One Piece Elbaph Arc English Dub Begins October 20, Moves to Weekly Release Schedule
One Piece fans have received good news on the dubbing front. According to the official announcement, the English dub of the One Piece anime will begin the Elbaph Arc on October 20, 2026. Along with this, it was confirmed that a significant change will be made to the series' dub release schedule, moving to a weekly release format. Additionally, it was announced that the spin-off project expanding the universe, One Piece Heroines, will also receive an English dub.
This announcement is quite important for fans who have been following the English dub for a long time. The English dub, maintained in collaboration with Crunchyroll and Toei Animation, had been progressing with a batch release model, especially during the Wano and Egghead Arc. With the new decision, a new dubbed episode will be released regularly every week starting from the Elbaph Arc. This system will allow the dub to catch up to the Japanese release more quickly and close the gap between the dubbed and subtitled releases. The Japanese version of the Elbaph Arc had started within 2026 after the Egghead Arc ended.
So why is the Elbaph Arc so exciting? In Eiichiro Oda's legendary manga One Piece, published in Weekly Shonen Jump since 1997, Elbaph is known as the island of giants that has been mentioned since the beginning of the series but never visited. This arc, which began in the manga in October 2024, focuses on the Straw Hat Pirates, led by Luffy, setting foot on the land of giants and shedding light on some of the most critical mysteries of the Final Saga. Especially new characters like Prince Loki and historical facts connected to Ohara have already made this arc one of the most talked-about parts among fans. The anime's transition to Elbaph is therefore seen not just as a change of island, but as one of the most important stops of the final journey.
The other big news is about One Piece Heroines. This spin-off, adapted from the light novel series written by Jun Esaka and illustrated by Sayaka Suwa, focuses on beloved female characters of the series such as Nami, Nico Robin, Vivi, and Perona. Short stories told from the perspective of a different female character in each episode reveal character interactions and daily moments we don't see in the main story. The announcement that the project, whose anime was announced in short episodes, will also receive an English dub shows how much investment is being made in the One Piece universe beyond the main series.
The English dub cast is expected to be largely retained for the Elbaph Arc. Names like Colleen Clinkenbeard (Luffy), Luci Christian (Nami) and Stephanie Young (Robin) have become synonymous with their characters over the years. Voice actors for the new characters have not yet been announced, but additional cast announcements are expected from Crunchyroll in the coming weeks. With the transition to a weekly schedule, dub fans will no longer have to wait for months and will be able to follow the mysteries of Elbaph in dubbed form almost simultaneously.
