Not just Eiichiro Oda One piece one of the most popular and best-selling manga in the world, but Toei Animation's animated adaptation of his work has been helping to bring this timeless adventure to more and more people since 1999. Of course, it's not without its faults, but it's still proven to be an excellent anime that has resonated with audiences for over twenty-five years (and counting).
One Piece: Every Devil Fruit featured in the God Valley incident
Did you notice all the Devil Fruits shown in the God Valley flashback?
It's also important to note that this show has over 1,150 episodes and yet is one of the most popular action shōnen anime ever made. So what's the secret? One piecesuccess? What does it do better than almost every one of its contemporaries? In fact, it does a lot of things better than other anime in the subgenre, with the following eight being the most notable so far.
Flawless world building
The fans know more about this world than they do about the real one
One of the main reasons One piece has managed to remain popular and relevant for so many years, its impeccable and surprisingly detailed world building and traditionboth of which managed to keep fans glued to their screens. After all, this show has been surprising viewers since 1997, because it begins as a silly and mundane pirate adventure, but quickly (and organically) develops into a full-fledged political plot with themes of revolution and injustice.
But that's not all, because every single element One piece the world fits perfectly into its narrative and helps it feel even more fascinating and alive, from races that face discrimination like the Fish-Men and Minks to over-the-top energy systems like Devil Fruits and Haki. And the best part is that even though the show has been on air for over two decades, the latest episodes still come with mind-blowing revelations that will have huge implications in the near future.
Multiple brilliant power systems
It's not just about Devil Fruits or Haki
It's safe to say that the success of battle shōnen anime will depend primarily on him energy system. Most series in this subgenre establish a specific power system and stick with it throughout the duration, which can get pretty repetitive, no matter how versatile they may be: Hunter x Hunter has Nen My Hero Academia has quirks Demon Slayer it has breathing styles, so on and so forth…
However, One piece it excels in this area because it actually has multiple energy systems that not only coexist in the same space, but can also work together and reinforce each other. Of course, Devil Fruits are the main power system of the series, but the story slowly introduces characters who apply Haki to their Devil Fruit abilities, and that's not even counting all the bizarre fighters who have other abilities, like Fish-Man Karate, Rokushiki, Okama Kempo, etc. This is a great writing choice that helps the world feel alive and gives each character their own distinct fighting style.
Creative character designs
No other shōnen anime has characters that look as weird as One Piece's
Newcomers to the series often find character designs be a little too out there for their liking, as Eiichiro Oda isn't afraid to use different body shapes, sizes, and even weird physical features (like horns or wings) to make each character look unique and memorable. However, once audiences get used to the craziness One piecethey will eventually realize that this is a benefit to the show, not a detriment.
Best One Piece Games, Ranked
From Musuo to lengthy JRPGs and even open world, the best One Piece games have a lot to offer manga and anime fans.
In a world where shōnen anime are usually stereotyped as being too similar to each other (a sentiment that thankfully has been dying in recent years), One piece it immediately stands out as more cartoony and charming than the competition. As always, it's a quality that works in favor of the show's world-building while allowing viewers to be caught off guard whenever a dark or serious moment takes place on screen.
Cheerful and comedic tone
One Piece does comedy better than any other shōnen anime
Another reason why One pieceThe bizarre art style works perfectly because underneath its engaging story and fascinating world building comedy basically something that Eiichiro Oda learned from his master, Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama. And yes, comedy is a key aspect One pieceand that's why characters like Luffy, Joyboy and Sun God Nika are meant to make people smile and laugh.
Leaving aside all traditional explanations, One piece is simply a very funny and effective comedy series. The script is brilliant and hilarious, the timing of the characters is absolutely perfect, the voice actors do an amazing job with the material they have, and even the music and sound effects help elevate the comedy. Fortunately, none of the characters are too “cool” or “serious” for this light-hearted tone, as almost all of them have played at least one fun moment.
