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Explore the advantages and challenges of the legendary anime One Piece, which is one of the longest-running animes.
For over 25 years, One Piece has been one of the longest-running anime series, and now it has finally entered its final saga. With over a thousand episodes and chapters, the animanga series has built a huge legacy, captivating generations of fans to the point that Eiichiro Oda is currently ranked as the 7th best-selling fiction author in history. Fans have taken over the internet, coming up with conspiracy theories to understand what the One Piece treasure could be.
Especially when Luffy transformed into Gear 5, fans ended up crashing the internet over it. The length of the series has allowed for incredible storytelling and character development. However, it also presents challenges that make it difficult for some fans to keep up with One Piece. Let’s break down the advantages and disadvantages of One Piece being one of the longest-running animes.
The Length Has Given Oda Time to Ensure Every Character Gets Their Moment
One of the biggest strengths of One Piece is how well it develops its characters. Over the years, Eiichiro Oda has provided detailed backstories for each Straw Hat Crew member. Due to its long duration, he has shown their recruitment, revealed their pasts, and depicted their growth in terms of power and character. Since the series has run for so long, he has taken his time to develop each character. This includes not only the Straw Hat Crew but also hundreds of side characters, each with unique personalities and histories. This is peak storytelling.
Even after giving us information about so many characters, he has also managed to maintain secrets about characters like Shanks and Monkey D. Dragon, as they remain mysteries, keeping fans engaged and constantly theorizing throughout the internet. The long runtime has ensured that the foundation of the final saga will be rock solid. Oda has assured fans that the ending will not feel rushed or incomplete. Every detail has been carefully set up over the years. Whether we have been following it since the beginning or recently picked it up, we will all reach the end together.
Another major perk is how the animation has evolved with time. Older episodes may look outdated, but newer ones are visually stunning. Fans or even art enthusiasts can study the history of anime’s evolution just by watching One Piece! The ability to stay relevant has allowed newer generations of viewers to enjoy the series just as much as longtime fans.
One Piece’s Expansive World-Building Is Unmatched, Thanks to Its Longevity
Oda’s world-building is one of the most impressive aspects of One Piece. The way he has crafted individual islands, each with different weather conditions and unique cultures, makes the world feel alive—almost as if it could exist in reality.
Since Eiichiro Oda has uniquely designed each island and explored numerous locations throughout the series, he has showcased an incredible variety of art styles. For example, Wano, with its traditional Japanese influence, looks completely different from Egghead, which is completely futuristic and modern. Interestingly, the change in style happened instantly—from leaving Wano to reaching Egghead. Moreover, One Piece has managed to switch between drastically different settings while maintaining a consistent story flow, which is no small feat. Major changes in style and costume design add to the challenge, yet the storytelling remains seamless.
Despite these shifts in location and tone, One Piece never loses its rhythm. Even with all the changes, the series has remained steady, and that’s a testament to Oda’s genius. To explain this in a better manner, the Straw Hat Crew has traveled to various locations and yet has managed to keep their identities separate while respecting and blending into new cultures. One of the reasons it is the longest-running anime is that, even from a literary standpoint, this is perfection.
The Pacing of This Anime Makes Fans Lose Interest
Now, let’s talk about the downsides. While One Piece excels in storytelling, its length serves as a double-edged sword and may be considered its biggest flaw. Many fans drop the series because it just takes too long to get through. Most anime adapt multiple manga chapters into a single episode to keep things moving. One Piece doesn’t. It follows the manga’s pacing almost exactly, which makes some arcs feel incredibly slow.
A prime example is the Alabasta Arc. While it’s a great story, its anime adaptation is around 14 to 15.6 hours—which is a huge time commitment for a single arc, especially when compared to other arcs where nothing of major significance happened as the stage was still being set for the series. On top of that, the filler episodes meant to transition smoothly to the next arc do not feel very organic and are sometimes repetitive.
It Takes Too Long for the Story to Pick Up
Another major issue is that, for most fans, One Piece takes a while to get truly exciting. The first 200-300 episodes are mostly set up, which can feel like a long commitment for new viewers. They feel that Water 7 or Enies Lobby is where actual development starts.
Sure, longtime fans don’t see it as an issue because they’ve already caught up. But for someone just starting, it’s a tough ask. When compared to other long-running series like Hunter x Hunter or Bleach, which grab your attention early on, One Piece starts a bit slow. Think about it—Luffy recruits Zoro, then saves Nami, then gets a ship from Usopp. While it sounds simple, each of them had their specific storyline before they became part of the crew. There’s progress, but the pacing could have been tighter. If some of the less crucial details had been condensed, the story could have hooked new fans faster.
Additionally, this slow pacing and keeping mysteries can set unrealistic expectations for characters who haven’t had much screen time. Fans hype up characters like Shanks, and when they finally appear, there’s a risk of disappointment if they don’t live up to expectations. And let’s be real—One Piece’s older animation can be hard for new fans to watch. The older animation style is not everyone’s cup of tea, and while re-releasing the series with better pacing and animation sounds great, it would also mean losing some of the original fight choreography and details.
Conclusion
There’s no denying that One Piece is a legendary anime. It is one of the longest-running animes that has allowed for incredible character development, world-building, and storytelling. But at the same time, its slow pacing and enormous episode count can be intimidating for new fans.
For those willing to commit, One Piece is one of the most rewarding anime experiences out there. But for casual viewers, the long journey might just feel like too much.
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