Not only is Eiichiro Odas 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 helped bring this timeless adventure to more and more people since 1999. Of course, it's not without its flaws, but it's still proven to be an excellent anime that has resonated with audiences for over twenty years.
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's one of the most popular action shōnen anime ever made. So, what's the secret to One Piecesuccess? What makes it 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 notable so far.
Impeccable world building
Fans know more about this world than they do 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 loreboth of which have managed to keep fans glued to their screens. After all, this show has been surprising viewers since 1997, as it begins as a silly and mundane pirate adventure, but it quickly (and organically) evolves into a full-scale political conspiracy with themes of revolution and injustice.
But that's not all, because every single element in One Piece the world fits perfectly into its story 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, even though the show has been on the air for over two decades, the latest episodes still drop jaw-dropping revelations that will have huge repercussions in the near future.
Several brilliant power systems
It's not just about Devil Fruits or Haki
It's safe to say that the success of a fighting shōnen anime will depend mostly on its power system. Most series in this subgenre introduce a specific power system and stick with it throughout its duration, which can become quite repetitive, no matter how diverse they may be: Hunter x Hunter have Nen, My Hero Academia have quirks, Demon Slayer have 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 the main power system of this series, but the story slowly introduces characters who apply Haki to their Devil Fruit powers, and that doesn't even account for all the bizarre fighters who wield other abilities, like Fish-Man Karate, Rokushiki, Okama Kempo, etc. This is a brilliant writing choice that both helps each character fight their own style.
Creative character designs
No other Shōnen anime has characters that look as weird as One Pieces
Newcomers to the series often find character designer to be a little too out there for their taste, as Eiichiro Oda isn't afraid to use different body shapes, sizes, and even weird physical attributes (like horns or wings) to make each character look unique and memorable. But as viewers get used to the craziness of One Piecethey will eventually realize that it is an advantage to the show, not a disadvantage.
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 manga and anime fans.
In a world where shōnen anime usually stereotypically look alike (a sentiment that has thankfully died down in recent years), One Piece immediately stands out as looking more cartoonish and charming than the competition. As always, this is a trait that works in favor of the show's world-building, while still allowing it to surprise viewers when a dark or serious moment takes place on screen.
A lighthearted and comical tone
One Piece does comedy better than any other Shonen anime
Another reason why One Pieces bizarre art style works perfectly 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 Piecewhich is why characters like Luffy, Joyboy and the sun god Nika are meant to make people smile and laugh.
Leaving aside all the pedantic explanations, One Piece is just a very funny and effective comic series. The writing is brilliant and funny, the timing of the characters is absolutely perfect, the voice actors do a fantastic job with the material they're given, and even the music and sound effects help elevate the comedy even further. Fortunately, no character is too “cool” or “serious” for this light-hearted tone, as almost everyone has played in at least one entertaining moment.
It has something important to say about the real world
It has tackled many serious topics, from racial discrimination to political corruption
Long One Piece viewers will attest that, for all the thrilling action and hilarious comedy, this show has been tackled 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 the individuals associated with both sides of this seafaring 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 allowing power-hungry elites to go unchecked. One Piece constantly conveys simple yet important messages, which explains why this show has broken many barriers and resonated with viewers all over the world, regardless of country and culture.
Pays homage to classic western cartoons
It actually embraces its silly cartoon origins
It is important to point that out One Piece has borrowed elements from classic western cartoons (as Mickey Mouse, Looney Tunesor Tom and Jerry) since the start. This explains why it always boasted a more expressive and exaggerated art style, and why Monkey D. Luffy wields the rubber-based powers of 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 become even more apparent 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 did an outstanding job of translating them to the screen, with fluid, bouncy and exaggerated animation. Needless to say, Luffy's Gear 5 is undoubtedly one of the most entertaining transformations in shōnen anime history.
Surprisingly good animation (for a weekly series)
Most of the fights look absolutely amazing, especially in recent years
At the end of each year/season, anime fans gather online to determine which shows had the best and most impressive fight scenes. One Piece is usually grouped with other high-quality popular series, such as My Hero Academia, Demon Slayeror Jujutsu Kaisenbut it stands out in one specific aspect: One Piece is one weeklywhile all other anime are seasonal.
Since 1999, an episode of One Piece has aired on Japanese television every week, with little or no breaks. Other popular shōnen anime that have been relegated to this excruciating release schedule, such as Naruto, Whiten or Pokémonoften sees large quality drops in its animation, while One Piece often features beautifully animated action sequences on a regular basis, especially during the recent Wano Country and Egghead arcs. Sure, the show's pacing has taken a big hit as a result, but it's also going to be 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
Experienced viewers are fully aware that weekly anime is usually synonymous with filler episodesas studios are often forced to create complete non-canon arcs to prevent the show from catching up with their respective manga. Other rival series suffer greatly as a result of this practice, such as Narutowhich has 293 filler episodes out of 720, or Whitenwhich has 163 filler episodes out of 366.
But despite being longer and older than most action shōnen anime of its time, One Piece has about 104 filler episodes out of a total of 1154. As mentioned earlier, the other one has issues resulting 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 pretty impressive. To make things even better, One Pieces very few filler arcs are actually pretty fun, which explains why so many fans decide to give them a shot as they catch up on the rest of the series.
One Piece
- Release date
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October 20, 1999
- Network
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Fuji TV
- Directors
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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 Imamura, Toshihiro Ma Shihi Endo, Toshihiro Ma Shihi Endo, Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
- Author
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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
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Mayumi Tanaka
Monkey D. Luffy (voice)
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Kazuya Nakai
Roronoa Zoro (voice)
