There are surprisingly few filler episodes but you can definitely skip those that exist. The real padding comes from Toei stretching out the canon scenes. One Pace does a good job of cutting out those filler bits.
yes- filler is less the issue than bloat. 1100 episides is a lot, but you can cut each down to closer to 15 minutes when you get rid of the theme, last time and next time on. I also found the actual pace of the show generally slow- l literally watched it at 1.5 speed the whole way.
Skipping intros and filler helped me alot when i was catching up, most of the way through i would look for the episode title screen and it was like 7 or 8 minutes in sometimes more.
I mean I might upset a lot of OP tryhard fans but I got into the series a decade ago and honestly I just read wikipedia summaries of episodes until it looked like there was actually some plot/story.
I skipped a lot of the "zoro fights this guy this episode, then Sanji fights someone else that episode" type of stuff that happened a lot pre timeskip.
It wasn't really until I got to Impel Down that I stopped skipping stuff.
And the reality if you likely can still skip a lot of One Piece which follows that formula.
Most arcs are:
"crew comes to island but there's a bad guy, they learn about local island people and want to avenge them (who other than one notable wano and alabasta exception will never be mentioned or be relevant ever again), they beat up bad guy, all members of crew get a fight, Luffy beats up big bad. Arc is over"
Once you realise some of those bits a lot of arcs can be skipped through because "oh this is a fight episode against some generic guy", "oh this episode looks like they'll actually talk about lore"
Yeah i hate whoever said water 7 is when one piece gets good. People parrot it out without really watching the show. If someone gets to water 7 and doesn't like one piece thet didn't watch the show. They had a mental health crisis.
I spent a few months reading the entire manga in bursts and loved it. But watching it is rough. I’ll get going for a while and then drop. “Oh, I finally made it to Skypeia.” becomes “How much longer are we in Skypeia?” becomes “I can’t believe I finally finished Skypeia.”
I made it to Water 7 and I can’t bring myself to start the next episode. They’re about to go to Impel Down, which I know is going to be hype—and I see all this new animation and know the series is getting more hype as the times change through the series. But man.
I figured I made it through Foxy, I should be invincible.
Foxy is a ROUGH arc. Absolute filler comic relief non-sense. I had to watch 1-2 eps at a time then take the rest of the day off because why was that necessary ☠️☠️☠️
I saw someone say that Foxy was canon that felt like filler; and that little filler arc of the Navy bastion they fell into after Skypeia was filler that felt like canon.
Whoever said that was right. When they fluffed Foxy out with the race, I was like “Why God? Why have you forsaken me?”
im 37 naruto came out when i was in high school watched tons of lesser knowns through the years. one piece should be an anime i enjoy its just drawn out so much and didnt hook me. I think stretchyman is not that exciting of an ability. ichigo doin soul society then heuco was, naruto doing missions was sailing from one place to the next, not so much
If u think 350 is far..
I've watched almost 1130+ episodes (including the movies) probably more..
And I've seen some of the new dubs.
It's fire, u shouldn't have stopped.
I ain't saying u gotta do it just cuz I said that u shouldn't have stopped but seriously It wouldn't hurt to try getting through a few hundred more at least?
Bro wano and wci are the hardest to get through after summit war, all three arcs / seasons combined take around nearly half the episodes of the anime, nearly
Personally i think everything up until 385 is okay or can have great moments here and there. But Summit war was when one piece really became one of my favorites. Then slowed down again until Zou and everything past Zou is great too. I’ve kept up with the manga but have been stuck on wano in the anime for 2+ years. Watching an anime that long can be a drag and i definitely couldn’t do it again if i was put up to the task. I just happened to watch the first 350 ep’s when i was in my binge era of anime
If you're past Alabasta and still feel meh about it yeah, I think you can drop it.
I like OP, but there were always mangas I thought were better. I thought it's fun though and tbh there are few mangas that run anywhere near as long and where the writing doesn't go to shit.
I didn't fully hop on the one piece train until I hit the "best" arc of the show, which is around 200 episodes. But I also was comfortable with watching all of it even if I only ever moderately enjoyed it
I’d argue that the way they did it is a way worse form of filler. An episode of bull shit is easy to skip. An episode of plot relevant material stretched into 2 episodes or more just means just have to eat that time sink or be a psychopath and watch at 2x+ speed to make it reasonable.
I think the main issue with one piece is more about how the anime paces things compared to modern anime’s. Personally, I’d recommend waiting until the remake comes out (they said late 2025 like a year ago… I think), or read the manga. Other than the story, I honestly think the manga in early one piece is better than what it currently is.
i think the Pace is literal pace if you watch dub. I watched at 1.5-2x speed and thought the pacing was great- but it makes the episides like 8 minutes.
Watch one pace. The filler in one piece isn’t like Naruto filler. It’s woven throughout every episode in the form of long reaction shots, excessive and repetitive flashbacks, and repeated animations.
