With 15 One Piece movies having been released, here’s your guide to the ones worth watching and those you should skip.
Over its many years, the One Piece franchise has spawned a litany of movies of varying quality. The adventures of Luffy and his crew are some of the most iconic and recognizable in anime, but their quality seems to vary wildly. In short, there’s a lot of viewing, and not all of them are worth the time invesment.
It can be difficult to understand which of the entries, if any, need to be watched. From One Piece (2000) to the 20th anniversary’s One Piece: Stampede (2019),only six of the movies on offer can truly be considered essential viewing. The rest can — and maybe should — be skipped entirely.
Skippable: One Piece (2000)
One Piece (2000) sounds kind of important, but it’s really just a pleasant nostalgia trip. It’s set very early on in the series, before even Sanji joins the crew. Luffy, Zoro, Nami and Usopp frolic around East Blue, eventually facing an evil pirate named El Drago in what could very easily slide into the first thirty or so anime episodes. The animation isn’t anything special, but there is some nice comic relief. Some speculate the movie was a last-minute film convert, meaning it was originally going to be part of the main series as a filler arc. So, unless you’re really into retro One Piece, give this one a miss.
Skippable: Clockwork Island Adventure (2001)
This is a fine movie, but there are simply better One Piece films to watch. As someone steals the Going Merry, the crew (now featuring Sanji) set out to get it back. This leads them to Clockwork Island. The animation has improved a lot from the first movie and the aesthetic is still early One Piece. There are some nice character designs, along with some fun fights as the Straw Hats take on the curiously named Trump Siblings. Even with all its laughs, action and fan-service, the movie does nothing to justify essential viewing. It’s still very skippable, but not a bad watch.
Skippable: Chopper’s Kingdom on the Island of Strange Animals (2002)
This is a whole movie just for Chopper, so it’s not a shock it’s often considered the worst of the One Piece movie lineup. As the title suggests, the story revolves around Chopper becoming king of an island of animals, which isn’t exactly the most exciting premise. Overall, though, it’s vintage One Piece: the crew make it to a new island, defeat all the bad guys there and that’s that. The final battle, at least, is entertaining. Unless you’re that elusive Chopper stan, this is a definite skip.
Essential: Dead End Adventure (2003)
Dead End Adventure (2003) is the first One Piece movie worthy of an essential viewing tag. Granted, it’s yet another high-budget filler arc, but this one’s good enough to justify its place in the franchise. The Straw Hats are embroiled in an exciting ship race including some fantastic movie-exclusive characters. The cast has expanded to include fan-favorite Nico Robin, and the animation looks great. Due to some care in production, or possibly direction by Kounosuke Uda (the usual One Piece director), Dead End Adventure gels with the original series a lot better than its predecessors. If you’re starving for some quality One Piece, this is your first port of call. Also, a certain essential movie down the line includes a cameo from a character in this one, so that’s another reason to add it to your watch list.
Skippable: The Cursed Holy Sword (2004)
This is a whole movie just for Zoro. On paper, it sounds pretty great, and is certainly more promising than another Chopper movie. Zoro is, after all, beloved by many, and he’s somehow the only Straw Hat yet to receive a lengthy arc in the anime. In this film, Zoro mysteriously leaves the crew, similar to Nami, Robin and Sanji in their respective anime arcs. Considering the recent “Whole Cake Island Arc,” this format holds a lot of promise. The film isn’t terrible, and it has some predictably exciting sword fights. Unfortunately, the characters are all a bit off, and it feels like the film wasn’t made with the whole series in mind. For this reason, most consider the fifth movie one of the weaker ones.
Essential: Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island (2005)
Mamoru Hosoda, director of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Wolf Children and more, certainly doesn’t seem like the type of guy to take on a One Piece movie. When he did, though, it was truly something special. Never has One Piece been anywhere near as experimental, gripping and terrifying as it was in this film. The aesthetic is creative, there are some serious stakes, and the plot is uncharacteristically dark. You’ll be taken on a journey by Hosoda’s stylized animation, watching as the Straw Hats’ getaway to Omatsuri Island morphs into something way more serious than anyone expected. Even for those who aren’t well-acquainted with One Piece, this film stands out as a dazzlingly unique piece of media, rejecting the usual One Piece flair while still capturing the spirit of the series. Definitely check it out.
Skippable: The Giant Mechanical Soldier of Karakuri Castle (2006)
And, just like that, we’re thrust back into skippable One Piece. Yes, you may have misread the title: this isn’t the castle of Katakuri, one of the best latter-day One Piece antagonists. This is the castle of Karakuri, and it’s a lot less worthwhile. The crew go about their usual shenanigans, this time on Mecha Island. The seventh movie actually does have some interesting stuff: Luffy discovers his Gear Second power-up, something that didn’t appear in the anime. Unfortunately, this isn’t enough to make the film essential viewing.
Skippable: The Desert Princess and the Pirates: Adventures in Alabasta (2007)
It’s nice to have a glossy retelling of One Piece’s “Alabasta Arc,” and it could be worth a watch if you want to relive Alabasta a little differently. It will always be a great arc, including one of the best One Piece fights in Luffy vs. Crocodile, as well as some other nostalgia hits like Zoro vs. Mr. 1. The film condenses the arc (sometimes a little uncomfortably) and makes some changes to allow for a shorter runtime. Smoker, for instance, isn’t present here. If you’re not a fan of how early One Piece looks, this might be more to your liking. If not, probably stick to the original, which endures with some brilliant episodes. Of course, because this film is a readaptation, it can’t really qualify for essential viewing, but it’s not a bad watch.
