One Piece Officially Welcomes Its New Protagonist After Luffy

One Piece is a story by Eiichiro Oda that made its debut 29 years ago, and today, it has cemented itself as the best-selling manga of all time by a significant margin. One Piece’s massive success can be attributed to Oda’s exciting story, but also to his character writing, notably the protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy.

Luffy has been the highlight of the story for a long time, but now, it’s time to welcome a brief new lead in a new One Piece spin-off — One Piece Heroines. Instead of Monkey D. Luffy, Nami, the navigator of the Straw Hat Pirates and one of Luffy’s first crewmates, takes the lead, as seen in the new trailer officially released on June 23, 2026.

One Piece Heroines Reveals New Trailer Highlighting Nami As The Protagonist On June 23, 2026

Eiichiro Oda joined the roster of Weekly Shonen Jump on July 22, 1997, in Issue #34 with his magnum opus, One Piece. Since then, almost 3 decades have passed, and the story is still going strong with the manga as well as the main TV anime adaptation by Toei Animation that debuted on October 20, 1999. With so much success behind it, the One Piece story has proven to be one of the most lucrative anime series of all time, and consequently, new projects are always lined up for it.

The One Piece series already has a live-action adaptation by Netflix, as well as a new anime remake, known as ‘The One Piece’ by Wit Studio, coming out soon. On top of all that, One Piece is also getting a new spin-off that’s going to take the focus away from Luffy and throw it on a new protagonist. Luffy is the lead of the main series, but in One Piece: Heroines Episode 1, Nami will be the new main character.

“What good is treasure if I am alone? After sharing so much of our dreams. Instead of sacrificing them and leaving with you, I would rather have nothing at all.” — Nami

The One Piece Heroines anime is based on the novel of the same name by Jun Esaka and Sayaka Suwa that was first released on June 4, 2021. The series is getting an anime release soon, and as such, Toei Animation, on June 23, 2026, released a new trailer for it. This new trailer focuses on Nami, as expected of a new main character. We also see other side characters in this trailer, as well as the special appearance of Nico Robin.

Nami has always been a compelling character, even in the original series. In many ways, Nami served as the deuteragonist in One Piece’s Arlong Park arc, and her character, personality, and determination are what made countless fans fall in love with the series. Her character will now get even more shine as she is getting the full attention in the first installment of the One Piece: Heroines anime. Nami has long been a misunderstood character by the One Piece fan base, with many believing her sole driving point is money. This new episode with her as the protagonist will change many perspectives and allow us to see her in a new light and understand her at a much deeper level.

One Piece Heroines Shows Nami In New Light As A Legendary Protagonist

Nami is set to receive a whole episode to herself, exploring a side story focused entirely on her. This episode, however, is quite unlike the usual One Piece style, and it wasn’t even written by Eiichiro Oda. Fans are naturally wondering what the gist of it actually is. As seen from the trailer, the story revolves around Nami and a pair of shoes she wants to acquire. The plot might seem odd at first, but it tells the story of Nami’s growing bond with a shoemaker known as Miucha and the conflict with a designer whom we know as Lebno Listchaque. Nami’s resolve to take a stand for Miucha is about to be exciting to see, and via the trailer, it is clear that Nami could have some cool moments with her Climatact weapon.

“Michua, I want to fight in the shoes you made! I don’t care about the logo on the soles.” — Nami in new One Piece Heroines Trailer

The art style by Takashi Kojima, a widely popular One Piece animator, is unique, and it is what makes this story stand out from the usual One Piece anime so much more. Fans can also expect amazing music to come out with Heroines, notably the new opening by Aina The End, titled "Blue Shining Star.”

Based on the trailer, there will also be some extra scenes that weren't in the original novel, such as Robin’s appearance. Extra scenes deepening the bond between the two Straw Hat girls could end up becoming a highlight, and we absolutely cannot wait for it.

One Piece Heroines Releases Its First Episode On July 5, 2026, With More Adaptations Lined Up

We’re all excited to finally see Nami shine in the long anticipated spin off of Heroines. Nami’s episode is airing very soon now, and fans can anticipate it to drop early next month, on July 5, 2026. Specifically, it will be airing in place of the original One Piece anime slot, following the release of One Piece episode 1186, titled "An Ancient History — The Sacred Texts Passed Down in Elbaph," which will drop on June 28, 2026.

Following the release of One Piece Heroines Episode 1 on July 5, 2026, the original One Piece anime could return the weekend after on July 12, 2026, but no official confirmation were made so far on the matter by Toei Animation or Fuji TV, which leads many to believe Heroines will mark the beginning of a few-months long hiatus until the return of the anime with Elbaf arc’s second cour.

With that being said, many fans thought that Heroines would be a full-fledged anime adaptation of the novel with multiple episodes. Sadly, this didn’t end up being the case. So far, just Nami’s episode has been produced, but that’s likely to change soon. Toei first announced the Heroines project on One Piece Day 2025, which was held on August 9 and 10, 2025. It has been a year since, and Toei is likely planning to adapt more of the novels, especially with Robin’s setup in Nami’s episode opening the door for more content to come.

It seems Toei Animation and Fuji TV will use Heroines as filler episodes between breaks and long hiatuses between cours of the anime. This means One Piece fans could explore spin-off series with more exciting female leads than just Nami. At the very least, it’s possible to get one new One Piece Heroines release per year. The announcement for the next episode of One Piece: Heroines could be made either at the end of episode 1 or later on at One Piece Day 2026, which is fast approaching now.

The original One Piece: Heroines novel contains stories for characters including Nefertari Vivi, Boa Hancock, Reiju, and a few other fan favorites, and they’re all compelling leads in their own right, with unique stories that fans would love to explore. Either way, this new anime directed by Haruka Kamatani, with the contribution of character designer and animation director Takashi Kojima, is about to be a massive unexpected hit for fans wanting a slower-paced One Piece series with an interesting new focus.