Turns out I transferred some of the events from Enis Lobby to Water 7. Let's just all pretend both those arcs made it to "Masterpiece" and I have seven arcs on the top row.
Yeah, I agree that I do think Marineford is better, but I would say that Fishman Island is definitely deserving of a lot of praise. It explores racism really well, has characters that you can really relate to, gives more closure on Jimbei as a character as well as his beliefs/values and shows off the new powers of the Straw Hats really well. While I do agree that Hordy Jones was a bad villain in terms of motives and strength, I think what he represents about the dark side of fishmen's hatred for humans is done really well.
@@paulbracamonte2334 I found it all boring, if that was the best then perhaps I did miss something I found the fights way more entertaining the actual story , Fishman island is actually my least favorite arc
Knives out! :P Besides romance down, here even more oda shows his ideals and its great. And the very manly men chefs, are so emotional and really have that ideals to feed everyone. Because they starved. Especially zeff and sanji. Its his expression of respect for life. Maybe its because like romance down it has a thing about what is a man?! What is really important to uphold?! I gues she doesnt connect with that, wheen its great, understandibly.
I was thinking that Baratie is in Incredible category. I just love the restaurant, and Zeff and Sanjie character. I do love their introduction and backstory as well. I am so sad that it was put in Good category. Anyway, it's her own opinion. I will still think Baratie is in Incredible category
Her just getting excited when she remembers the small moments are such a "one piece fan" thing to do lmao! It just reminds me of myself and that projection of myself through Merphy is the best thing about these videos! Really Merphy, you have no idea how amazing you and this entire series are!! Keep it going and keep on rambling lol! Also 19:20 is the best Merphy out of context moment lmao!!
I've always argued that Water 7 and Enies Lobby are two acts of the same ark, not two separate arks. So I'll admit I chuckled a bit when Merphy talked about a scene from Enies Lobby when talking about Water 7 and a scene from Water 7 when talking about Enies Lobby.
I think it's more a matter of semantics tbh the arcs are usually separated because of the islands, so since wano acts are all still in the same island, it is treated as a single arc, while water 7 and enies lobby, despite still basically having the same relationship with each other as wano and onigashima, they're not part of the same island so yeah i'd say most people probably agree with you, it's not that weird to call onigashima it's own arc at this point, but since it's still contained within wano's act 3 it'll probably forever be treated as still part of wano lol
I always grouped them together when i talk about the best arc in one piece but if we devide them into 2 arcs : enies lubby is far better than water 7 (i don't like conflict moments between friends in any fiction i always want to just jump to the reconcelation )
@@ShiNijuuAKL Well of course but people group them together as one arc and leave long ring long land aside even tho it is part of the same saga because it is a direct continuation of the story there is no break of the plot until they escape enies lobby
In the anime drum island felt magical, it had such a great and different ost and a very different aura of ambient and I don't know why but the final scene of the sakura flowers made me cry like a baby this is when One Piece for me went from great to the greatest thing I've seen ead, literally nothing before that scene ever in my life had made me feel so many emotions at the same time.
Loguetown is also the arc where Zoro gets the cursed sword when he bets his arm, also it's the arc where they all put their foot in a barrel and announce their dreams, I love that arc.
@@sindri1447 yeh but they made that filler because oda wanted to reach the grand line on chapter 100, and didn’t have enough time to include daddy masterson
Loguetown is forever ruined to me because I watched the 4kids dub first. I see loguetown and I think .... No not again not the 80s montage music jingle. Cook it up. If you've heard it, you will instantly know what I'm talking about. I don't know who at 4kids was behind original music scores for the anime, but I'll give them credit they made impossible to forget songs. One Piece Rap should not be phrase and yet somehow it is.
@@sindri1447 This is the one time early in the series where the additional content made for the anime was actually intended in the manga, but Oda didn't have enough time to include it if he wanted to hit the grand line on chapter 100. This isn't actually filler.
Something interesting about Skypia as someone who was reading it weekly. It used to be on people’s worst arcs as it was coming out. Reading it weekly was one of the biggest slogs. BUT. You go back now and people usually place it pretty high up now. It’s an arc that paid off in dividends and aged like fine wine.
Sounds like the Chimera Ant arc. I was reading that arc while it was still going on and I thought it was one of the worst arcs ever. Now in it's completion and viewing it as a whole, it's one of the very best
Except for people getting struck by lightning and not dying, I didn't have any problem with Skypiea. I am usually bothered by the science(mechanics specifically) like say the snakeman stretching and still speeding up but the clouds and dial tech did not bother me in the slightest. I was in love with the series at that point and loved the world building and lore.
@@Jordie_42 on my god yes, chimera ant arc was so horrible to read week to week. The art being shit didn't help. Now the art is fixed and you don't have to wait so it's fine. I also believe the Fishman Island is much better than people give it credit due to this.
@@DarkG7X I remember when Gon lost the match against Knuckle and couldn't use Nen for a month I honestly thought Togashi was just fucking with the fans at that point making an artificial time gap where the story couldn't continue. I swear to god if I saw a goddamn Boat in the Chimera Arc weekly I'd have lost my mind. Now of gooddamn course they're on a boat in the next Arc and is been what 1100 days since the last chapter? What curse is placed on Manga that drawing a boat is where your series grinds to a halt? Is One Piece just stealing all the Boat manga energy? Is that the Monkeys paw curse for why One Piece is so good every otheranga from JoJo to Berserk to Hunter has a shit Boat hiatuses?
I actually started reading weekly just as it ended. I still felt it was quite slow. Wasn't too fond of the ordeals, and the flashback was kinda long when I just wanted to get back to the strawhats. Plus each chapter in water7 was so dense with information I'd literally feel like I got 2 chapters each week. (when compared to other manga I was reading at the time anyway)
Seeing your tier list and little predictions convinced me that Oda would have been a novelist if he was born anywhere else but japan, you have an understanding of him that few of the manga reading community has.
I wonder what One Piece would have been like as a novel, cause Oda many times says that the manga panelling is actually limiting and he needs to cut a lot of elements from an arc due to the limitations of a 20 page manga chapter. Like didn't he mention a lot of Marineford had to be cut to not take forever to draw? I wonder what it would be like if it was a novel where he had no restrictions and he could go all out.
