One Piece anime's returning schedule promises less censorship for upcoming Egghead arc

Modified Dec 23, 2024 03:20 GMT

One Piece anime is going to have less censorship during the Egghead arc (Image via Toei Animation).

The One Piece anime got a series of news in last weekend's Jump Festa 2025 event, with one of the most prominent being that the adaptation of the Egghead arc will return on April 6, 2025. It was also revealed that the episodes will now be released at night in Japan, meaning there will be less censorship.

Since the One Piece anime is supposed to cover some more graphic moments in the Egghead arc, including the Bartholomew Kuma flashback, the news of less censorship is a welcome one. Moreover, a lot of fans want the anime to be more loyal to the source material, and that includes the degree of violence that is shown, which is another positive outcome.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a publication.

It has been confirmed that the Egghead arc in the One Piece anime is going to have less censorship

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It was revealed on the Red Stage of Jump Festa 2025 that the One Piece anime is not only going to return on April 6, 2025, but is also going to have a change of schedule, now to be released at 11:15 pm JST. This is something that the fans picked up on, since a late-night release means that the series can have a lesser degree of censorship.

While this series isn't overly graphic in terms of violence or the content it shows, the current Egghead arc in the anime features Bartholomew Kuma's past, which is probably one of the darkest portions of the story. Therefore, this allows Toei Animation to depict the tragedies that happened in Kuma's life without any significant restrictions.

Moreover, this can also serve moving forward, since it could allow the anime to be more graphic and straightforward with certain ideas. While this depends on what author Eiichiro Oda does in the manga, the lack of censorship gives the animation staff more room to make creative decisions.

What to expect of the Egghead arc in the anime

Luffy as seen in the One Piece anime (Image via Toei Animation)

As mentioned earlier, the past of Bartholomew Kuma is one of the things people are expecting the most from the Egghead arc in the One Piece anime, but there are also others that deserve attention. One of the most popular is going to be the way Dr. Vegapunk is handled and his revelation that the world is sinking, which is an important game-changer in the story.

This arc is also going to feature Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hats fighting against some of the series' biggest heavyweights, Admiral Kizaru and the Elders of the Gorosei, especially Jaygarcia Saturn, who has a strong connection with Zuma.

There is also the reveal of the Iron Giant, Emet, and his last-ditch effort to save the day, as audiences are greeted with the first-ever appearance of Joy Boy in the series.

Final thoughts

The One Piece anime's return has been a pleasant surprise in Jump Festa and fans certainly can't wait for it. This change in the degree of censorship is also welcome news since is going to give fans what they want in terms of being faithful to the source material.

Edited by Ahana Mukhopadhyay