It's the end of an iconic period for long-running series, with Toei Animation announcing a new production schedule for the beloved series, which has run continuously for more than 25 years and included dozens of filler arcs. Commencing in the new year, after the current storyline wraps up, the anime will go on a three-month hiatus until April, when the Elbaph arc kicks off.
New Release Strategy
From now on, the series will release a pair of cours every annually for a cap of two dozen installments. Toei explains this will help the anime to “explore further into the core of the universe — including more material, rhythm, and timing of the source material.” Yet, Toei end by promising “thrilling developments” during the hiatus period, which suggests more related projects, such as the upcoming live-action adaptation, scheduled to debut during this gap.
Learning from Past Breaks
The series anime previously took a six-month pause that began in late 2024 and ended in April 2025. The hiatus was for the animators to improve the animation quality and allow the comic to get further ahead to avoid a faster anime pace and repetitive summaries. The anime couldn't benefit more from this respite, and it has managed to supply viewers with numerous action sequences, high-quality animation, and reduced non-canon content than previously.
Embracing Seasonal Format
While a few summary installments sprouted up during the recent run, the benefits of this new production schedule greatly outweigh the odd pause in the action. This additionally allows the manga, which is currently in the thick of the Elbaph arc, to extend its lead on the adaptation. Per the news, this may lead to a single installment of the anime adapting one chapter, with some alternatively handling one and a half chapters or additional to make up for scheduling.
It's the end of an era for anime, as the epic saga is the final major title to ditch the old-school way of creation, which prioritized being on air for almost the entire year. It's the reason why iconic series such as Naruto, and of course One Piece have numerous side stories, and the quality of the art can vary widely between installments and the next. Nowadays, anime production is organized in seasons, with one or two maximum coming out each year, enabling better quality and greater accuracy to the original work.
