Its Time to Share My Thoughts on Oda's Opus!
Eichiro Oda’s One Piece is to many the Moby Dick of stories that come from Japan. I’m not making a literary comparison though, as the sheer size of this series is as intimidating as the titular white whale. Currently sitting at over 1,000 chapters of its manga, and just breaking past that same milestone with the episodes in its anime, it is a story of staggering proportions. Aside from its length, aspects like the amount of characters, power systems, and even its geography and political structures to keep track of are more in depth than most in any form of fiction. The idea of tackling such a titanic tale has led many readers and viewers of manga and anime alike to pass on this Luffy's legendary journey.
That said, everything I’ve mentioned also acts as the series' biggest strengths, and are some of the key reasons why it has reached such universal acclaim. As I began reading the manga from the very beginning last year, spurred on by the fantastic review series of YouTuber TotallyNotMark, I found that each new arc presented some of the greatest highs I’ve experienced in reading a shonen manga. The world of One Piece is one of the most realized I have seen in all of fiction because of these elements, and it is why I fell in love with this story.
Having completed all of the arcs before the time skip, 23 in all, I feel that now would be the best time to rank my personal favorites. I want to share what arcs are, in my opinion, the best the series has to offer and to share my taste with any other fans who have the journey of Monkey D. Luffy on the high seas.
I have a lot to tackle and a lot to say, so I will be breaking up this top 10 (plus one honorable mention) into a three part love letter to the early era of the franchise, giving my thoughts on these arcs as best I can.
As for the criteria, the biggest factors in an arc's favor will be its pacing, creativity with the setting and characters (new and established), and its impact on the greater story that Oda is trying to tell.
With all that in mind, it's time to come aboard, bring along all your hopes and dreams, and get ready to set sail.
Honorable Mention: The Post War Arc (Ch. 581-597, 17 chapters)
I want to start things off by actually giving the nod to the most recent arc I’ve read. A lot of people tend to lump the Post War arc with Marineford, but I feel that it definitely stands apart. While this is easily the shortest arc I’m covering today, it is still tells a spectacular story.
This arc introduces us to the childhoods of Luffy and Ace, how they met, as well as their relationship with a young boy named Sabo, as they explore Luffy’s home of Dawn Island and have their own adventures together.
Normally flashback arcs can feel a little like backpedaling in a large scale story like this, but Oda knew that he needed to give a break for his readers after everything that happened in the arc prior, while also tying into those events. It was also amazing to see how the three boys grew closer, eventually sharing the iconic image of toasting sake cups to their brotherhood, with the story's end adding further tragedy to Luffy’s character.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom though, as Luffy then realizes that despite all that he’s lost, he still has the crew that he loves like family. Reassured by his newest ally Jimbei, it's that realization that makes for an amazing set up for what I know will be great things to come, including Luffy training with Silvers Rayleigh to prepare. The only thing really going against this story comes from the scale, as it does still focuses on being more of an epilogue for this section of the story. I definitely think its worthwhile though, and easily stands out amongst many other arcs in this section.
10. Baratie (Chapters 42-68, 27 chapters)
When the Baratie arc originally released, it ended up being the longest the series had released thus far and was also our first real taste of what Oda was cooking up for the story.
With Luffy starting to get his a crew together with the likes of Zoro, Nami, and recently Usopp, the team soon find themselves in need of a cook. This leads them to the seafaring restaurant Baratie, where they meet everyone's favorite cool, sauve, and comically lecherous chef Sanji for the first time. As we learn his story and the past he shares with the restaurant’s owner Zeff, we also are blindsided by events that show just how large and dangerous the world of One Piece can be.
We have the fearsome, but beaten down, Don Krieg Pirates invading Baratie to steal the restaurant ship and recover their losses. They're arrival, with a massive on the brink of sinking, and a crew starving to death and severely injured is already enough to show the potentially disastrous fate that awaits the Straw Hats should they enter the Grand Line, but it only takes one man to make that a reality.
