WHY ONE PIECE IS THE GREATEST ANIME OF ALL TIME
I have been thinking about this for almost 2 years. I held back from writing this because I would always think it was too soon to put this out but I think the time is now with where this anime is at now.
Dragonball is the most iconic anime out. It’s responsible for almost every American introduction into anime but One Piece is not only a better anime I think it’s the best anime of all time. Before people start tripping and sending me hate emails. Let me defend my case then you can send me whatever after that.
One Piece is apart of what the anime world calls “The Big 3” which is One Piece, Bleach, and Naruto. Even though One Piece is still going and those other anime ended One Piece was blowing both these anime out the water when they dominated the mid 2000’s.
Bleach had potential to be an all time great in terms of the story but the same plot over and over and the same cycle in fights and filler destroyed this series.
Naruto, the original one was pretty decent but when it gets to Shipudden that’s when that shit got MID. All the villains were terrible except Pain. That arc with Pain was the only good arc in Shipudden in my opinion and after that it’s just a cluster fuck with everyone sucking Sasuke’s dick. It got annoying as fuck. If you wanna see a more ridiculous dumpster fire just go watch Boruto. It’s just as bad.
Back to the world of Dragonball. This is where I get push back from.
The original Dragonball was extremely underrated I actually like that more than Dragonball Z because the characters actually mattered and the story was very consistent. Dragonball Z was entertaining until the Cell saga. The Saiyan and Namek sagas were beautiful especially the fights. Once Dr.Gero came back into the picture the Android saga had promise but once Cell came shit kinda got goofy but it was still watchable with good fights and insane Gohan moments. The Buu saga is the biggest steaming pile of shit I’ve ever seen in my life. If you watch that shit as an adult you’ll see how fucking trash that saga is and remains. Dragonball GT was basically the baked macaroni being knocked onto the floor on Thanksgiving. Dragonball Super is fucking terrible and none of the characters in it matter except Goku and Vegeta. The Goku Black Saga was pretty entertaining in the beginning because you had Zamasu who was a Kai that had evil intent and that was something we never seen before so that was interesting but of course the writers drop the ball. That arc had no stakes, no drama, a boring villain, and a terrible explanation of why and how Goku Black exists. The tournament of power was actually a great concept but of course terrible writing, filler, and character building ruined it. Dragonball has been around longer and is the most iconic but it hit it’s peak at the Cell Saga and just exists to exist. The latest Broly movie was the best Dragonball content in a long fucking time. Anyone who thinks Dragonball in any form is better than One Piece is just holding onto nostalgia.
Now these are the reasons why One Piece is the greatest anime of all time.
THE JOURNEY
When I started One Piece after a close friend recommended that I watch it, I thought it was really goofy and typical. What made me stick with it was him telling me “Just get to the Water 7 arc.” I googled what episode Water 7 started on and it was in the 300’s and I was like “What the fuck?! I can barely make it through one season of The Sopranos without complaining about the season’s length. How in the fuck am I gonna watch 300 episodes of anything?” I think I made it to Water 7 in about 2 months and what I noticed was that I felt like I was apart of the journey. I felt like a Straw Hat Pirate. Every arc got better and arc after arc I was like “Okay where are we off to next!” It’s like a treasure hunt or you’re playing an RPG. The adventure isn’t lost after 20 years. The magic is still there in the journey and that’s why it’s so popular.
THE WORLD DEVELOPMENT
I always tell people that One Piece is the Game Of Thrones of anime except it’s actually good. Game Of Thrones Seasons 1-3 are really great but after those seasons that shit goes downhill but just like Game Of Thrones has a good world development One Piece has the same. One Piece has the best world building in anime history. It’s so expansive. Skypiea, Alabasta, Impel Down, Water 7, Dressrosa, Wano, Whole Cake Island, and there’s so much more. Every place feels like an experience. The fact that the world is so big is not why the world building is so amazing it’s the fact that the world has so much detail in it. It doesn’t just revolve around the Straw Hat Pirates. Important things happen in this world without The Straw Hats involvement and every destination actually matters. One Piece might have the best world structure ever.
