One Piece Fans Worried About Oda's Worsening Health As Series Announces Hiatus

Eiichiro Oda, the legendary manga creator of One Piece, is currently tackling the Final Saga of his series as Luffy's adventure edges closer to its conclusion. One Piece is currently in the Elbaf arc, which officially began with the release of chapter 1126 on September 16, 2024, in the 42nd issue of the magazine for the year. Over two years have passed since then, and the Elbaf arc continues into 2027.

Previously, Oda had promised to conclude the Elbaf arc in 2026, but now, it has been officially confirmed that the series is slowing down due to frequent hiatuses by the author. Naturally, hiatuses are not a good sign for the health of the series, and fans all over the world are worried for their beloved mangaka. One Piece is currently awaiting the release of chapter 1198 on November 8, 2026, but it has already been confirmed that the series will enter yet another hiatus following this manga release, largely due to how overworked Eiichiro Oda is and the fact that, at his age, he needs more rest than ever before to take care of himself and to ensure proper production of the series.

Manga Publisher Shueisha Confirms Yet Another Hiatus For One Piece

One Piece has been serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump ever since July 18, 1997, when its first chapter was officially published. Since then, One Piece has become a gargantuan series, which can easily be described as the biggest that Shonen Jump has ever seen. It is also the biggest manga in the entire world, and its status is only going to grow even further in the upcoming years. Shueisha, the official publisher for One Piece, is currently suffering from a lack of hit manga, but One Piece stands tall as its savior, giving the magazine millions upon millions of readers every single year. Unfortunately, One Piece is experiencing quite a lot of problems stemming from Oda's poor health.

Over the last three months, the number of hiatuses experienced by the One Piece manga has increased drastically. Previously, Eiichiro Oda used to release three chapters in four weeks, and after the conclusion of these three chapters, he used to go on a two-week short hiatus. Now, however, this production schedule is officially changing.

Following the release of One Piece chapters 1193 and 1194, fans were surprised to see Eiichiro Oda head on a two-week break. At this point, it was already clear that Oda was exhausted, but what came next confused fans even further. When One Piece chapters 1195 and 1196 were released on October 12 and October 19, 2026, respectively, the series headed on another hiatus immediately after.

Now, it has been confirmed that following the release of One Piece chapter 1197 on November 1, and 1198 on November 8, the series is headed into yet another hiatus. In other words, Eiichiro Oda's publication schedule has now officially shifted from releasing three chapters in a row to only two chapters in a row. In essence, One Piece is now officially a biweekly manga with a slower publication rate than ever before, and this is precisely why fans all over the world are worried for their beloved author.

Oda's Breaks Are A Result Of His Health Slowly Deteriorating

One Piece's production slowing down does not come as a surprise to any true, dedicated fan of the series. For years, Oda has been suffering from many issues, such as astigmatism, which he treated in 2024, and, more than that, general health issues, particularly those related to high blood pressure. Working on Shueisha's grueling schedule takes its toll on any mangaka. For instance, younger mangaka such as Gege Akutami, Kohei Horikoshi, and Yuki Tabata were barely able to cope with the schedule and the burdens of Weekly Shonen Jump, despite running short serializations. Oda, on the other hand, has been doing this for nearly 30 years now, and it is only natural for his body to have suffered a lot more.

Oda's editors have previously confirmed to us that he barely gets 3 hours of sleep a day and, at times, doesn't eat for days in a row. This lifestyle was bound to take its toll on the health of the author, and that is quite evident from the increase in the break frequency for the manga. In December 2025, Oda stated directly that he would work through 2026 while maintaining his life instead of his health. This was a deliberate use of words that suggests that Oda needs more breaks than ever before. That has now manifested itself in the form of a biweekly publication schedule for the One Piece manga.

The good thing is that Eiichiro Oda is not being forced by Shueisha to deliver a set number of chapters per month. The fact that he is now releasing One Piece at a slower and more relaxed rate means that he will get more time to take care of himself. Perhaps, if Oda's health improves drastically, he can return to his old publication schedule of 3 chapters in a row. But, for the foreseeable future, fans can and should expect just 2 chapters in a 4-week span for One Piece.

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Eiichiro Oda's One Piece Could Slow Down Further

While One Piece has now officially slowed down its production schedule due to the many health issues faced by the author, it must also be noted that the rate at which Oda drops new releases could slow down even further in the next few years. Around the time of the Whole Cake Island arc, Eiichiro Oda used to drop 5 to 6 chapters in a row and then take a single week of a break. In the climax of Wano, this was reduced to 4 chapters in a row, followed by a reduction to 3 chapters in Egghead. Now, in Elbaf, Oda has reduced his chapter production to just 2 in a row, followed by a 2-week break.

It is entirely possible that, towards the end of the series, when One Piece is in the Great War, the author of the series can only manage a single chapter in a month. This could push back the ending of the series indefinitely. On the flip side, it is also possible that the newly added break can help Oda improve his health drastically and then up the volume he is able to put out in a year.

In either case, fans should be understanding of the issues that the author is facing and show him their love and support. The silver lining is that, due to these more frequent breaks, One Piece's life has been extended even further, and the ending of the series has now been effectively delayed, giving all of us more content for years upon years. Above all, what truly matters is Oda maintaining his health, and hopefully that will continue to be the case for the next few years.

All chapters of One Piece by creator Eiichiro Oda are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media

One Piece TV-14 Comedy Action Adventure Anime Fantasy Release Date October 20, 1999 Studio Toei Animation Creator Eiichiro Oda Streaming Service(s) Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Pluto TV