One Piece Is Leaving Netflix In The Worst Way Possible
Here’s a weird and frankly shocking piece of anime news. Despite being home to the live-action One Piece adaptation, a bunch of episodes of the anime series are about to leave Netflix. Netflix currently gives subscribers access to all of the pre-time skip episodes, but now it seems like fans are going to have to look elsewhere to watch the show.
Over 200 Episodes Leaving Netflix
The mass exodus of One Piece episodes is set to begin at the end of May, with the 13 TV Original 1 episodes, the Skypiea arc, and the Golden Bell arc all scheduled to leave on May 22. One month later, we will see another batch of episodes and arcs exiting the service, with the Naval Fortress arc, the Foxy Pirate Crew, and the Water Seven Chapter. On July 22, the Enies Lobby episodes, CP9 episodes, and Goodbye Going Merry episodes are all scheduled to leave Netflix.
However, the episodes won’t stop leaving after summer is over, as the East Blue Saga and Alabasta Saga are all scheduled to leave Netflix in February 2025. Altogether, that’s well over 200 episodes that are set to be taken away from subscribers. So, what gives?
Odd Timing Given Netflix’s Investment
Since the first batch of One Piece episodes isn’t scheduled to leave until the end of May, there might not be reason to panic yet. There’s a good chance that the license for the anime series is simply expiring, and Netflix still needs to renew it. With the amount of money that Netflix has poured into the One Piece franchise, it seems like a sure thing that the streamer will renew its streaming rights before we lose those episodes in May.
Still A Chance Netflix Can Bring Them Back
Even if the episodes do leave the service, it seems likely that Netflix would quickly bring them back before long. It would certainly be strange if Netflix didn’t have One Piece readily available to stream, considering the aforementioned live-action adaptation, which is a Netflix Original. Netflix’s live-action adaptation ended up being one of the most popular and well-reviewed anime adaptations of all time, so it would make sense for the streamer to hold onto the anime itself.
Netflix Is Remaking The Anime
With that being said, it’s possible that Netflix may eventually clear out its One Piece streaming catalog when the release date for its remake gets closer. To the surprise of many, Netflix announced that it would team up with WIT Studio to remake the beloved anime, starting with the East Blue Saga. With the pre-time skip episodes of the anime looking a bit dated to some fans, the remake certainly has a chance to be a massive success.
Is The Exodus Timed With The Remake?
While Netflix might renew its licensing rights for the episodes leaving in the summer, it’s possible that the February 2025 exodus of the East Blue Saga could be a clue about the release date for the remake, which is titled The One Piece. The One Piece is currently in production and doesn’t have an official release date, but February 2025 seems like the right timing. For now, we’ll have to wait and see, but you might want to fire up those Crunchyroll subscriptions just in case.
