We’ve got stuff like Hajime no Ippo continuing for decades non-stop, and then we have Dragon Ball that enjoys a sudden revival of its storyline to the present day. But for the contemporary late 90’s kids, we have One Piece. From the number of sagas and mish-mash of canon and non-canon stuff alone, Luffy’s continued adventures with his buddies would definitely warrant a watch order one way or another.
That’s right. Our One Piece watch order shall once again cross the silent borders of the Grand Line. You may see a wide cast of characters saga after saga. You might get confused at certain time jumps. Hell, missable movie references might actually be just around each decisive corner…
… at the very least, when compared to our previous Naruto watch order, Fate watch order, and especially the media source decision-breaking Danganronpa watch order.
Recommended watch order
Much like any other long-standing series with a bunch of movies released in between, the chronological order will have a mix of release order, source material coverage, and a couple of remakes. Hopefully, the jumping back and forth does not wane out your enthusiasm as more extended arcs literally test the turbulent waters.
Chronological order
The basic default order, since much of the stuff to be watched, has already been pre-established.
The East Blue
- One Piece Season 1: Episodes 1-8
- One Piece: Defeat Him! The Pirate Ganzack!
- One Piece Season 1: Episodes 9-18
- One Piece: The Movie
- One Piece Season 1: Episodes 19-30
- One Piece Season 1: Episodes 31-44
- One Piece Season 1: Episodes 45-53
- (One Piece) Clockwork Island Adventure
- Adventure in the Ocean’s Navel
- (One Piece) Jango’s Dance Carnival
- One Piece Season 1: Episodes 54-61
- One Piece: Episode of East Blue: Luffy and His 4 Crewmates’ Big Adventure
Into the Grand Line
- One Piece Season 2: Episodes 62-69
- One Piece Season 2: Episodes 70-77
Enter Chopper-
- One Piece Season 3: Episodes 78-91
- (One Piece) Dream Soccer King
Alabasta Arc
- One Piece Season 4: Episodes 92-130
- The Desert Princess and the Pirates: Adventures in Alabasta
- Chopper’s Kingdom on the Island of Strange Animals
Beyond the Rainbow
- One Piece Season 5: 131-135 (Previous Arc Epilogue)
- One Piece Season 5: Episodes 136-138
- (One Piece) Dead End Adventure
- (One Piece) The Cursed Holy Sword
- One Piece: Open Upon the Great Sea! A Father’s Huge, HUGE Dream
- (One Piece) Take Aim! The Pirate Baseball King
- One Piece Season 5: Episodes 139-143
Sky Island Arc
- One Piece Season 6: Episodes 144-152
- One Piece Season 6: Episodes 153-195
- One Piece: Episode of Sky Island
Marine Fortress Escape, Foxy Pirate Crew
- One Piece Season 7: Episodes 196-206
- (One Piece) Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island
- One Piece Season 7: Episodes 207-219
- One Piece: Protect! The Last Great Stage
- One Piece Season 7: Episodes 220-224
- One Piece Season 7: Episodes 225-228
- (One Piece) Giant Mecha Soldier of Karakuri Castle
Water 7 Saga Proper
- One Piece Season 8: Episodes 229-263
Enies Lobby Arc
- One Piece Season 9: Episodes 264-290,
- One Piece Season 9: Episodes 291-292
