Why Read One Piece?

[Yoshi]

There are plenty of Manga to read out there, so why pick up One Piece? Sure, the length may intimidate you, and let's assume Dragon Ball may be your only series too, but what if I were to tell you that One Piece is going on to be the next Dragon Ball?

Popularity -
As said in the opening paragraph, One Piece is actually really popular worldwide... Having sold 320 million issues around the world, that's more than any other Manga out there, including Dragon Ball which comes in second place at 230 million... And the Manga is only about 50%-70% done!

Discussion -
If you're looking for discussion about other Manga besides Dragon Ball here, then look no further. Next to Dragon Ball, One Piece is the most widely discussed Manga on this board. Not to mention the amount of detail the author (Eiichiro Oda) has put into the story leads to plenty of interesting discussions.

Story -
The plot starts out with Luffy, the future pirate king, meeting Coby, the future fleet admiral, saving Zoro, Luffy's first mate. Unfortunately Luffy has no bounty on his head here, but at the current part of the story, Luffy's entire crew has a bounty of their own!

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From your first impression, the Manga may seem to follow too many Shonen troupes to be a Manga about Pirates. This can't be more incorrect. Luffy has gotten his hands on treasure before, picked fights with other Pirates as well as the World Government, and has quite a bit of potential to change the future of the World, so it gets very political.

The world building regarding the Manga is simply fantastic, as well. The also also makes One Piece a great adventure Manga. The venture from island to island, each with their own unique environment, ranging from harsh deserts, to cities floating atop water, and even the sky itself!

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Characters -
Many of the characters in One Piece are easy to relate to. The villains are dark to the core, and the side characters all play a role to help the Straw Hats in their quests the Arcs they appear in. The Straw Hats themselves have touching backstories, as well as unshakable resolves.

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Battles -
The battles are really good for Shonen. Unlike in most modern Shonen like Naruto and Bleach where the abilities are borrowed too much by Dragon Ball's Ki system, most of te characters rely on abilities they've gained through devil fruits. There are three kinds of Devil Fruits abilities, called Paramecia, Zoan, and Logia.

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Beyond even fights revolving around devil fruits, there are characters such as Zoro and Sanji who simply use their sword style techniques and martial arts, as well as their superhuman abilities in general. There are even characters like Usopp who are underdogs and rely on outsmarting their opponents, leading to interesting battles.

Art -
This all comes down to personal preference. I didn't even like the art at first, but then I realized it's an acquired taste. The art is quite stylized for Manga, and some character designs like Zoan users are really good. Like other Mangaka, Oda's art only continues to get better further down the story.

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Feel free to add anything to this. Just try not to post any spoilers.

 

[Alex Boss]

I don't remember Zoro being the first mate, mate.

 

[SSJ2]

I don't remember Zoro being the first mate, mate.

I've seen it stated at least once.

 

[Alex Boss]

I don't remember Zoro being the first mate, mate.

I've seen it stated at least once.

You sure? Because there is no No.2 in the crew as Luffy places them equally. Nami or Sanji could've replace Luffy as well.

 

[SSJ2]

It was stated by someone else. Perhaps Bartolomeo said it.

 

[Epicnessbeyond]

From my knowledge Zoro was never stated to be number 2 of the crew or given a role other than swordsman. People just assume he is because that is the most fitting one

 

[Alex Boss]

I hope we get to see more members reading this.

 

[Captain Cadaver]

It was stated by someone else. Perhaps Bartolomeo said it.

Yeah, he did, but Zoro himself, nor any of the Straw Hats, identify him as first mate. His no. 2 status could also just mean 2nd strongest of the crew, which he's consistently been since the start (unless perhaps if you count Law).

 

[Kyo]

I believe that people (in the story) just identify him as the first mate since that's just what it might look like at first glance. I believe Urouge identified Zoro as such at Sabaody as well. But yeah, Zoro doesn't really do any first mate ish things and no SH identifies him as such, he's simply the swordsman.

 

[Yoshi]

I retract my statement saying Zoro is the first mate, because ever since we saw Sanji & Co with Kaido, I think it's safe to assume he's the first mate now.

 

[Fantastische Hure]

I don't remember Zoro being the first mate, mate.

I've seen it stated at least once.

Zoro was Luffy's first crew-mate. wot u talking abt???

 

[SSJ2]

I don't remember Zoro being the first mate, mate.

I've seen it stated at least once.

Zoro was Luffy's first crew-mate. wot u talking abt???

Fist mate; meaning the right hand man to Luffy. Not that he joined first.

 

[Nèro]

Because the writer doesn't know when to end the story.

 

[Yoshi]

Because Shonen Jump doesn't know when to end the story.

Fixed.

 

[Uchiha]

Oda has more control than most writers

 

[Six Trails]

I will definitely start reading it the next time I'm on a bus.

 

[sei'taer]

I believe that people (in the story) just identify him as the first mate since that's just what it might look like at first glance. I believe Urouge identified Zoro as such at Sabaody as well. But yeah, Zoro doesn't really do any first mate ish things and no SH identifies him as such, he's simply the swordsman.

Usopp vs luffy? That was a very first mate type reaction.

I'm not sure why it's much of issue, he's referred to as first mate several times in the series. His voice carries more weight than anyone but luffy's.

 

[Kyo]

Yeah, fair point.

I don't think it's a big issue, it's just that his position doesn't seem as clearly defined as the others (e.g. Nami is clearly the navigator and was recruited for this reason), if memory serves me.

 

[Warmmedown]

Because the writer doesn't know when to end the story.

Pretty sure he's known for ages sooooo
gtfo

thought I replied to this before but maybe not. That was about Zoro vs Sanji

 

[Warmmedown]

I will definitely start reading it the next time I'm on a bus.

Does this remind anyone else of Jack?
@Kyo @Papasmurf (had to look up his name) @KingOfAllSaiyans @Syn (thought Syncrap had Cocoman's old avatar then. The one with the guy (maybe from that Gangster programme....the one who's main character actor died....the Sopranos....people told me to watch that shit. Also lol Cocoman corrected to Cockman wtf lol glad I saw that haha)

Shouting/Slapping/Notification/Mentioning galore
don't spot the odd one out