The One Piece manga intensifies as the final chapter, 1069, released on December 12, sees Monkey D. Luffy and Rob Lucci face off once again. This fight was against the wishes of the World Government and an event that is sure to lead to a massive war thanks to Dr. Vegapunk joining the side of the Straw Hats.
The One Piece manga has been around since 1997 and will only last a few more years. With so much content, many fans are taking it upon themselves to re-read the series from start to finish. This experience may evoke many mixed feelings about the series.
It’s more of a commitment than a first reading
There is no doubt that One Piece can be one of the most difficult series to complete simply because of its incredible length, be it anime or manga. Either way, those who fell in love with the show will have a much easier time bringing it on than others.
While it can be a challenge to overcome, rereading the series is even more of an undertaking than first reading. There are over a thousand chapters in the manga and many fans may have been following One Piece for years and reading the series every week.
Shanks didn’t need to lose his arm
The beginning of One Piece still has a nice start to the story and many fans were convinced when Shanks sacrificed his arm for Luffy. For some fans, this scene made sense due to who Shanks is and how much he cares about the next generation, but others see it as a One Piece plot that bothered them.
Considering how Shanks was an infamous and strong pirate, even at this point in the series he was a master of Conqueror’s Haki and could have easily saved Luffy without losing his arm. While this scene was well-received on first play, it doesn’t have the same impact on a replay.
Koby could have been an amazing rival for Luffy
Luffy doesn’t really have a constant rival in One Piece, either among pirates or marines. A character that could have served as a unique rival for Luffy would have been Koby, who is introduced in the very first arc and is trained by Garp.
Koby could have told an incredible story that revealed more content from the sea side of One Piece and could have shown up at multiple points to fight Luffy. Koby feels like he’s built like an important character now, but he should have had more content along the way.
Zoro’s character arc is amazing
Zoro is one of the most popular characters in One Piece, but he’s also one of the most criticized. He’s often reduced to a character who’s only known for his fights, and Zoro has many great fights throughout One Piece.
However, re-reading One Piece, one realizes that Zoro isn’t as bland as many people think. His backstory lends itself well to his overall character, and his duel with Mihawk makes his goal for the world’s greatest swordsman and member of the Straw Hat crew all the more solid.
Chopper is nothing more than a mascot
Chopper started out as an incredibly complex and interesting character in One Piece. However, over time he became a dry and boring character.
A lot of fans don’t want to admit it because he’s so adorable, but as the show progresses, Chopper becomes less and less important to the point that he’s just the show’s mascot. . He only gets the occasional scene to remind fans that he’s the Straw Hats’ doctor.
Skypiea was not boring
Skypiea has a love-hate relationship with many One Piece fans. Some novice readers even skim or skip the chapter.
However, upon re-watching, many fans will realize that the arc wasn’t as boring as they initially thought. The arc is full of fantastic stories and great fights. It even gives fans one of the first glimpses of Haki, something many fans will have forgotten.
Long Ring Long Land Arc is even worse the second time around
The Long Ring Long Land arc is definitely One Piece’s most infamous arc, with many anime-only watchers believing it to be filler. This arc is painful to get through, and the Foxy Pirates are some of the worst characters to ever appear on the show.
The event Luffy agrees to undergo, the Davy Back Fight, is one of the worst decisions Luffy has ever made and is what leads to this excruciating contest where they almost lost their crew members. The only good part of this arc is the ending where Aokiji debuts.
Haki was used
A common misconception about One Piece is that Haki never existed in One Piece before the time skip. That’s just not true, as it’s mentioned multiple times throughout the Battle of Marineford, Oda just didn’t color it until the main cast could use it.
The first time Haki is named is during the post-Eneis Lobby arc where Shanks and Whitebeard meet. There is also a possible foreshadowing of the use of Haki in Alabasta where Crocodile thinks Luffy is able to hit him in other ways beyond water. These signs are more easily picked up during a proofreading.
Sabo’s appearance in the series is weak
Sabo is a fantasy character, however, he serves much more as a copy of Ace than his own unique character. It felt like Sabo was created just to continue Ace’s story so Oda could kill off a character in one of the most shocking deaths in shonen anime.
It doesn’t help that Sabo wasn’t mentioned once in the series until Ace died, and it seems likely that Oda didn’t have the intended character earlier in the series. It also doesn’t make sense that Ace didn’t know Sabo was alive when he was second in command to the world’s most wanted criminal.
Luffy’s Devil Fruit was incorrectly announced as a Zoan type
One of the most shocking twists in One Piece is that Luffy’s Devil Fruit was actually a mythical Zoan-type all along. Fans were led to believe it was a Paramecia and one of the worst Devil Fruits, but it turned out to be quite the opposite.
There’s no sign of this plot twist before the Wano Country arc, and it becomes painfully clear upon replay that Oda hadn’t originally planned this plot twist. It’s a tough pill to swallow given the quality of One Piece’s writing.