- One Piece Season 9: Episodes 293-302
- One Piece Season 9: Episodes 303
- One Piece Season 9: Episodes 304-312
- One Piece Season 9: Episodes 406-407
- One Piece Season 9: Episodes 313-325 (Arc Conclusion)
- Episode of Chopper Plus: Bloom in the Winter, Miracle Cherry Blossom
- One Piece Season 9: Episodes 326-335
- One Piece Season 9: Episode 336
Thriller Bark Arc Proper
- One Piece Season 10: Episodes 337-381
- One Piece Season 11: Episodes 382-384
Summit War Saga
- One Piece Season 13: Episodes 426-429 (yup, this is chronologically correct)
- Strong World Episode: 0
- One Piece Film: Strong World
- (One Piece) Straw Hat Chase
- ONE PIECE 3D! Trap Coaster (very short 12-minute special)
- Romance Dawn Story
- One Piece Season 11: Episodes 385-405 (Sabaody Archipelago proper)
- One Piece Season 12: Episodes 408-417 (Amazon Lily proper)
- One Piece Season 12: Episodes 418-421
- One Piece Season 13: Episodes 422-425 (Impel Down proper)
- One Piece Season 13: Episodes 430-452
- One Piece Season 13: Episodes 453-456
- One Piece Season 14: Episodes 457-489 (Marineford proper)
- One Piece Season 14: Episodes 490-491 (Post-war)
- One Piece Season 14: Episode 492
- One Piece Season 14: Episodes 493-516
- 3D2Y: Overcome Ace’s Death! Luffy’s Vow to his Friends
Fishman Island Arc
- One Piece Season 15: Episodes 517-522
- Episode of Nami: Tears of a Navigator and the Bonds of Friendship
- One Piece Season 15: Episodes 523-541
- One Piece Season 15: Episode 542
- One Piece Season 15: Episodes 543-574
- One Piece Season 15: Episodes 575-578
- Glorious Island Part 1 and Part 2
- One Piece Film: Z
Punk Hazard Arc
- Episode of Luffy: Adventure on Hand Island
- One Piece: Adventure of Nebulandia
- One Piece Season 16: Episodes 579-589
- One Piece Season 16: Episode 590
- One Piece Season 16: Episodes 591-625
- Episode of Merry: The Tale of One More Friend
- One Piece Season 16: Episodes 626-628
Dressrosa Arc
- One Piece Season 17: Episodes 629-746
- Episode of Sabo: The Three Brothers’ Bond – The Miraculous Reunion and the Inherited Will
Four Emperors Saga
- One Piece Season 18: Episodes 747-750
- One Piece: Heart of Gold
- One Piece Film: Gold Episode 0
- One Piece Film: Gold
- One Piece Season 18: Episodes 751-779
- One Piece Season 18: Episodes 780-782
- One Piece Season 19: Episodes 783-877 (Whole Cake Island proper)
- One Piece Season 19: Episodes 878-889 (Lev Ely proper)
- One Piece Season 20: Episodes 890-894 (Wano Act 1)
- One Piece Season 20: Episodes 895-896
- One Piece: Stampede
- One Piece Season 20: Episodes 897-906 (Wano Act 2)
- One Piece Season 20: Episode 907 (20th Anniversary Special)
- One Piece Season 20: Episodes 908-958 (Wano Act 3)
- One Piece Season 20: Episodes 959-1008 (Wano Act 3) (still ongoing)
Release date order
Unlike most other traditional long-running series, however, it is actually a better viewing experience to watch One Piece in its release date order format. This is due to the considerably good number of wide-gap development timelines (and therefore different animation disciplines/technologies) that each modern title has when jumping far back to a previous saga.
