One Piece is now 26 years old. The manga by Eiichirō Oda, considered the most followed in history and soon to receive a live action on Netflix, began publication on July 22, 1997 in Japan’s Shōnen Jump magazine. Since then, it has only grown and grown to make world records of all kinds. And it has done so in all kinds of media: from manga to anime to movies and, very soon, also in live action.
But what is so special about this manga, why is it so successful all over the world and why does it never go out of fashion even though it has been published for almost three decades? Here, to understand these reasons and as a tribute, we leave you with some of the most emblematic moments of the manga that have made One Piece so popular.
5. Farewell to Going Merry
It may only be a ship… but in a pirate world it is everything. When the protagonist crew must say goodbye to their original ship to make way for the Thousand Sunny, everyone’s tears fill the screen and, for the first time, the voice of the ship itself materializes. Her words, “I’m sorry, I wish I could have taken you further,” are among the most tearful of the entire series.
04. “I want to live!” Robin’s return
Another great moment among the Mugiwara is when Robin, who leaves the crew for dozens of chapters, returns in style when, being held in Enies Lobby, she shouts to her companions that she wants to live so Luffy can get her out of the dramatic situation she’s in. Of course, as soon as Luffy hears that everything else doesn’t matter: he knows she’s his nakama and he’d do anything for her.
03. The fight between Usopp and Luffy
A unique and deeply tearful moment is when Usopp reveals himself to Luffy in Water 7. Even though he knows he can’t do anything to defeat his captain and that he deeply respects him, he fights with everything because he can’t get used to the idea of separating from the Going Merry. One of the toughest fights on a sentimental level of all One Piece, and that made the shooter evolve deeply as a character.
02. The death of Portgas D. Ace
One of the most repeated criticisms of One Piece is that it kills too few of its characters. Normally, the villains that Luffy defeats are left alive and kicking… although deeply humiliated. But there is one death that marked the manga forever: that of Portgas D. Ace. Luffy’s brother died to save him in the Marineford War, and the captain of the Mugiwara wears a look of despair as never seen before. Undoubtedly, this moment marked a before and after in the series… and is the great motivation Luffy needed to keep going.
01. Nami’s redemption
Chapter 37 of the One Piece anime features one of the most iconic and defining moments of the series. In the middle of the Arlong Park arc, one of the best in East Blue, we see how Nami, whom we thought was a mysterious and confident woman, ends up falling to the ground dejectedly asking Luffy for help. The captain of the Going Merry was coming from a betrayal, so he could have refused to help her, but far from doing so he doesn’t take a second to tell her “of course I will!” and put everything in his power to save her. So iconic is this moment that Eiichiro Oda admitted to being thrilled at how it turned out in the live action. This gives us hope that the Netflix adaptation will live up to it.
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