One Piece is known all over the world, and for a lot of people, it is one of the best shonen anime of all time. It has been running for so long and people just tend to fall in love with the series that one cannot deny its success. But what makes One Piece so good? Is it the story? The characters? Is the hype around it, worth it?
One Piece is so good because it is a well-balanced shonen anime. It has a world that excites the viewers to explore through the story plot. The characters have solid stories and are uniquely designed. The protagonist is well-loved and the antagonists pose a challenge. It is so entertaining to watch.
Are you curious about One Piece and do you want to get into it? We understand that you might need to look up the great things about the series as watching One Piece takes commitment due to the many episodes. Find out in this article why a lot of people caught the One Piece bug!
1. One Piece Has An Amazing World
We did a poll as to what makes One Piece so good (check out the poll here), and we found out that a lot of people think that the fictional world of One Piece is what makes it so interesting.
This result is surprising because a lot of shonen animes do not achieve this “top tier world creation.”
This answer is very peculiar as it also relates to the length of One Piece. When the creator of One Piece, Eiichiro Oda was interviewed as to why One Piece is so long, his answer was that he simply had to express and show to others the One Piece world that he envisioned.
As you watch One Piece, you get to explore places with their own culture, races, beliefs, struggles, and victories. It is just like reality, made cooler. There is a sense of awe once the Straw Hat Pirates dock on an island because there are so many places to explore.
More than that, the anime presented the world in such a way that viewers can also immerse in that world. When a place is mentioned, viewers automatically have a sense of where that island is located.
At the same time, there is a sense of nostalgia about the adventures the crew had in that place.
The feeling that we mentioned is what cuts One Piece above some of the good shonen animes. A good example is that of Naruto.
In Naruto, there are a lot of other places besides the Hidden Leaf Village. But for some reason, we really do not care about other places that the characters went to.
There could be key plot points in those places, but they are not that memorable. Unlike in One Piece, when the crew gets too far from the previous islands, the viewers will sometimes wish that the crew can go back to that island, even for a quick visit.
The One Piece world is such an immersive world that viewers feel that they are also going on an adventure with the Straw Hat Pirates.
2. One Piece Has Interesting Characters
What makes or breaks an anime? Characters, of course. No matter how good the plot is, if you end up having unlikeable characters, then it is highly likely that viewers will end up junking the anime.
There are also times when the characters themselves save the anime from a terrible plot.
Based on our poll, people think that the characters are the second-best reason as to why One Piece is so good. This actually took us by surprise as we thought for sure that the characters will be number one, yet here we are.
The characters of One Piece do not only have unique looks and personalities, but they also have the ability to charm the audiences.
Characters were developed in such a way that even though you do not like them at first, they will still get you on their side as you keep watching.
A good example is Nico Robin. When we first meet her, we thought that she was such a nuisance and Luffy should be wary of her.
There are glimpses of her backstory as the story approaches her character arc, but we are so bothered by the thought that she may be a villain that we really pay no heed.
Then came the Enies Lobby Arc and we finally see the stripped down and raw personality of Robin. With just a few lines, we were able to learn her aspirations and dreams. After that, Robin has become one of the most beloved characters.
One Piece Characters Have Solid Backstories
We are not only introduced to memorable lines and interesting personalities of the characters but we are also shown their full backstories. Learning all of the backstories of the Straw Hat Pirates takes a lot of patience as they do not just reveal them once they join the crew.
The backstories of the characters are emotionally-packed and distinct from one another that you can clearly see how they will fit well with the crew. Further, you can deeply understand why all of the crewmates respects and loves their Captain Luffy so much.
One Piece Villains Are Challenging
Great shonen animes have frightening and effective villains. If the antagonists are so easy to defeat, then we are left with an overly-powered protagonist who can defeat anyone. For the first parts of One Piece, we thought that this was the case.
The characters were powerful in their own right, yet at the end of the day, they always had to rely on the strength of Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji.
The viewers somehow had this sense of comfort that even if these three people were beaten up, in the end, they can defeat the enemy.
Even though it is comforting, it can get boring easily. When we watch shonen animes, we want to see the action and the power progression of the characters.
