One Pieceis, without a doubt, the biggest anime franchise around. Not only does it far surpass its contemporaries financially, but critically speaking, the series has always been a hit for its great combination of fun action and writing, and it’s easy to see why it’s taken the world by storm.
There’s no denying how greatOne Pieceis, but that sometimes works against it. With how popularOne Pieceis, it’s at a level where the most diehard fans will refuse to acknowledge any sort of criticisms levied at it, even when it’s justified, and as a result,there are many critiques ofOne Piecefans will never admit to, no matter how true they may be. A few of those are especially noteworthy, and the longer people refuse to acknowledge them, the more it ultimately hurtsOne Piece’s reputation as a story.
10Yamato Was Never Going To Become A Straw Hat
Fans Never Should Have Gotten Their Hopes Up About Yamato
One of the most notable characters introduced in the Wano arc was Yamato, the son of Kaido who rebelled against him due to his admiration of Oden and friendship with Ace. Yamato quickly won fans over with his attractive design and incredible power, so it was a major point of criticism when the Wano arc ended without Yamato joining the Straw Hat Pirates, despite him saying he wanted to from the start.
While it’s understandable why fans would be upset with Yamato not becoming a Straw Hat, unlike the actual members, Yamato had his entire character arc off-screen after meeting Ace and saw no growth after meeting Luffy, soYamato was never going to become a Straw Hat Pirate due to how much his story strayed from the typical patterns for new members.One Piececertainly could have handled things better, but Yamato staying on Wano was always inevitable.
9Not All Of One Piece’s Filler Is Bad
Why You Should Watch Some Of One Piece’s Filler
Filler arcs are one of the most contentious conventions in anime, andOne Pieceis no exception. While there hasn’t been a proper filler arc in years,One Piece’s filler arcsstill hit all the common complaints of wasting people’s time with boring stories and inconsistent visuals, and they made the already lengthy series even harder to get through for most people.
One Piecehas plenty of bad filler, but that doesn’t mean it’s all bad. Between the iconic G-8 arc and the modern classic that isOne Piece Fan Letter,One Piecehas plenty of filler episodes that are surprisingly fun to watch, thanks to their writing and visuals, and any fan would be remiss to pass them up if they have the time to watch them.
8The Davy Back Fight Arc Gets Too Much Hate From One Piece Fans
The Davy Back Fight Is Far Better Than People Give It Credit For
Something that’s weirdly connected toOne Piece’s filler is the Long Ring Long Land arc, better known asthe Davy Back Fight arc. While it was originally a short arc in the manga, the anime dragged the arc out with multiple episodes of original content, and that, combined with the anime often bringing the Foxy Pirates back for filler stories, has made the Davy Back Fight arc so hated that some people mistake it for a filler arc.
It’s easy to see why the Davy Back Fight arc is so hated, but not only can people ignore the anime-only sequels, butthe manga’s take on the Davy Back Fight arc is fun because it works as a short and inoffensive breather arc. The arc is far easier to appreciate in the manga, and it’s a shame that people let their feelings about the anime distort that.
7Zoro Has Become A Boring Character In One Piece’s Post-Timeskip Era
Why Zoro Isn’t Fun In Modern One Piece
A common criticism ofOne Piece’s post-timeskip era is how simplified some of the Straw Hats’ personalities have become. While they all used to have diverse quirks, many of them have gradually seen their personalities boiled down to a few key traits, such as Usopp with his cowardice, Sanji with his pervertedness, and Chopper being a cute mascot, and the story has often suffered because of it.
Of all the Straw Hats to suffer from character exaggeration, however, none get it worse than Zoro. Zoro used to be plenty capable of goofing around as anyone else in the cast, but in the post-timeskip era, he’s gradually devolved into just a strong and stoic fighter. Despite this, Zoro is still incredibly popular with fans, but it’s easy to conclude thatZoro’s tendency to be involved in cool fight scenes is the main reason why people ignore his increasing lack of personality.
6Sabo Is One Of One Piece’s Most Poorly-Written Characters
Sabo Deserves Far Better In One Piece
One of the biggest twists in the Dressrosa arc was the reveal that Sabo, Luffy’s second deceased brother, was secretly alive and had become the second-in-command ofthe Revolutionary Army. Sabo’s return even saw him eat the Flame-Flame Fruit to keep Ace’s memory alive, and the story has slowly been building him as a major player for the final saga.