@@mysteryman9488 It would be great but, we would miss the masterpiece of the world he created. Just watch the video "Breathtaking world of One Piece" or something like that and tell me that you would be able to imagine all of that beauty just reading a novel.
I re-read Syrup Village recently, and several things struck me: First, this arc introduces the theme of “The pirate’s son’s right to exist”, a theme that climaxes at Marineford. Clahador / Kuro repeatedly insults Usopp just because his father is a “dirty pirate”. (And his insults are partly self-inflicted.) Second, Usopp uses lies to maintain hope and joy, to get through dark seasons. When his father left and his mother became sick, he told his mother fantastical lies in an effort to keep her spirits up. When she died, he continued to lie to the village to keep his own spirits up, to continue forward and to fight his own crippling tendencies towards negativity. When he met Kaya, he saw both himself (she had lost her parents) and his mother (she was sick) in her, and immediately fell back into that emotional-caretaker role to help her keep her head above water, to help her out of despair. Third, I felt like Syrup Village was an amazing coming-of-age, as Usopp transitions from innocent childhood games to real-life responsibilities and consequences.
Love this description of it, I haven’t connected the “son of a pirate” thing until now… thats just incredible, the way Oda writes all kinds of characters and validates all of them is mainly why i love one piece and luffy’s character, as it is fully manifested in him as a person.
It only shows that while Oda at that point wasn't as good when it comes to storytelling he was already mature enough to establish the morals of this world. For example, whenever the ASL flashback was a retcon or not it still explains why Luffy was so invested in getting Nami beck from Arlong and Robin from CP9. That he would never leave anybody behind - a theme that was there years ago.
Good write up. Currently reading one piece right now and syrup village was probably my second favourite arc in east blue, was surprised to see so many people dislike it.
I started reading the Gentleman Bastards series because of your recomendation. I breezed through The lies of Locke Lamora and I couldn't have loved it more. Thanks Merphy.
Read it sometime ago, I think when she was still in Alabasta just cause I saw it sticking in the back. But damn what a banger. The whole trilogy is just so good especially book 2 since we are on the seas. Am now on Wheel of Time book 10 cause of Daniel, am eating good
I put the lies of locke lamora on my basket as well, after merphy reccomendation. Haven't checked it out yet, waiting for my new year bonus for books shopping spree. Glad to hear it was really enjoyable.
@@kingkraft5450 I also read them because of Murphy. Really liked the first book, it's amazing. I'm not going to say anything about the other two though 😆
The “I don’t see a wall moment” was actually in Enies Lobby, and the betrayal reveal was in Water 7! Also Robin’s backstory is in Enies Lobby which I think brings it up to masterpiece for me.
Those arc dissociated are an anime thing, in the manga water 7 and enies lobby are the same arc and it's still number 1 for me, maybe wano would get the second place
I love your tier list, it is such a One Piece fandom thing to say there are no bad arcs I laughed so hard when I saw Oda doest do bad arcs 😂. Really enjoy the way you talk about the characters and the story in general. Reminds me when my friends and I would just talk about OP for hours with such a passion. Thanks for your content
I love Merph, she's such a joy to watch. Listening to her gush about One Piece just makes me appreciate the series even more, and she catches so many details I miss.
6:30 as someone who has gone more than a day at a time without eating, Sanji’s drive to feed hungry folks is the single most relatable aspect of his character imo
The Logue in Logue Town is pronounced as it is in Prologue or Epilogue, where it got it's name from. "The Town of Beginnings and Ends". And yeah, that Arc is really great. It's where One Piece switches from just a (already very good) manga to an epic. Including putting forth the thesis it wants to explore (Rogers Quote about "Inherited Will, a Man's Dream, and The Flow of Time" we see when Dragon is first shown at the start of chapter 100) with everything that will follow. Also same on Skypia winning me over for good. Alabaster felt so grant that at the time Crocodile felt like a series final boss, and I was like "Okay, what next? What can come after this?". But then Oda proofed with Skypia that he has by far not run out of ideas. (And still hasn't to this day. But Skypia was when I first got that this was more than just another shounen manga) And yeah, calling Nami, Chopper and Usopp the "Weak Ones" is totally fine, because it's basically a quote from them X3
@@Destrark151 "Rogue Town" is more similar to the Zoro/Zolo thing, it's a name they kept because it was translated that way for years beforehand. Raftel/ Laugh Tale is different, Oda didn't directly spell out it as "Laugh Tale" until years after it was first mentioned.
I always loved that about the name. It’s the setting for the prologue and epilogue of both Roger’s life and the East Blue saga (and possibly the series if the ending scene takes place there).
@@johnredden4867 Yeah, I feel like Oda might give us an epilogue there where Luffy passes on the strawhat to some kid that will be part of the next generation. Epilogue rather than final chapter because I have a hard time picturing Luffys final appearance in the main story being without his iconic strawhat. My guess is we'll get some double page of the entire crew setting sail to another adventure for the final panel, and then a sort of epilogue set some years later, probably in Logue Town.
@@Destrark151 I'm not sure if I read it anywhere as officially confirmed, but Oda likes to hide meaning in names (and pretty much everything else X3), and Rogue Town would kinda imply it to be a sort of criminal haven, I'd say, like Mock Town was? The Marine presence seems too big there for that to be the case, though. But the town does have the title of "The Town of Beginnings and Ends", so the Pro-/Epilogue part seems a lot more likely.
To me the sanji gimmick of never ever letting anyone, even scumbags, Go hungry is excelent to show his natural empaty and kindness, the main element of his character that not only define him but Also make the diference betwen his brothers more aparent.
The way I see it is One Piece is a series where there hyperbolic representations of certain ideals and Sanji's willingness to feed anybody is another example of that. Sure, logically when you think about it it doesn't make sense but from an over the top emotional type perspective it is the embodiment of Sanji's "gentlmenly" ideals and moral code as a chef.
