One Piece will be free to watch on BBC iPlayer – release date confirmed

All 10 arcs will be released from September to December, with the first three sagas – East Blue, Alabasta and Skypiea (206 episodes) – dropping on 1st September.

The other arcs (Water Seven, Thriller Bark, Summit War, Fishman Island, Dressrosa, Whole Cake Island, Land of Wano) will drop before the end of the year, meaning that 1,085 episodes will be available to watch.

What's more, the BBC will now be the only place in the UK that audiences can watch dubbed versions of One Piece.

Fiona Campbell, Controller of Youth Audiences, iPlayer and BBC Three, said: "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.”

Airing in Japan, One Piece has surpassed its 1,100th episode so fans in the UK won't be completely up to date when they catch up with the 1,085 episodes that will be available on the BBC, but perhaps we can look forward to more releases in future.

The anime, which has been running since 1999, follows Luffy, a young adventurer who embarks on a journey to find a fabled treasure – the One Piece – along with his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates.

Last year, Netflix released a live-action series with season 2 currently in the works.

One Piece's first three arcs will be released on BBC iPlayer on 1st September.

If you’re looking for something else to watch in the meantime, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide, or visit our dedicated Fantasy hub. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.