Dracule Mihawk is one of the best designs that Oda has ever come up with, proven by the fact he has received little to no design changes throughout the story. With his cold, piercing eyes, pitch black swashbuckling hat and coat, and a massive sword in the shape of a cross, this man is the presented as a symbol of death. His introduction overshadows the threat of Don Krieg, as he presents us with lore on how the world government created a necessary evil in the form of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, while also presenting us with the man that Zoro needs to overcome to achieve his goal.
Speaking of, the fight between Zoro and Mihawk is the best in the East Blue section, and one that presents the reader with a great sense of scale of the power that resides within the Grand Line. That is actual of the arc as a whole, to give the reader a taste at just how devastating the waters of that legendary stretch of sea can be. As we see Don Krieg push Luffy to his limit in an another amazing battle, we have to keep in mind that this fearsome enemy was devastated by the Grand Line. It's constantly thrown into Luffy and the Straw Hats faces that they are heading towards certain doom, but the young captain still shouts that he will be King of the Pirates, pursuing his dream no matter what others say.
There is so much tackled in this short arc that I feel that its almost too hard to keep up with, which unfortunately acts in the arc's detriment. While all of these moments are amazing, they also keep the arc really busy, and there are other major plot points you almost miss because of it. This leads me to Don Krieg himself, and while his fight with Luffy is creative, his character is pretty flat with his only real purpose being highlighting the dangers of the Grand Line. His crew's assault on Baratie is almost an afterthought compared to all the world building and setup for the next arc Oda presents in these chapters.
That said, Baratie still helped lay down a lot of groundwork for the greater narrative Oda was wanting to tell and it did its job in grabbing readers attention. For that alone, it has definitely earned the nod from me.
9. Drum Island (Ch. 130-154, 25 chapters)
This pick is probably going to be pretty controversial for some, but hear me out. Drum Island might not introduce as much to the world of One Piece as Baratie did, but it makes up for it by being an emotional and incredibly imaginative tale.
As the Straw Hats deal with trying to get Alabasta’s princess Vivi home to save her country from Baroque Works, Nami falls ill from a mysterious disease and is in need of a doctor. After a confrontation with what will be a recurring annoyance of the arc named Wapol, the crew arrive on Drum Island and learn of the mysterious witch Kureha, seemingly the only doctor on the island, and the tragedies of the Drum Kingdom.
What follows is an adventure unlike any other in One Piece at this point. While the first three arcs in the Grand Line had giant whales, giant cacti, and even actual giants, this arc sets itself apart by being the first winter setting the series presents us. The snow imagery feels incredibly refreshing to experience, and at the same time introduces us to the idea of islands having drastically different climates. Luffy and the crew ascending mountains and dealing with avalanches and giant yeti rabbits make for really fun obstacles to overcome. We even have a full blown castle on top of the mountain, covered in ice and acting as a great backdrop for the final battle.
Then there is the highlight of the entire arc in the form of the blue-nosed reindeer boy Tony Tony Chopper. This character, and his tragic story of isolation and desire to pursue medicine to honor his late adoptive father, is the core reason I had to include Drum Island at this spot. It was the first time since entering the Grand Line that we were hit with such a tragic backstory that showed off Oda’s writing chops in a major way. It immediately made me love the character and his desire to prove himself in order to find a place to belong, and finding it with Luffy, making him one of my favorite Straw Hats as the series continues to move forward.
The biggest knocks against the arc though are pretty hefty. Wapol is easily one of the worst villains in One Piece, aside from maybe Foxy, that doesn’t add much to the arc. While his fight with Luffy is fun, highlighted by Wapol's over the top Much Munch Fruit powers, he never comes off as a legitimate threat and the fight is really just the basis for decent gags.