I heard someone talk about the uniqueness of Sanji’s character once. They talked about how his goal isn’t to become anything or to change in fact it’s the opposite. Sanjis character is all about sticking to his personal convictions whether they are right or wrong. That’s just the kind of man he is. Whether it’s about only using kicks, feeding all hungry people, or never hurting a woman Sanji must always overcome the situation without breaking his convictions
Finally someone who is truly with me in Fishman Island love! Im sure everything from Dressrosa and on will go higher and higher the more you read, counting rereads. They are very dense, but they do give One Piece a very complex and deep level story and world wise. They also manage characters perfectly! Hopefully you reread soon enough and fall in love with Dressrosa and WholeCake too!
It honestly hurt me how low dressrosa was. It's in my top 3 favorite arcs and odd shows how much it can make you dislike doflamingo but at the same time he's my favorite antagonist. I remember reading it week by week and it felt slow but on reread it changed my mind.
Oof, I'm a Fishman Island stan too but above marineford?! I couldn't do it. And Whole Cake is the best Arc in the series, seeing it not be ranked at least 'Incredible' hurts. Love Big Mam and Katakuri
@@epicpizzamastr4686 really? I enjoyed the WCI in the anime more than the manga. All those musicials, Big Mons introducing, Luffy vs. Katakuri (especially the Snakeman episode). Even outside the animation, I really enjoyed seeing all the vivid colors Of course, the manga pacing is better, but the other positives made it up for me. Coming off of Dressrosa, the pacing felt better so that made the pacing more tolerable
@@juccidrugs3405 strangely, I liked dressrosa more than WCI. Maybe it's bc i was waiting weekly for WCI so watching a 23 episode fight was a bit too much for me. Dressrosa I could just get through really quick bc it was already out by the time I watched. Either way, both could definitely see some major pacing adjustments imo
@@epicpizzamastr4686 I had the same situation as you. The pacing didn't bother me in Dressrosa because I could watch it in bulk. The pacing in WCI did bother me and made me switch over to the manga. I guess since I was reading it and knew how it was going to play out, the bad pacing didn't annoy me as much But yeah, both could use a pacing fix
Fun fact: Dr Vegapunk was for the first time mentioned by Koby in chapter 433 and has not yet been established. But his first influence in the story was with the dog cannon Lassoo in chapter 160.
@@kevinrafaelriverabueso1419 with lassoo they mentioned that 'people' on the grand line figured out how to feed devil fruits to objects. But they didnt mention vegapunk by name no.
@@tiem6260 they didn't no. But it's later revealed that it's only possible because of Vegapunks experiments with devil fruits. Hence, Lassoo is his first influence seen in the story.
Honestly just hearing you talk about each arc and fight about their placement with yourself was more fun then where you ended up putting them anyway. And notice how the "Oda doesn't do bad arcs" tier was empty😉Cause it's true! Loved your Fishman Island take though. It's a masterpiece indeed!
The thing oda does well unlike other mangakas is that when something is taken from luffy e.g. ace or crew, he completely broke down and is more or less as vulnerable as a baby in these states. Other animangas tend to let their protagonists to go berserk bloodlust mode after a close friend or relative is lost, which somewhat denies the impact of the loss of the life which was just taken. These scenes by oda are extremely impactful and dont take away from the plot of the story. I love oda.
I feel like a lot of people dislike Fishman island because of the powerscaling. They wanted Hordy to be a next level threat and that wasn’t the point. Unfortunately a lot of people only care about the fights for an arc ranking. Even the worst part, Sanji’s nosebleeds, tied back into Fisher Tiger’s story.
A lot of people also forget Fish-Man Island isn't in the New World, Hody isn't supposed to be a New World level villain. (A place where even fodder knows basic haki.)
@Keagan Miller in Fisher Tigers backstory, he ended up dying because of his hatred of humans. He could've easily gotten a blood transfusion in order to live, but the only ones near him who had the same blood type were humans, so he chose to die rather than live with "human blood". Sanjis nosebleeds were the introduction to this concept, as when his nosebleeds were at its worst, he needed a blood transfusion, but no Fishman would share blood with him. Then, the blood storyline made a full circle when Jinbe offered a blood transfusion to luffy at the end of the arc
Fishman Island is just fine or good to me as someone who doesn't care about the power scaling. I never had a problem that Hody was easy to beat but besides the flashback the arc feels clumsy. Rewatching it rn, the villains and side characters (besides the king and Shirahoshi) really fall flat for me with their gags and gimmicks. Still a great take on racism though
Looking forward to a longer analysis. I can't wait for you to be caught up but I'm also not ready for Merphy to be caught up. The excitement and anxiety of being a weekly reader and sifting through theories is something, I guess. Looking forward to the tier list! So far we are 128 chapters deep in wano. Edit: Take your time with Wano.
I love your take on Skypea. People just want to skip it but I feel like they don't understand the significance of that arc. Noland's execution was one of the most tragic things I experienced watching One Piece. The heart wrenching contrast between Noland and Roger is what really got to me. They were very similar people, both had the power to hear those voices of the world. But Noland died being branded a liar while Roger to this day holds the title of the king of the pirates. Noland died crying. I can't man, that was so heartbreaking. I started One Piece in 2015 cuz at the time I had a massive crush on this girl and she loved One Piece. I was a huge Narutard at the time and thought there can't be a better story than Naruto so I just watched it cuz, know, simping lol. Skypea was the arc in which I had that canon event moment where I was like, well shit, I guess I like One Piece better.
You were totally right about Fishman Island. Your take on Hody Jones was spot on. It was so great to have someone see it to! Plus even further analysis, yes!
