Why is One Piece so Popular?

There are really a bunch of reasons to like One Piece. It’s got a very likable main cast of characters, with tons of memorable supporting characters and antagonists. The One Piece universe as a whole is one of the more fleshed-out ones I’ve come across, and it just seems like so much about the world has been carefully planned out.

Likewise, it feels like there’s been an incredible amount of attention paid to the main plot’s finer details, with some subtle foreshadowing often leading to big developments hundreds of episodes after the fact. Also, it’s still amazing how seamlessly the show can transition from awesome action to drama to comedy and anything else there is to offer.

It’s not perfect by any means. The pacing, especially over the past 200 or so episodes, has slowed down quite a bit to the point where I honestly haven’t even been able to keep up with it on a weekly basis. Simply, not enough happens on a weekly basis to make it worth watching. I’m now waiting for entire arcs to finish so I can marathon them.

Reasons to Like One Piece

1.
Great Plot

One piece is an epic tale about a kid who sails to become the pirate king, as in ruler of all the seas, and on his adventures, he teams up with people who all want dreams to come true.

The wonder of One Piece isn’t that it’s “clever” or “mature” it’s that it isn’t! It’s hilarious and the style is super unique. Personally, I love One Piece art because it proves that you don’t need whatever you consider “good” art to weave a wonderful story. Plus it’s just fun to look at. Especially because, with the way the style is, the expression of the characters’ emotions is heightened.

Furthermore, it also has intense emotional moments which got me crying not only once.

2.
Nakama

Speaking of Nakama, one piece does have the incredibly important theme of friendship and ‘Nakama’ pervading throughout the whole series. it creates such a huge bond between the straw hats, and also adds to the emotional scenes, etc.

Also, it’s awesome, how Oda manages to give each crew member enough time to shine and bestow every member with such a unique personality, that every team constellation is simply awesome if the Straw Hats were to split up for some time. His story-telling is just off the charts.

3.
Compelling Characters and Character Development

The most amazing thing about One Piece is the characters! Characters that you forgot even existed come up in a super important way all the time. It’s so much fun to see them after they’ve matured a little! You even grow to love the insignificant characters because they’re so outlandish and hard to forget.
The Straw Hat Pirates are a wacky cast of characters and all diverse.

4.
Antagonists

The antagonists of the series are seriously great as well because their behavior doesn’t always reflect their personalities & vice-versa.

5.
Devil Fruits

Each devil fruit has unique powers and that’s what makes every devil fruit user interesting.

There are three types: Paramecia, Zoan, and Logia.

6.
Mesmerizing Quote

No one can ever wonder how an anime can teach you a way of life and affect you that deep. That’s some deep philosophy right there.

7.
Fights

I personally think that One Piece’s greatest merit is the fighting system.
Sword fights, devil fruit users, haki users, and firepower, etc., and many many ways to fight with and it comes down to who gets beaten down first, mostly by using brute force.

Every character comes up its unique fighting techniques like Luffy’s 1st,2nd, and 3rd gear or Zoro’s Santoryu.