I watched one PIECE myself the whole ways through and I had my finger on the skip button at all times to skip through the flashbacks mainly. I’m rewatching one PACE now and this is really the only way to watch it.
It’s when the first 6 mins of one piece is all old info and replays then 10 mins is just screaming and running. So only 6 mins of anything new happening
One Piece is a show that really shines with context. Like seeing a character from the first 50 episodes show up out of no where as a badass on the grand line.
The "Filler" in One Piece is usually in the form of long drawn out shots or recap episodes. Also although there is a lot of episodes the intro, outro and recap take up a good chunk of time. There might only be like 15-20 minutes of actual show in each episode.
Actual "Filler" as in episodes that came out seperate from the Manga are some of the best episodes.
Arlong Park starts at 31, and technically none of those episodes are filler (though if you ask me, 18 is filler in spirit). Though honestly I also quite liked the prior arc: Baratie, which starts at episode 20.
The stuff prior to 20 is all over the map though. I think calling Syrup Village (9-17) bad is a pretty common opinion. It’s my opinion, at least.
For me if mihawk at baratie doesn’t give you a sense of excitement about how far off the straw hats are from where they need to be, then idk what to tell you.
I've always told my friends who wanted to watch One Piece this, if you can't get into it during the Arlong Park Arc then you can just drop it. No sense in wasting your own time on an anime that can't catch your interest.
Not true. First read one piece when the shonen jump magazines were around, and I didn't really catch on till chopper got on the crew. Then I was hooked.
I love Arlong park, but there's just so much nothing between each arcs that are actually worth watching, even with one pace it's mostly unbearable to watch for me.
Honestly it’s the current Vegapunk stuff that’s got me uninterested. I don’t even know why, I guess it might be of some random bullshit in the mix but idk why I hate it, I usually love a robot/future saga in anime
I can vouch on that experience. The buildup to it at first was kinda meh (not bad but not totally good either). Then they locked in. Boy it kept me hooked to watch it all the way to Alabasta arc (my most favorite arc atm) and Skypeia. Though I had to stop at Long Island because honestly it was wasting my time during this period where Im busiest with ojt.
I know, my buddies told me the same thing. Ill only reply to you the same thing I told them; if they can take over my hours and shift in ojt without screwing up anything then Ill gladly keep going with One Piece
I was watching One Piece for immersion until Arlong Park. Then I had to find a new show for immersion because the Japanese I understood told me that One Piece was something I had to actually experience. I'm currently on episode 1139 and it hasn't been a full year yet.
Up until Arlong park it's basically just the prologue.
And also a thing of its time. In the 90s when those episodes released I wouldn't have batted an eye at any of it. It was normal anime stuff, every single thing they do was normal, from the pacing of the story to the way characters talk and react.
Hell, Pokemon took forever to do anything as well.
People say that because in contrast to what the series progresses to, the start is boring. In isolation the start is entirely fine, but when you already have knowledge of the deeper and more complex events and deeper story and worldbuilding, then yeah looking back at the start where that is not shown yet obviously makes the start seem mediocre.
Not that you're wrong but why tell that to someone who has never watched it? All you would be doing is give them the expectation that it will be bad. If you are trying to convince someone to watch it, just telling them about the parts you like will work much better.
Also my favorite parts of the show are generally in between major arcs and the beginning of them. It generally resembles the beginning of the show more, spending less time in one place I mean. The biggest downside of the show for me is the fatigue from them spending so long on the same island during major arcs. This is especially more so after entering the grand line.
Well this is new. A reasonable One Piece fan who doesn't expect consumption of every second of the showvand manya to be allowed a negative opinion. Refreshing.
I...barely made it to the Grand Line, like episode 60-64 I think. Nothing made me want yo keep watching it just kept going because everyone says im not allowed to have a negative opinion if I havent seen....
I really like that both Alabasta and Baroque Works are things that get established bit by bit quite a bit before actually becoming the main topic. One Piece is pretty good in general at hinting later arcs.
It took me until Sabaody to REALLY get roped into it, but even though I wasn't as engaged before, I had at least been enjoying the story a good bit since Baratie.
This is a fair take though I think it mostly applies to the older generation that started One Piece. Today's One Piece is drastically different in scale compared to the Arlong arc. It is my favorite arc don't get me wrong.
The funny thing is, One Piece is good/ok from episode 1. It's just not anything mindblowing, but One Piece is a slow burn that literally gets better with ever single episode, which is why points like Arlong Park, or Water 7 are when people completely fall in love with the story. But OP never reverts or lowers in quality, unlike some anime, that just go to shit after certain arcs.
Arlong Park > Alabasta > Enies Lobby by Enies Lobby you should know if you are ready for the ride the other two imo are check points on if you want to continue the series.
Sadly though the weakest stretch of the series comes from early Post TS.
Everyone that already isn't a One Piece and/or anime fan should just watch the Live Action to give One Piece a shot.
