In short: One Piece Day '26 runs on 22 and 23 August at Makuhari Messe, and for the first time it streams worldwide on YouTube. The two announcement slots land at 11:40 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. JST on 23 August, which is late evening on the 22nd on the US East Coast. On the programme: the global character top 100, an Elbaph panel and a card game session.
What is One Piece Day?
It is the franchise's annual gathering, held in Japan, where the announcements that shape the year are made: new seasons, films, games, collaborations. Until now, you had to wait for next-day write-ups to learn what had been said there.
This year changes that: the main stage streams live on YouTube, reachable from any country. It is the first time you can follow the announcements at the same moment as the Japanese audience, with no intermediary.
The schedule, hour by hour, in three time zones
The event runs in Japan, so the conversion matters more than the programme itself. Here is what it comes to.
| Moment | JST | BST (UK) | EDT (US East) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium Eve, 22 Aug | 6:15 to 7:45 p.m. | 10:15 to 11:45 a.m. | 5:15 to 6:45 a.m. |
| Main day, 23 Aug | 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. | 2:30 to 10:30 a.m. | 9:30 p.m. (22nd) to 5:30 a.m. |
| First announcement slot | 11:40 a.m. | 3:40 a.m. | 10:40 p.m. (22nd) |
| Second announcement slot | 12:30 p.m. | 4:30 a.m. | 11:30 p.m. (22nd) |
North America gets the better deal this year: both announcement slots fall in the late evening of 22 August, at a perfectly watchable hour. The UK and Europe get the short straw, with the main day running through the small hours.
The one comfortable slot for everyone in Europe is the Premium Eve on 22 August, which lands mid-morning to midday. That is also where the character ranking begins.
The global character top 100
This is the franchise's second worldwide popularity poll, revealed in two parts. The evening of the 22nd unveils places 100 down to 31, and the rest follows on the 23rd.
This kind of ranking has a very concrete effect on the conventions that follow: characters who climb see their cosplay multiply within months. The first worldwide poll pushed several supporting characters into the spotlight, and it showed on the floor.
If you would rather anticipate than follow, two safe bets will not move from the top of the ranking, and they are also the two most-built cosplays: Zoro and his three earrings, and Nami, whose orange wig does all the work. The two accessories that sign them, the Zoro earrings at 16.99 euros and the Nami wig at 29.99 euros, are also what gets ordered most ahead of an autumn convention.
The Elbaph panel, and why it matters
The Elbaph arc, the island of giants, has been airing since 5 April 2026 with a new art direction at Toei. The panel brings together the arc's Japanese voice cast, and that is traditionally where continuation details are announced.
On the music side, AiNA THE END, who performs "Luminous", the Elbaph opening, will be there, along with 36km/h for the ending theme. Two franchise legends complete the line-up: Hiroshi Kitadani, the voice behind "We Are!", the very first opening from 1999, and Maki Otsuki.
We covered what awaits the crew on Elbaph in our article on the arc.
Click the image to watch the Elbaph arc trailer on the official One Piece channel.
The card game session
One session is explicitly devoted to the One Piece Card Game. Bandai's game has become one of the sector's heavyweights in three years, and its new set announcements traditionally happen at this event.
The context makes this session more interesting than usual: Bandai is also preparing the Naruto Card Game for summer 2027, with the same Leader card and colour system. The two games will share shelf space, and the publisher's strategy on One Piece will say a lot about what it plans for the other. We covered the newcomer's rules in our article on the Naruto Card Game.
What might drop, and what is not announced
Careful with expectations: nothing beyond the official programme has been confirmed. Historically, One Piece Day is where films, collaborations and broadcast dates get announced. Three files are open and could logically find a place there.
The follow-up to the Netflix live-action series, whose second season is expected. The animated remake announced as THE ONE PIECE, produced by WIT Studio, still without a date. And the Elbaph broadcast schedule after the summer break.
But these are open files, not confirmed announcements. If you read elsewhere that a film or a date is "expected" at One Piece Day, that is a guess, not information.
How to follow the event from abroad
The stream runs on YouTube, on the franchise's official channels. No subscription, no sign-up, no geographic workaround: that is precisely what changes this year.
Three practical tips. Turn on notifications for the official channel rather than noting the time: Japanese schedules often slip by a few minutes. If you are in Europe and would rather not be up at 4 a.m., stay off social media when you wake up, because the announcements spread within minutes. And bear in mind the stream is in Japanese: translations land within the hour on English-language accounts.
Frequently asked questions about One Piece Day 2026
When is One Piece Day 2026?
On 22 and 23 August 2026, at Makuhari Messe in Japan. The opening evening runs on the 22nd from 6:15 to 7:45 p.m. JST, which is 10:15 to 11:45 a.m. BST and 5:15 to 6:45 a.m. EDT. The main day is the 23rd, from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. JST.
How can you watch One Piece Day from outside Japan?
The main stage streams free on YouTube, on the franchise's official channels. This is the first year the stream is worldwide: no subscription or geographic workaround is needed. The stream is in Japanese.
What time are the announcements made?
Two announcement slots are scheduled on 23 August, at 11:40 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. JST. That is 3:40 and 4:30 a.m. BST, and 10:40 and 11:30 p.m. EDT on the 22nd. North American viewers get the better hours this year.
What is the One Piece global top 100?
It is the franchise's second worldwide character popularity poll. Places 100 to 31 are unveiled on the evening of 22 August, the rest of the ranking on the 23rd. This kind of ranking has a direct effect on the cosplays seen at conventions in the following months.
Who is taking part in One Piece Day 2026?
The Japanese voice cast of the Elbaph arc for a panel, AiNA THE END who performs "Luminous", the arc's opening theme, the band 36km/h for the ending theme, plus Hiroshi Kitadani, the voice of "We Are!" since 1999, and Maki Otsuki.
Will a film or a broadcast date be announced?
Nothing is confirmed beyond the official programme, which covers an Elbaph panel, the top 100 and a card game session. Three files are open and could find a place there: season 2 of the Netflix series, the animated remake THE ONE PIECE by WIT Studio, and the Elbaph broadcast schedule. These are guesses, not announcements.
Antoine, founder of Bakashop. Times taken on 5 August 2026 from the official programme and the announcements relayed by Anime News Network. Images: ©Eiichiro Oda, Shueisha, Toei Animation, via the official One Piece, VIZ Media, Netflix and Crunchyroll channels.
