My Top 5 Favorite Arcs in One Piece

 

Other than the amazing characters and unique art style, the author, Eiichiro Oda, has done a phenomenal job at world building and creating fleshed out and intricate story arcs.

I love almost all the arcs in the story, but I will only be naming 5 of my favorite arcs in One Piece.

#5 Impel Down

Impel Down is an arc that stands out from other typical One Piece arcs. The arc is a prison break story and uses that format to reintroduce a multitude of characters we've seen in the story and introduce amazing new characters. Its influence from Dante's Divine Comedy is also a very nice addition, as each level is similar to a circle of hell. Overall, Impel Down is an amazing and exciting arc to watch/read.

#4 Water 7

If I didn't already like One Piece, Water 7 is the arc where I fell in love with the story. It's an amazing arc, with many emotional and tear-jerking moments that make me want to re-read it every time I finish it. It's inspiration from the city of Venice also adds to the atmosphere and romantic feeling of the arc. Overall, I could rewatch/read Water 7 forever and have no complaints.

#3 Sabaody Archipelago 

I have so many reasons why this arc is one of my favorites. The environment and setting is breathtaking, with each part of the Archipelago having moving and intricate parts. The themes that are present like slavery and racism make this arc impactful and gives it more depth. The emotional moments make me shed a tear every time I see them, even if I know what's going to happen. I love this arc and ill never get tired of revisiting it when I reread it.

#2 Enies Lobby

This arc is what made me put One Piece over almost every other piece of fiction I've read before. What an amazing and heartfelt arc. I love the great character moments, the interesting setting, and the world building that it adds to the One Piece world. It expands on the backstory of one of my favorite characters, Nico Robin, and it shows the lengths the Straw hat crew will go for their friends. I will never forget that first time I read this arc, and it will stick with me for the rest of my life.

#1 Marineford

There are so many things I could say about Marineford, I could write an essay on it. Though to keep it brief, I love that it perfectly caps off the buildup to the first half of the story, and it encapsulates what One Piece is truly about. The characters are amazing, every time I read a chapter I had to know what would happen next, and I cried multiple times while reading this silly pirate comic about a stretchy rubber boy. Overall, this arc is what makes me appreciate the care and hard work that it takes to write fleshed out stories, and I hope there will be an arc that can make me feel even more emotion in the future.