When will the One Piece hiatus end? Explained

The One Piece anime has been on hiatus for a few weeks now, but there is good news for fans who have been craving the awesomely animated fight sequences - the series will return this very month.

In addition to Luffy and Kaido's rematch, other Straw Hats and their allies are also putting up a spirited resistance against the Animal Kingdom Pirates as the Wano arc of the story draws to a close.

Nobody would have enjoyed such a long delay at this point in time, and fans were heartbroken with the news, but there were some scheduling issues that the studio could not avoid. With the manga also on hiatus, it has been a terrible few weeks for fans around the world.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers.

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One Piece hiatus to end in March as the series returns next week

Why did One Piece go on a break and when will it return?

Monkey D. Luffy (Image via Toei Animation)

The reason why One Piece anime went on a hiatus is due to the TV coverage of the national Tokyo and Nagoya marathons taking up the majority of airtime on TV networks, and thus disrupting the series’ broadcast schedule.

The anime, however, will return to its normal schedule starting next week. The upcoming One Piece episode 1054 will air on Sunday, March 19, 2023, at 9.30 a.m. JST. The upcoming episode is titled Death to Your Partner.

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What to look forward to when the anime returns?

Kaido as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

When the One Piece anime returns from the break, it will keep its spotlight on the Sanji versus Queen battle, as there are two critical questions to answer: whether Vinsmoke's bodily enhancements will give the Straw Hat chef an edge over his opponent and whether he will still be able to retain his humanity, unlike his siblings.

On the other hand, both Yamato and Momonosuke are working hard to stop Onigashima. Several innocent and not-so-innocent lives are on the line as they are both threatened by falling boulders and the firearms stashed on the floating island.

The next key confrontation is between Zoro and King, and it will be interesting to see how the swordsman handles Kaido's right-hand man. Meanwhile, Law and Kid are fighting Big Mom, which, in typical Oda fashion, has not received as much screen time but is still vital.

Finally, there comes the clash between Luffy and Kaido, which determines not only the fate of Wano and its inhabitants, but also whether the Straw Hat captain will become the new pirate king. Although the long-running Wano arc is still far from over, it has been promised that Luffy's long-awaited transformation will be animated this year.

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What has happened so far in the Wano arc?

Sanji from the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

The war against the Animal Kingdom Pirates is still going on, and key fighters Zoro and Luffy have returned to the battlefield. The Straw Hats and their allies have recently seen success, with Jinbe, Robin, and Franky each defeating a Tobiroppo.

Meanwhile, Sulong users Inuarashi and Nekomamushi beat Jack and Charlotte Perospero.

In the previous episode, Momonosuke attempted to produce Flame Clouds to keep Onigashima from reaching the Flower Capital, but his Flame Clouds immediately disappeared.

Meanwhile, Yamato made the decision to begin removing some of the explosives.

Elsewhere, the CP0 members were shown waiting to see if Kaido would lose, at which point they would place Wano under the direct authority of the World Government. They also received an order from Rob Lucci to capture Nico Robin.

On the other hand, Sanji discovered that he had activated Vinsmoke Judge's genetic modifications.