I personally always look at Water 7, Enies Lobby and Post Enies Lobby as one arc, because I don't think they make sense from a story structure perspective as three individual arcs, and for me personally they are easily the best arcs in One Piece, I love the series and genuinely think there is not a single arc that's actually bad, and yet nothing even comes close to the Water 7 Trilogy, I'd be amazed if Oda ever tops it (at least for me)
100%. There is a difference for me that I caught up while impel down / marine Ford was going on, so after that it wasn't binge reading or re-reading anymore, but weekly, ao how the experience flows is truly different. But I don't think I'll ever cry as hard as I did with Robin I want to live and the Going Merry Go goodbye. I remember those moments very vividly, I was crying uncontrollably as a 14-15 year old. It was truly masterful and special. My favorite arcs after that would be Arlong Park and Alabasta, and while I really really love current one piece those 3 arcs are something else. Maybe re-reading I'll put dressrosa up there too, but it's hard to get there with water 7
Totally agree. I think Oda is trying to top it with Wano Arc (Japan culture, the amazing flashback, new reveals and hints, number of chapters) but all of that means nothing as the arc is missing the legendary Sogeking :)
@@Abdullah_92 For me (in all seriousness) I think it really comes down to the fact that the water 7... trilogy? is the only set of arcs in One Piece that are about THE CREW, every other arc/saga is about a friend of the crew, or a group the crew befriends, or just one specific member of the crew, but it's never about the crew as a whole, the crew is almost always a third party that gets themselves involved in an already existing conflict, but in Water 7 the conflict is literally about them, and their relationships, which is why I feel so much more invested in every character and every fight and every moment.
I love how Merphy put Fishman Island on the top tier, I like how Hody represents strong and dark haterate than Strong physical dominance. I am a fan of fights and yet this arc shows that there is more than beating the villain.
People act like Hody is such a lackluster villain when he's easily better than most villains pre-time skip. Enel, Kuro, Don Krieg, Wapol, even Arlong (before his full story) what is their motive? All of them felt empty against Hody's "nothing". Such an excellent theme.
@@OsSas3 I think the majority of the ppl disregards FMI so quickly because of the antagonists being so weak and therefore no real stakes being there...
i agree with your issues on skypia, but I personally believe the payoff with the bell ringing is unmatched in terms of final blows in one piece so far.
She's not wrong about the lightening attacks not being as effective as they should. Skypieans fear the very thought of being El Thored but if everyone can survive it and shake it off after an afternoon of rest then it's not much to fear. But that being said, Enel is one of my favourite antagonists because he is so absurdly arrogant, intelligent, powerful has a wicked character design. He elevated the arc for me. Skypiea arc is in my top 5 OP arcs but I do I understand why people may have issues with it. I like it for the worldbuilding, the flashback, the character moments, the poneglyph scenes, the bell ringing and the enel face.
I've been watching a fan of this series for 3/4 of my current life and am subscribed to many One Piece focused channels, but I love your love of One Piece and how you convey it hits on a level that just makes me feel like a proud dad/big brother (ignoring that you're a few years older than me). Always stay Merphy
I'm lobbying for one of my favourite arcs lol. Skypeia is a masterpiece thats more than just Enel, it's: inherited will, the Noland & Kalgara flashback, the struggle for the Golden bell, the struggle to end 400 years of war, Ancient History lore, Robin's adventure, the embodiment of romance - a grand adventure, and a ton of great SH interactions & the development of existing dynamics (e.g. continuation of luffy showing Nami the type of pirate that he is, which started in orange town and was emphasised during Jaya). There's so many threads connected to future arcs, including Wano. Its truly staggering when you consider everything that it covers. Even the centre confict of the story, the Ds vs the Gods of the world. Wiith the icing on the cake being the musical themed chapter titles, showing the escalation of the story, peaking with the chpt 300 "symphonia" - where luffy's party heals the scars of war & brings the different tribes together. Anyway, that was a interesting list, not that controversial. I'm totally with you on Fish-man Island & Thriller Bark.
Take your time Merph! I'm always happy to see your videos, and the longer we have them the better! It's almost sad to know you're already in Wano so you can't experience the series for the first time again
Marineford is masterful. iIt's the ultimate showing of what a long form narrative can achieve and can only pay off so impactfully BECAUSE it takes so much time to built up to it
If u haven't watched that scene of rain at arabasta while vivi shouting in anime yet, it is a must. That is the spot when viewers were screaming with her but no one was listening. U can feel her despair in u like u are there. That is truly a cinematic masterpiece Also friendly advice: DO NOT bother about powerscaling at all. Those who care and fight about it have no real appreciation for OP story. They are stuck with biggest baddest fights with no context. Also the powerscaling goes incredibly insane where totally impossible characters get compared and for odd qualities too. Most superficial way of enjoying such a masterpiece
That's because most of the new anime fans are still in their battle anime hype so they take one piece for a battle shounen rather than an emotional jumble of an adventure
I've seen someone who only watches the episodes with fights in them and I'm like "Sir, One Piece is not about the fights, it's about the meaning behind them."
Man, I've watched a lot of OP reviews and reactions, but yours not only got me to re-experience the story all over again, you also got me to fully appreciate the parts I didn't get to give a fair shot before. I admire your literary acumen and I can't wait for the rest of the reviews 💙
Skypiea is my favorite arc because no other arc embodied the adventurous spirit of One Piece the way it did. And I personally think it has one of the best pay offs to a set up when they discovered the truth about upper yard and how it went to the sky and later on when Luffy rang the bell to clear Norland's name. It's also the arc I have the most fun with because it has the perfect blend of humour and adventure.
I'm one of those minorities who has always loved Sky island. Frickin 17 years ago when I read it the first time, or when I first saw it in the anime, when I binged the Sky Island arc in the anime again 5 years ago, and when I reread the digitally colored manga 2 years ago. It's just one of my favorites. I love Enel. He is the best. But I agree. Someone should have died when hit by an island busting lightning attack
It truly does. It's the only arc that managed to truly embrace its themes, and served as set up for many plot points in the future without dragging the story down with exposition.
Ok, so I've been following OP for like 15 years now, and just now by looking at those arc names and hearing Merphy saying them I realized that Jaya is a way to pronounce Gaia (earth) which is under SKYpia. Sometimes I am really slow
I'm glad to see someone else appreciate Water Seven as it's own arc. It's my personal favorite in the series. The setting, conflict with the franky family, the shipwright's betrayal, the unmatched aesthetics of when Aqua Laguna is close, Franky's flashback, it's all just so perfect :)))
I agree with you on Fishman Island and your views on it. A lot of people think its weak because it had a weak antagonist but this arc is more of the ideals that literally compose the core ideas of the series all condensed into a single masterful arc.
