For 29 straight years, One Piece has sat comfortably at the top of the manga industry. Eiichiro Oda’s pirate epic kept getting bigger with every passing year, eventually becoming the best-selling manga of all time with more than 600 million copies in circulation. Very few stories, let alone manga, have maintained this kind of popularity for so long, turning One Piece into one of the most valuable anime IPs around.
But after decades of dominance, the series is starting to face a problem it rarely had before: momentum. Ever since One Piece’s Final Saga began, the manga has been going through more frequent breaks, slowing down the pace of a story that is finally supposed to be answering its biggest mysteries. Oda has now crossed more than 200 publication breaks across the manga’s run, with a significant number of them coming during this final stretch.
That frustration does not come from a lack of respect for Oda. Quite the opposite, actually. After nearly three decades of weekly serialization and years of dealing with health issues, taking regular breaks is completely understandable. In fact, most fans would agree that his health should come before anything else.
At the same time, though, the stop-and-start release schedule has made it harder for the Final Saga to maintain its tension. For a story that is finally approaching the finish line, some readers have started feeling that the ending is taking longer to unfold than they expected.
Adopting A Different Release Schedule Would Instantly Fix One Piece’s Current Pacing Issues
The recent release schedule has been difficult to keep up with. One Piece chapter #1182 arrived on May 10 and was immediately followed by a break. Chapters #1183 and #1184 were then released back-to-back, only for the manga to pause once again. Now, after Chapter #1185, One Piece is heading into another scheduled break. On their own, these pauses are completely understandable, but having so many interruptions packed into such a short stretch has noticeably affected the flow of the story.
That is especially unfortunate right now because the manga is exploring one of the most crucial parts of the Final Saga. Brook’s long-awaited backstory is finally taking center stage, revealing secrets that fans have been curious about for years. Yet just as the story starts building momentum, another break arrives, making it harder for readers to stay immersed in the emotional weight of these chapters.
The best solution here might be a tough one for the series. Rather than continuing under the pressure of a weekly schedule, One Piece could benefit from moving to a bi-weekly schedule on Shonen Jump+ (similar to Spy x Family) or shifting to a monthly format over in V Jump (like Boruto).
Series like Spy x Family and Boruto have already shown that a slower schedule can work incredibly well. More time between chapters would give Eiichiro Oda the freedom to focus on his health, maintain the quality of the artwork, and allow the Final Saga to unfold at a steadier pace without the uncertainty that currently surrounds every release.
Weekly Shonen Jump Cannot Afford To Lose One Piece After Recent Exits
On paper, moving One Piece to a different release schedule feels like the obvious answer. In reality, though, it is far more complicated than that. Ever since Dragon Ball ended, One Piece has been Weekly Shonen Jump’s biggest pillar. For nearly 30 years, the magazine and Oda’s pirate story have gone hand in hand, to the point where it is genuinely difficult to imagine the magazine without One Piece.
There is already a recent example of this approach working. Black Clover moved from Weekly Shonen Jump to Jump GIGA, giving Yuki Tabata more time to focus on his health while also improving the overall quality of the artwork. Fans welcomed the change, and the manga has benefited from the slower pace, giving one of the best endings in recent shonen series.
10 One Piece Characters With Strongest Haki
From the ancient legends of the Void Century to the modern Emperors, these characters possess the ultimate willpower to rule the seas.
But One Piece is a completely different beast. Weekly Shonen Jump has recently bid farewell to its major titles like My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen. Losing its biggest series, even if it continues in another magazine or on a different schedule, would leave a huge gap that is not easy to replace. That is why any decision regarding One Piece‘s future release format will be incredibly difficult.
However, the recent irregular schedule has raised genuine concerns. At this stage of the story, giving Eiichiro Oda a more sustainable schedule might be the best choice, both for his health and for the Final Saga that millions of fans have waited decades to see unfold.
- First Film
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One Piece: The Movie
- Cast
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Kazuya Nakai, Akemi Okamura, Kappei Yamaguchi, Hiroaki Hirata, Ikue Ôtani, Yuriko Yamaguchi
- Created by
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Eiichiro Oda
- Character(s)
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Monkey D. Luffy, Roronora Zoro, Nami (One Piece), Nico Robin, Usopp (One Piece), Vinsmoke Sanji, Tony Tony Chopper, Franky (One Piece), Jimbei (One Piece)
Created by Eiichiro Oda, One Piece is a multimedia franchise that began as a manga series and follows the adventures of the Straw Hat Pirates as led by Monkey D. Luffy. Luffy, an enthusiastic pirate with a thirst for adventure, is afflicted by a mysterious curse that gives him various powers he uses to protect himself and his friends. The manga eventually gave way to the anime series, with the two being some of history’s longest-running anime and manga series. Along with over fifty video games made over the years, the series entered the live-action world with Netflix’s 2023 adaptation.