Summary
Any time the Straw Hats step off the Sunny and onto a new island inOne Piece, they will also be entering a brand-new story arc. While arcs such as Marineford, Alabasta, and Arlong Park may receive a lot of praise for their fights, character development, and world building, not every arc in this long-running story is looked back on as fondly by many fans, or even remembered at all, for one reason or another.
While some people may downplay these arcs, they still offer plenty of exciting content for fans to dig into, which has ended up making them somewhat underrated. These arcs might not receive as many plaudits as some of the bigger sections of the story, but they still deserve a lot more credit for what they offered the story and its characters. With that being said, it’s time to see which underrated arcs inOne Piecedeserve just a bit more credit than they tend to receive.
8Fishman Island
Silly Gaffs And A Lackluster Villain Can Get in The Way Of Fishman Island’s Excellent Writing
Fishman Island has problems, there’s no denying that, but very often, these issues can cloud people’s perceptions of the arc as a whole, and more specifically, the inspiring message at the core of the writing. Sure,Sanji’s constant nose bleedsand Hody Jones as the villain are two major weak points, but this is also the arc which finally dug deep into the frosty relationship between humans and Fishmen, which was first set up all the way back in Arlong Park.
Seeing the stories of Fisher Tiger and Otohime makes for some of the most emotional scenes in the entire series, resulting in an arc which features a tremendous amount of worldbuilding. Some may not rate it highly because of the few glaring problems Fishman Island has, but the excellent character writing still makes it a great, and rather underrated, story arc.
7Amazon Lily
Amazon Lily Deserves More Credit For How It Managed To Humanize A Shichibukai Member
Amazon Lily is an arc which comes before Impel Down and Marineford; two of the most beloved parts of the entire story among much of the fanbase. As a result, it’s often only seen as little more than a stepping stone in Luffy’s mission to save Ace, and while that’s technically not wrong, this is also the first time Luffy ever gets to have a casual conversation with aShichibukai.
Seeing Hancock’s tragic backstory of being sold into slavery helps to remind viewers that these dangerous pirates are still human at the end of the day; something which is easy to forget when taking a look at monsters like Crocodile and Doflamingo. Amazon Lily also expands on the world building by introducing a kingdom which is only occupied by women, alongside showing the unique culture of Amazon Lily, which is presided over by Hancock herself.
6Loguetown Arc
Smoker And Dragon First Make Their Debut In Gol D. Roger’s Hometown
One Piece is an incredibly long series, and as a result, it can be easy to forget about many of the earlier arcs, especially since they were all very short up until the Alabasta saga. Loguetown is one example of an early arc which often goes overlooked, despite it being based in the hometown of the Pirate King himself, Gol D. Roger.
This is where fans would first meet two crucially important characters to the story,Smoker and Dragon, along with Sea Stone being referenced for the very first time with Smoker’s sword. This arc also includes a very symbolic moment where Luffy places his head in the execution platform where Gol D. Roger was killed all those years ago, only for a bolt of lightning to miraculously save him when Buggy was going in for the kill. Overall, Oda packed a ton of intriguing characters and imagery into this largely underrated story arc.
5Reverse Mountain
Reverse Mountain Sets Up A Few Key Characters With Fascinating Past Lives
Crocus, the man who lives in the lighthouse on Reverse Island, initially seems like little more than a grumpy old geezer who enjoys nothing more than sitting back and watching over the giant whale known as Laboon. In reality, Crocus was a crewmember of none other than Gol D. Roger, and though he doesn’t get much time to tell any fascinating stories of his past life, even being able to speak with him at all is a huge moment for the Straw Hats.
Then there’s Laboon, the huge whale who has been scarred from trying to break through the mountain after being abandoned by its crew. The emotional story of Laboon, paired with the surprise reveal of Crocus, makes this an arc which is a lot more relevant than some may realize, and one which is constantly being called back to.
4Drum Island
Drum Island Includes A Fresh And Unique Aesthetic, Alongside One Of The Series' Saddest Backstories
Back in Little Garden, the island the Straw Hats arrive at before Drum Island, the crew realizes that their new objective would be to sail toward Alabasta in order to stop the malicious Crocodile from taking over Vivi’s kingdom. Along the way, though, Nami suddenly falls ill, causing them to stop off at the small Drum Island. Because this arc is essentially in the middle of the much more beloved Alabasta saga, it makes it hard for this part of the story to stand out, despite being so great in quality.
While Wapol may not be the most interesting villain out there, Drum Island itself is a gorgeous locale which stands out from anything else seen in the series thanks to how it’s always snowing. Of course, it’s impossible to talk about Drum Island and not also mention Chopper’s backstory, which is one ofthe most emotional in the entire series, which is certainly saying something.
3Jaya
Blackbeard Makes His Debut In A Seemingly Random But Pretty Important Story Arc
Considering Blackbeard is set up to essentially be the main antagonist of the series, it would be easy to assume the violent captain would be introduced in some massive story arc to make his mark on the series. However, Oda instead decided to drop him into the fairly short Jaya arc, and not only is he presented as being a pretty harmless pirate, but he even gives one of thebest speechesin the story where he talks about how a person’s dreams can never die.
Jaya is also where Luffy would show his newfound strength by taking the arrogant Bellamy out with a single punch; something which would become relevant later down the line in Dressrosa. Jaya may not be all that long, but considering how prolific Blackbeard becomes as a character, it deserves more credit for giving the man himself such a memorable introduction.
2Zou
A Short But Hugely Important Arc Packed Full Of Lore Which Can Easily Go Under the Radar
MostOne Piecearcs will usually last close to 100 episodes and chapters, but since Zou isn’t even a quarter of that length, it has become somewhat of a forgotten arc over the years. It also doesn’t help that the arc is jam-packed between Whole Cake and Dressrosa, which are two massive portions of the story which, initially, feel far more important than Zou.
The truth is, though, despite being so short, Zou contains a frankly staggering amount of lore. The reveal ofJack the Drought, a brand new Poneglyph, and the Mink tribe are just a few things to come out of this arc, alongside the newly formed pirate, Mink and samurai alliance. This is also where Sanji’s tragic backstory would begin to unfold, which is explored in even greater depth in the following story arc. While Zou might initially seem like simply a small pit stop, it’s more than worthy of being classed as one of the greats considering what it offers the fans.
1Skypiea
The Straw Hats' Mission To Bring Down Enel Is Packed Full Of Juicy Lore And Intense Fights
When first getting into the series ofOne Piece, it’s not uncommon to hear some fans say that Skypiea is an arc that is worth skipping for anyone who wants to catch up quickly. Over time, that sentiment has earned this arc the reputation of being somewhat unimportant, despite this being far from the case. Skypiea is where the Straw Hats stumble upon a brand new Poneglyph, but it would also be the first time they encounteran enemy who is using Haki, despite it not being called this at the time.
Skypiea also features some incredible character moments for the Straw Hats, such as Sanji laying down his life by taking a Thor blast from Enel, proving his unwavering loyalty to keeping the crew protected and safe. Even Robin would get to partake in a fight in this arc, with it being her only significant one-on-one battle for a very long time until she faces off against Black Maria in Wano. It might seem unimportant at first, but anyone who has taken the time to appreciate Skypiea will know just how much of a hidden gem it truly is.
