Crunchyroll is gearing up to move hundreds of One Piece episodes from its free, ad-supported tier to its paid premium tier, IGN can exclusively reveal — but it won't happen all at once, and it also won't be every episode.
Currently, all 1122 episodes of One Piece are available without a paywall on Crunchyroll. The first 206 episodes will remain available to watch for free on the ad-supported tier, while subsequent episodes will be moved to the premium tier in three phases that will roll out from December 23-February 17.
Here's a specific breakdown of what will be moved to the premium tier when:
- Phase 1 on December 23: Water 7, Thriller Bark, Summit War, and Fishman Island arcs (344 episodes)
- Phase 2 on January 20 - Punk Hazard, Dressrosa, Zou, and Whole Cake island arcs plus 6 special episodes (305 episodes)
- Phase 3 on February 17 - Reverie, WANO KUNI, and Egghead Island arcs (247 episodes)
Crunchyroll premium has various tiers that start at $7.99 per month (it raised the prices of two higher tiers, Mega Fan and Ultimate Fan, earlier this year, but not the lowest-priced Fan tier). While it's no doubt sour news for those who were catching up on the world's longest-running animated series on the free tier, Crunchyroll says the transition is an attempt to retain accessibility to anime while providing a "best-in-class experience" for subscribers. The phased approach, too, should hopefully give fans time to rewatch their favorite arcs.
The One Piece transition is only one of a number of changes Crunchyroll's made over the past year, including removing its comment section and finally adding the option for multiple profiles for subscribers. For more, check out our updated 2024 review of the anime streaming platform.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
