Have you ever had those situations when you finish a movie or TV series and wonder what to watch next? Well, now that is about to change because I have a show for you… One Piece! One Piece is one of the longest series of anime with 1112+ episodes, 21+ seasons, about 17 films, and 1 live-action series which is slowly expanding. If interested, One Piece currently streams on Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, and Pluto TV. If you do want to watch it, get ready to meet Monkey D. Luffy, a young boy who wants to become the next Pirate King.
Monkey D. Luffy – the protagonist’s ambition started when he was just a little kid. His idol, Shanks, a pirate Luffy admires, inspires him to become a pirate. Along his journey, he meets Roronoa Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Tony Tony Chopper, Nico Robin, Franky, Brook, and Jinbe, who all become his crewmates. At the beginning of the series, the first person Luffy ever met was Koby. Koby had a dream of becoming a Marine. But the obstacle he faced was that he was being held hostage as a prisoner by a female pirate named Alvida. Luffy helps Koby escape and become a Marine. As he does so, he finds the map of the Grand Line, which is the map to where he hopes to become King of the Pirates.
This hat has a special history and is a valuable possession of Luffy’s. Luffy had received it from Shanks as a gift. Shanks gave the hat to Luffy because Luffy had said that he would become an even better pirate than Shanks and that he’d become the King of the Pirates. Seeing his determination, Shanks gave Luffy his hat, which was also a prized possession of his, and sailed off with his crew. But wait, are there more secrets to the hat than it lets on? You can learn more about this secret as you watch the One Piece series. You may know Luffy as the “rubber-man”. Why you may ask? Luffy found the Devil Fruit in a chest that Shanks had brought back from his recent voyage. There are many Devil Fruits that can be found, but Luffy ate quite a special Devil Fruit. But the Devil Fruit has a twist, you would lose your ability to swim forever. This was especially hard on Luffy because he was an excellent swimmer.
Want to learn more about the characters? First, let’s learn about Roronoa Zoro, Luffy’s first mate. Zoro is a green-haired, ex-pirate hunter, now a pirate. Zoro is an amazing swordsman who uses not 2, but 3 swords. But where would the third one go? Well, Zoro would use two swords in his hands, and the final one goes in his mouth! Zoro is super strong and very talented when it comes to swordplay. It has been Zoro’s dream to become the world’s best swordsman, because of a very special girl who had influenced him to keep working hard. Her name was Shimotsuki Kuina. He had dedicated his whole life to surpassing her in swordplay and looked up to her. But sadly she unexpectedly passed away in the villager’s theory that she fell down the stairs. Next is Nami, she is an orange-haired, cat burglar. She is a one-of-a-kind navigator.
She can predict weather patterns that you would never see coming. This is why she is the ship’s navigator. She has quite an interesting back story along with the others. Even since she was little, fishmen took over her hometown. Led by their leader Arlong, the whole island erupted with chaos. Nami at a very young age, forced herself to join Arlong’s side to potentially repurchase the land of the hometown with 100,000,000 berries (this is their currency, no it’s not the actual fruit, it is a coin). In the end, Arlong does not keep his promise, forcing Luffy and his crew to fight Arlong for it back, and in the end, Nami gets the land back.
Next up is Usopp, he is a very skilled sniper of the crew. He creates his own “attacks” and uses a slingshot. Even with not very professional tools, he can make magnificent things. He is best known for his ridiculous lies. He grew up in a small town called Syrup Village. Usopp’s love of pirates began when he was just a little kid and the fact that his dad was a pirate himself. His dad is part of the Red Hair Pirates, led by Shanks.
Now it’s time for me to introduce Vinsmoke Sanji. He is a gifted cook who can make the meal you would die for. He has exceptional talent when it comes to cooking. Sanji had worked at the Baratie, known as the “floating restaurant”. The Baratie is known as this because it floats in the middle of the sea. It is technically a “sea restaurant”. When Sanji was a little kid, he was just 10 years old when he started cooking and then met Zeff. Zeff was a ferocious pirate who was known as “Red-Leg”. He was known as this because when he would fight other pirates, he would use nothing but his leg and nothing but blood would remain on his boot. Hence, giving him this name. Zeff saved Sanji from a shipwreck, causing him to lose his leg. After this happens, he is no longer a pirate, so he resorts to being the head chef of the Baratie.
The next character is Tony Tony Chopper. Chopper may seem little and harmless, but in reality, he can be a beast. Quite literally. He ate a Devil Fruit that gave him powers to transform into a “human”. It just makes him bigger, stronger, and more scary. Chopper’s herd, the townspeople, and pretty much everyone would neglect Chopper since he was different. He was also often called a “monster” by others. But the only two people who accepted him were a fake doctor named Hiriluk and an actual doctor named Kureha. Chopper grew up neglected and led a hard life. This was only until he met Luffy and his crew. This is just some background information about just a few of the characters.
Now let’s learn about the author/creator of One Piece, Eiichiro Oda. According to Comic Book Resources, “Eiichiro Oda, one of the most influential figures in the world of manga, rose to fame by creating the most iconic shonen adventure of modern times — One Piece. … Over the decades, Oda’s magnum opus has long since transcended the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump, becoming a worldwide phenomenon through anime, video games, light novels, and even a recent Netflix live-action adaptation.” Oda wanted to write manga since he was only 4 years old, showing that he puts lots of time and effort into his work. Fun Fact: Oda had married one of many Nami actresses. Comic Book Resources says, “ Oda and his wife, actress and model Chiaki Inaba, met at Jump Festa 2002, where Inaba played the Straw Hats’ navigator in the One Piece stage show.”
Regarding why you should watch One Piece, it is a long and extensive series that will keep you wondering what will happen next. It contains events that may appear surprising and the twist of events can be mind-blowing. All the characters are developed with interesting side stories that are projected in their personality. The storyline is super detailed and each setting is super interesting to most people. Even visually, it is quite amazing. Each character is taken into consideration and was created with much detail, with what they look like and how they would act.
All together, Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Nico Robin, Brook, Franky, and Jinbe are one big crew. They call themselves “The Straw Hat Pirates” or “Straw Hats”. If you love action and comedy, One Piece might be for you! One Piece is an entertaining, comedic, and action-packed TV show that you would probably enjoy.
Works Cited
Comic Book Resources
https://www.cbr.com/eiichiro-oda-one-piece-creator-trivia-fun-facts/#:~:text=6%20Oda%20Married%20An%20Actress,the%20One%20Piece%20stage%20show.
One Piece Television Series