One Piece episode 1048: Release date and time, where to watch, and more

One Piece episode 1048 is set to release on Sunday, January 22, 2023 at 9.30 am JST. With the episode’s preview seemingly setting up a focus on the battle between Yamato and Kaido, many fans are now expecting to get one last fight scene between the two before Luffy’s imminent arrival. In addition, fans are hoping that both will take place in the upcoming installment.

The previous episode saw Sanji and Zoro starting out on their respective battles with Queen and King. Meanwhile, Luffy and Momonosuke's segment takes up a significant portion of the episode as the latter is shown in his adult dragon form.

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One Piece episode 1048’s preview sets up Luffy’s return to Onigashima as Yamato makes her final stand against Kaido

Release date and time, where to watch

One Piece episode 1048 will begin airing on local Japanese networks at 9.30 am JST on January 22. For a few fans from selective international regions, this translates to a Saturday night local release window. However, a vast majority of fans, like the Japanese viewers, will see the episode on Sunday, but the exact time of release varies by region and timezone.

International audiences can stream the episode on Crunchyroll roughly 90 minutes after the upcoming installment begins airing in Japan. While Funimation is still streaming the series’ new episodes for their subscribers weekly, their delay time is much longer than Crunchyroll’s. As such, Crunchyroll is a better option for viewing the upcoming episode.

One Piece episode 1048 will become available on Crunchyroll at the following times in the corresponding time zones:

• Pacific Standard Time: 6 pm, Saturday, January 21
• Eastern Standard Time: 9 pm, Saturday, January 21
• Greenwich Mean Time: 2 am, Sunday, January 22
• Central European Time: 3 am, Sunday, January 22
• Indian Standard Time: 7.30 am, Sunday, January 22
• Philippine Standard Time: 10 am, Sunday, January 22
• Japanese Standard Time: 11 am Sunday, January 22
• Australia Central Standard Time: 11.30 am, Sunday, January 22

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Episode 1047 recap

One Piece Episode 1047 saw Zoro and Sanji beginning their fights with King and Queen, respectively. The two also pointed out how a victory at Onigashima will allow them to see their first glimpse of Luffy as King of the Pirates. Unfortunately, this quickly parlays into a scene that shows Franky earning his victory against Sasaki, with Beast Pirate lackeys confirming the latter’s defeat.

Viewers then saw Big Mom using her Conqueror’s Haki in her fight against Law and Kid, taking down several Beast Kingdom Pirates while saving Usopp in the process. While the latter turns on Big Mom to save his own skin from his still-conscious enemies, Kid begins showing signs of slowing down from the fight with Big Mom and Hawkins’ ability.

Fans then see Yamato fighting against Kaido, with several other Straw Hats having defeated their enemies. After the remaining in-progress fights are reestablished, fans see Luffy and Momonosuke preparing to leave for Onigashima. Unfortunately, Momonosuke’s adult human form isn’t shown here but rather silhouetted. Fans do, however, see his adult dragon form, which looks incredibly menacing.

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What to expect from the upcoming episode

While many fans are hoping One Piece episode 1048 will see Luffy return to Onigashima, it may instead feature some light-hearted comedy as he and Momonosuke try and fly back up. Similarly, Yamato versus Kaido is unlikely to end in any capacity in the upcoming episode, with the former needing to occupy the latter until Luffy’s imminent return.

What fans are instead likely to see from an action perspective is the continuation of Sanji and Zoro's fight against Queen and King, respectively. While it’s unclear which will be given a focus first, both fights may be given equal time to shine in One Piece episode 1048.

Finally, fans can also expect the final actions of some of the fighters present on Onigashima in One Piece episode 1048. With most of the big fights having finished up, it’ll be interesting to see what members of both sides, who find themselves unoccupied with an enemy, do in the raid’s final hours.