One Piece fans on tenterhooks for the epic confrontation between Monkey D. Luffy and Pirate King Kaido are in for a ton of disappointment, as there will be no Episode 1074 airing this week.
The previous chapter had the pair continuing their fight for the ages – with Luffy even grabbing a bolt of lightning from the sky and launching it at his nemesis. But Kaido is not known as The Strongest Creature in the World for nothing, and so far he is holding his own.
A few theories are circulating about the episode’s delay. Creator Eiichiro Oda has said that the release of the Netflix live-action series on Aug. 31 is responsible. Execs don’t want to oversaturate the audience, and would prefer it if all One Piece fans watched the live-action show when it launches.
Another rumor has it that the showrunners do not want to compromise on animation quality during the extended fight scene. The delay may be in place so that final edits and improvements can be made.
Both rumors may be true, but whatever the real reason behind the delay, fans can still expect episode 1074 to hit screens on Sept. 2. American viewers can catch it on Crunchyroll at 6pm on Saturday Sept. 2. Those in the Eastern Time Zone can get it 9pm on Saturday Sept. 2. For UK viewers, it will air at 2am on Sunday Sept. 3. Those with access to Netflix in Japan will also be able to find it there.
Named “Believe in Momo – Luffy’s Final Big Move,” the episode is likely to focus on Momonosuke, as well as the continuing fight. Who knows what Luffy’s “Big Final Move” will be, but after Zeus-ing some lightning bolts on Kaido, we can be certain it will be even more epic.