The One Piece manga is on hiatus again, and the reason for the break has sparked widespread concern for series creator Eiichiro Oda. Following a bit of back-and-forth regarding the publication of chapter #1132, Shonen Jump's Editorial Department has officially confirmed the manga is indeed going on break for two weeks. And the reason is due to Eiichiro Oda's "poor physical health."
Shonen Jump's official statement, which was translated on social media, reads:
Thank you for always reading One Piece.
Because of the author's poor physical health condition, One Piece will take a break in this week's issue.
We deeply apologize to all the readers who were looking forward to it.
Although One Piece is listedin this issue's postcard and table of contents, due to printing schedules, we were unable to make the correction in time. Once again, we deeply apologize.
The series is scheduled to resume in the next issue, New Year's Issue #1 (on sale December 2).
Mention of Eiichiro Oda's "poor physical health" will undoubtedly cause concern among fans, especially given how sudden and unexpected the break is. Although he's only 49 years old, anyone familiar with the industry is well aware of the health complications often associated with manga artists. Even in the past, Oda had revealed that his blood pressure is something he needs to keep an eye on, confirming that his doctor would send him blood pressure numbers "every day" to make sure that he was knowledgeable about his health status. We don't know if this current issue is at all related to his blood pressure, or something else entirely, but hearing the words "poor physical health" to describe someone is never a good thing.
The One Piece manga had just returned from a brief hiatus in late October when Oda took a break to work on the second season of Netflix's live-action One Piece series. Filming on Season 2 is currently underway with an estimated premiere date sometime in 2025. Oda had revealed a verbal pledge between himself and the show's creators that they would not release the show until he was "satisfied."
Chapter #1131 of One Piece was released on November 10th in Japan with chapter #1132 originally planned for November 17th. The next chapter will now be released on December 1st. Here's hoping that whatever is ailing Eiichiro Oda is nothing too serious and that he makes a quick and full recovery.