One Piece Arcs With The Best Stories

Summary

• The Egghead Arc revealed Vegapunk and Kuma’s backstory, which is full of deep revelations and emotional connections.
• The Arabasta Arc introduces an intense political conflict, memorable villains and an emotional goodbye.
• The Whole Cake Island Arc perfectly juggles multiple plot threads, and features exciting character development.

One Piece is, without a doubt, one of the most important fictional stories of its generation. With its ambitious scope, extensive duration, deep world building and unique characters, what seemingly began as a silly story about super-powered pirates slowly became an epic tale about corruption and freedom.

Author Eiichiro Oda is a masterful storyteller, which is especially evident in every single story arc: they all feature a gripping and compelling narrative from beginning to end, while also adding a lot of important plot points to the overall narrative. Pretty much every single One Piece arc has a great story to tell, but the following are the best ones so far.

8

Egghead Arc

It Features Kuma’s Backstory, Which Is One Of The Best In The Entire Series

• Duration: Chapters 1058 to 1125 (Manga) Episodes 1086 to 1122 (Unfinished) (Anime)

Very early on in the story, Oda established the character of Doctor Vegapunk, a mysterious scientist who was responsible for most of the technological advancements of the world. After multiple years of world building and speculation, Vegapunk finally made an actual appearance in the recent Egghead Arc, which led to a collection of unbelievable revelations about the One Piece world.

Naturally, the Straw Hat Pirates’ encounter with Vegapunk also caused them to finally confront the Five Elders, which is the first exciting hint that One Piece is slowly reaching its conclusion. But the best part of the Egghead Arc is Bartholomew Kuma’s backstory, which not only features an emotional story that immediately turned him into a new fan favorite, but also explained his bizarre actions throughout the story up to that point.

7

Arabasta Arc

The First Big Arc In One Piece Was Worth The Hype

• Duration: Chapters 155 to 217 (Manga) Episodes 92 to 130 (Anime)

The Arabasta Arc was a defining moment for the series, because it was the first time the Straw Hat Pirates got themselves involved in the political conflict of an entire country, instead of just fighting marines or other pirates. As a result, this ended up becoming the first big arc in the series, which is filled to the brim with legendary scenes. The political tension of the Arabasta Kingdom, caused by the intervention of Baroque Works, is truly fascinating, and it eventually evolves into an all-out war between its inhabitants.

On top of that, Sir Crocodile and his underlings are memorable villains with incredible powers that perfectly display how bizarre this world can be. But Vivi is the character that benefitted the most from the excellent storytelling of the Arabasta Arc, as she got some much-needed development that concluded in the emotional scene in which she has to say goodbye to the Straw Hat Pirates. It’s no surprise this became one of the most iconic and beloved moments in all of One Piece.

6

Whole Cake Island Arc

Seamlessly Juggled Multiple Plot Threads At The Same Time

• Duration: Chapters 825 to 902 (Manga) Episodes 783 to 877 (Anime)

The Whole Cake Island Arc is overshadowed by the Wano Country Arc, which is a shame because it features one of the best plots in the entire series. Its biggest strength is the fact that it covers several plot threads – Sanji’s true origins, his separation from the Straw Hat Pirates and the search for Big Mom’s Poneglyph – and yet everything falls right into place to make for an exciting and emotional story arc.

On top of that, the Whole Cake Island Arc also features many characters (both old and new) that all get their entertaining arcs and incredible fight scenes. While Sanji got some much-needed character development (especially considering how much less likable he had gotten after the time skip), the biggest standout of this arc is Luffy and his battle with Charlotte Katakuri. This fight was not only a cinematic display of his rubber powers, but it also exemplified why he’s such a compelling protagonist that can even change the worldview of his rivals.

5

Marineford Arc

A Massive War That Changed The World Forever

• Duration: Chapters 550 to 580 (Manga) Episodes 457 to 489 (Anime)

At one point in the story, Oda began building up many different plot threads and key players, and it would all eventually lead to the ambitious Marineford Arc. This legendary arc is centered on a massive war between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Marines, in which pretty much every important established character in the series gets involved.

Needless to say, the Marineford Arc does feature a lot of action, but its gripping storyline is its heart and soul. Between Whitebeard’s last stand, Koby’s speech and, of course, the tragic death of Portgas D. Ace, this arc is brimming with epic and emotional moments that not only affected its characters (especially Monkey D. Luffy) but changed the entire world forever, which goes to show how flawless and organic the world building of this series is.

