How the Netflix Series Started It All
I've known about One Piece for years. It's hard not to when it's one of the biggest anime series ever made. But for a long time it just wasn't on my radar. I was a Dragon Ball fan growing up and that was my world. One Piece was always just that other long running anime I'd heard of but never felt the urge to start.
That all changed when Netflix released their live action adaptation. I decided to give it a go without any real expectations and honestly I was blown away. The story, the characters, the sense of adventure. It all clicked immediately. By the time I finished it I knew I had to watch the anime. So I did.
I'm so glad I made that decision. I genuinely can't believe I missed out on this series for so long. Better late than never though, and right now I'm at the end of the Marineford arc with the two year time skip just around the corner.
Why 2026 is Actually a Great Time to Get Into One Piece
If you've been on the fence about starting One Piece, the timing right now couldn't be better. There is more One Piece content either available or on the way than at any point in the series' history.
The Netflix live action series has just released its second season, One Piece: Into the Grand Line, which dropped in March 2026 and debuted at number one on Netflix globally. Season 3, titled One Piece: The Battle of Alabasta, has already been confirmed for 2027 and is currently in production in Cape Town. For fans of the anime, that Alabasta arc is one of the most beloved in the whole series, so seeing it brought to live action is something to look forward to.
On top of that, Wit Studio, the team behind Attack on Titan and Spy x Family, are working on a full anime remake called The One Piece for Netflix. The project was first announced back in December 2023 and is set to retell the story starting from the East Blue Saga with modern animation, tighter pacing and updated visuals. Eiichiro Oda himself was involved in pushing for the remake, feeling that the older animation might not resonate with a new generation of viewers. It's one of the most anticipated anime projects around right now.
Meanwhile the original anime is back and heading into the Elbaph arc, with Toei Animation having shifted to a seasonal format in 2026 to give each episode more care and better pacing. New episodes are airing this spring and the quality is noticeably improved.
There has never been a better moment to jump in, catch up and be part of the conversation around this series.
East Blue: A Slow But Necessary Start
The East Blue saga has that classic origin story feel to it. You can tell it's laying the groundwork for everything that follows and it does that job well, introducing the core crew one by one and establishing who Luffy is and what he's about.
There are some genuinely great moments in there. Watching each crew member join felt earned and each of them brought something different to the dynamic. The fights stand out too. Zoro against Mihawk is a brilliant early moment that immediately tells you this world is vast and there are people in it who are on a completely different level. Luffy against Don Krieg had real stakes and then the crew coming together to fight Arlong and his crew at Cocoyasi Village was a proper emotional payoff to Nami's storyline.
For me though, things really start to click when Smoker and the marines are introduced. Having a persistent antagonist who isn't a villain in the traditional sense, someone just doing their job and doing it well, added a layer to the world that made it feel more real. The marines and how they connect into the wider story became something I found myself looking forward to more and more as the series went on.
It didn't blow me away overall but looking back it was doing exactly what it needed to do. You need that foundation for everything that comes later to hit as hard as it does.
Alabasta and Baroque Works: Where It Really Clicked
This is where One Piece really grabbed me and it starts the moment the crew enter the Grand Line. Arriving at Whiskey Peak and being introduced to some of the Baroque Works members like Mr 5 and Miss Valentine immediately felt different in tone and scale to anything in East Blue. The idea of double agents and secret organisations operating beneath the surface of the world added a layer of intrigue that hooked me straight away.
Then comes Little Garden and the first proper look at how big and strange this world can be. Meeting Nico Robin for the first time as Miss All Sunday was fascinating because you immediately sense there is far more to her than she lets on. The fight against Mr 3 and his wax powers was creative and fun and I loved how the crew had to think their way through it rather than just fight their way out.
Drum Island gave the series one of its most emotional moments in Chopper's backstory. His relationship with Dr Hiriluk and what it cost him got me more than I expected. And Wapol as a villain, while not the most threatening, worked perfectly as a contrast to what was coming next.
When the crew finally reach Alabasta and Crocodile steps into the picture properly, that's when things get really exciting. He is a completely different kind of villain to anything the series had done before. The first fight between Luffy and Crocodile is one of the most important moments in the show because for the first time you see that brute force alone isn't going to cut it. Luffy gets beaten and it feels like a genuine shock.
The second fight is where it gets really clever. Watching Luffy figure out how to counter a Logia user and use that against Crocodile was satisfying in a way that felt earned rather than convenient. And Crocodile underestimating Luffy right up until the end made it even more enjoyable to watch unfold. Crocodile is a fantastic villain and seeing Nico Robin working alongside him as an anti hero made the whole arc feel layered and unpredictable. This was the point where I stopped watching out of curiosity and started watching because I was completely invested.
Skypiea: Underrated and Worth the Patience
Skypiea seems to divide people and I've seen a lot of viewers say they nearly gave up during it. I wasn't one of them. I really enjoyed it. Eneru is a brilliant villain, completely convinced of his own godhood and with a power set that makes him feel almost unbeatable. The island in the sky concept is imaginative and the arc does something really interesting by introducing Mantra, which you later understand is an early form of Haki. Knowing that now makes it feel even more significant.
Water 7 and Enies Lobby: The Best Arc in the Series So Far
Nothing has come close to Water 7 and Enies Lobby for me. This is One Piece at its absolute best.
The CP9 storyline is gripping from start to finish and the way it's structured so that each crew member faces off against a counterpart is so satisfying. Every fight felt meaningful and personal. But the moment that hit hardest was Robin's. Watching her break down and finally admit she wants to live after years of believing she had no place in the world is one of the most emotional moments I've experienced watching any anime. The crew's response to that gave me chills.
