Crunchyroll has announced that hundreds of episodes of One Piece will be leaving the free, ad-supported tier. The anime streaming platform made the announcement in early December, confirming that the change will begin at the end of the month.
The first 206 episodes will remain on the free ad-supported tier, but all subsequent episodes will move up to Premium Membership, which starts at $7.99 per month. You do have some time though, as the transition will take a few months if you still need to catch up.
Crunchyroll confirmed on Twitter: “Attention One Piece fans! Starting soon, some One Piece arcs will require a Premium membership. But the first 206 episodes (from East Blue to Sky Island) will remain free, so the “New fans can still start Luffy's journey at no cost.”
The streaming platform then clarified exactly when each arc will move:
- December 23: Water 7 Arches to Fishman Island
- January 20: Punk Hazard arcs to Whole Cake Island and the six specials
- February 17: Reverie, Wano Kuni, and Egghead Island arcs
This is a big change as One Piece is currently available to watch for free on the platform, and has been that way for a decade. However, the phased approach still gives audiences some time to stream (or rewatch) their favorite arcs.
For more on all things anime, check out our breakdown of the best anime, our guides to all the new anime on the way, and what you can expect from the live-action One Piece season 2.