This article contains spoilers for the One Piece series.
The Final Saga of One Piece has already commenced in the anime with Egghead, and the arc is nearing its conclusion. As was the case with Wano, Egghead saw a massive shift from previous arcs in the One Piece anime, featuring a new art direction. For the most part, Egghead has been well-received by fans, despite the usual flaws of the anime concerning pacing. Most of the episodes have been amazing, even though there are some average, and some below-average episodes sprinkled here and there.
It's Official: The One Piece Anime Is Going On A Long Break
The One Piece anime is leaving, and for quite some time.
Out of all the incredible episodes that fans got to see in Egghead, it seems that the greatest of them all has just been officially confirmed, and that episode is none other than One Piece Episode 1144, “The Most Terrifying Nightmare: The Five Elders Assemble.” This episode broke a record for the number of animated frames in One Piece, and was definitely worth all the hype.
One Piece Episode 1144 Was One of the Best Episodes of All Time
- The Highest Number of Animation Frames Ever in One Piece
- 5 Times More Drawings Than The Average Episode
Years ago, the One Piece anime wasn’t known for delivering high-quality episodes, however, during Wano, there was a massive shift, both in terms of staff as well as production schedule, which saw a big improvement. This improvement continues even now, through Egghead. This doesn’t mean the One Piece anime is perfect, but, at least in animation, it has become above average for the vast majority of its episodes.
It's The End Of An Era For The One Piece Anime
The One Piece anime is entering a new era, and major changes are ahead.
Every once in a while, when a big battle commences, the quality of the One Piece anime increases exponentially. One Piece Episode 1144 was one such episode where the quality just blew fans away. It’s now been revealed that One Piece Episode 1144 featured the highest number of animated frames in any One Piece episode, even more than Luffy vs Kaido, or Zoro vs King. This episode was so detailed that it was equal to the work of five episodes, which is staggering.
Does One Piece Episode 1144 Surpass One Piece 1015?
It All Comes Down To Fan Preference
One Piece Episode 1144, “The Most Terrifying Nightmare: The Five Elders Assemble,” was a huge highlight for the Five Elders. Some very flashy clashes were featured in the episode, and the reveals were absolutely groundbreaking. It isn't surprising to know that fans are wondering if it surpasses One Piece Episode 1015 as the greatest One Piece episode of all time.
While One Piece Episode 1144 was definitely better animated, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better than One Piece 1015. One Piece episode 1015 had flawless direction from the talented Megumi Ishitani, and the flow of the episode, along with the creative direction, was simply amazing.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to fan preference, but most One Piece fans would agree that 1015 is still the best OP episode ever. That said, One Piece episode 1144 is rated higher on platforms like IMDb.
One Piece Episode 1148 will drop later this week. The One Piece series can be found in its entirety to watch on Crunchyroll, with the next One Piece episode coming in one week on Sunday, November 2, 2025, as scheduled.
- Release Date
- October 20, 1999
- Network
- Fuji TV
- Directors
- Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
Cast
-
Mayumi TanakaMonkey D. Luffy (voice) -
Kazuya NakaiRoronoa Zoro (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga's popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Creator
- Eiichiro Oda
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Pluto TV
