When Do the Straw Hats Leave and Rejoin? Episode Guide

A Straw Hat can leave the ship without giving up on the crew. Nami sails away with the Merry, Usopp quits after an argument, and Robin and Sanji try to protect their friends by disappearing. Their returns mean different things, too: an apology, a rescue, or finally admitting they want to come home.

Here are the anime episodes and manga chapters for those turning points. For everyone’s first arrival, use the Straw Hat crew join-order guide.

Straw Hat leaving and rejoining episodes at a glance

The departure column marks the scene where the member leaves or announces their farewell, including Sanji’s Zou flashback. It does not use the earlier episode where someone first notices they are missing.

When does Nami leave and return?

Scene to find	Anime episode	Manga chapter
Nami takes the Merry and sails away during Baratie	24	50
Nami departs Cocoyasi with the Straw Hats	44	95

Nami has been stealing from pirates to buy back Cocoyasi Village from Arlong. Taking the Merry looks like a betrayal from the crew’s side, but she is trying to finish a bargain that has controlled her life for years. Luffy follows her into that problem rather than accepting the departure as the end of their friendship. The East Blue saga summary follows that conflict through Arlong Park.

Why this is sometimes listed as a first join: our crew guide uses her departure from Cocoyasi as the point she joins for real. A viewer who remembers her earlier adventures with Luffy can reasonably call the same scene a return. Both descriptions point to this farewell to the village, rather than to the moment she initially teams up with him.

When does Usopp leave and rejoin?

Scene to find	Anime episode	Manga chapter
Usopp quits after the argument about the Merry	235	331
Usopp apologizes and Luffy brings him aboard	323	438

The Going Merry is more than transport to Usopp. It came from his home, and he has spent much of the voyage trying to keep it afloat. Luffy’s decision to replace it hits a fear that the crew might also leave behind a member who cannot keep up. Their disagreement turns into a direct break with the captain. The Water 7 arc summary traces the argument and the duel that follows.

Sogeking lets Usopp help rescue Robin without immediately facing that break. Zoro later insists that the captain cannot simply pretend the argument never happened. Usopp’s apology matters because it restores trust as well as his place on the ship. The chapter cross-reference for his return records both the apology and the crew’s acceptance.

When does Robin leave and rejoin?

Scene to find	Anime episode	Manga chapter
Robin tells Sanji and Chopper she is leaving	240	340
Robin declares that she wants to live	278	398
Robin is freed from her handcuffs	302	420

Which scene counts as Robin rejoining? If you mean her emotional return to the crew, choose the declaration at the Tower of Justice. If you mean the rescue actually succeeding, choose her release from the handcuffs. They are separate milestones, and neither one is the crew’s completed escape from Enies Lobby. The Enies Lobby arc summary follows the declaration, rescue and escape as distinct stages.

That distinction gives Robin’s story its weight. Luffy cannot decide on her behalf that she wants to live. He and the others make it possible for her to say so, then take on the danger of getting her out. Her place in the crew stops being something she expects to lose whenever her past catches up with her.

When does Sanji leave and return?

Scene to find	Anime episode	Manga chapter
The Zou flashback shows Sanji leaving with Bege	764	813
Sanji tells Luffy he wants to return to the Sunny	825	856

Sanji’s departure is shown after the fact: Luffy learns what happened on Zou while Sanji is already gone. His letter promises a return, but the forced marriage and threats make that promise increasingly hard to keep. The departure episode summary shows him protecting his crewmates as he goes with Bege.

The food he brings Luffy becomes the way back into an honest conversation. Sanji admits that he wants to return, while still wanting to save the family that mistreated him. Luffy accepts both wishes and helps make a plan. The reunion episode summary makes this the decision to come back; it is not the point where the Whole Cake Island escape is over.

When do the Straw Hats reunite after the time skip?

Kuma scattering the crew at Sabaody is a forced separation. Nobody resigns, and there is no argument for the captain to settle. The question here is when the Straw Hats reach one another again.

Milestone	Anime episode	Manga chapter
Kuma’s scattering of the crew is complete	405	513
The post-time-skip reunion begins at Sabaody	517	598
All nine are together and the Sunny sets off	522	602

For the full crew together again, use the final row. The start of the post-time-skip story brings members back to Sabaody over several episodes. It is not an instant reunion of everyone on the ship. The Return to Sabaody arc summary describes the returning crew gathering before they depart.

There are nine Straw Hats at this point in the story. The join-order guide covers the later expansion of the crew; the arc guide places Sabaody, the intervening war and Return to Sabaody in order.

Questions that change the episode answer

Does Usopp rejoin when he becomes Sogeking?

No. Sogeking fights alongside the Straw Hats during Robin’s rescue, but Usopp’s formal return comes with the apology in his return row above. Helping the crew and repairing his relationship with its captain are two separate steps.

Is Usopp’s departure the same episode as his duel with Luffy?

No. The argument and resignation happen first. Their duel follows in episode 236, which is why searching for the fight can produce a different number from searching for when he quits.

Do all the Straw Hats permanently leave at some point?

Through Whole Cake Island, none of the departures covered here ends with that member permanently leaving the crew. Temporary captures, assignments and groups taking different routes also do not automatically count as resignations.

Should I use the anime or manga number?

Use whichever version you are following; they have separate numbering. These are the original TV anime’s overall episode numbers, not a streaming service’s season-and-episode labels, the live-action adaptation or recap specials.

Episode and chapter links point to the English One Piece Wiki, with scene summaries and manga-to-anime cross-references. The tables identify the scene itself rather than the surrounding arc’s starting number.

More One Piece references

• Straw Hat time-skip training — locations, teachers and skills for the nine separated crew members; spoilers through Fish-Man Island.

• Straw Hat crew join order — first joins, roles and crew dossiers.

• Straw Hat Haki users — confirmed abilities for each member; Wano spoilers, with a separate manga section through chapter 1195.

• Complete One Piece guide — the full collection of reading, viewing and crew references.

• One Piece story arcs — where each departure fits in the journey.

• One Piece watch order — the main series, movies and specials in context.

• One Piece filler guide — a reference for anime-only episodes.