The other big issue is how self-contained the narrative is. If Oda hadn’t introduced the idea of Nami being sick, this setting would have little to no relevance in the greater story of fighting Baroque Works and getting to Alabasta. Oda does give some minor story beats in highlighting Vivi’s potential as a monarch, but it basically acts as window dressing to reassure his readers that the great battle is yet to come. The only other bigger aspects of the story introduced is the concept of the Will of D., and the reveal of Gold Roger's true name, but since they are only introduced here it acts as only minor snippet of lore to make fans happy.
This arc actually interrupts the overarching narrative that Oda is trying to tell more than it adds to it, but I would be lying if I said my heart doesn't still break whenever I see Dr. Hiriluk's final moments or Chopper's tears as he leaves his home.
For its sheer creativity and its introduction of Chopper, however, this arc still proves to be a fun adventure on the winter island where cherry blossoms bloom.
8. Skypiea (Ch. 237-302, 66 chapters)
I can’t think of any arc better to leave off today than this surprising and winding journey through the clouds. Following the events of Jaya, where the Straw Hats decide to try to find a way up to the legendary sky island, we now find our crew entering a mystical new terrain in pursuit of a legendary treasure while in the middle of a battle for land and freedom.
Skypiea’s story deals with some pretty significant changes when it comes to the world of One Piece. Oda has flexed his narrative muscles in the past to introduce us to a multitude of ecosystems, but Skypiea is one that has had staying power in the minds of fans. The geography of the Grand Line is given some verticality, with this setting having a mixture of cloud islands and waters mixed with a chunk of land from the seas below.
As fantastical it is, Oda still finds a way to make this seemingly impossible landscape feel fully realized and lived in. From the island's technology in the form of dials, to the introduction of Haki through Mantra, and lore that delves into the history of the world through the poneglyps and the tribalism that has led to tension between the Skypieans and the Shandians that drive the tension in this arc.
Then you have the likes of Eneru as our antagonist, a character who views himself as a god in more than just name. Everything about this character is extravagant, from his designs connection to the thunder god Raijin, with a devil fruit power to match, to his charismatic yet intimidating presence. His use of his lightning powers to smite anyone in his way with no regard to his subjects safety is terrifying. Even his ambitions are over the top, as he is willing to doom Skypiea all for the sake of making his way to the moon.
Even better comes his fight with Luffy and realizing that his electric powers don’t work on the rubber man. His reaction alone is absolutely priceless and it still lives on as an iconic image of this massive tale, but that isn't the only thing memorable about this fight. From Luffy struggling in handling Eneru’s mantra powers, to the battle on a massive flying arc, and the emphatic final blow literally ringing in an era of peace for Skypiea and a legend being fulfilled in the land below, it makes for a satisfying end to an ambitious arc.
That said, it is an arc that I felt like the pacing could have been a little tighter. This is an instance where Oda is trying to juggle multiple narratives at once, including outside of the Straw Hats. We have the story with Skypiea's former ruler Ganfall, the damage to Going Merry, the crew getting separated (already a recurring trope), Eneru’s minions, as well as the Shandians and Skypieans to focus on. Plus Oda includes an entire flashback that details the history of Nolan and the ancient city of Shandora that, while a beautiful tale, is an additional wrinkle to the narrative that leads the arc to drag. Oda’s ambition to fit in as much as possible in his arcs is definitely a double edged sword for him, and at times it does fall a little flat.
Even with those problems, this arc proves that Oda does have the chops to tell these greater narratives, and Skypiea is still a landmark arc for him when it comes to his knack for world building. It has always been a strong suit of his storytelling, in that each island is a more realized setting than most entire worlds in other works of fiction, with Skypiea being the earliest example of that greatness.
I think that will wrap things up for now, but please stay tuned for part two as I tackle #7-#4 and continue highlighting my favorite high sea adventures of this shonen seafaring spectacle. I will link that second part here once it releases, but until then I hope you consider subscribing to the blog and follow the Manga Mind Facebook Page and Twitter for future updates.
Until then, I will catch you guys next time!
