RANKING THE SAGAS FROM "ONE PIECE"

One Piece is about Monkey D. Luffy, a young man whose body became rubbery after eating a Devil Fruit, and his quest to find the legendary treasure called "One Piece" to become the next King of the Pirates. He sets sail on the Grand Line with his crew of misfits, the Straw Hat Pirates, embarking on a grand adventure filled with challenges, complex characters, and powerful enemies.

Series overall rating: B- (81% Approval)

I started off by looking at the overall sagas and the arcs they contained. Each arc was rated out of 10 points, based off the story, pacing, and my own enjoyment of the arc, then added up together to get a rating for the whole saga. So the list is ranked as follows. The Saga and it’s grade and the number of episodes in that saga; secondary are moments that stuck out from that overall saga; and lastly are some notes and thoughts I had, and why they are ranked the way they are.

1.      Water 7 (93%)

Episodes 207-324 (118 total)

a.      Meeting “SUPER” Franky

b.      “Zoro got stuck in a chimney!”

c.      “We fall.”

d.      Gear 3

e.      “Shoot down that flag.”

f.        “I want to live!”

g.      Chopper’s monster point

h.      The buster call

i.        Saying goodbye to the Going Merry

j.        Introduced to the Thousand Sunny

i.      Literally, everything about this arc is top notch. I think at this point it’s given that if you’re from the One Piece universe, you have a tragic backstory. Does that stop me from getting emotional about these characters though? Absolutely not! And this whole saga put me through the wringer. I almost wanted to take a break and savor it, but at the same time I wanted more at this quality. Summit War came close, but that’s it sadly. Onwards!

2.      East Blue (92%)

Episodes 1-61 (61 total)

a.      We meet Zoro and Nami

b.      Chou-chou

c.      Usopp and the Black Cat Pirates

d.      Sanji before he became a pervert </3

e.      “Luffy… Help me.”

f.        Loguetown

i.      It’s a good intro to the story. The first time I cried during the series is when we learned Chou-Chou’s backstory, and that was episode 6. We also get introduced to Sanji and this pre-timeskip version of him is my favorite. Overall, it’s rating is just under Water 7's just because of the pacing in the Arlong Park arc. Like, I love you Nami, but that arc seemed to drag on. Plus, Arlong was a little b in the grand scheme of things. Mans got taken out by a ROOKIE pirate crew. Anyway, if YOU REALLY WANTED to see what OP is about, check out the live-action version on Netflix. The first season is 8 episodes and will take roughly 7-1/2 hours and it sums up this Saga well enough (they don't have Chou-chou) that you could skip these first 61 episodes, that takes roughly 20.33 hours. That’s it, let’s move on.

3.      Summit War (88%)

Episodes 385-516 (132 total)

a.      Sabaody Archipelago

b.      Sneaking into Impel Down & starting a riot

c.      BON CLAY’S SACRIFICE!

d.      When Luffy and Ace fought together

e.      “Thank you… for loving me.”

i.      Is it a coincidence that my top 3 sagas are all from the pre-timeskip era? Didn’t think so. Anyway, this arc is fantastic. It started off strong with Sabaody; episode 405? Devasting! Boa Hancock and her sisters’ backstories? Horrible! Impel Down? Lowkey, the perfect story to catch your breath only to get it stolen away again. Marineford? Straight drama! The perfect end to the goated pre-timeskip era. And this time I did take like a 4-month break from watching this, just to take in and reflect on the pre-timeskip era. (And grieve!)

4.      Alabasta (84%)

Episodes 62-135 (73 total)

a.      Laboon!

b.      Karoo & Vivi!

c.      CHOPPER, HIRILUK & KUREHA!

d.      “See, I told you, you should’ve posed! Now it’s too late, you’re gonna die like that!”

e. Kung Fu Dugongs

f.      Nico Robin <3

g. Pervert camel (see ep. 97 if you're concerned)

i.      Honestly, Chopper’s backstory of being bullied for being different hit harder than it should’ve. Not to mention the fact his pre-timeskip design is just so cute! He’s a little reindeer guy who’s a little chonky, and has a cute hat and his footsteps make little noises. He, Karoo and Laboon are why this arc is rated highest, since I thought the actual part where they’re in the desert kingdom of Alabasta was lowkey dragging. Honorable shout out to the Baroque Works members though, some of them were flashy as hell. Also, Nico Robin joining the crew? Say less.

5.      Whole Cake Island (76%)

Episodes 747-889 (143 total)

a.      Zou and the Minks

b.      Charlotte Katakuri <3

c.      Baby Sanji <3 MY SHAYLA

d.      The musical stylings of Big Mom

i.      Honestly, I thought this would rank higher just because I really liked this arc. But through my own ranking, the Reverie Arc really brought the rating down. It would honestly be tied for #1 if I didn’t have to include the Reverie storyline. But alas… Sanji’s backstory is just so sad, MY SHAYLA! </3 And it lowkey makes me forgive him for his annoying behavior towards women (he just wants affection!). But otherwise, the Whole Cake Island Arc was giving Wizard of Oz with talking trees and animals (though how they came to be animated is a different story that will make you side eye the fantasy of it). It was also giving Candy Land, especially since Big Mom's children that we see have food related powers (i.e. Pudding can build out of chocolate, Katakuri is a mochi-man). Also, this one made me feel sorry for the main villain Big Mom somehow? Only when she was a little kid though... Fantastic. Again, if the Reverie wasn’t included in this saga, it would be tied for first. Move along!