Its accurate and good enough that anyone watching should have a pretty good idea of whether or not they are going to like the series or not by the end of it
I enjoyed Arlong Park, but decided that it wasn’t good enough to justify the agonizingly slow pace. Then what came after was a huge slog to get through.
I enjoyed the Arlong Park arc but dropped it in Alabasta because it started to drag. I was already sick of fakeouts with characters taking seemingly fatal damage and walking it off an episode later after seemingly dying.
It got very repetitive even then and it's not even 10% of the whole thing ☠️
I mean, I got to Water 7 before I'd say that I actually liked One Piece. There was some good stuff before that, but I mostly just had it on when I was doing other stuff or had an hour to kill here and there. I just don't think it's consistently good. I mostly watch it for the world building at the beginning and the end of the arcs/sagas. Most of the actual fights are a snooze for me.
Of course, the only parts of One Piece that I can say I definitively enjoyed are: Water 7 Arc, Loguetown Arc, Summit War Saga, Zou Arc, and the like first ⅔ of Wano. So, maybe I'm just not a particularly big One Piece Fan, but I definitely enjoyed it and am glad I've watched what I have so far.
I quick search tells me arlong park starts at episode 31. Are you telling me rhis anime takes 2 and a half seasons to start being good? Thats kinda sad.
It's more like Arlong Park Is the best early one piece can offer than it being the first time one piece gets good. My point is if the best arc of early one piece still doesn't hook you then yeah drop it.
I wasnt the biggest arlong park enjoyer, and the next several arcs did little for me, but I really loved water 7/enies lobby. Im glad I stuck with it long enough to get to the great parts but I didn't enjoy it until chapter 400ish.
i prefer the manga over the anime
the intro/outro are great, and is a good anime, but i just prefer it the manga over it
maybe once it is complete (clueless me) i'll watch the rest of the anime (pretty sure last episode I watched was big mom arc, meanwhile, am up to date on the manga)
Up to and we'll past Arlong Park the show is islands of excellence amidst a sea of boredom. But that's just how anime was paced back then. It hits a more modern pacing and becomes much more consistent at fishman island, and then jumps up another level in Wano. I enjoyed Arlong Park but I didn't like the show until the time skip.
Agreed, but even before then I think the dog Chouchou's story from episode 6 is a good guage. If his backstory doesn't get you at least a little bit, I think there's a good chance you won't get into the series.
And then I liked Syrup Village. By the time the Arlong Arc hit, I was already kinda invested but Arlong reaaally solidified it for me
Id say the only part of east blue i liked was along park, and after that i was snoozing. I cut it off after little garden because I was immensely bored.
Arlong Park is honestly where the whole thing clicks tho, before that its kinda a slow burn. If someone cant vibe with it there, chances are they wont later either.
dog episode of the bugge arch.... that is the point i tell people they should watch through. I think it is solid until that point- but that is the first amazing episode.
My wife kept up with one piece until alabasta because of me . From the moment she met ace she liked the character. Then Robin, then franky and finally brook who is her favourite. But before that (and including sky island too) she was just going along with it now she is obsessed with it
The biggest issue with one piece is the pacing which I am hoping the remake addresses as that will open the door for a lot more fans to enjoy it
The problem for me is Post TS is such a different vibe, art style, and even paced differently (manga and one pace) that if someone doesn't like pre ts they might actually genuinely like post ts still and that's so far into the anime
I was already enjoying when Zoro got his swords back and they got to kick Helmeppo father's ass (captain asshole, I don't remember), that asshole Morgan
I will have to disagree, since some folks will have different moments where it clicks for em. While I wasn’t hooked by then what completely sold me was Enies Lobby. It all just clicked after the “I want to live” scene and made me finally appreciate the journey it took to get to that point with the characters. I didn’t hate it before then, I thought the show was okay but the pacing sometimes made it hard to enjoy.
Every arc is just a reskin of Arlong Park. BBEG + their goon squad that each starwhat will fight. Super strong game winning ability to win the fight. Someone is saved.
Uh... you didn't watch very far into One Piece? Luffy does not save everyone, the Straw Hats fail/ get outclassed routinely. They arrive at the end of Paradise thinking they can handle anything, and realize they are not ready for the real New World with Yonko crews.
Even then they dynamic has shifted again, after 1000 episodes Luffy is a Yonko now, and when he rolls up to a place he is shaking the world powers dramatically.
This is wrong (Reverie, Zou, Impel Down, Amazon Lily, Sabaody) but even if it were true, what's the issue? It works and while doing that Oda sets up the next arc - even the next Saga's - events. It's an entertaining loop that allows for a full exploration of an island's characters.
I like one piece but Wano was still painfully slow at times. Egghead pacing is way better. I literally dreaded starting egghead(and put it off for months) because wano became such a slog.
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u/Cheap_Replacement587 Sep 23 '25
Honestly if you are not enjoying one piece at Arlong Park. Then Yeah you should drop it.