SIDE CHARACTERS MATTER
There’s characters regardless if they were heroes or villains that still matter in One Piece. There’s characters from the beginning that still matter 800 chapters/episodes later. It’s the knock on a lot of popular anime. Nobody matters but 2-4 characters and that’s it. For example Doflamingo is still factor after his arc ended. Caeser still matters. Buggy The Clown is still around. Gekko Moria still mattered. Rob Lucci. The list goes on. Oda has this ability to make you give a fuck about characters you would normally not care for. They’re still relevant.
UNIQUE FIGHTS
The one thing about One Piece that’s crazy is the fights and how unique they are. Matchups matter. There’s a saying in boxing “Styles make fights.” That’s One Piece fights. Devil Fruit abilities change the game. Devil Fruits are mystical fruits that when eaten that person gains a special ability but will lose the ability to swim. For example. Enel from The Skypiea arc would likely give fades to almost anybody with his devastating devil fruit ability which is lightning but Luffy’s devil fruit ability is that he’s a rubber man and that lightning shit not working against Luffy so Enel had to figure out a way to fight with Luffy which makes the fight interesting. It’s not just a strong person versus a strong person and that’s it. There has to be strategy. Haki plays a huge role in fights in The New World also. Haki is an ability to predict and sense spiritual energy. If you’re not a Haki user in The New World you’re gonna get smoked easily. The different types of Haki and use of them are important and key to combat ability.
MYSTERIOUS CHESS PIECES
There are so many chess pieces in One Piece. There’s also a lot of mystery. It keeps you hooked to the series. I don’t want to spoil it so I won’t say characters but there’s characters they we don’t know shit about after 20 years and they’re still popular characters. Fuck it let me make a list.
We still have no clue about “The Will Of D”
The Void Century
What Is the “One Piece?”
Yonko’s Power
Devil Fruit Awakenings
The Gorosei Power
Dual Devil Fruit Ability
The Voice Of All Things
This not even all the mysteries. This is why you can’t leave One Piece alone. There are actual implications that matter.
BACKSTORIES
My personal favorite thing about One Piece are the backstories. Damn near all of em almost had me crying like a bitch. Sanji’s backstory was cruel. Trafalgar Law backstory was horrific. Chopper’s backstory was sad as fuck. Even Doflamingo’s backstory tugged at your heart. Everyone’s backstory explained why they are the way they are today. It helps you understand how far they’ve come.
CHARACTER MISSION/GOALS
Every member in Luffy’s crew has a mission or goal. Their motivation isn’t the same as Luffy’s but they follow Luffy because his dream aligns with his in someway. Chopper wants to be the world’s best doctor. Nami wants to be the best navigator and create a world map. Sanji wants to find the “All Blue.” Zoro wants to be the world’s best swordsman. Everyone has their own identity. It just doesn’t revolve around Luffy or The Straw Hats in general. The story and the journey is priority.
CRYING
Aye bruh no other anime has had me crying but One Piece. Those backstories had me emotional. Certain moments in the anime me looking like I was cutting onions. I CRIED OVER A MOTHAFUCKING SHIP BRO!!! A FUCKING SHIP!! NO OTHER ANIME PUTTING ME IN MY FEELINGS LIKE A DRAKE SONG AT 1:23AM!
One Piece is the greatest selling manga of all time. 20 years and people are still hooked to the anime. That’s the definition of longevity. This shit not like The Simpsons where it’s on for 30 years plus and people stopped giving a fuck around 2000-2001. One Piece has gotten better. People still care about the anime and manga. One Piece didn’t have the huge boom in the U.S like other anime and still has an insane impact. One Piece had a TERRIBLE English dub and survived that shit and was still dominant. Just go to any comic-con and you’ll see the impact of One Piece. There was a recent chapter that they revealed pirate bounties and everybody lost their fucking minds. No fights or action. Just bounty reveals and it mattered. That’s great storytelling, that’s great character and world building. There was another recent chapter where it was a pure flashback story and it was an exciting read. No other anime has that type of juice.
One Piece has the crown …… bitch.
Peace
Follow us on twitter and instagram
@politeasflannel
@jayjaybenny
@politecoolery
@Treevillarecords
Listen to the blog podcast Polite Coolery
