One Piece Review

Summary

One Piece is a manga and anime series by Eiichiro Oda that follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, a young boy who gains rubber powers after eating a Devil Fruit, and his pirate crew called the Straw Hat Pirates. Their goal is to find the legendary treasure One Piece, left by the previous Pirate King Gol D. Roger, and become the new kings of the pirates.

One Piece
★★★★★

It is an epic and enjoyable manga series that appeals to many readers.

Pros	Cons
➕ Lore	➖ Complex
➕ Plot	➖ Repetitive
➕ Development	➖ Pace

Lore

One Piece is set in a world where pirates, marines, revolutionaries, bounty hunters, and other factions coexist. The world is divided into four major seas: East Blue, West Blue, North Blue, and South Blue. These are surrounded by a vast ocean called the Grand Line, where most of the plot takes place. The Grand Line is divided into two halves by a massive mountain range called the Red Line. At both ends of the Grand Line lie two islands: Reverse Mountain and Laugh Tale. Reverse Mountain is where pirates enter the Grand Line from one of the four Blues. Laugh Tale is where One Piece is hidden.

The Grand Line has many unique islands with different climates, cultures, and dangers. Some islands are inhabited by strange creatures or ancient civilizations. Some islands have special phenomena such as eternal day or night, or magnetic fields that affect compasses. Some islands are ruled by powerful individuals such as warlords or emperors.

The world of One Piece also has supernatural elements such as Devil Fruits and Haki. Devil Fruits are rare fruits that grant users various abilities at the cost of their ability to swim. There are three types of Devil Fruits: Paramecia (altering one’s body or creating substances), Zoan (transforming into animals), and Logia (becoming an element). Haki is a latent power that every living being possesses but few can master. There are three types of Haki: Observation (sensing others’ presence and intentions), Armament (hardening one’s body or weapons), and Conqueror’s (overwhelming others’ wills).

Plot

The plot of One Piece spans over 1000 chapters (as of November 2022) and covers several sagas that each have multiple arcs. The main sagas are:

• East Blue Saga: Luffy sets sail from his hometown Fushia Village and recruits his first four crewmates: Zoro (a swordsman), Nami (a navigator), Usopp (a sniper), and Sanji (a cook). They also encounter enemies such as Buggy (a clown pirate), Kuro (a scheming captain), Arlong (a fish-man tyrant), Don Krieg (an armada leader), Mihawk (the greatest swordsman in the world), and Smoker (a marine officer).
• Alabasta Saga: Luffy recruits his fifth crewmate: Chopper (a reindeer doctor). They also encounter enemies such as Wapol (a greedy king), Crocodile (a warlord who plots to overthrow Alabasta), Mr. 2 Bon Kurei (a cross-dressing agent), and Ace (Luffy’s brother who is hunted by a marine admiral).
• Sky Island Saga: Luffy and his crew reach an island in the sky called Skypiea, where they face enemies such as Bellamy (a pirate who mocks their dreams), Enel (a god-like ruler who wants to destroy Skypiea), and Gan Fall (the former god of Skypiea who helps them).
• Water 7 Saga: Luffy recruits his sixth crewmate: Robin (an archaeologist who can read ancient writings). They also encounter enemies such as Aokiji (another marine admiral who freezes Robin), CP9 (a secret government agency that kidnaps Robin), Franky (a cyborg shipwright who joins them later), and Lucci (the strongest CP9 agent).
• Thriller Bark Saga: Luffy recruits his seventh crewmate: Brook (a skeleton musician). They also encounter enemies such as Gecko Moria (another warlord who steals shadows), Perona (a ghost princess who makes people negative), Absalom (an invisible man who lusts after Nami), and Bartholomew Kuma(another warlord who can send people flying).
• Summit War Saga: Luffy learns that his brother Ace is going to be executed by the marines. He decides to rescue him with the help of his allies such as Whitebeard (the strongest pirate in the world), Boa Hancock (another warlord who falls in love with Luffy), Jinbe (a fish-man hero who joins them later), and Ivankov (a revolutionary leader who can change genders). They also face enemies such as Sengoku (the fleet admiral of the marines), Blackbeard (a former member of Whitebeard’s crew who betrays him and steals his power), Akainu (the most ruthless marine admiral who kills Ace), and Shanks (Luffy’s idol who stops the war).
• Fish-Man Island Saga: Luffy and his crew reunite after two years of training and enter the New World, the second half of the Grand Line. They visit Fish-Man Island, where they face enemies such as Hody Jones (a fish-man supremacist who wants to destroy humans), Vander Decken IX (a fish-man pirate who stalks a mermaid princess), and Big Mom (one of the four emperors who rules over Fish-Man Island).
• Dressrosa Saga: Luffy recruits his eighth crewmate: Franky. They also encounter enemies such as Doflamingo(another warlord who controls Dressrosa), Fujitora (a blind marine admiral who can manipulate gravity), Sabo (Luffy’s other brother who inherits Ace’s power), and Law (a pirate ally who can swap things with his power).
• Four Emperors Saga: Luffy and his crew face off against two of the four emperors: Big Mom and Kaido. They also encounter enemies such as Katakuri (Big Mom’s strongest son who can see the future), Jack (one of Kaido’s calamities who can turn into a mammoth), Orochi (the shogun of Wano who allies with Kaido), King (another one of Kaido’s calamities who can turn into a pteranodon), Queen (the last one of Kaido’s calamities who can turn into a brachiosaurus), and Blackbeard (who has become an emperor himself).

The main characters

One Piece is a manga and anime series created by Eiichiro Oda that features an extensive cast of characters. The main protagonists are the Straw Hat Pirates, a group of adventurers led by Monkey D. Luffy, who aims to become the King of the Pirates. The other members of his crew are Roronoa Zoro, a swordsman who wants to be the greatest in the world; Nami, a navigator and thief who dreams of drawing a map of the entire world; Usopp, a sniper and liar who wants to become a brave warrior; Sanji, a chef and martial artist who seeks to find the legendary All Blue sea; Tony Tony Chopper, a reindeer and doctor who ate a Devil Fruit that gave him human abilities; Nico Robin, an archaeologist and former assassin who wants to uncover the history of the world; Franky, a cyborg and shipwright who built the crew’s ship; Brook, a skeleton and musician who ate a Devil Fruit that revived him after death; and Jimbei, a fish-man and helmsman who is also one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

Appeal

One Piece is one of the most popular and longest-running manga and anime series in history. It has over 1,100 chapters and 1,000 episodes as of 2023. It is known for its epic storylines, diverse characters, creative world-building, humor, action-packed battles, emotional moments and themes of friendship, freedom and adventure. One Piece appeals to fans of all ages and genres with its unique blend of comedy, drama, fantasy and adventure. It also has many references to real-life cultures, myths and legends that enrich its universe. One Piece is widely regarded as one of the best manga and anime series ever created.

➕ It has a rich and expansive world with diverse characters and cultures.

➕ It has a captivating plot with many twists, mysteries and surprises.

➕ It has a balance of humor, action, drama and emotion.

➕ It has a loyal fanbase and a long-running history since 1997.

➖ It has slow pacing and a lot of filler episodes in the anime adaptation.

➖ It has a complex and sometimes confusing storyline with many subplots and flashbacks.

➖ It tends to repeat some tropes and formulas in each arc.

➖ It has a large number of characters that can be hard to keep track of or develop fully.

Final thoughts

One Piece is an epic and enjoyable manga series that appeals to many readers. It is one of the best-selling manga of all time with over 490 million copies sold worldwide. If you like adventure, comedy, fantasy and pirates, you might want to give it a try.