has since continually increased.
With Whole Cake Island, Oda took breaks after every 5 chapters. Following the end of the Wano Country arc and the beginning of the Final Saga of One Piece, Oda’s break frequency increased once again. Instead of a break after every 4 chapters, the series started going on a break after every 3 chapters, and this release schedule was maintained all the way up to the Elbaf arc. Over the last couple of months, however, this has changed. One Piece is seeing fewer releases than ever before in the manga, and now Oda is taking breaks after every 2 chapters, which has shocked quite a few fans. While it is undeniable that there were quite a few breaks from Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump itself, Oda’s switch in release schedule is now undeniable.
One Piece saw the release of chapters 1193 and 1194, which were then followed by a short hiatus by the author. Fans expected a consecutive three-chapter release following the break, but once again, Eiichiro Oda followed up chapters 1195 and 1196 with yet another short hiatus. As things stand, the One Piece manga has a new release schedule, and Oda is now going on a break after the release of every two chapters. This significantly lowers the number of chapters that fans get in a year, as well as slowing down the overall progression of the story.
One Piece Set To Cut Down On Monthly Manga Chapter Releases
If Eiichiro Oda continues to maintain his new release schedule, which is increasingly likely, then the series is going to produce only up to 25 chapters a year. In the best-case scenario, this means that even the shortest of arcs in One Piece will take over 2 years of time to cover. The average arc, which spans anywhere between 70 and 80 chapters, will take over 3 years to cover.
For context, an arc as long as Wano, which fans will most certainly get at some point later down the line in the Final Saga, will take anywhere between 6 and 8 years for Oda to cover at this pace. As is quite clear to see, this will significantly slow down the progression of the series. While fans don’t necessarily mind One Piece running for longer, the more frequent hiatuses are a new reality they now have to live with, and in many ways, this is disappointing for them. At the end of the day, fans also need to understand that Eiichiro Oda has been consistently publishing his manga in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump for almost 30 years now.
This job comes with immense pressure, and there are reports of Oda only getting 3 hours of sleep a day over the last 30 years. Furthermore, there are times when Oda hasn’t eaten for days, and it is no secret that Oda’s blood pressure is almost always on the higher side. With doctors even suggesting that his health will eventually take a hit if he doesn’t slow things down, fans need to understand Oda’s precarious situation and allow for One Piece’s progression to play out at a much slower rate. While this might seem disappointing to many, it is absolutely necessary because, at the end of the day, Eiichiro Oda is human as well and needs all the love and support from the fans that he can get.
Why One Piece’s Story Progression Has Now Slowed Down
With the new release schedule of One Piece, this progression of the story will add more life to the manga, which is a silver lining for many fans. There are those who grew up with One Piece and want to see the series continue for as long as possible. For these fans, One Piece slowing down its release schedule is actually a good thing. Given that there are quite a few arcs of the story still to go, the series will most certainly not end within the next decade.
“We are heading to “that island,” which only the Pirate King was ever able to reach!!? The Man with the Burn Scar will also appear. Characters who never had the chance to meet will finally encounter each other. Those two will meet, and those two will meet as well.” – Oda’s message, Jump Festa 2026
Eiichiro Oda already highlighted the next arc of One Piece to be Lodestar Island at Jump Festa 2026. There are still many more arcs to go, which also include the Great War, as well as Luffy’s adventures to Laugh Tale and an epilogue. All these arcs put together will most certainly not end before 10 years, and that might be frustrating for some fans.
For some others, it only means that One Piece will be a part of their life for at least 10 more years, if not even longer. This is a new reality that fans of One Piece need to accept, but in either case, what remains consistent is the level of quality of the series. One Piece is currently looking to wrap up the Elbaf arc, with the climax getting more intense with each passing chapter. As we head into the release of One Piece Chapter 1197, which is set to be released on November 1, 2026, in Shonen Jump Issue 49, the series is only going to grow more exciting and hopefully set a completely new standard.
All chapters of One Piece by Eiichiro Oda are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
