25 Years Ago… One Piece Officially Joined the Ranks of Anime’s Big Three of the 2000s

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In 1997, Weekly Shonen Jump published the very first edition of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece manga, kicking off what would eventually become a worldwide phenomenon. For two years, Oda's story of action and adventure set in a world almost entirely composed of the high seas captivated readers before the story would be adapted for the small screen.

Then, on October 20, 1999, audiences got their first glimpse at the world of One Piece on the small screen. Developed and produced by Toei Animation, One Piece proved to be just as much of a fan-favorite in an animated format as it was in the pages of the original manga, so much so that the series simply never stopped going. Since its debut, One Piece has released more than 1,100 episodes, and with so much material in just the past 25 years, the time has never been better to look back at the legacy the series continues to leave behind.

Like so many other anime before it, the world of One Piece is a fantastical setting replete with all manner of colorful characters and concepts. Unlike most other anime, however, One Piece takes place on a planet that is covered in a seemingly endless ocean, with its only true continent being a singular, mountainous landmass known as the Red Line that bisects the entire world. Along with this astonishing sight are several other natural phenomena, such as the strip of aptly named ocean known as the Calm Belt, which itself is home to a variety of massive monstrosities and runs perpendicular to the Red Line. As such, Calm Belt and Red Line naturally create a series of four oceans, each dotted with islands and seas populated by pirates, plunderers, and would be adventurers alike.

One Piece teams up with Rubik's Cube for a stunning six-sided tribute to Monkey D. Luffy, starring all five of the hero's iconic "Gear" forms.

The foremost of these figures is none other than Luffy D. Monkey, a boisterous young man who has dedicated his life to becoming the greatest adventurer of all and, subsequently, the King of the Pirates. Although Luffy himself is young and inexperienced at the outset of the series, that only means that other characters wildly underestimate him, usually to his advantage. Beyond his inherent charms and overtly ambitious attitude, Luffy is imbued with an impossible set of powers courtesy of the Gum-Gum Fruit he consumed as a small child, which transformed his body from that of an ordinary human to that of a rubbery, elastic fighter who is impervious to all but the most extreme of damage. On top of giving Luffy a much-needed edge over the competition, this origin story sets up almost everything fans need to know about the world of One Piece, at least at the start. And, while the gaps are quickly filled in as the series goes on, the sheer length of One Piece allows it numerous chances to introduce new layers and nuances that shake up the entire world of the franchise.

There is no doubt that Luffy himself is an intriguing character, not to mention a perfect lead for the series, yet he is far from the only interesting subject that One Piece has to explore across its staggering runtime. Throughout his travels, Luffy meets a plethora of other colorful characters, the best of whom are quick to join his Straw Hat Pirates gang on the high seas. This provides One Piece with a core cast of characters who are as eclectic in their origins as they are in their ambitions, and who all bring something unique to the table. Whether it be Roronoa Zoro's astonishing proficiency with blades, Nami's captivating personal journey, or Tony Tony Chopper's mascot-worthy antics and appearance, the heroes of One Piece are everything that fans could ask for from such a fantastical series. Better yet, the villains of One Piece are just as varied, with many of them standing out even more than the members of the Straw Hats themselves.

The presence of a villain can make or break the quality of an anime, and these villains didn't know when to give up.

Whether it be the seemingly endless supply of other superpowered pirate gangs and their leaders or the agents of the World Government's Navy, the number of enemies for the Straw Hats to face off against just keeps growing. For many of the series' villains, that means that they are relegated to short-lived careers that are themselves confined to individual chapters and storylines. For those lucky enough to stick around and become fixtures of the series, however, it means getting the chance to become just as storied and nuanced as the likes of Luffy and Nami.

Every recurring character gets an opportunity at some point to examine their own motives, which in turn gives every single one of them a chance to become more than what they were upon their debut. This is also true of the series' most indelible concepts, whether it be the makeup of the planet and its natural phenomena or the truth behind just what its most iconic characters are actually capable of, there is always at least one path that leads to bigger and better things, even if they aren't always taken.

All of this goes a long way towards cementing One Piece as one of the Big Three anime of its era, and could very well see it hold that place for generations to come. Considering how many chapters there are of both the manga and anime, each of which is still going strong, it is hard to imagine One Piece ever falling into obscurity after it reaches its inevitable conclusion. At the same time, for how deep the narrative goes, it is similarly hard to imagine that One Piece will begin slowing down anytime soon. As apparent as this may have been to diehard fans of the franchise decades ago, it is especially apparent today, with Netflix's recently released live-action adaptation bringing in whole new legions of fans who might have otherwise shied away from the series for its immense length and the oceans of lore it has given rise to.

Impel Down was formally introduced in One Piece's Summit War saga, yet few know what really goes on in there.

The world of manga and anime has seen other long-running series come to a close only to be retold time and time again, yet One Piece isn't anywhere close to approaching that point. Even if the series were to end tomorrow, it would only be a matter of time before the series was kicked off all over again elsewhere. And, with how many hundreds upon hundreds of chapters there are waiting to be adapted by Netflix and other studios looking to snag a piece of the glory for themselves, it would take decades for any current or future adaptation to catch up with where the original One Piece left off. That being said, there is no telling how long it will be before the world of One Piece fades from view, and for fans with dreams of what comes next, that might be the best part of the entire franchise.

Created by Eiichiro Oda, the One Piece franchise explores the adventures of pirate Luffy D. Monkey and his crew, the Straw Hats. Since the manga first debuted in 1997, One Piece has been adapted into an ongoing anime that has seen multiple movies. Most recently it was adapted into a live-action series by Netflix.

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One Piece's Luffy has a distinctive voice in both English and Japanese, but fans of these characters may be shocked to know they share the same VA.

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Usopp is the weakest member of One Piece's Straw Hat Pirates, but that doesn't mean he can't beat powerful villains.

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