Skippable: Episode of Chopper Plus: Bloom in Winter, Miracle Sakura (2008)
Oh boy, another Chopper movie. This one is a reimagining of the anime’s “Drum Island Saga.” It pulls Vivi from the crew and slips in the previously absent Robin and Franky, as well as the Straw Hats’ second ship, the Thousand Sunny. There’s also a new villain standing alongside Wapol. It’s not completely clear why. It seems this was an experiment in retelling a classic One Piece arc quite differently, and while the film isn’t terrible, it’s nothing to write home about. With so many changes, as well as art and music that isn’t mind-blowingly good, this is another one of those rather pointless movies. Like its Alabasta equivalent, it’s still a welcome addition to the lineup. Definitely not essential viewing, though.
Essential: One Piece Film: Strong World (2009)
One Piece Film: Strong World. No movie up to this point was blessed with the word “film.” Likewise, none up to this point were supervised by Eiichiro Oda himself, so you know this one’s something special. With Oda’s tutorage and some fantastic animation, the tenth One Piece movie is a pure hype-fest. Fighting to save East Blue, the Straw Hats face off against the Golden Lion Shiki, a member of the Pirate King’s crew and the first man to ever escape Impel Down. He kidnaps Nami and is all-around bad news. Because this is still a movie, Shiki and his backstory technically aren’t canon, but it’s pretty easy to imagine they are. Oda’s involved, after all. The climactic fight is one of the best in all of One Piece, with each Straw Hat getting their time in the sun. This is accompanied by some of the best One Piece music. It’s overplayed endlessly later on in the series, but it sounded good here.
Skippable: One Piece 3D: Straw Hat Chase (2011)
More of an experimental stroll than a film, the eleventh One Piece movie dips its toes into 3D animation and does not succeed. It only runs for thirty minutes and looks a lot like a PlayStation game and very little like an anime movie. Don’t get us wrong: it’s great to have some more innovative One Piece, and the cel-shaded 3D animation doesn’t look as absurd as you might think. But with such low stakes, such a simple plot and such little imagination, there’s very little to gain from the movie. It’s best to forget this one exists.
Essential: One Piece Film: Z (2012)
The word “film” makes another appearance. Indeed, with Oda once again taking the helm, we’ve got another must-watch. Similar to Strong World, it wouldn’t be correct to call this a high-budget filler arc: it gives us some teasingly canonical (though technically noncanonical) backstory to the One Piece world. The story centers around Black Fist Zephyr, a former marine admiral, and incorporates an array of key marine figures, including fan-favorite Aokiji. Zephyr is one of the best villains in the series, receiving a sympathetic past that actually gets us feeling for him. The animation looks about as smooth as it ever has in One Piece, with the Zoro and Sanji fights receiving some true eye-candy. The final fight may be a bit lackluster, but people call Z the best One Piece movie for a reason.
Essential: One Piece Film: Gold (2016)
These latter few One Piece movies (excluding Straw Hat Chase) have a lot in common: great art, exciting cameos, fanservice, tried-and-true One Piece storylines and some Oda-approved exposition. One Piece Film: Gold is the longest movie yet, following the Straw Hats’ adventures in Gran Tesoro, which is kind of like the Los Angeles of One Piece. Untouched by the World Government, expect Gran Tesoro to allow a lot of familiar friends and foes to mix together in extravagant chaos. We’re treated to some fun fights and funky music. On the downside, there’s some disconcerting CGI, and the long runtime might bore you here and there. Overall, though, this is one of the most enjoyable films. It looks good, has lots of cameos, and there’s certainly nothing out of the ordinary, so enjoy some high-budget, celebratory One Piece.
Essential: One Piece: Stampede (2019)
The 20th anniversary of One Piece brought us One Piece: Stampede, and it’s a whole lot of fun. It may not have the best plot, but it delivers some truly immense fanservice. With lovely art and animation, we’re blessed with a raging tempest of a story containing more cameos than you can count. The film gives us Bullet, one of the strongest One Piece villains, who dukes it out with the colorful cast. If you’re starving for more of the Worst Generation, old antagonists or long-forgotten filler characters, you’ll be rewarded in this movie. Just be prepared to make a few cheeky wiki outings, because even the most dedicated One Piece fans might not recognise everyone crammed into this film. It’s a treat for fans to see One Piece: Stampede play out, and definitely a nice reward for getting up to date with the series. However, wait on this one until you’ve watched the anime’s “Whole Cake Island Arc.”
One Piece: Red (2022)
While many viewers seem to agree the most recent film in the franchise, One Piece: Red, contains gorgeous artwork and animation, as well as an intriguing storyline, there is some debate on whether it’s actually essential viewing. For fans, this film is definitely skippable, as it isn’t considered canon to either mediums. However, for those who just can’t get enough of the Straw Hat pirates, it’s a fun film to add to watch lists, just don’t expect it to fit nicely into the world as it’s been previously portrayed.