4

Wano Country Arc

A Story So Epic And Amazing That It’s Longer Than Other Shows

• Duration: Chapters 909 to 1057 (Manga) Episodes 890 to 1085 (Anime)

The Wano Country Arc is infamous for being one of the most extensive story arcs in the history of anime. With over 191 episodes in total, it’s longer than other shows in their entirety, and yet, it was all ultimately worth it because of how interesting, emotional and satisfying it is, from beginning to end.

Similarly to the Arabasta Arc, the Wano Country Arc takes place in the titular country of Wano, so a big part of its plot is focused on its culture, inhabitants and political conflicts, not to mention that it introduces multiple well-written characters that are the protagonists of this story, like Kouzuki Oden, Momonosuke, the Red Nine Scabbards, Kaido and the Beasts Pirates. On top of all that, the climactic Raid on Onigashima is nothing short of incredible, and it concludes with the reveal of Luffy’s Gear 5 Form. This is one of the best moments in One Piece, not only because of how hilarious it is, but also because it perfectly displays the core themes of the series: freedom, laughter and hope.

3

Skypiea Arc

A Divisive Arc With An Incredible Narrative That Has A Lot To Say

• Duration: Chapters 909 to 1057 (Manga) Episodes 890 to 1085 (Anime)

At one point, the Skypiea Arc was one of the most polarizing One Piece arcs, with many fans complaining about how disconnected it is from the rest of the series. However, its reputation has slowly but surely changed over the past few years, as more and more fans kept realizing how important its emotional story and wonderful world building are.

The Skypiea Arc takes place on the Sky Islands, a region with its own culture, flora and fauna that has almost nothing to do with the rest of the world. But the story takes advantage of this by creating an unbelievable sense of adventure that helps this arc stand out from the others, not to mention that it also features some prominent themes of colonialism, corruption and romanticism. Needless to say, Enel is an intimidating villain, but the best part of the Skypiea Arc’s plot is the backstory of Montblanc Noland and Kalgara, which not only explains a lot of things about the Sky Islands, but it’s also incredibly fascinating and heartbreaking.

2

Arlong Park Arc

A Personal Story That Made Fans Fall In Love With The Straw Hat Pirates

• Duration: Chapters 69 to 95 (Manga) Episodes 31 to 44 (Anime)

When compared to other arcs in the series, the Arlong Park Arc is a lot shorter and less ambitious. But these characteristics work in its favor, as this is an emotional and personal story centered on Nami and her conflict with the terrifying Arlong Pirates. She’s forced to betray her new friends and go back to the evil crew that kept her hostage for many years, all just to save her family and her hometown.

The Arlong Park Arc gives Nami some masterful character development, but the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates are not left behind. After finding out the truth about her past and her struggles, Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Usopp do not hesitate to fight for her new friend and save her, both physically and mentally. The moment in which they all walk to Arlong Park to confront the titular villain is not only extremely satisfying (especially after all that buildup), but it also cemented the Straw Hat Pirates as a group of loyal friends who will always have each other’s back.

1

Enies Lobby Arc

A Perfect Story That Has Everything: Emotion, Action, Humor And More

• Duration: Chapters 375 to 430 (Manga) Episodes 264 to 312 (Anime)

The Enies Lobby Arc shares a lot of similarities with the Arlong Park Arc, as the Straw Hat Pirates once again go on a mission to rescue a female member that is haunted by her past (this time, it’s Nico Robin instead of Nami). The main difference is that they don’t get involved in a small conflict with a random pirate crew, but in a huge war against the entire World Government, which greatly elevates the stakes of the story.

Nico Robin’s backstory is not only truly heartbreaking, but it also establishes how dark and corrupt the world of One Piece can be. Not to mention that it leads to the scene in which she admits that she wants to live and go back to the Straw Hat Pirates, which is easily one of the most emotional and best written moments in the entire series. Of course, it doesn’t end there, because the rest of the Enies Lobby Arc delivers on all the things an avid One Piece reader/watcher would want from this series: hilarious comedy, amazing action, impeccable character growth, fascinating world building and even more touching moments. The fact that fans all over the world still tear up over the death of a pirate ship is enough proof of Oda’s legendary writing skills.