Not only is Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece one of the most beloved and best-selling manga in the entire world, but Toei Animation’s animated adaptation of his work has been helping bring this timeless adventure to more and more people since 1999. Of course, it's not without its flaws, but it still has proven to be an excellent anime that has been resonating 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 remember that this show is over 1150 episodes long, and yet, it is one of the most popular action shōnen anime ever made. So, what’s the secret to One Piece’s success? What does it do better than almost every single one of its contemporaries? It actually does a lot of things better than other anime in this subgenre, with the following eight being the most remarkable ones so far.
Impeccable World Building
Fans Know More About This World Than They Know About The Real One
One of the main reasons One Piece has managed to stay popular and relevant for so many years is its impeccable and surprisingly detailed world building and lore, both of which have succeeded in keeping fans glued to their screens. After all, this show has been catching viewers by surprise since 1997, because it starts off as a silly and mundane pirate adventure, but it quickly (and organically) evolves into a full-blown political conspiracy with themes of revolution and injustice.
But that’s not all, because every single element of the One Piece world fits perfectly within its narrative and helps it feel even more fascinating and alive, from races that face discrimination, like Fish-Men and Minks, to over-the-top power systems, like Devil Fruits and Haki. And the best part is that, even though the show has been on the air for over two decades, the most recent episodes are still dropping mind-blowing revelations that will have huge repercussions 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 a battle shōnen anime will depend mostly on its power system. Most series in this subgenre introduce a specific power system and stick to it for the entire duration, which can get quite repetitive, no matter how versatile they can be: Hunter x Hunter has Nen, My Hero Academia has Quirks, Demon Slayer has Breathing Styles, so on and so forth…
However, One Piece excels in this area because it actually has multiple power systems that not only coexist in the same space, but can also work together and boost each other. Of course, Devil Fruits are this series’ main power system, but the story slowly introduces characters that apply Haki to their Devil Fruit powers, and that’s not even accounting for all the bizarre fighters that wield other abilities, like Fish-Man Karate, Rokushiki, Okama Kempo, etc. This is a brilliant writing choice that both 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 Strange As One Piece’s
Newcomers to the series often find the character designs to be a bit too out there for their liking, as Eiichiro Oda is not afraid to use various body shapes, sizes and even strange physical attributes (like horns or wings) to make each character look unique and memorable. However, once viewers get used to the zaniness of One Piece, they’ll eventually realize that it’s a benefit for the show, not a detriment.
Best One Piece Games, Ranked
From Musuo to lengthy JRPGs and even an open-world, the best One Piece games have a lot to offer fans of the manga and anime.
In a world in which shōnen anime are usually stereotyped as looking way too similar to each other (a sentiment that, fortunately, has been dying in recent years), One Piece immediately stands out as looking more cartoony and more charming than the competition. As always, this is a quality that works in favor of the show’s world building, while also allowing it to catch viewers by surprise whenever a dark or serious moment takes place on-screen.
A Lighthearted And Comedic Tone
One Piece Does Comedy Better Than Any Other Shōnen Anime
Another reason why One Piece’s bizarre art style works perfectly is because, underneath its gripping story and fascinating world building, this is a comedy at its core, something that Eiichiro Oda learned from his master, Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama. And yes, the comedy is a key aspect of One Piece, which is why figures like Luffy, Joyboy, and the Sun God Nika are meant to make people smile and laugh.
Leaving aside all the lore-heavy explanations, One Piece is just a very funny and effective comedic series. The writing is brilliant and hilarious, the characters’ timing is absolutely perfect, the voice actors do an amazing job with the material they’re provided with, and even the music and sound effects help elevate the comedy even further. Fortunately, no character is too “cool” or “serious” for this lighthearted tone, as almost all of them have starred in at least one amusing moment.
It Has Something Important To Say About The Real World
It Has Tackled Many Serious Topics, From Racial Discrimination To Political Corruption
Longtime One Piece watchers will attest that, despite all the exciting action and hilarious comedy, this show has tackled serious issues that reflect some of the darkest and most concerning 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 the individuals associated with either side of this sea-faring conflict.
But, of course, as the story progresses, it slowly but efficiently starts covering other topics, like racial discrimination, mental health, slavery, political corruption, and the dangers of letting power-hungry elites go unchecked. One Piece constantly conveys simple but important messages, which explains why this show has broken many barriers, and has resonated with viewers all around the world, no matter which country and culture they come from.
Pays Homage To Classic Western Cartoons
It Actually Embraces Its Goofy Cartoon Origins
It’s important to point out that One Piece has been borrowing elements from classic western cartoons (like Mickey Mouse, Looney Tunes, or Tom & Jerry) since its very inception. This explains why it always boasted a more expressive and over-the-top art style, and why Monkey D. Luffy wields the rubber-based powers of the Gomu Gomu no Mi, complete with stereotypical sound effects that can be heard every time he uses them.
8 Most Unlikable One Piece Characters Fans Can't Stand
Even the most hardcore One Piece fans can't stand these annoying characters.
But this element of One Piece has been made even more apparent when Luffy awakened his Devil Fruit and unlocked his new Gear 5 form. Of course, Oda already drew many moments that pay homage to classic western cartoons in the manga, but the talented animators working at Toei Animation did an outstanding job at translating them onto the screen, with fluid, bouncy, and exaggerated animation. Needless to say, Luffy’s Gear 5 is undoubtedly one of the most entertaining transformations in the history of shōnen anime.
Surprisingly Good Animation (For A Weekly Series)
Most Fights Look Absolutely Amazing, Especially In Recent Years
At the end of every year/season, anime fans gather online to decide which shows had the best and most impressive fight scenes in them. One Piece is usually grouped with other high-quality popular series, like My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, or Jujutsu Kaisen, but it stands out in one specific aspect: One Piece is a weekly show, whereas all those other anime are seasonal.
Since 1999, an episode of One Piece has aired on Japanese television every single week, with little-to-no breaks. Other popular shōnen anime that have been relegated to this excruciating release schedule, like Naruto, Bleach or Pokemon, often see major dips in quality in their animation, while One Piece often boasts beautifully-animated action sequences on a regular basis, especially during the recent Wano Country and Egghead arcs. Of course, the show’s pacing has taken a major hit as a result, but it will also become a seasonal anime in 2026, so hopefully that issue will be resolved in the near future.
Little-To-No Filler
Only 104 Out Of 1154 Episodes Are Non-Canon
Seasoned viewers are fully aware of the fact that weekly anime are usually synonymous with filler episodes, as studios are often forced to create full non-canon arcs to prevent the show from catching up with their respective manga. Other rival series suffer a lot as a result of this practice, like Naruto, which has 293 filler episodes out of 720, or Bleach, which has 163 filler episodes out of 366.
However, and despite being longer and older than most action shōnen anime of its time, One Piece has approximately 104 filler episodes out of 1154 in total. As mentioned before, it does have other issues that result from sticking to a weekly release schedule for so many years (like its slow pacing), but this is still a mainstream shōnen series with little-to-no non-canon material, which is admittedly quite impressive. To make things even better, One Piece’s very few filler arcs are actually quite fun, which explains why so many fans decide to give them a try once they catch up with the rest of the series.
One Piece
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- October 20, 1999
- Network
- Fuji TV
Cast
-
Mayumi TanakaMonkey D. Luffy (voice) -
Kazuya NakaiRoronoa Zoro (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga's popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
- Number of Episodes
- 1122
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Pluto TV
- MyAnimeList Score
- 8.72
- Creator(s)
- Eiichiro Oda
