Yes, that statement is a very bold statement. Yes, there is a lot of content out there...anime or non anime related... Yes, One Piece is very long and a lot of people do hype it up...Yes a new movie for it just dropped, but that's not what I'm here to talk about. If you would give me a few moments, I would love to explain to you why this Story is unmatched and will hold so much value until the end of time. Let's get into it.
First, I would like to start with the inspiration for this post. I recently saw a Tik Tok from @straw_hat_goofy and his thoughts on the popularity of One Piece and why he thinks it's the greatest story every told. I really wanted to chime in on that conversation because I wanted to add to that statement. One of the comments he made was One Piece is a story that's outcome is earned with both the main character (Luffy) and the audience watching. It's no secret that there are a lot of episodes for this series, and this has been used as an excuse to not watch the show. However, his point to that was those episodes hold a lot of value because from episode 1 to 1000 there is a huge amount of growth with the character.
The episode count for this series is definitely more than what a lot of people are used to, but that adds to the experience. Oda's (the author) story is not one that can be told in a few episodes. In fact, if we were to get anything like that I think it would be a huge disservice to fans and story lovers. Each episode is a step further to the end goal and the end goal is not an easy thing to accomplish. In a huge world where the tides are constantly shifting, there's no way we would be able to fully understand the exhausting fight of becoming the Pirate King. This is a task you can't truly do over night and there is so much more complications just to even stay on the right path. Being the pirate king is not just claiming your throne and commanding your territory. If that was the case, this story would've been wrapped by now. The Arlong Park Arch literally destroys that concept for us and as the journey progresses, the meaning of becoming pirate king becomes greater. Greater in value, but also greater in task and risk. The journey doesn't get any easier, but that's what makes it so amazing.
The beautiful thing about this story is you find yourself growing with it. These characters have huge developments by the time you reach episode 1000. Not just in strength, but also as beings. This crew has one of the best come up story to ever be told. While Luffy wants to be the pirate king, the others are also striving to achieve their goals that are just as big of a deal. Their growth becomes part of your growth because of how long and hard of journey it is. Nothing comes easy for them, but with that there is so much that helps the Straw Hats blossom into the amazing crew they are today.
The final point I want to add is how very similar One Piece is to this journey we call life. Luffy started with nothing and now he has so much. It took time and patience, but also consistency. The interesting thing, however, is Luffy has almost always gone against the grain. Luffy does what he wants to do and will most likely go against what is common and/or safe. From the very beginning he has always been willing to take risks and make choices that might not make sense for a lot of people. A lot of those choices led him to amazing places...a lot of those choices almost cost him his life. Those were choices he had to learn from, but still keeping his eye on the prize and striving for the end goal. Again, all of this took time with lots of trial and error. It's exactly the same for us in the real world. I wouldn't be surprised by the time the story wraps, this would all be a huge metaphor for how to live life to the fullest.
I know that One Piece can seem over hyped...honestly it probably is...but there are a lot of things that are over hyped and yet those same things can also be underrated depending on who you are and your experience. I always encourage people to give it a try before truly letting the fear of popular opinions ruin what could be such an amazing treasure for them. I've put on a lot of my friends and now we have another thing we can all connect with and bond over. These are just my opinions, but I feel this way for a reason. Maybe it's worth looking into? Besides, when One Piece really takes off, you might find yourself watching anyway.. why not start early?