Loguetown is a pun more than likely, L and R are the same in Japanese, so it can be Roguetown (town of rogues) and even more likely town of Logue's (perhaps like a pro-logue, and an epi-logue?).
I always consider water 7,enies lobby and post enies as three acts of one massive arc.Also believe Drum Island is a masterpiece with Dr Hiriluk's "When does a man dies" speech.
I actually generally agree with this list. The only changes I would make are moving Enies Lobby to alongside Water 7 as those arcs bounce off too much from one another to seperate them, moving Fishman Island to at least incredible as while I think its really good, it isn't perfect and finally, I would move Skypiea to incredible due to what it sets up for the future and how it develops the straw hats. It does things like introduce Haki through it being called Mantra, the fighting styles of the Priests and Chandorians through the different tone dials was really cool and unique for the location, the newer crew members Chopper and Robin get much needed spotlight in this arc, the history of Skypiea was fantastically done and it was overall just a beautiful location.
Video after Video, Merphy's transformation into a One Piece RUclips that occasionally reviews other books is slowly finished. Soon it won't be long before she posts her own crazy theory of what the One Piece is
I agree with your list for the most part except for Enies Lobby which to me is a masterpiece (and my favourite arc). The I want to live moment is my favourite moment in the whole series, that alone would make this my favourite arc, but then you have stuff like Gear 2's revelation, Sogeking saving the day and making impossible shots from the tower, Sanji's "I'm the hunter" appearance, the "Jump to the sea!" shout, Chopper choosing to become a monster to save them, Robin not letting Luffy thank her for saving him because she just wants to thank them all what they've done, Sanji's escape plan, the fight between Zoro and Kaku, the "we're not dead yet" moment with Usopp, and if that wasn't enough, the Merry's funeral at the very end. To me no other arc has gotten even close to how good the Water 7 saga was, and this series has never been as good as it was in Enies Lobby.
I agree with this to the most part, Enies was definitely one of the more climatic archs in one piece, the character flaws and them being overcome is just too gold. Like I hated franky, personally until Enies and it went completely 180, during water 7 I told my self there was no way I would ever like franky like outright and then Enies lobby and I was like, “franky save her! Franky save her!” No show has ever made me hate a character so much and then turn that hate into love. Like the whole arch was so poetic, usopp even got the giants to help and the sea kings (i believe they were) were even willing to sacrifice themselves to save franky. Franky destroyed legendary invaluable blueprints so the government couldn’t have them, zero went into his 9 sword style for the first time which was just iconic. They literally did the impossible and at the same time also being their biggest feat. Like chopper turning into a monster in desperation knowing the risk is honestly the highlight fight for me (I don’t care too much for fights but character development and story). But tbh I didn’t like the giraffe guy as a character.
Whole Cake island does a perfect crime/noir for a manga for me, I just adore this arc. Also I completely agree with Fishman Island it Oda's storytelling at his finest
Im currently reading the act 3 of wano and like damn. It is going to be the best arc of one piece. Hands down amazing. So many elements I did not care for in one piece like fights, henchemen, the worst generation, zoan users, momonosuke. Why are they all soo good all of a sudden?? Like I'm convinced oda has a higher seeling of potential still, it just keeps getting better and better. The drawings, the panneling, the charecters, the jokes. I cant belive how stunned I am. Its so good
It's very refreshing to see somebody that doesn't have the nostalgia bias, like most of us do, rank the arcs. It's fascinating to see the post-timeskip arcs up there with the pre-timeskip ones and I agree with most of your list. Incredible job!
It's cool that you take your time with the arcs, no need to rush. Also Wano might be close to finishing so if i were you i'd try wait until it was over to catch up. Reading weekly is a very different experience from bringing
I didn't expect your favorites to overlap so much with mine! A pleasant surprise. Your tierlist has motivated me to read Fishman Island in manga form for the first time.
The sad thing is? This might be the best manga or even piece of fiction ever written and nothing will live up to it or give us the same level of enjoyment and sadness to read.
@@fish-zb4tg the problem with this statement is : at which point should i say :"the is the best piece of fiction ever written" even if i read many piece of fiction. Therefore let le ask you, if you had read or watch more piece of fiction, what is then to you : the best piece of fiction you ever watched or read ?
@@fish-zb4tg Nice grammar. I've read quite a few novels, manga, comics and watched considerable amounts of movies. Nothing has captured me more than the absolutely beautiful world building, scope and imagination that one piece has. The only thing that comes to mind when it comes to the adventure of one piece is one thousand and one nights. Great adventure book.
Since she is catching up I would love to see a collab with another One Piece fan or somebody who watched the series or read the series to have a full conversation about the story and for future events
I didn’t watch no animes or read mangas for a long time but I saw some of ur reviews of one piece and also some friends recommending it to me so I gave it a shot and im really liking it so far im on sabaody archipelago
31:38 When you get choked up right there, I was getting choked up right at the same time from your description of that scene. That emotional empathy why I love these reviews. It's amazing what a good series can do.
You skipped over the best part of Impel Down!! Bon-clay's return and his sacrifice to luffy was quite moving, and he became a true ally of Luffy's! He was good in Arabasta and amazing in Impel Down! He even opened the doors of justice for Luffy to get to Marine Ford
Great arc ratings Merphy!! I love your one piece vids and seeing you talk about all the arcs is really cool :) I think you might just want to lump Water 7, Enies Lobby, and Post Enies together tbh, there basically the same arc lol Keep making One Piece vids please! Your one of my fav youtubers for One Piece :)
Logue Town ( pronounced Log Town) as in Prologue and Epilogue. The town is the epilogue of rogers journey as that is the town of his execution. At this point luffy has his main crew together so everything before luffy gets there is his prologue ( the straws now enter the grand line)
Oh my god! As someone who isn't really into manga or anime in the first place, I came to love one piece instantly the moment I gave it a chance to watch. And I very much relate on your take on it. I pretty much 90% agree on your tier list. Especially on your take on skypiea! No, I take that back. I 100% agree on fishman island!! When I finally caught up with one piece and started looking into other people's opinions, it broke me when they say Hordy was a failure villain. But I loved his character. When the merman prince explained that Hordy's hatred was born out of other's spite, it explained so much about how effed up the one piece world is. That arc just got so many to offer that it sets aside all of its bad side others hated that's why I can say fishman island is really really great imo.
