One Piece Arcs that require a rewatch to understand

One Piece is one of the longest running anime series. It consists of several arches, each of which has its own unique charm. Despite having so many story arcs, One Piece anime is universally loved for its excellent plot.

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One Piece has some incredible story arcs in its expansive history, with these examples being the best of the bunch.

Another reason that makes the anime so special is its rewatch value. Many arcs in One Piece are rewatchable simply because the story and fights are too good. But in some cases, rewatching an arc helps viewers better understand the themes and actions of certain characters.

Fish-Man Island Arc

Highlighting the racism in the story

• Hody Jones was the perfect villain for the arc

For the most part, the Fish-Man Island arc is brushed off as a mediocre arc, as it doesn't have an overpowered or cool antagonist. However, some fans don't understand that the arc isn't just about the Straw Hat Pirates showing off their new powers.

The Fish-Man Island arc is about racism. Hody founded the New Fish-Man Pirates because of his hatred of humans. While it is true that people were racist towards Fish-Man Island and its inhabitants, Hody Jones was not driven solely for this reason. He hated humans so much that he killed his own kind who did not support him. The arc highlights the complicated relationship between humans and other races. Given that Oda wanted to tackle racism, Hody Jones and his motley crew were the perfect antagonists. They were driven by hatred and would do anything for their philosophy to prevail.

Skypiea Arc

Has a lot of information about important historical figures

• The debut of Observation Haki

The Skypiea arc is one of the best pre-timeskip arcs in One Piece. It is a phenomenal arc that reveals many details about important historical figures such as Calgara and Noland. In addition, the arc also revealed new information about Shandora and its history.

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The Skypiea arc also contains a Poneglyph, on which Roger left a message. On first watch, the arc may not seem as important, but that changes as fans catch up on the story and learn about Nika.

The entire Cake Island Arc

Revealed Sanji's turbulent past

• Contains one of the most emotional moments in the entire story

When the Whole Cake Island arc was released, it received mixed reviews from audiences as it was not as action oriented. Another reason the arc is despised is because the Straw Hats were separated, and some fan favorites like Zoro, Robin, and Franky were missing. Also, many viewers expected Sanji to get a real power-up, but that wasn't the case.

The purpose of the arc was to show Sanji's past and his growth as a person. After being rejected by his own father and siblings, Sanji had no choice but to run away. After many hardships he found his place with the cooks of Baratie and then with the Straw Hats. After re-watching the arc, it becomes clear that the focus was never about Sanji becoming physically stronger. It was to highlight Sanji's growth as he came face to face with his worst fears.

Wano Country Arc

Shows the bad effects of tyranny

• The culmination of decades of struggle

The Wano Country arc is considered by many to be the best arc in One Piece. It is mainly focused on Luffy's fight against Kaido. The arc also features many captivating battles, all of which were beautifully animated. Unfortunately, the plot overshadowed some important messages that were in the arc.

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For example, how the rich resigned as supreme and they did not care about the well-being of others. A child like Otama was deprived of basic needs such as food and clean water. She had to work tirelessly for hours to afford some food. The arc also highlighted Oden's struggle as he tried to open Wano's borders to the rest of the world. He did not want the country to be isolated, so he tried to ensure that future generations could associate freely.

Sabaody Archipelago Arc

Shows the true nature of the Heavenly Dragons

• Themes of racism and poverty end up in the background

Sabaody Archipelago is fondly remembered for the debut of Supernovas and Admiral Kizaru. The latter's arrival on the scene caused widespread chaos among pirates, knowing the strength of an admiral. Silver's Rayleigh was also introduced in the arc. Obviously, it consisted of some extraordinary moments, but the true message is overshadowed by them.

The Sabaody Archipelago Arc shows the sick and evil side of the World Government. There was an auction house in Sabaody where humans and humans of other races were sold to the highest bidder. Once sold, these people would remain enslaved until their last breath. The arch also highlighted the superiority complex of the celestial dragons, who consider everyone else beneath them.

Thriller Bark Arc

Included characters whose true identities were revealed much later

• Emphasizes how people deal with grief differently

The Thriller Bark arc is arguably the creepiest arc in One Piece. It takes place on a huge ship belonging to Gecko Moria. What makes the arc so special is that instead of fighting individually, the Straw Hats fought as a unit to take down Gecko Moria.

The arc also introduced characters like Captain John, Ryuma, and Lola, who at the time didn't feel that significant. But after the recent revelations, it makes the characters feel more important. It also plays up the importance of dealing with grief properly. Brook lost his entire crew, but he didn't become a malevolent person. He lived alone, but eventually his patience paid off and he found the Straw Hats. On the other hand, after Moria's crew was destroyed by Kaido, he changed his ways and tried to build an immortal crew by stealing shadows.

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 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

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)