8 Things One Piece Does Better Than Every Other Shonen Anime

Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece is a hugely popular and best-selling manga worldwide, and the anime adaptation by Toei Animation has been sharing its exciting story with fans since 1999. While it’s not perfect, the anime has consistently proven to be excellent, captivating audiences for over twenty-five years and continuing to do so.

With over 1150 episodes, One Piece remains incredibly popular – one of the most beloved action anime ever created. What makes it so successful? What sets it apart from other shows in the same style? Quite a lot, actually! Here are eight of the most significant reasons behind its enduring appeal.

Impeccable World Building

Fans Know More About This World Than They Know About The Real One

A key to the enduring popularity of One Piece is its incredibly well-developed world and rich history, which consistently captivate audiences. The show has been surprising viewers since 1997 by starting as a lighthearted pirate story and gradually growing into a complex tale of political intrigue, revolution, and social injustice.

What truly makes One Piece special is how everything within its world feels connected and contributes to the story, making it incredibly immersive. This includes thoughtful explorations of prejudice faced by groups like the Fish-Men and Minks, as well as its unique and exciting power systems, such as Devil Fruits and Haki. Remarkably, even after more than twenty years, the series continues to deliver shocking new information that promises to significantly impact the story going forward.

Multiple Brilliant Power Systems

It’s Not Just About Devil Fruits Or Haki

When it comes to battle shōnen anime, a strong and well-defined power system is usually key to a show’s success. These series typically establish a unique power system early on and build the entire story around it. While these systems can be complex, they sometimes become predictable. For example, Hunter x Hunter uses Nen, My Hero Academia features Quirks, and Demon Slayer relies on Breathing Styles – each show centers its action around a consistent set of abilities.

One Piece stands out because it features several different power systems that all exist within the same world and can even enhance each other. While Devil Fruits are the primary source of power, the story gradually introduces characters who combine Devil Fruit abilities with Haki. Beyond that, there are many unique fighting styles like Fish-Man Karate, Rokushiki, and Okama Kempo. This is a clever writing technique that makes the world feel vibrant and gives each character a unique way to fight.

Creative Character Designs

No Other Shōnen Anime Has Characters That Look As Strange As One Piece’s

People new to the series sometimes find the character designs unusual, as the creator, Eiichiro Oda, isn’t afraid to give characters all sorts of different body types and even strange features like horns or wings to make them stand out. But once viewers get used to the show’s quirky style, they usually realize it’s actually a strength, not a weakness.

Many shōnen anime tend to look alike, though this is becoming less true recently. However, One Piece immediately differentiates itself with a more cartoonish and appealing style. This unique look enhances the show’s world-building and effectively contrasts with any surprisingly dark or serious scenes, keeping viewers engaged.

A Lighthearted And Comedic Tone

One Piece Does Comedy Better Than Any Other Shōnen Anime

One reason the unique art style of One Piece is so effective is that, despite its compelling story and detailed world, the series is fundamentally a comedy—a lesson creator Eiichiro Oda learned from Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball. This comedic element is central to One Piece, and characters like Luffy, Joyboy, and the Sun God Nika are designed to bring joy and laughter to viewers.

Putting aside the complex story details, One Piece is simply a really funny and well-done comedy. The writing is sharp and hilarious, the characters have impeccable comedic timing, the voice acting is fantastic, and even the music and sound effects add to the humor. What’s great is that no character is above being silly – almost everyone gets a chance to be funny.

It Has Something Important To Say About The Real World

It Has Tackled Many Serious Topics, From Racial Discrimination To Political Corruption

Fans of One Piece know that beyond the exciting fights and funny moments, the show deals with important and often difficult real-world problems. It doesn’t portray pirates as simply villains or the marines as purely good; instead, it consistently examines the complex morals of people on both sides of the conflict.

As the story unfolds, One Piece expands beyond its initial premise to tackle important issues like racism, mental health, slavery, and political corruption. It also warns against the dangers of unchecked power. The show consistently delivers meaningful messages in an accessible way, which is a key reason why it’s become so popular and connected with audiences worldwide, regardless of their background.

Pays Homage To Classic Western Cartoons

It Actually Embraces Its Goofy Cartoon Origins

From the very beginning, One Piece has taken inspiration from classic western cartoons like Mickey Mouse, Looney Tunes, and Tom & Jerry. This is why the show has always featured a very lively and exaggerated art style, and why Monkey D. Luffy’s rubber powers – the Gomu Gomu no Mi – come with the classic, cartoonish sound effects you hear whenever he uses them.

The connection to classic western cartoons has become even clearer now that Luffy has awakened his Devil Fruit powers and reached his new Gear 5 form. Eiichiro Oda has long included references to these cartoons in the manga, but Toei Animation’s animators have brilliantly brought them to life with incredibly fluid, energetic, and over-the-top animation. As a result, Luffy’s Gear 5 transformation is easily one of the most fun and entertaining in all of shōnen anime.

Surprisingly Good Animation (For A Weekly Series)

Most Fights Look Absolutely Amazing, Especially In Recent Years

Every year, anime fans debate which shows have the best fight scenes. While One Piece is often mentioned alongside popular series like My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, and Jujutsu Kaisen, it’s unique because new episodes air every week. The others are released seasonally, meaning fans have to wait longer between episodes.

For over 25 years, new episodes of One Piece have aired weekly in Japan with very few interruptions. Many other popular action anime like Naruto, Bleach, and Pokemon have suffered a decline in animation quality due to this demanding schedule. However, One Piece consistently delivers impressive action animation, particularly in recent story arcs like Wano Country and Egghead. While the show’s pacing has slowed down as a result, it’s scheduled to switch to a seasonal release format in 2026, which should hopefully improve the flow of the story.

Little-To-No Filler

Only 104 Out Of 1154 Episodes Are Non-Canon

Longtime anime fans know that many weekly shows include “filler episodes” – storylines that aren’t part of the original manga. Studios often create these extra arcs to avoid animating ahead of the manga’s progress. This practice can significantly inflate the episode count of a series, as seen with shows like Naruto (293 filler episodes out of 720 total) and Bleach (163 filler episodes out of 366 total).

Despite being one of the longest-running and oldest action anime of its kind, One Piece only has around 104 filler episodes out of a total of 1154. While it does have some issues caused by its weekly release over many years—like a slow pace—it’s still remarkable that this popular anime has so little non-canon content. Plus, the few filler arcs it does have are actually enjoyable, which is why many fans check them out after finishing the main story.

2025-12-22 16:35