I love this series too!!! I liked this video, I should eventually look your reviews of the arcs. I'm only at Dressrossa so I'm not caught up, but until now I do have a top 5: five arcs I do consider to be fully 10/10 (and I dont usually put 10/10 that often, or maybe yes but you know, this series is great). These arcs are: Arlong Park, Water 7, Ennies Lobby, Sabaody Archipielago and Marineford. I just think they are as flawless as an arc could possibly go and that they are in my opinion the peak of emotion and epicness in this series (specially the Water 7 saga is just magnificent I think). Other arcs I consider to be 9/10 are Alabasta, Impel Down, Jaya and Post War. This series is amazing and I love it a lot :)
In my opinion, Marineford is more than just a fight. It was the cumulative result of the the first half our journey and was only such a payoff because of all the set-up done by Oda since we started on the grandline.
I really love Fishmen Island. A lot of people in the community doesn't like Fishmen Island because "is boring", but it is one of the most important and impactful arcs in all One Piece. Fishmen Island connects the story with the past at Arlong Park and Sabaody, but also will connect with the future with the Promise and the Noah that i am sure that will have a big role in the One Piece ending. One of my favorite things about Luffy is how he is a perfect protagonist to this story. In Arlong Park, Sabaody and Fishmen Island we see all the discrimination and racism between humans and fishmen, and my favorite moment of Arlong Park is the one that Arlong says to Luffy: "Do you know what difference there is between you and i?", refering to the fact that he is a fishman and Luffy is a human, but then Luffy says: "The nose?".
Really fun tier list, I agree on some and disagree on others. Its cool to hear the thoughts of someone on the first read-through, re reads and community discussion can definitely change your perspective a lot.
Merphy a lot of peoples opinions are skewed once they read week to week With the hype of the war ark a lot of new readers were reading weekly at fish man island. And week to week it's not super strong. But together it's a fantastic ark
my favourite thing about this video is just the excitement you have talking about the story! it feels pretty universal that if you get a one piece fan to just talk about the story they'll start tearing up at some point. literally if i just think about that nami/luffy moment in arlong park i start crying lmao.
I'm glad there is someone that loves Fishman island as much as I do :) and the only one I strongly disagree with is Dressrosa, I'd put that in Masterpiece.
I just finished Skypiea and will return when I've gotten further. I started watching One Piece because of you videos and am enjoying the manga so much!
I’d put Enies Lobby and Wano to masterpiece and Skypiea and Dressrosa to incredible. Everything else I agree with you and you pretty much describe how much I also gush about one of the most underrated Fishmen Island. Great list!
Water7-Enies Lobby is peak OP for me, for rest I can agree with almost any ranking as long as they are on +ve side cause as you said, OP has no bad arcs
Its great that you rank these based on your enjoyment, because my arc tier is very different when i first read it, when i reread, and when i watch analysis videos for the arcs. So these tier ranks is pretty accurate bcs our mind will remember how fun and enjoyable the arcs is rather than how deep the arc is. Thats why fishman island is one of my top 5 as well. That arc is so fun
When i was a kid reading OP i couldn't stand Usopp and Sanji. Didn't even like Luffy that much and i pretty much just wanted Zoro to fight epic battles lol.. Now rereading the series as an adult i can really appreciate Syrup Village and Baratie simply for how great Oda is at establishing what a character is all about. Usopps annoying personality and his constant lying being the a face he puts on to hide his trauma of losing his mother and missing his father is something i completely overlooked for a long time. Same with Sanji being torn inside between wanting to go on adventures with Luffy and wanting to stay with his family (the Baratie) because of how much appreciation he feels towards Zeff. Those arcs were absolute rollercoasters of emotion and i enjoy them a lot nowadays.
I just love your unique input on this Masterpiece story that I love so much! I hate how most reviewers of this story are all about the fights and powers of the characters..... while the things that make this series amazing is the story, the world building and the foreshadowing genius of Oda.
Thank you for showing love towards Along Park. This is where I fell in love with One Piece. ( I was already there while watching Zoro V. Mihawk, but Arlong park helped)
I adored every bit of this, and have loved keeping up with your takes on one piece throughout the last year!! Thank you for sharing and hold strong on these glorious takes!
I think Skypiea is one of the arcs that is tough to gauge. It really and truly is an arc that seems to be Oda’s “Set up long term Lore” story. One that pays off in later Arcs. I feel it was the point where Oda had a long term plan for the series. We had the first hints of Haki here for example. So I feel it will be one of those arcs that we will look back on as massively important, but not many people’s favorite.
I was actually thinking about your rankings before opening up RUclips. No worries on Wano! There are so many characters doing so many different things. Never feel the need to rush yourself with this.
I'm right there on the Fishman Island:Masterpiece-hill with you. Based on my experience with the subreddit, I'm not surprised people bothered you about it. The arc is full of emotions that most people (A) have not experienced or (B) have not finished processing: Otohime's pacifism (a word people mistake for subservience or acquiescence) Tiger's resentment Shirahoshi's "naivete"; in quotes because I agree with Jinbei's response Hody's mindless radicalism This wasn't simply a conflict with a villain (Hody) or an opponent (Katakuri), or a battle to remove an enemy (Doflamingo). There isn't much in the sense of clear objectives besides "the plan" for the rescue. We're looking at this location and this story with the intent of understanding *what* these characters are feeling and some of *why* they feel that way; and the circumstances are rather abstract. This kind of storytelling is very atypical for manga (especially the shonen genre), and honestly quite remarkable that a Japanese writer can capture all of it so completely. But Oda truly understands emotions and conveys them better than anyone. (Don't ask me to explain what being Japanese has to do with it. Look up the words burakumin, Ainu, Zainichi, and Japan migrant workers)
Turns out I transferred some of the events from Enis Lobby to Water 7. Let's just all pretend both those arcs made it to "Masterpiece" and I have seven arcs on the top row.