One Piece brings all of that to the table as major villains are almost always too difficult to defeat.
Somehow, the Straw Hat Pirates still need to strategize and put their lives on the line in order to overcome the challenge, which makes for good entertainment.
One Piece Has Cool Character Powers
Even long-time fans of One Piece cannot enumerate all of the powers of the characters, there are simply too many! Further, the names that they give certain techniques are unique and a lot of times, funny.
Even characters who do not have Devil Fruit powers have out-of-this-world abilities.
Moreover, shonen animes are all about fighting and action. Therefore, viewers expect a good fight and display of true prowess.
One Piece will not disappoint in this aspect. Even if the main characters are powerful, the leveling of the powers is also balanced, so we really cannot predict with certainty the conclusion of a certain fight.
3. One Piece Has A Simple But Good Story Plot
Luffy wants to become the Pirate King. In order to do that, he must obtain the One Piece that was hidden by the previous Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
The plot of One Piece is so simple that even five-year-olds can understand it without guidance. At a glance, people may simply think that One Piece is a long adventure to the final island where the hidden treasure is located.
Just like other shonen animes, we are good with this plot as it is the adventure to that final island is all that matters, right? But what is so good about the simple plot of One Piece is the fact that its own simplicity paves the way for complex stories.
For those who have been watching for a long time, you guys know that it is more than an adventure from one island to another.
However simple the mission is to Luffy, he does not seem to recognize how the Straw Hat Pirates are changing the world as they go on their journey to Raftel.
The One Piece Plots Are Not Really Childish
We mentioned that the plot is not as simple as getting to the last island where the One Piece is hidden. In fact, besides the backstories of the characters, we are also exposed to the politicism and socialism of the world of One Piece.
The World Government of One Piece although seen to be the good guys, actually have a hidden dark past. Currently, the Straw Hat Pirates are against the World Government, opposing them for their tyranny and centrist rule.
We also know of the Celestial Dragons who are the royalty of the world of One Piece. It was here that we learned that there is a division of social class and the employment of slaves. Further, we were introduced to warlords who were pirates that cooperate with the government.
At the same time, we learned that some of these warlords are simply such because they aim to protect their people and lands from the government.
There are a lot of side plots that contribute to the character development of the Straw Hat Pirates and their decisions based on these side plots, affect the world as a whole.
4. One Piece Has A Unique Art Style
For people who are used to the art style of modern animes, it is easy to hate the art style of One Piece. Some people think that it is too flat yet over the top. Others think that they should have followed the footsteps of Naruto Shippuden where animators tweaked the style a bit to fit the current trend.
Long-time fans will forever stay true to the beauty of its unique art style. As you watch the show, you will realize that this 2D and wacky art style fits the world of One Piece so well.
Keep in mind, the show is about a fictional world with pirates and other creatures. Of course! The characters should bend the corners of one’s imagination!
5. One Piece Engages The Audience
Even though One Piece has been running for what seems to be an eternity, when viewers dedicate time to binge-watch episodes, the show can easily reel you in.
It is a combination of aspects that we mentioned earlier, like the world, the characters, the plot, etc.
More than that, there are so many plot points in the story that can easily resonate with someone and apply it to their daily lives. Other than the fun adventures, we learn of sacrifices, trust in others, belief in ourselves, and many more.
When the characters cry, we cry with them. When they are in big fights, we root for them.
There is this “hidden trait” of One Piece that just makes the viewers want the characters to succeed, to a point that when a battle is about to be won by the Straw Hat Pirates, we are cheering them on and screaming at the top of our lungs at our screens.
Is One Piece Anime Better Than The Manga?
One Piece anime is better than the manga in the sense that it makes everything easier to understand. You see everything happening before your eyes so there is not really a lot of room for questions.
Further, the action scenes are longer in the anime compared to the manga.
On the other hand, the manga is better if you are striving to get the entire story. As it is the original source, there are sequences in the manga that are not included in the anime.
Moreover, if you are a fan of the One Piece world, the nitty-gritty of all the islands can be found in the manga.
Therefore, it depends on your preference on which media will help you get into the story more. In our case, we want to consume both, just to see if there are discrepancies between manga and anime.