A Guide Through One Piece Arcs

One Piece is a manga and anime series that has taken its viewers on an unimaginable journey with Monkey D. Luffy and his pirate crew. Created by the one and only Eiichiro Oda, it’s a well-known series with over 1,000 episodes. Within that, there is a multitude of story arcs to One Piece, with each different adventure, conflict, and new character introductions. Understanding all the arcs in One Piece isn’t an easy piece of cake, especially for newbies or longtime followers, as there are so many arcs included in One Piece. This guide will outline both major and filler arcs so you understand which arcs are essential in the story and which ones you could skip if you were running out of time.

What are One Piece Arcs?

One Piece primarily consists of arcs of episodes focused on some kind of adventure or storyline. Each arc follows Luffy and his crew as they get to explore new islands, meet interesting characters, and often find themselves in epic battles. These arcs fall under different categories: main arcs, which drive the core plot forward, and filler arcs, created for the anime without inclusion in the storyline of the manga.

Main One Piece Arcs

East Blue Saga

• Episodes: 1-61
• This arc will introduce us to Luffy and some of the early crewmates, such as Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Sanji. Notable arcs include “Romance Dawn,” where Luffy sets off to be a pirate, and the “Arlong Park” arc, where he faces off against a very strong fish-man.

Alabasta Saga

• Episodes: 62-135
• This is where the crew faces off against the powerful organization known as Baroque Works. The main highlight here, of course, is the Alabasta Arc, in which they help Princess Vivi save her kingdom.

Sky Island Saga

• Episodes: 136-206
• The Straw Hats travel to the sky and find the god-like villain, Enel. The “Skypiea” arc is fully packed with mysteries, ancient civilizations, and epic battles.

Water 7 Saga

• Episodes: 207-325
• This saga is known for its emotional storyline and great battles. For good reason, the “Water 7” and “Enies Lobby” arcs are a couple of the most loved arcs in the series, and this is because here their crew saves their friend Robin and stands up against the government agency CP9.

Marineford Saga

• Episodes: 385-516
• The Marineford Arc is one of the most famous arcs in One Piece. Here, Luffy enters the terrible war at Marineford to save his brother, Ace. During the time of this saga, a lot of secrets about the world and some magical powers are revealed in One Piece.

Dressrosa Saga

• Episodes: 579-746
• The Luffy-Doflamingo battle shall reach the Dressrosa Mainland, and his crew is standing against the villainous Doflamingo. This arc reveals critical characters and alliances that will go on to have great implications for the story moving forward.

Arc Wano Country

• Episodes: 892-Current
• Wano is one of the arcs that has lasted so much and visually left many fans speechless with the samurai, ninja, and powerful enemies of the Kaido crew. This saga is still not over inside the anime and surely keeps all the fans in the loop.

Filler Arcs in One Piece

One Piece fillers have been created to allow the manga a slight lead over the anime. Such arcs have nothing much to tell about the main storyline but show entertaining sideline adventures and new characters. Some notable One Piece filler arcs include the following:

Arc of Warship Island

• Episodes: 54-61
• The first filler arc, where the crew helps out a little girl and goes up against a Marine captain. Not part of the overall storyline, but it’s a nice, self-contained adventure nonetheless.

Arc of Ruluka Island

• Episodes: 139-143
• This filler arc basically deals with the crew helping to free a town from its cruel leader on Ruluka Island. It does nothing for the overall story, but it’s good for just a break before the Skypiea saga.

G-8 Arc

• Episodes: 196-206
• G-8 is actually one of the best One Piece filler arcs; this story revolves around the Straw Hats trying to escape from a Marine base. In truth, this is actually a favorite among fans, for it contains humor and the creativeness of the storyline.

Silver Mine Arc

• Episodes: 747-750
• This arc connects the events of the “Dressrosa” and “Zou” sagas, as Luffy and Bartholomew get captured by treasure hunters to some fun interactions and battles.

Marine Rookie Arc

• Episodes: 780-782
• Out of supplies, the crew invades a Marine base. This short arc has action and humor but does nothing to the main storyline. 

Understanding One Piece Filler Episodes

One Piece episodes do not appear very much, but they always seem to come together in their filler arcs. These could easily be skipped if one wanted to see only the main storyline. However, the filler arcs do have their fun moments that fans appreciate for its humor and unique character moments. If you’re first viewing One Piece, filler episodes break up the extreme intensity in which main story arcs are delivered. You will save time, excluding reaching the current storyline, and you will not miss any important plots by skipping all the One Piece filler arcs.

Why are filler episodes created? 

Fillers are a necessity for long-running series, much like One Piece, in order not to catch up with the anime. Usually, anime episodes are produced much quicker compared to manga chapters, so episodes of fillers buy time for the manga to go farther ahead. In One Piece, these arcs of fillers tend to show different settings and side stories, adding variance to it. 

Should you watch all One Piece Arcs? 

While some people love to watch every arc, others may want to skip One Piece filler episodes. Major arcs in the anime introduce main characters and events that move along the story of One Piece, while filler arcs provide more casual and light-hearted adventures that are not crucial to the storyline. 

Final Thoughts 

With so many episodes, some might find it tough to keep track of the different One Piece arcs, be they main or filler episodes. But each one of the story arcs adds to the richness of the One Piece world in a different way.