One Piece is heading into a new dawn for Crunchyroll. The streamer confirmed with IGN that all 1000-plus episodes of the massive shonen juggernaut will no longer be free on the ad-supported tier. All One Piece episodes will be moved under the paid Premium tier on Crunchyroll, meaning fans will have to pay to experience their favorite pirate crew traveling the wacky oceans of the Grandline. Fortunately for fans, Crunchyroll will not suddenly put every One Piece episode in Premium in one go.
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The streaming service will move One Piece episodes from free to Premium in different phases. The first phase will be on December 23rd when Crunchyroll will transfer the 344 episodes covering the Water 7, Ennies Lobby, Thriller Bark, Summit War, and Fishman Island arcs. Phase two will transfer the next 305 episodes covering the Punk Hazard, Dressrosa, Zou, and Whole Cake Island arcs on January 20th, 2025. Phase three will then transfer the 247 episodes covering the Reverie, Wano, and Egghead Island arcs on February 17th, 2025.
All One Piece Episodes Except First 206 Moved to Paid Crunchyroll Tiers
Luckily, Crunchyroll will keep the first 206 episodes of One Piece on the free ad-supported tier. Those episodes cover the East Blue, Alabasta, and Sky Island arcs. That leaves fans less than three months to watch the entire saga of One Piece for free before they are forced to pay for Crunchyroll’s Premium tier. While Crunchyroll has different price points for Premium, the cheapest option for fans would be the $7.99 Fan tier, including all of One Piece.
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Why Would Crunchyroll Not Make One Piece Free Anymore?
At this point, One Piece has been available for free on Crunchyroll for years. Crunchyroll justifies its One Piece transition from its free tier to Premium by claiming it’s to provide a “best-in-class experience” for subscribers. Those words may seem hollow for those who can’t afford the monthly subscription, but at least the streaming company has given fans time to catch on to the series before moving it exclusively away from its free tier.
Crunchyroll doesn’t have exclusive streaming rights to One Piece. The shonen anime can also be streamed on Netflix and Hulu. However, Crunchyroll is the only service that includes every episode, including the most recent ones aired in Japan. Netflix and Hulu only have certain episodes up to a point, meaning if you want to experience the entire One Piece saga, Crunchyroll was your only choice.
This decision follows other recent changes by Crunchyroll. The streaming service raised its prices for the Mega and Ultimate Fans tiers and removed its comment section.
One Piece is a shonen manga and anime that follows the adventures of Luffy and his loyal crew, who travel the crazy oceans of the Grandline in hopes of discovering the ultimate treasure known as the One Piece. The series is one of the most successful media franchises in the world, explaining Crunchyroll’s decision to take advantage of its popularity. The franchise has led to a successful live-action adaptation on Netflix, which has been green-lit for a second season.
H/T: IGN