‘One Piece’ is a legendary anime that came into being in 1997 and has continued to enamor the viewers with unique plot twists, characters, and world-building. One cannot help but fall in love with the Straw Hats crew especially their captain Monkey D. Luffy. The whole crew is made up of eccentric characters who are lovable in their own way.
Starting from their art style to plot wrists, character set, and world-building, ‘One Piece’ is like none other. It sets itself on a high pedestal which is yet to reach any anime series so far. Though there are uncountable reasons why the series is beloved, we are going to look at the top 10 reasons.
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Top 10 Reasons Why ‘One Piece’ Is Popular
10. Less Fillers
Considering the anime is 1000+ episodes long, with no signs of stopping anytime soon, the series has very less filler arcs. If compared to other animes, like Naruto, the fillers in One Piece are nothing. It’s enjoyable and sometimes the characters from the filler arcs are shown for a few seconds while jumping onto the main arcs.
9. Art Style
The art style of the anime is undoubtedly different from any series you may have watched before. If you are an anime fan you can easily see the difference. Its overly exaggerated character designs, vibrant color uses, and cartoonish finishes have remained the same since 20+ years ago, giving it a unique vibe.
8. Evoke Extreme Emotions
Oda has the power to evoke emotions for not only the characters, but also for an animal, a tree, a building, or even a ship. You’ll find yourself teary-eyed during Shu Shu’s story from the Buggy pirates fight, or when the Straw Hats say goodbye to Going Merry. Thus, Oda is often called a legend.
7. Character Personalities
Let’s not go too far in our judgments, and let’s take a look at the Straw Hats crew. Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Robin, Franky, Brook, and Jinbe – all have unique characteristics. While some are solely focused on their goals, some are eccentrically love-eyed, and one even calls themselves perverts openly. There are too many varieties of spices on the Straw Hats ship.
6. Devil Fruits and Poneglyphs
The introduction of these concepts made the One Piece plot thicker and more mysterious. There are hundreds of powerful Devil Fruits, each containing their own unique abilities, while the Poneglyphs are historical records that help fill in the Void Century mystery. These things are slowly uncovered while darker and more sinister plots swell underneath.
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5. 1000+ Episode Magic
Usually, if an anime is running for so long, it easily gets boring, or the plot drifts away from the main focus. But Oda has meticulously woven all the small and big characters, and things over 1000+ episodes, which is something godlike.
All the loose ends are always tied up, never leaving a gap anywhere. The plot thickens are the episodes increase, leaving the viewers to ask for more. As the series is signaling its end, the fans wish it would continue another decade, as they don’t want their journey to end.
4. Foreshadowing
The magic of foreshadowing is shown in the very first episodes of the series. Zoro’s declaration of being the greatest swordsman, Shanks giving the Straw hat, Ace handing Luffy the vivre card, mention of the ‘Will of D’, etc. everything has its own purpose and is greatly connected later in the series. It’s a wonder how Oda remembers and ties the knot.
3. Addresses Underlying Issues Of Society
The most shocking was the Sabaody Archipelago arc where the slavery system is introduced. Powerful people look down upon the poor and abuse them. The government helps them instead of stopping them.
Sinister plots are made which in turn form the suffering of the common citizens. The hatred between different races, and even the law itself which is corrupted – everything gets mentioned in the series, which is indeed present even in our daily society.
2. World Building
The world-building concept is truly extraordinary. From Water 7 to Skypiea, the worlds that we visit are exceptionally beautiful and detailed. From the daily uses to providing a scientific reason behind the mechanisms, everything is portrayed beautifully. One cannot, but fall in love with them.
1. Storyline
There’s no need to mention anything about this honestly. All the points mentioned above and combined to this point as an answer. As stated earlier, Oda ties every single end in the anime series. We often find ourselves dissatisfied or questioning a certain point of an anime series.
But Oda here doesn’t give you the chance to do so. The storyline is unique with the characters seeking to label themselves as pirates and wanting freedom, while Marines follow suit to capture them. Darkness is present in every sphere of a race, and it is shown in One Piece quite well.
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