He has something important to say about the real world
It dealt with many serious topics, from racial discrimination to political corruption
Long-standing One piece viewers will attest that for all the exciting action and hilarious comedy, this show has nailed it serious problems which reflect some of the darkest and most disturbing aspects of the real world. For starters, in this universe, not all pirates are evil, nor are all marines heroic, and the story constantly explores the gray morality of individuals associated with either side of this naval conflict.
But of course, as the story progresses, it slowly but effectively begins to cover other topics such as racial discrimination, mental health, slavery, political corruption, and the dangers of power-hungry elites going unchecked. One piece he constantly conveys simple but important messages, which explains why this show has broken many barriers and reached audiences all over the world, regardless of which country and culture they come from.
It pays homage to classic western cartoons
In fact, it embraces its goofy cartoon origins
It is important to point this out One piece borrowed elements from classic western cartoons (like Mickey Mouse, Looney Tunesor Tom and Jerry) from the very beginning. This explains why he has always boasted a more expressive and exaggerated art style, and why Monkey D. Luffy uses the rubber-based Gomu Gomu no Mi abilities, complete with stereotypical sound effects that can be heard every time he uses them.
The 8 Most Disliked One Piece Characters Fans Can't Stand
Even the most die-hard One Piece fans can't stand these annoying characters.
But this element One piece was even more evident when Luffy awakened his Devil Fruit and unlocked his new Gear 5 form. Of course, Oda has already drawn many moments that pay homage to classic western cartoons in the manga, but the talented animators working at Toei Animation have done an excellent job of bringing them to the screen, with fluid, fluid and exaggerated animation. Needless to say, Luffy's Gear 5 is without a doubt one of the funniest transformations in shōnen anime history.
Surprisingly good animation (for a weekly series)
Most matches look absolutely amazing, especially in recent years
At the end of each year/season, anime fans gather online to decide which shows had the best and most impressive fight scenes. One piece it is usually grouped with other high-quality popular series such as My Hero Academia, Demon Slayeror Jujutsu Kaisenbut it excels in one particular aspect: One piece is a weekly showwhile all other anime are seasonal.
From 1999, episode One piece aired on Japanese television every week with little to no breaks. Other popular shōnen anime that were included in this excruciating release schedule such as Naruto, Bleach or Pokemonoften see large quality drops in their animation while One piece often boasting beautifully animated action sequences on a regular basis, especially during the recent Wano Country and Egghead arcs. Of course, the show's pacing took a big hit as a result, but it's also set to become a seasonal anime in 2026, so hopefully that issue will be resolved in the near future.
Little-to-No Filler
Only 104 of the 1154 episodes are non-Canon
Seasoned viewers are well aware of the fact that weekly anime is usually synonymous filler episodesas studios are often forced to create full non-canon arcs to prevent the show from catching up with their respective manga. Other competitive series suffer a lot as a result of this practice, e.g Narutowhich has 293 filler episodes out of 720, or Bleachwhich has 163 filler episodes out of 366.
However, despite being longer and older than most action shōnen anime of its time, One piece it has approximately 104 filler episodes out of a total of 1154. As mentioned, it has other issues that come from sticking to a weekly release schedule for so many years (such as its slow pace), but it's still a mainstream shōnen series with little to no non-canonical material, which is certainly quite impressive. To make things even better, One pieceVery few of the filler arcs are actually quite entertaining, which explains why so many fans decide to try them once they've caught up with the rest of the series.
One piece
- Release date
-
October 20, 1999
- Network
-
Fuji TV
- directors
-
Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imayomura, Yashiôhiro Mayuū Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
- Writers
-
Jin Tanaka, Akiko Inoue, Junki Takegami, Shinzo Fujita, Shouji Yonemura, Yoshiyuki Suga, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hirohiko Uesaka, Michiru Shimada, Isao Murayama, Takuya Masumoto, Yoichi Takahashi, Momoka Toyoda
-
Mayumi Tanaka
Monkey D. Luffy (voice)
-
Kazuya Nakai
Roronoa Zoro (voice)