Having Sabo around should be great in theory, but it ultimately falls flat, as thanks to a lack of screentime and development,Sabo doesn’t work as a character because he feels like a replacement for Ace more than anything. Recent developments have started to give him a more unique personality, but it’s still going to take a long time before it all comes together.
5One Piece Didn’t Do A Good Job With Its Nika Story
Nika Needed Far Better Handling Than What We Got
One of the biggest developments in recentOne Piecesurrounds the existence ofthe Sun God Nika. Not only is his power the true form of Luffy’s Gum-Gum Fruit, but the way certain groups of people revere Nika has been a major part of every recent arc, and his legacy and mythology have quickly become one of the defining parts ofOne Piece’s mythology.
As great a concept as Nika is, Nika and his connections to Luffy only had the smallest bits of foreshadowing before he was abruptly brought up in the middle of the Wano arc, so overall,Nika’s sudden prominence inOne Piece’s lore doesn’t work because of how clumsily he was introduced. Everything that’s been done with Nika has been fun to watch play out, but that doesn’t change how odd the execution of it all was.
4Not Every One Piece Fight Is A Masterpiece Just Because It Has Flashy Visuals
One Piece Needs To Understand That Sometimes, Less Is More
Ever since the Wano arc, theOne Pieceanime has seen a notable uptick in its artwork and animation; not only is it far more consistent than it used to be, but many episodes have at least one sequence of creative and all-around gorgeous animation, and it’s madeOne Pieceone of the best anime in recent years from a purely visual standpoint.
There’s no denying that modernOne Piecehas great animation, but sometimes, the animators go too far with the visual effects and the general creativity of their scenes to the point that they become hard to follow, especially when compared to how older episodes could look great with comparatively simpler visuals. Not every episode has this problem, but regardless, fans need to understand thathaving flashy visuals doesn’t automatically make an episode ofOne Piecegreat to watch.
3Whole Cake Island Is One Of One Piece’s Best Arcs
Why Whole Cake Island Is A Secret Masterpiece
One of the most contentious arcs inOne Pieceis, undoubtedly, the Whole Cake Island arc. Many fans hate it for the perceived notion of Sanji being out of character and the entire premise feeling like a ripoff of Nami and Robin’s arcs, and the fact that it ends without Luffy ever having a proper fight with Big Mom only makes it worse in the eyes of many.
As with many ofOne Piece’s controversial arcs, the criticisms of the Whole Cake Island arc couldn’t be more wrong. Not only does it make Sanji one ofOne Piece’s most developed characters, but Luffy not fighting Big Mom was more than made up for with his incredible fight with Katakuri.One Piece’s Whole Cake Island arc ends up as one of the best story arcs visually and narratively, and more people need to accept that.
2Luffy/Hancock Is One Of One Piece’s Worst Ships
Why Luffy And Hancock Don’t Work As A Couple
One of the most popular ships inOne Pieceis the pairing of Luffy and Hancock. Hancock has been madly in love with Luffy almost from the moment they met, and while Luffy very explicitly doesn’t feel the same way, the fun nature of their dynamic has still made the idea of them becoming a couple popular with fans for almost 20 years now.
As popular as Luffy and Hancock are as a couple, they deserve very little of that popularity. Not only does Hancock have very little character beyond her obsession with Luffy, but Hancock was an adult when she fell in love with Luffy, who was only 17, which adds an undeniable level of creepiness to a potential relationship between them. Overall,there are too many factors working against Luffy and Hancock for them to work as a couple, and that’s not going to change anytime soon.
1One Piece Doesn’t Need Romance, Despite What Fans Think
Romance Has No Place In One Piece
Shipping is one of the biggest aspects of anime and fandom culture as a whole, andOne Pieceis no exception. Whether it’s a straight ship or a same-sex pairing,there are countless ships inOne Piecethat fans have often spent decades supporting, and that practice only gets stronger with each passing year.
Fans have every right to ship their favorite characters, but it goes too far when they act like romance has to happen, as that ignores both Eiichiro Oda’s strict stance on no romance inOne Pieceand how great the story has been without ever needing to make romance part of the story.One Piecefans need to accept that romance will never be a major part of the story, and there’s probably noOne Pieceopinion more unpopular to voice than that.
