We Are The Crew

Light One Piece spoilers

1138 manga chapters, 1122 anime episodes, 15 theatrical releases, and 8 live action Netflix episodes (as of the publishing of this article) One Piece is one of the longest ongoing narratives in media. It has a massive worldwide audience and one of the most loyal fanbases of any franchise. In fact you would be hard pressed to find someone who hasn’t at least heard the name “One Piece,” yet in my personal life I maybe know one or two people who have actually watched it. Whenever I ask someone if they have seen it, their reaction usually sounds a little like this, “Absolutely not, One Piece is way too long” and prior to last year I would have agreed. However I took a chance on it and somehow this overwhelmingly long show about a group of silly pirates has become one of the most enjoyable and rewarding entertainment experiences of my life. So here is my One Piece journey.

I'm going to say One Piece A LOT in this article, just letting you know. And like the subject matter this will be a long one. Side note I will try my best to keep spoilers to an absolute minimum.

For those who are unfamiliar, like most anime, One Piece started as a manga or Japanese comic book. Written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda back in 1997. The story follows the adventure of a young man named Monkey D. Luffy who dreams of becoming king of the pirates. You follow his journey as he assembles a crew and travels the world in search of the legendary hidden treasure “The One Piece.” This manga became so popular in Japan that it got an animated series in 1999 produced by Toei Animation. It wasn’t until 2004 that it made it’s way to the United States. Admittedly I had heard of One Piece when it was released but at that time I was uninterested in watching the series. Maybe it was the animation style or the subject matter but something about it did not appeal to my 18 year old brains attention span.

It wouldn’t be until 2013 that I would even watch a frame of One Piece. In fact the only reason I even watched it was because Toei Animation released a crossover event titled “Dream 9 Toriko & One Piece & Dragon Ball Z Super Collaboration Special!!”

I may not have cared for One Piece at the time but I sure was and still am a huge fan of Dragon Ball and at that time new Dragon Ball content was rare. Going into that special without knowing any of the non Dragon Ball characters was confusing to say the least. There was this stretchy guy, a robot man, a talking skeleton, not to mention all the Toriko characters I’d never even heard of, just overwhelming. I remember watching this special and being frustrated that these goofy pirates could even keep up with Goku and his friends. It was nice to see Goku again but the special did nothing to peak my interest in the other franchises. It would be another 10 years before I would even give One Piece a second thought. But thanks to a little app called Tiktok, I would get curious about the Straw Hat Pirates.

In 2023, Netflix released a live action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s work and unlike most live action adaptations, Oda was and continues to be heavily involved. This had One Piece fans ecstatic. Now prior to it’s announcement, in my world, this franchise was radio silent. No one I knew or followed on social media had ever brought it up but then weeks before the Netflix release, Tiktok creators I followed were making One Piece content like crazy. They would talk about how it was the greatest anime story ever told and say things like “I know it’s long but it’s worth it.” My interest were peaked but still at that time there were already over 1000 anime episodes. That’s a huge commitment to someone who is mildly interested. So I made a video asking if it was worth it to start the anime? The majority of the comments said “yes but it takes a while to get good.” “What is a while?” I would ask? A lot of comments said “Alabasta!” And if you are like me and you hadn’t seen the show yet, an answer like Alabasta means absolutely nothing.

I decided to give it a shot, and let me tell you that first episode is rough. I knew it was going to be hard to get into but I didn’t know how unappealing it would be for me. Some people start One Piece and they are instantly drawn to Luffy and his goofy nature, for others it takes some time to grow on you. I was the latter. By this time in my life I had watched anime like Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, Berserk, Attack on Titan, even Hunter X Hunter, all of which hook you in the first episode but One Piece takes it’s time. Rather than throw you into a major mystery or intricate story, it focuses on the characters and the humor of a clueless teenager trying to assemble a band of misfits.

If you are a comic book or manga reader or watch anime you know that several chapters or episodes can be devoted to a story arc or saga. X-Men has the Dark Phoenix Saga, Batman has the 4 part The Dark Knight Returns story, Dragon Ball has the Frieza Saga. One Piece is no exception except each arc is based on how long Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirates spend on an Island so 14 manga chapters or 5 episodes will be spent on the arc “Orange Town.” In the beginning each arc is used to set up a new crew member or a character that will be important in the long run. As a viewer/reader we meet these very flawed characters and slowly get invested in their stories, some of which have some pretty tragic backstories. Sure it’s a silly pirate show but then you come across some characters backstory which involves a little girl being made into a slave and she works single handedly for the freedom of her village. One Piece tricks you with the nonsensical characters but then throws in an emotional moment or two to keep you coming back.

