🔥 ONE PIECE EPISODE 1151 IGNITES WAR: Bonney’s Gear 5 “Joy Girl” Debut + Joy Boy’s VOICE REVEALED = PEAK ANIME… But Pacing Purists Are RAGING on IMDb with 1-Star Bombs?!

One Piece’s latest episode was full of iconic moments that will live on in fans’ memories for years to come. In fact, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Episode 1151 was the best one to be released in 2025. Some may say that it’s an exaggeration considering there are several other insanely high-quality episodes that the One Piece anime released throughout the year.

As is the case with any hit episode, the most recent one was placed under the microscope for a more thorough observation, which resulted in some fans being upset with it.

Some One Piece Fans Did Not Like The Pacing In Episode 1151

• One Piece Episode 1151 saw Bonney use Gear 5th
• Joyboy’s voice actor was also confirmed

Most fans were content with One Piece Episode 1151’s pacing. It adapted two full chapters of the manga, meaning there were hardly any sequences that felt dragged out. Due to this reason, fans absolutely loved the episode, but there were a few who felt that the pacing could have been better. They wanted some sequences to be shorter, which does not make sense at all. Some disgruntled viewers made their way to IMDb and bombarded the episode with 1s and 2s. Thankfully, these fans are in the minority.

If the episode is looked at objectively, Episode 1151 fixed the biggest problem with the anime, which is the pacing. For ages, the One Piece anime has struggled with pacing. Some arcs have been dragged out needlessly, which ruins the experience for viewers. Things have gotten better since the anime entered the Wano Country arc, as the studio started adapting one chapter per episode. However, it still isn’t enough. Toei Animation needs to permanently start adapting two chapters per episode, which will be greatly beneficial to both the studio and the fans.

One Piece Is Becoming A Seasonal Anime

One Piece Will No Longer Release Episodes Throughout The Year

At the start of 2025, nobody would have believed that Toei would actually improve the pacing, but now there is a genuine possibility that the studio could end up adopting a new formula as the One Piece anime is becoming seasonal. According to recent announcements, the One Piece anime will no longer release episodes every week. Instead, it will become a seasonal anime and release 26 episodes throughout the year.

The anime will be divided into two cours, with each of them having 13 episodes. Once a cour is over, the anime will go on a break and return with the next one sometime later. The decision has been welcomed by One Piece fans because they know quality is more important than quantity. They don’t want to watch hundreds of episodes about an arc that can easily be compressed into a much lower number.

By making the One Piece anime seasonal, the staff at Toei Animation will also get some much-needed time off. In 2025 alone, the staff has produced so many high-quality episodes that would make anyone’s jaw drop to the floor. They have put in the hours to make sure that One Piece doesn’t suffer a drop in quality. They’re the ones who deserve all the praise for their efforts. Fans know how brutal the anime industry is for animators, so they have absolutely no problem with the staff getting time to rest.

The Return Of The One Piece Anime

The One Piece Anime Will Return In 2026

It has been confirmed that the One Piece anime will go on a break in January 2026, and it will return in April 2026. When the anime comes back, it will do so with a new arc. That’s right, the Egghead arc will end in the coming weeks, and then the anime will move on to the Elbaf arc. Fans who have already read the manga know what to expect from the arc, but many fans only watch the anime, so they have no idea of what will happen as the Straw Hats travel to Elbaf.

The Elbaf arc is phenomenal, and it already looks better than the Egghead arc. It has the perfect combination of story, world-building, new characters, and enthralling fights. If the anime sticks to the one chapter per episode formula, then fans would have to wait for more than a year to see things like the God Valley Incident and the truth about characters like Xebec, Shanks, Dragon, and Loki. The approach is horrible, so the studio needs to abandon it entirely.

If Toei Animation plays its cards right, it could see a possible surge in the anime’s viewership. The studio needs to take a long, hard look at all the popular new-generation anime. All of them have one thing in common, and that is they have excellent pacing. It doesn’t feel like a chore sitting through them. Solo Leveling is a great example of what can happen if the studio pays attention to the needs of the audience. The anime’s fame surged to an insanely high level, and now, it is one of the most popular anime in the world. Once Toei realizes this, the One Piece anime will become a lot more appealing to others.