The BBC acquires over 1000 episodes of the One Piece anime series

Image: ©Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, Toei Animation

The BBC has acquired the UK rights to over 1000 episodes of the English dubbed versions of the legendary anime series One Piece.

One Piece is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation, based on Eiichiro Oda’s manga series of the same name, which is the No.1 manga in the world with over 500 million copies sold and over 100 volumes published. One Piece has been on screens internationally since October 1999 and celebrated over 1000 episodes. The long-running anime series is IMDB’s highest-rating TV show of 2024 so far, securing the top spot with an impressive 9.0/10 user rating.

One Piece is an adventure story that follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his crew – the Straw Hat Crew – as he explores the Grand Line in search of the mythical treasure known as the “One Piece” in order to become the next King of the Pirates.

The BBC is the only place in the UK that audiences can watch dubbed versions of One Piece, and fans will be able to enjoy all the sagas from East Blue through to Land of Wano.

Fiona Campbell, Controller of Youth Audiences, iPlayer and BBC Three, says “It’s a really exciting move to bring the One Piece franchise to UK audiences in the coming months. With its captivating storytelling, rich characters and global fanbase, One Piece has become a cultural phenomenon and we’re so excited to see how the fanbase will enjoy this huge canon of episodes available in English only on iPlayer.”

BBC iPlayer, in partnership with BBC Three, will release all 10 Sagas between September and December, beginning with the first 3 Sagas – East Blue, Alabasta and Skypiea (206 episodes) – on 1 September. All 1085 episodes will be available on BBC iPlayer by the end of the year. This will be the first time that dubbed versions of the series have been available in the UK.

The full list of sagas which will be available on BBC iPlayer are:

• East Blue

• Alabasta

• Sky Island – Skypiea

• Water Seven

• Thriller Bark

• Summit War

• Fishman Island

• Dressrosa

• Whole Cake Island

• Land of Wano

Watch One Piece on BBC iPlayer from 1 September.

Source: BBC