Then there's Luffy. Seeing him unleash Second Gear for the first time against Blueno was such a brilliant moment. CP9 had been built up throughout as genuinely terrifying and almost untouchable, so watching Luffy suddenly shift into a completely different gear and dismantle one of them felt epic. The build up to it, the way his whole body changes and then the sheer speed and power he shows. It felt like a proper levelling up moment.
And then he goes even further. Seeing Third Gear introduced against Rob Lucci was something else entirely. The trade off of shrinking down afterwards was a great touch and stopped it from feeling like an easy win. His final battle against Lucci is one of the best fights in the series. Lucci is such a menacing villain and the back and forth between them is intense from start to finish, with both of them pushing past their limits to find a way to win. Watching Luffy dig deep and find a way through felt completely earned.
I have to mention Kaku as well. The man eats a Devil Fruit, turns into a giraffe and then has the audacity to be one of the most difficult fights in the arc. I spent half the time laughing at the absurdity of it and the other half genuinely impressed. Only One Piece could make a giraffe man terrifying and hilarious at the same time.
If you're someone who started One Piece and is wondering whether to keep going, Water 7 and Enies Lobby is the answer to that question. Push through to it. You won't regret it.
Thriller Bark: My Least Favourite
I'll be honest, Thriller Bark didn't do it for me. The zombie storyline just wasn't my thing and the arc felt like it dragged compared to what came before it. Moria never felt like a particularly compelling villain and the whole thing had a filler feel even when it wasn't. Not every arc can be a winner and this one was the low point for me so far.
Sabaody and Impel Down: Setting the Stage
The Sabaody arc is a brutal gut punch and a brilliant piece of storytelling. Just when the crew feels like they're hitting their stride, everything falls apart. It's genuinely difficult to watch in the best possible way.
Impel Down was a lot of fun, mainly because of Bon Clay. He's such a brilliantly written character and his loyalty to Luffy is genuinely touching. He had no reason to put himself on the line the way he did and yet he did it anyway. Some of the best moments in that arc belong entirely to him.
The fight against Magellan, the warden with the poison Devil Fruit, was brilliant because it did something One Piece doesn't always do. It showed that Luffy can't always win. Watching him get completely overwhelmed and taken apart by poison felt genuinely shocking and made the arc feel like it had real stakes. It was a reminder that this world is dangerous and not every opponent can be punched into submission.
Ivankov was also a fantastic addition. Completely over the top and full of energy, exactly the kind of character One Piece does so well. And seeing Jimbei step up to support Luffy, someone with that kind of power and presence choosing to stand alongside him, set up the Marineford arc brilliantly.
Then there's Blackbeard. He shows up in Impel Down and gets beaten relatively easily which almost makes you underestimate him. But watching him across both arcs and seeing his plans slowly unfold is unsettling in a way few villains in the series have managed. By the end of Marineford I genuinely despised him. Not in a fun way like Crocodile or Eneru but in a way that made me feel he is going to be the big villain of the whole story. The way he manipulates situations and positions himself while others fight is cold and calculated. He's building towards something and I can't wait to see it all unravel further down the line.
Marineford: Epic but Missing Something
Marineford is an incredible piece of anime. The scale of it is unlike anything in the series up to this point and you can feel the weight of every moment. But I'll be honest about something that might be an unpopular opinion but I felt more for Whitebeard's death than Ace's.
Ace's death hit hard because of what it meant for Luffy, and watching Luffy fall apart was genuinely difficult. But Whitebeard's final stand, protecting his crew to the very end and refusing to go down without a fight, was something else entirely. That's the moment that stayed with me.
The other thing I noticed with Marineford is how much I missed the crew. So much of the arc puts the focus on Luffy and the world stage, which makes sense given the story it's telling, but by that point I was so attached to the Straw Hats as a group that their absence was felt throughout.
And then We Are plays. If there's one moment in One Piece that really got to me emotionally it was at the end of Marineford when Luffy begins his training and you're left waiting for the crew to return after two years. Hearing that theme play over that moment, knowing everything they've all been through and what's still ahead, was something else. I'm not ashamed to admit it hit me hard. My favourite opening so far has been Kokoro no Chizu, the fifth opening, which just captures everything One Piece is about. That sense of adventure, freedom and togetherness wrapped up in one song. It's perfect.
I've just started the Fishman Island arc now so I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes from here with the crew back together.
Better Late Than Never
I'm genuinely gutted I didn't start One Piece sooner. I thought it would feel like homework given how long it is but it never has. The world building is extraordinary, the characters are some of the most memorable I've come across in any anime and when it lands emotionally it really lands.
What Eiichiro Oda has built over the course of this series is genuinely remarkable. The level of detail, the long term storytelling and the way he makes you care so deeply about every single member of the crew is something very few creators ever achieve. It's no surprise the manga has sold over 600 million copies worldwide.
Right now I've just started the Fishman Island arc and I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes after the time skip. My longer term goal is to get to the Dressarosa arc as quickly as I can. Partly because I've heard great things, but also because I really want to start playing Pirate Warriors 3 and I'd rather have the story context before I do!
If you've been putting off starting One Piece the way I did, let the Netflix live action be your gateway if you need one. Then make the jump to the anime. With Season 2 of the live action out now, Season 3 on the way, a brand new anime remake in production and new episodes of the original airing this year, there has never been a better time to become part of the Straw Hat crew. You won't look back.
One last tip for anyone in the UK. You can watch all episodes up to the Egghead arc completely free on BBC iPlayer. That's what I'm currently using to catch up and it's been brilliant. No subscription needed, just sign in and start watching.