One Piece season 1

Lore & Background

The season uses four pieces of theme music: two opening themes and two ending themes. The first opening theme is 'We Are!' performed by Hiroshi Kitadani in Japanese and Vic Mignogna in English (Funimation dub; Russell Velazquez initially performed the English version for the 4Kids dub before replacing it with the 'Pirate Rap') for the first 47 episodes. The second opening, used for the rest of the season, is 'Believe' by Folder5 in Japanese and Meredith McCoy in English. The first ending theme, 'Memories' for the first 30 episodes, was performed by Maki Otsuki in Japanese and Brina Palencia in English. The second ending theme, 'Run! Run! Run!', was performed by Maki Otsuki in Japanese for the rest of the season, with Caitlin Glass performing the English version. 4Kids used

Reader's Guide

In 2004, 4Kids Entertainment licensed the series for a heavily edited English dubbed broadcast. 4Kids edited the episodes for content, merged one episode and left out 18 episodes, thus reducing the season's episode count to a total of 53 episodes. The series made its U.S. premiere on September 18, 2004, on Fox as part of its FoxBox TV programming block, lasting until July 30, 2005. Funimation Entertainment later licensed the series and released the first season in four unedited and uncut, bilingual-language compilations; the first was released on May 27, 2008, and the last was released on March 31, 2009. The season's uncut home video release generally received positive reviews from critics due to its humor, fight sequences, characters and music. The Arlong Park storyline has been highlighted as the strongest of the season, although David Brook less favorably described these episodes as 'melodramatic' for Blueprint Review. Commenting on the animation, several critics applauded the series' accuracy to the manga's art style, but noted that moments of limited animation betrayed the low budget of the series.

Did You Know?

• The first season aired on Fuji Television from October 20, 1999, through March 7, 2001, totaling 61 episodes.
• The last 8 episodes, set on Warship Island, are the first anime-original filler material in the series.
• 4Kids Entertainment reduced the season to 53 episodes by merging one episode and omitting 18 episodes.
• The first opening theme 'We Are!' won an award.

Production & Creative Direction

The twenty-second season of One Piece continues under the creative stewardship of Toei Animation, with Yasunori Koyama and Wataru Matsumi sharing directorial responsibilities. The season premiered on April 5, 2026, airing across Fuji Television and its FNS affiliate network, maintaining the same broadcast infrastructure that has carried the series since its 1999 debut. The narrative remains anchored to Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates, following their ongoing adventures as the central throughline of the show. This season specifically adapts material beginning at the 111th volume of Eiichiro Oda's manga, signaling that the anime has progressed deep into the source material. The Elbaph story arc takes center stage, introducing a geopolitical conflict as the Holy Knights of God plot to annex the nation of Elbaph on behalf of the World Government. Both the Straw Hat Pirates and the Giant Warrior Pirates converge on this island, setting up a confrontation that pits pirate crews against an organized military force with imperial ambitions. The dual directorship suggests a collaborative approach to handling what is clearly a large-scale, multi-faction storyline.

A Historic Scheduling Shift

In October 2025, Toei Animation made a significant structural announcement: the One Piece anime would enter a three-month hiatus from January through March 2026, following the conclusion of the Egghead story arc. When production resumed in April 2026, the studio outlined a new two-split-cours annual schedule, capping output at a maximum of 26 episodes per year going forward. In practice, however, the season is currently airing two consecutive cours rather than the split format initially planned. This represents a fundamental departure from the continuous, year-round broadcast schedule that had been in place since the series first aired in October 1999. For over two and a half decades, One Piece had maintained an unbroken weekly presence on television, making this the first intentional pause in its broadcast history. Alongside the scheduling change, Toei also announced its intention to adapt manga chapters at a slightly faster pace than in recent preceding arcs, suggesting a desire to close the gap with Oda's ongoing serialization while still allowing breathing room for production quality. The hiatus and reduced episode count together signal a maturation of the production pipeline, prioritizing sustainable output over relentless volume.

Narrative Stakes & Political Conflict

The Elbaph arc, drawn from the 111th volume onward of Eiichiro Oda's manga, places the Straw Hat Pirates at the center of a political and military confrontation with distinctly imperial overtones. The Holy Knights of God, acting as agents of the World Government, have set their sights on annexing the nation of Elbaph, framing the conflict as a struggle between sovereign independence and authoritarian expansion. The arrival of both the Straw Hat Pirates and the Giant Warrior Pirates on Elbaph's shores creates a multi-faction dynamic, with two pirate crews converging on the same island as an external power moves to absorb it into a larger bureaucratic apparatus. This narrative positioning elevates the stakes beyond typical pirate-versus-pirate encounters, introducing a state-level antagonist with organized military resources and political legitimacy. The World Government's involvement through the Holy Knights suggests a storyline that interrogates themes of sovereignty, colonial ambition, and the right of smaller nations to self-determination. For Luffy and his crew, the Elbaph arc represents another chapter in their pattern of intervening where the powerful threaten the vulnerable, though the opposition here—backed by the full weight of the World Government—marks a notable escalation in the series' ongoing narrative.

Musical Identity & Sonic Bookends

The season's musical identity is anchored by two theme songs that frame each episode. The opening theme, "Luminous" (ルミナス), is performed by Aina the End. The ending theme, "Sono Mirai" (その未来), which translates to "That Future," is performed by Jisoku 36km. These two tracks establish the sonic bookends for the Elbaph arc, with the opening's title evoking brightness and forward momentum, while the ending's translation—pointing toward a future—resonates thematically with a storyline in which a nation's sovereignty and future are under direct threat from the World Government. The use of two separate artists for the opening and closing themes gives the season a dual musical voice, one for the energy of adventure and one for the reflective weight of the narrative's political stakes. For an audience that has followed One Piece since its October 1999 premiere, new theme songs serve as an audible marker of a new chapter in the long-running broadcast. The pairing of Aina the End's "Luminous" with Jisoku 36km's "Sono Mirai" gives season 22 a musical identity that balances kinetic energy with contemplative forward-looking sentiment, mirroring the arc's blend of high-stakes pirate action and the geopolitical tension of Elbaph's struggle against annexation.

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