- Defeat Him! The Pirate Ganzack! (1998)
- One Piece Season 1 (1999)
- One Piece TV Special: Adventure in the Ocean’s Navel (2000)
- One Piece: The Movie (2000)
- One Piece Season 2 (2001)
- One Piece Season 3 (2001)
- One Piece Season 4 (2001)
- Clockwork Island Adventure (2001)
- Jango’s Dance Carnival (2001)
- One Piece Season 5 (2002)
- Dream Soccer King (2002)
- Chopper’s Kingdom on the Island of Strange Animals (2002)
- One Piece Season 6 (2003)
- One Piece: Open Upon the Great Sea! A Father’s Huge, HUGE Dream (2003)
- One Piece: Protect! The Last Great Stage (2003)
- Dead End Adventure (2003)
- One Piece Season 7 (2004)
- The Cursed Holy Sword (2004)
- Take Aim! The Pirate Baseball King (2004)
- One Piece Season 8 (2005)
- One Piece: End-of-Year Special Plan! Chief Straw Hat Luffy’s Detective Story (2005)
- Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island (2005)
- One Piece Season 9 (2006)
- Giant Mecha Soldier of Karakuri Castle (2006)
- The Desert Princess and the Pirates: Adventures in Alabasta (2007)
- One Piece Season 10 (2008)
- Romance Dawn Story (2008)
- Episode of Chopper Plus: Bloom in the Winter, Miracle Cherry Blossom (2008)
- One Piece Season 11 (2009)
- One Piece Season 12 (2009)
- One Piece Season 13 (2009)
- Strong World: Episode 0 (2009)
- One Piece Film: Strong World (2009)
- One Piece Season 14 (2010)
- One Piece Season 15 (2011)
- Straw Hat Chase (2011)
- ONE PIECE 3D! Trap Coaster (2011)
- Episode of Nami: Tears of a Navigator and the Bonds of Friendship (2012)
- Episode of Luffy: Adventure on Hand Island (2012)
- One Piece Film: Z (2012)
- Glorious Island Part 1 and Part 2 (2012)
- One Piece Season 16 (2013)
- Episode of Merry: The Tale of One More Friend (2013)
- One Piece Season 17 (2014)
- 3D2Y: Overcome Ace’s Death! Luffy’s Vow to his Friends (2014)
- Episode of Sabo: The Three Brothers’ Bond – The Miraculous Reunion and the Inherited Will (2015)
- One Piece: Adventure of Nebulandia (2015)
- One Piece Season 18 (2016)
- One Piece: Heart of Gold (2016)
- One Piece Film: Gold (2016)
- One Piece Film: Gold Episode 0 (2016)
- One Piece Season 19 (2017)
- One Piece: Episode of East Blue: Luffy and His 4 Crewmates’ Big Adventure (2017)
- One Piece: Episode of Sky Island (2018)
- One Piece Season 20 (2019 – ongoing)
- One Piece: Stampede (2019)
- One Piece Film: Red (2022) (not yet released)
Plot of One Piece
Gol D. Roger, the legendary pirate who apparently conquered the mythical Grand Line and acquired the highly-coveted One Piece, announced to the world before his willful execution at the hands of the Marines, that whoever discovers his treasures, can rightfully claim it. This launched the Golden Age of Piracy, in the setting of this universe.
Sometime after this astounding event, Monkey D. Luffy, a strange boy who had his body granted with the properties of the rubber by a Devil Fruit, decides to start on a pirate adventure, based on the wild and crazy legends of the vast sea, and inspired by the pirate that he mingled with as a kid. And of course, this also comes with his desire to fulfill the final challenge of the aforementioned legendary pirate. along with final words the legendary pirate himself.
With an equally eccentric and intrepid group of friends, allies, and even frenemies, he charters the unknown seas and discovers a myriad of challenges and secrets to vanquish and overcome. All the while eluding the indomitable military might of the Marines that are trying to arrest them.
Sailing to the Grand Line Takes a sense of adventure… as well as time
Now for the usual question for these extended series… are the movies canon?
Nope. The movies may have a vaguely defined chronological order that roughly refers to the level of skill, or to what they have previously encountered up until that point. But not a single one of them can dynamically fit into the actual story where they are supposed to also take place. For example, the events of One Piece Film: Gold should more or less fall somewhere near the timeline after the Dressrosa arc. But as any avid fan knows, the entire crew is separated in the manga and TV anime at that time, and could in no way be complete and together as they are in the movie.
That being said, you don’t really have to skip watching them. For time-saving purposes maybe. But they are still part of the whole One Piece anime-watching experience. At the very least, the highest-rated ones (Dead End Adventure, Strong World, Film Gold, etc.) are already worth the runtime even if for just a standalone story.
By the way, since you’re mentally strong enough to challenge such a long-running series, why not take an ever longer pick at our best shounen anime list? You won’t be disappointed!
