Why One Piece is the Best Anime of All Time

By Caden Gilbert

     One Piece has been around for a very long time. It started airing in 1999, and still releases episodes to this day. Although the sheer amount of episodes may scare away viewers, the content in each season proves that One Piece is very worth watching. There are many moments in this anime that are so shocking and unique compared to that of other works. It is the #1 most sold manga in the world for a reason, after all.

     One Piece by far has the best world-building ever. There are so many islands across their universe, which only deepens the story telling. There are many compelling characters and moments, which only gives more reasons to watch.

     The One Piece anime just got off of hiatus on the Egghead Island arc, and it has resumed with amazing quality. This arc is the start of the Final Saga, which is the last few arcs before One Piece’s end. The animation, for one, is great, resulting in movie quality episodes weekly. The storytelling is getting more intense as the anime slowly approaches the end. But, this is only a small percentage of why One Piece is the best.

     One Piece includes many aspects in it that are real world problems that are still a thing or were a huge issue in the past. Some of these issues are racism, discrimination, exploitation, and corrupt government. The regular civilians of One Piece may think that the World Government  are the good guys, but they, in reality, are the main cause of suffering. At least, that is what most people thought.

     In the One Piece world, there are the five elders that are said to have the highest authority in the world. They are the reason that the World Government is corrupt. They have destroyed an entire island with scientific weapons, ending countless lives simply for their amusement and testing power.

     But let’s talk about the star of the show, Monkey D. Luffy. From the very start of the show, fans can tell that they are going to like it. Luffy saved each and every one of the people he wanted to join his crew from death, whether it was going to happen sooner or later. Luffy does whatever it takes to protect his crew, and makes it known that he is going to achieve his final goal, finding the One Piece and becoming King of the Pirates. Throughout the entire time that One Piece has been releasing, no one knows what the One Piece actually is.

     One of the reasons why I believe this show is the greatest is because of the foreshadowing. There are so many plot holes and unanswered questions that I have had throughout watching the show. And as we progress through the story, these questions that I have are being answered throughout the story. Luffy describes that he wants to be the freest man at sea, and the only way to accomplish that is to be the Pirate King. But it has become more and more clear of the grand narrative as all of the plot points start coming together.

     I believe this show is the best because of Luffy’s transformation, Gear 5. It is a goofy, cartoon-like upgrade. But this is how Luffy will get closer to his dream of being free, by his powers granting him to do whatever he likes. One Piece is truly the greatest piece of fiction that I have ever watched, and I would really recommend watching it.