After a brief dock to “recharge its engines,” the One Piece anime is gearing up to make a triumphant return in April 2025 to continue the Egghead Arc. Announced at Jump Festa 2025, 6 April 2025 is the official broadcast restart date in Japan, with the anime settling into a brand-new time slot — Sunday nights at 11:15 p.m. JST on Fuji TV. The revamped time aims to keep the excitement alive while likely catering to older fans who have been with the series since its beginning.
To tide fans over during the hiatus, a remastered version of the Fish-Man Island Saga has been airing, refreshing the memories of longtime viewers and introducing the arc to newcomers in enhanced quality. While this nostalgic dive has been a treat, everyone is ready to see Luffy and the Straw Hats set sail into fresh waters once again.
Another big change announced for the anime’s return in 2025 is the arrival of a new voice actor for Franky, the shipwright of the Straw Hat Pirates. Legendary voice actor Kazuki Yao, who brought Franky to life since his introduction in Episode 233 back in 2005, is stepping down from the role due to health reasons. In his place, Subaru Kimura (known for his roles as Gian in Doraemon and Aoi Todo in Jujutsu Kaisen) will take up the mantle of everyone’s favourite cyborg.
Yao has been the voice behind not only Franky but also iconic characters in the series like Bon Clay and Jango. At the Jump Festa panel, Yao bid an emotional farewell to the character he’s voiced for nearly two decades, admitting that stepping away felt like an out-of-body experience. He expressed gratitude for his journey and encouraged fans to embrace his “suuuuper” successor.
The anime’s return isn’t the only big event on the horizon for the One Piece franchise. With WIT Studio working on an anime remake and the highly anticipated second season of Netflix’s live-action series in production, it’s safe to say that 2025 is shaping up to be a year full of treasure for fans.
Edwin has been writing about gaming and entertainment news for almost a decade, and has loved video games, comic books, and movies longer than that. He loves interesting stories, immersive world-building, and adorable monsters.
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