For me, I was struggling. The humor didn’t land and though the settings were tragic, I had seen or read worst. My emotional walls were up high so for the first bit of One Piece I was asking the question again “when does One Piece get good?” Do you remember the answer? Do you remember Alabasta? The Straw Hats arrive in the kingdom of Alabasta in episode 93. 93 episodes until what everyone claims is when One Piece gets good. That’s a lot to ask for patience, yet I continued. I stuck with it. At that point One Piece was homework to me more than an enjoyment. I made a goal to watch it all and I was going to reach that goal.

So was Alabasta when it got good? For me personally, no. Alabasta expanded the world more and I was enjoying myself but I wouldn’t call it good. I would call it average entertainment. At that point I had followed the Straw Hats for almost 100 episodes and I had grown to like them as characters but the situations they were in, I felt were mid storytelling. I remember making another video asking the One Piece fans “when does One Piece get good?” The answer was “Water Seven.” Alabasta ended in episode 130, Water Seven wouldn’t begin until episode 229!

99 MORE EPISODES UNTIL THE SHOW GOT GOOD? What person in their right mind would sit through another 99 episodes of mid storytelling just for a maybe possible payoff? Good thing I was not in my right mind. However those 99 episodes would be stretched out over weeks and months with constant updates to my followers telling them how much I wasn’t enjoying the show anymore. I kept getting comments encouraging me to keep going. Then one day the Straw Hats made it to the island of Water Seven. I don’t know if it was an animation style shift, a scenery aesthetic choice, or a change in humor but once the gang got to Water Seven, I could not stop watching. Instead of forcing myself to continue, I was forcing myself to stop watching. So many late nights of “one more episode” that led to sunrises. I was hooked. I don’t know if that was my brain’s breaking point or the show gaslighting me into liking it? Maybe Oda found his rhythm but from there on out I was officially a One Piece fan.

However I cannot stress this enough, do not skip everything and go to straight to episode 229. Though the prior episodes were average and some boring, they were important to the narrative. In fact One Piece is absolutely amazing at taking a tiny story beat from an earlier arc and make it the most important thing in a future arc. Oh you remember that random character the gang met for 5 minutes at the beginning of the show? 400 episodes later that character is key to keep the story going.

Over the next few months every free moment I had was devoted to this series. And boy oh boy from Water Seven on the stakes are higher, the emotional moments are bigger, and the tragic backstories are devastating. It’s also around this moment, and I admit the signs were there much earlier but these teenagers playing pirates weren’t doing it because they dreamed of being outlaws but they became pirates to be free. The world of One Piece is a constant struggle of freedom vs power. The more you watch it the more you realize the Straw Hats represent liberation. Liberation from oppressors, whether that be corrupt dictators, terrorist, or the world government themselves. Though the arcs are incredibly long, they are telling detailed and intricate stories about mostly oppressed people struggling to live their lives in a world controlled by the ruthless and the powerful until the day the Straw Hat Pirates arrive on their shores. There is nothing more satisfying and rewarding at the end of an arc where you get to see a liberated nation and all the Straw Hats ask in return is some good food and maybe a drink or two. Though not every arc is a happy ending, they sure make the journey more gratifying when they do win. Can the Straw Hats please visit Washington D.C.?

I caught up with the anime back in the spring of 2024 and shortly after caught up with the manga chapters. For the better part of a year I have had to wait weeks between chapter releases and when you go from binging One Piece for months to waiting for new chapters, it can be anxious. Addiction is real. It doesn’t always come in forms like alcohol or drugs. I need my Straw Hat content.

Since I caught up to the manga I decided to watch the One Piece live action and I have to admit, had I started there instead of the anime I probably would have enjoyed the anime much more. The live action does a great job of introducing the characters, the story, the humor, all while keeping a relatively quick pace. Do they leave out details? Absolutely, some things just don’t translate to tv and film. But the show knows the story it wants to tell and does not need to bog it down with characters created solely for a gag.

Since consuming all available One Piece I have even revisited those early anime episodes I struggled to enjoy and with hindsight they are quite fun. I now see why so many people found Alabasta to be a good arc, it’s hilarious. At the time I was treating it like homework instead of the teenage pirates trying to figure it all out show. I even watched the Dragon Ball crossover and this time I had overwhelming joy watching it. The rewatch value in One Piece is real.

So the question is “Do I recommend One Piece?” Truly depends on the person to be honest but take it from me, I did not like this show for the longest time and then one day it became emotionally great. Do you know how many tears I’ve shed for this show? This franchise teaches kindness and empathy. My life has been enriched because of it. The One Piece journey is real and we are the crew.