6.      Sky Island (75%)

Episodes 136-206 (71 total)

a.      The Going Merry’s spirit!

b.      An ocean in the sky

c.      Luffy being a hater

d.      “Reading too much will turn you into a yucky bug! They’re called bookworms.”

e.      Zoro’s Tarzan yell

f.        Zoro and Chopper!

i.      Honestly, the location for this saga was cool to put it lightly, and how they get to Sky Island in the first place? A trip to imagine happening IRL. A whole other country and ocean in the sky? This saga really captures the goofy yet serious tone that is present throughout all of One Piece. The bond between Chopper, the youngest crewmate, and Zoro, one of the oldest so far, is sweet to watch. I didn’t really gaf for the villain, Enel, but he was very powerful. It’s a good little arc that lowkey prepares you for the upcoming devastation in the Water 7 Saga. Next!

7.      Fish-Man Island (73%)

Episodes 517-574 (58 total)

a.      STRAW HATS’ REUNION

b.      Luffy’s Conqueror’s Haki

c.      Fish-people; mermaids; and Surume

d.      Fighting against racism!

i.      This is the first Saga post-timeskip and I did not realize how short it is until now. There is better animation, sure, but the crew lost their old designs (and color!). Some of their qualities got dialed up, even the bad ones (I’m looking at you Sanji! So annoying!) Shirahoshi is a crybaby, and that got old fast. The main villain Hordy Jones is a racist mf, and it was so satisfying to see him get defeated. Also, the Straw Hats just show off how much stronger they’ve gotten since Sabaody. They say if you can get through this Saga, you can get through anything. They should really be saying that about Dressrosa and Wano, but whatever. Next?

8.      Thriller Bark (68%)

Episodes 325-384 (60 total)

a.      Brooke joins the crew

b.      “Nothing happened.”

c.      “A beautiful lady swordsman with meat!”

d.      Ghosts & Zombies

e.      Usopp being immune to Perona’s ghosts (me)

f.        Stealing shadows

e. Luffy TAMING Cerberus

i.      I can’t decide who’s laugh was more annoying, Gecko Moira’s or Dr. Hogback’s. Honestly their laughs are the reason this arc is rated so low lmao. I liked the spooky setting though, it was giving Halloween vibes. Creature flicks. Brooke was lowkey untrustworthy at first but I’m glad he joined the crew in the end. Canonically, Zoro dies but because he's hopeless with directions his soul just went back into his body. And another awful part of this saga is there’s a guy who can turn invisible and he peeps on Nami! So unnecessary. And the fact that Sanji wanted that same power for the same reason? Despicable! Yes, it is that serious to me. Move along!

9.      Dressrosa (65%)

Episodes 574-746 (172 total)

a.      Law’s backstory and CORAZON! The man that you were! </3

b.      Doflamingo is a worthy villain

c.      Bartolomeo; he’s nasty but such a nerd for Luffy

d.      “Shh… I am Lucy.”

e.      Dressrosa the Country gives Du Loc from Shrek

f.        Tontatta Tribe

g.      THE BIRDCAGE

h.      Pica’s laugh

i.        “I bet you look kind.”

i.      . It starts off with the Punk Hazard arc, which I like enough. We get to see more Trafalgar in action. And Cesar Clown’s laugh has become a vocal stim for me. Shirororo. I know, I’m hypocritical. BUT THEN, THEY GO TO DRESSROSA AND OMG. That one took forever for me to get through it was so boring and repetitive. Like, there was a Toy Soldier flashback that was sad… the first time it showed. Then it seemed like they played that same flashback every episode the Toy Soldier went to a new area. Like at that point it lost its emotional value and became an annoyance. And don’t even get me started on Rebecca’s costume, like it was giving Zack Snyder’s Justice League Amazonians, but seriously? The overt sexualization of women in this series is hard to ignore; but the women are often stronger, smarter, more capable and more reliable than the men despite their outfit choices so… Anyway, there are a lot of great moments from this arc, but the GD pacing. The constant flashbacks. Trebol’s ANNOYING LAUGH. But we made it through the whole saga. Even though it made us take another break… Thank you, next.

10. Wano Country (60%)

Episodes 890-1085 (196 total)

a.      Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance

b.      Kaido & Big Mom alliance

c.      Gear 5 & Joy Boy

d.      Dragons

e.      The SMILE fruits

i.      This one is 196 episodes long! It did not need to be this long! It took me like 6 months to get through this arc and that’s why it’s rated so low. The pacing played a huge part in the ranking. There were some annoying characters but then again, it’s OP. Towards the end of the arc, there’s some historical episodes about Wano that I didn’t really gaf about.

ii.      However, the 60% approval rating still stands. With each progressing story, we see the Straw Hats get stronger each time. They defeat 2 Emperors of the Sea! I haven’t started the last Saga yet, but I think this is where they peak. There are some heavy hitting emotional gut punches as well; the origin of the SMILE fruits really messed me up. At the end, Luffy unlocking Gear 5 was worth the wait. I cried upon hearing the Drums of Liberation the first time. Then in the end, when everything is settled in the Land of Wano, and Luffy marks it as his territory, it was good ending to that saga.