I was surprised you didn’t bring up Pudding’s betrayal when talking about Whole Cake haha
It’s okay. Spoken as a one piece fan. Some parts do blend together, especially if you haven’t reread in a second.
The one thing I kept waiting for you to mention was Bon Clay in Impel Down. His story line truly helped make that a masterful arc.
You have to watch Encanto, the protagonist looks just like you....
Farewell to the Going merry !!!!!!
Fishmen Island over Marineford is the most controversial take in One Piece youtube history
Yeah, I agree that I do think Marineford is better, but I would say that Fishman Island is definitely deserving of a lot of praise. It explores racism really well, has characters that you can really relate to, gives more closure on Jimbei as a character as well as his beliefs/values and shows off the new powers of the Straw Hats really well. While I do agree that Hordy Jones was a bad villain in terms of motives and strength, I think what he represents about the dark side of fishmen's hatred for humans is done really well.
@@oliverorchard6774 100%
I hated fishmen island I skipped ALL FLASHBACKS except the Fisher tiger one , it was very boring for me
@@starkiller6tothe9gaming81 So you skipped the best part/the part that sets up the entire arc and your complaining? thats your own fault dude
@@paulbracamonte2334 I found it all boring, if that was the best then perhaps I did miss something I found the fights way more entertaining the actual story , Fishman island is actually my least favorite arc
Merphy: *Baratie was great"
Also Merphy: *does not put baratie on the great section*
TREASON
Knives out! :P
Besides romance down, here even more oda shows his ideals and its great. And the very manly men chefs, are so emotional and really have that ideals to feed everyone. Because they starved. Especially zeff and sanji. Its his expression of respect for life.
Maybe its because like romance down it has a thing about what is a man?! What is really important to uphold?! I gues she doesnt connect with that, wheen its great, understandibly.
The amazing things zoro and Sanji went through in that arc it’s definitely treason
I was thinking that Baratie is in Incredible category. I just love the restaurant, and Zeff and Sanjie character. I do love their introduction and backstory as well. I am so sad that it was put in Good category. Anyway, it's her own opinion. I will still think Baratie is in Incredible category
ikr
Her just getting excited when she remembers the small moments are such a "one piece fan" thing to do lmao! It just reminds me of myself and that projection of myself through Merphy is the best thing about these videos!
Really Merphy, you have no idea how amazing you and this entire series are!! Keep it going and keep on rambling lol!
Also 19:20 is the best Merphy out of context moment lmao!!
I smile non stop at every moment that I suddenly remember.
Man I’ve watched it twice and I love callbacks I’m gonna make my brother watch it so round 3 lmao
Hahaha, I cracked up at her being so mad at Arlong 😆
Merphy > Arlong
23:48
I've always argued that Water 7 and Enies Lobby are two acts of the same ark, not two separate arks. So I'll admit I chuckled a bit when Merphy talked about a scene from Enies Lobby when talking about Water 7 and a scene from Water 7 when talking about Enies Lobby.
I think it's more a matter of semantics tbh
the arcs are usually separated because of the islands, so since wano acts are all still in the same island, it is treated as a single arc, while water 7 and enies lobby, despite still basically having the same relationship with each other as wano and onigashima, they're not part of the same island
so yeah i'd say most people probably agree with you, it's not that weird to call onigashima it's own arc at this point, but since it's still contained within wano's act 3 it'll probably forever be treated as still part of wano lol
I think of them as one arc because that way it makes for me the perfect arc in one piece.
They are part of the same saga, de Water 7 saga
I always grouped them together when i talk about the best arc in one piece but if we devide them into 2 arcs : enies lubby is far better than water 7 (i don't like conflict moments between friends in any fiction i always want to just jump to the reconcelation )
@@ShiNijuuAKL Well of course but people group them together as one arc and leave long ring long land aside even tho it is part of the same saga because it is a direct continuation of the story there is no break of the plot until they escape enies lobby
In the anime drum island felt magical, it had such a great and different ost and a very different aura of ambient and I don't know why but the final scene of the sakura flowers made me cry like a baby this is when One Piece for me went from great to the greatest thing I've seen
ead, literally nothing before that scene ever in my life had made me feel so many emotions at the same time.
"I had a great life"
@@MrWillsonx That scene hit so hard
Drum Island is one of the few arcs I would personally recommend watching over reading. It added a lot and the pacing was good!
Loguetown is also the arc where Zoro gets the cursed sword when he bets his arm, also it's the arc where they all put their foot in a barrel and announce their dreams, I love that arc.
Shame the manga didnt have room for usopps duel with daddy masterson, oda said he had to cut it to get to 100
@@frenchynoob ? That was just filler. It never happened.
@@sindri1447 yeh but they made that filler because oda wanted to reach the grand line on chapter 100, and didn’t have enough time to include daddy masterson
Loguetown is forever ruined to me because I watched the 4kids dub first.
I see loguetown and I think .... No not again not the 80s montage music jingle.
Cook it up. If you've heard it, you will instantly know what I'm talking about. I don't know who at 4kids was behind original music scores for the anime, but I'll give them credit they made impossible to forget songs. One Piece Rap should not be phrase and yet somehow it is.
@@sindri1447 This is the one time early in the series where the additional content made for the anime was actually intended in the manga, but Oda didn't have enough time to include it if he wanted to hit the grand line on chapter 100. This isn't actually filler.
Something interesting about Skypia as someone who was reading it weekly. It used to be on people’s worst arcs as it was coming out. Reading it weekly was one of the biggest slogs. BUT. You go back now and people usually place it pretty high up now. It’s an arc that paid off in dividends and aged like fine wine.
Sounds like the Chimera Ant arc. I was reading that arc while it was still going on and I thought it was one of the worst arcs ever. Now in it's completion and viewing it as a whole, it's one of the very best
Except for people getting struck by lightning and not dying, I didn't have any problem with Skypiea. I am usually bothered by the science(mechanics specifically) like say the snakeman stretching and still speeding up but the clouds and dial tech did not bother me in the slightest. I was in love with the series at that point and loved the world building and lore.
