With the Straw Hat Pirates’ adventures on the futuristic island concluding, the anime-only fans are curious about the next destination the Straw Hats will sail to in the One Piece anime. We already have an answer, as the next arc is already well underway in the manga. It is none other than the Elbaf arc, aka Elbaph, centered around the giants we have been waiting to meet. Find out everything you need to know about the Elbaf arc, such as its release date, trailer, plot, new characters, etc., before the arc’s official premiere in the One Piece anime here.
Spoilers Warning:
This article contains minor spoilers about the storyline of the Elbaph arc. Proceed with caution.
Editor’s Note: Last updated on March 13, 2026, to include all the latest details regarding the Elbaph arc in the One Piece anime.
One Piece Elbaf Arc Anime Release Date
Toei Animation has officially announced that the much-awaited Elbaph arc in the One Piece anime is slated to premiere on April 5, 2026, following a break during the first three months of the year. Even though the One Piece anime switches to seasonal mode, it isn’t planning to break the tradition of airing on Sundays.
Moreover, the Egghead arc concluded with episode 1155. Therefore, the Elbaph arc will begin with episode 1156 in the One Piece anime on April 5 this year.
Is There a Trailer for the One Piece Elbaf Arc?
A new trailer for the One Piece anime’s Elbaph arc was shared at the Jump Festa 2026 event. The Straw Hats in Viking-inspired Elbaph outfits find themselves on a mysterious island that looks like it’s made up of Legos. They were en route to the homeland of the giants with the Giant Warrior Pirates, but somehow they ended up getting separated from them. You can watch the latest Elbaf trailer the One Piece anime below:
How Many Episodes Will the Elbaph Arc Have?
Toei Animation hasn’t yet confirmed the total episode count of the Elbaf arc in the One Piece anime. As a seasonal anime, Elbaph arc in One Piece anime will feature 26 episodes in 2026 and air in two separate cours (13 episodes each) this year.
We can estimate the total episode count based on the manga information. Currently, Elbaf arc has over 50 chapters, and is predicted to have 60-70 in total. Since Toei also confirmed that the One Piece anime will maintain a 1:1 pacing by adapting 1 chapter per episode from now on (in order to maintain the gap between the source material), the Elbaph arc may feature 60-70 episodes in total.
As the anime has transitioned into a seasonal format from this arc, Elbaf arc’s run in the One Piece anime, it is likely to air for a much longer period, probably for 3+ years.
One Piece Elbaph Arc Episode Release Schedule
The One Piece anime is going seasonal right from the Elbaf arc and is confirmed to have only 26 episodes every year. All 26 episodes of Elbaf arc won’t air at once. It will be split into 13 episode per cour and air weekly as usual. Based on the current information we have, here is the episode release schedule of One Piece anime Elbaph arc cour 1:
| One Piece Elbaf Episode Title | Release Date |
|---|---|
| One Piece Episode 1156 | April 5, 2026 |
| One Piece Episode 1157 | April 12, 2026 |
| One Piece Episode 1158 | April 19, 2026 |
| One Piece Episode 1159 | April 26, 2026 |
| One Piece Episode 1160 | May 3, 2026 |
| One Piece Episode 1161 | May 10, 2026 |
| One Piece Episode 1162 | May 17, 2026 |
| One Piece Episode 1163 | May 24, 2026 |
| One Piece Episode 1164 | May 31, 2026 |
| One Piece Episode 1165 | June 7, 2026 |
| One Piece Episode 1166 | June 14, 2026 |
| One Piece Episode 1167 | June 21, 2026 |
| One Piece Episode 1168 | June 28, 2026 |
| Total: 13 episodes airing during cour 1 |
What Is the Plot of the Elbaf Arc in One Piece?
Elbaf Island is the dream destination for Luffy and Usopp, as we have seen them both singing the Elbaf song in the hopes of reaching it one day. During the events of the Egghead arc, Dr. Vegapunk noted that the next island the Straw Hats’ log pose was pointing towards was Elbaf. Then, when they were escaping the Buster Call, the Giant Warrior Pirates, including Dorry and Brogy, came to rescue the Straw Hat Pirates and take them to their homeland.
So, if you are curious what the author has in store for us in the Elbaf arc, get ready for an extensive arc in which multiple storylines collide as Oda finally starts to answer some of the biggest unresolved mysteries in One Piece.
But the basic plotline of the Elbaph arc is as follows: the Straw Hat Pirates set sail for the peaceful homeland of giants, but soon their peace is disrupted when the God’s Knights arrive on the island with a cunning mission.
As usual, it’s up to the Straw Hats to come to the rescue and defeat the newly introduced antagonists. But there is more, as a major flashback about the God Valley Incident will unravel in the middle of the Elbaf arc. The Elbaf arc is the second arc in the final saga of One Piece and overall the 33rd arc in the story.
Where to Watch One Piece Elbaph Arc?
The new episodes of One Piece anime’s Elbaf arc will be simulcast on Crunchyroll and Netflix from April 5, 2026. It should be noted that only the Japanese version of episodes with English subtitles will available on the streaming services for now. Thus, every new episodes of Elbaph arc will air every Sunday for the next 13 weeks starting April 5.
Toei Animation has not yet announced the release of the English dubbed episodes of the Elbaph arc. The final batch of Egghead arc dub episodes were only released recently. The dub production for the Elbaf arc is expected to commence once the first cour of Elbaf sub version ends.
Total Chapter Count of Elbaph Arc in One Piece Manga
The Elbaf arc began in chapter 1126 in September 2024 in the One Piece manga. The Elbaph arc is still ongoing with over 50 chapters and no end in sight as of now. In comparison, the Egghead arc had 68 chapters.
A massive flashback just reached its end in the One Piece manga, which told the tale of Loki and his late father, King Harald. Then we have now returned to the present time, and the ongoing conflict between the giants and God’s Knights has just begun.
So, the all-out war between the giants and the Holy Knights will run for a much longer time, as this event will spark the final war of One Piece. Therefore, we expect the Elbaf arc to have around 60-70 chapters, similar to the Egghead arc, which lasted for two years.
Is Elbaf the Last Arc in One Piece Anime?
No! Elbaph is not the last arc of the One Piece series. In fact, it is the second arc in the final saga, and there are several more to come out in the future. We still have to reach Lodestar Island to learn more about the Poneglyphs, then reach Laugh Tale to find the One Piece treasure, and finally, there is a great final war against Imu, basically a Marineford 2.0. So, you don’t have to worry about the final arc of One Piece at the moment, as we still have many years of content to go.
And that’s everything you need to know about the upcoming Elbaf arc in the One Piece anime. Look forward to more of our Elbaf guides as we wait for the arc’s premiere in the One Piece anime. That said, are you excited to sail to the homeland of giants? Let us know in the comments below.
The Elbaf arc is expected to begin in the One Piece anime from One Piece Episode 1156.
No! The climax of the Egghead arc is ongoing in the One Piece anime at the moment. Then, the Elbaf arc will begin from episode 11156 on April 5 2026.
The official translations use the word Elbaph, but fans commonly use the term Elbaf. Both are correct.
The One Piece anime’s Elbaf arc will begin on April 5, 2026, on Crunchyroll.
It’s been more than one and a half years since the Elbaf arc began in the One Piece manga. So we expect that we have one more year left before the author wraps up the giant storyline in the manga.
Ajith Kumar