@@Jordie_42 on my god yes, chimera ant arc was so horrible to read week to week. The art being shit didn't help. Now the art is fixed and you don't have to wait so it's fine. I also believe the Fishman Island is much better than people give it credit due to this.
@@DarkG7X I remember when Gon lost the match against Knuckle and couldn't use Nen for a month
I honestly thought Togashi was just fucking with the fans at that point making an artificial time gap where the story couldn't continue. I swear to god if I saw a goddamn Boat in the Chimera Arc weekly I'd have lost my mind.
Now of gooddamn course they're on a boat in the next Arc and is been what 1100 days since the last chapter?
What curse is placed on Manga that drawing a boat is where your series grinds to a halt?
Is One Piece just stealing all the Boat manga energy? Is that the Monkeys paw curse for why One Piece is so good every otheranga from JoJo to Berserk to Hunter has a shit Boat hiatuses?
I actually started reading weekly just as it ended. I still felt it was quite slow. Wasn't too fond of the ordeals, and the flashback was kinda long when I just wanted to get back to the strawhats. Plus each chapter in water7 was so dense with information I'd literally feel like I got 2 chapters each week. (when compared to other manga I was reading at the time anyway)
Seeing your tier list and little predictions convinced me that Oda would have been a novelist if he was born anywhere else but japan, you have an understanding of him that few of the manga reading community has.
Fr bro..
And yet am I ever glad he was born in Japan. He uses the medium of Manga and anime so damn well, fusing it with deep storytelling. It's so good.
Having fantasy booktube and One Piece RUclips intersect was something I never thought I needed until Merphy and Daniel started doing it
I wonder what One Piece would have been like as a novel, cause Oda many times says that the manga panelling is actually limiting and he needs to cut a lot of elements from an arc due to the limitations of a 20 page manga chapter. Like didn't he mention a lot of Marineford had to be cut to not take forever to draw? I wonder what it would be like if it was a novel where he had no restrictions and he could go all out.
@@mysteryman9488 It would be great but, we would miss the masterpiece of the world he created. Just watch the video "Breathtaking world of One Piece" or something like that and tell me that you would be able to imagine all of that beauty just reading a novel.
I re-read Syrup Village recently, and several things struck me: First, this arc introduces the theme of “The pirate’s son’s right to exist”, a theme that climaxes at Marineford. Clahador / Kuro repeatedly insults Usopp just because his father is a “dirty pirate”. (And his insults are partly self-inflicted.) Second, Usopp uses lies to maintain hope and joy, to get through dark seasons. When his father left and his mother became sick, he told his mother fantastical lies in an effort to keep her spirits up. When she died, he continued to lie to the village to keep his own spirits up, to continue forward and to fight his own crippling tendencies towards negativity. When he met Kaya, he saw both himself (she had lost her parents) and his mother (she was sick) in her, and immediately fell back into that emotional-caretaker role to help her keep her head above water, to help her out of despair. Third, I felt like Syrup Village was an amazing coming-of-age, as Usopp transitions from innocent childhood games to real-life responsibilities and consequences.
Amazing
Love this description of it, I haven’t connected the “son of a pirate” thing until now… thats just incredible, the way Oda writes all kinds of characters and validates all of them is mainly why i love one piece and luffy’s character, as it is fully manifested in him as a person.
It only shows that while Oda at that point wasn't as good when it comes to storytelling he was already mature enough to establish the morals of this world.
For example, whenever the ASL flashback was a retcon or not it still explains why Luffy was so invested in getting Nami beck from Arlong and Robin from CP9. That he would never leave anybody behind - a theme that was there years ago.
Syrup village is really underrated. I consider it better than orange town
Good write up. Currently reading one piece right now and syrup village was probably my second favourite arc in east blue, was surprised to see so many people dislike it.
I started reading the Gentleman Bastards series because of your recomendation. I breezed through The lies of Locke Lamora and I couldn't have loved it more.
Thanks Merphy.
I did too
Read it sometime ago, I think when she was still in Alabasta just cause I saw it sticking in the back. But damn what a banger. The whole trilogy is just so good especially book 2 since we are on the seas.
Am now on Wheel of Time book 10 cause of Daniel, am eating good
I put the lies of locke lamora on my basket as well, after merphy reccomendation. Haven't checked it out yet, waiting for my new year bonus for books shopping spree. Glad to hear it was really enjoyable.
Yo same
@@kingkraft5450 I also read them because of Murphy. Really liked the first book, it's amazing. I'm not going to say anything about the other two though 😆
The “I don’t see a wall moment” was actually in Enies Lobby, and the betrayal reveal was in Water 7! Also Robin’s backstory is in Enies Lobby which I think brings it up to masterpiece for me.
Agreed, Robin’s backstory is one of the best (and probably the most tragic). Also Saul is easily one of my favorite characters
Easy masterpiece for sure better than arlong park and alabasta
Wano still clears with whole of act 3
@@HENRY-kk7de yes sir
Those arc dissociated are an anime thing, in the manga water 7 and enies lobby are the same arc and it's still number 1 for me, maybe wano would get the second place
I love your tier list, it is such a One Piece fandom thing to say there are no bad arcs I laughed so hard when I saw Oda doest do bad arcs 😂. Really enjoy the way you talk about the characters and the story in general. Reminds me when my friends and I would just talk about OP for hours with such a passion. Thanks for your content
And then didn’t even put any arcs in that category lol. And rightfully so.
Fandom: There are no bad arcs
Also Fandom: Thriller Bark and Fishman Island Arc are terrible
I love Merph, she's such a joy to watch. Listening to her gush about One Piece just makes me appreciate the series even more, and she catches so many details I miss.
no cap a fella might wanna see her gush👀👀
@@jamaicandondada9024 We don't lewd the cinnamon bun. I revoke your privilege ☄🧙🏾♂️
@@jamaicandondada9024 a man of culture I see
6:30 as someone who has gone more than a day at a time without eating, Sanji’s drive to feed hungry folks is the single most relatable aspect of his character imo
Non food eating gang
00:00:00 ⟾ Intro - Wano, Completed Arcs, Format
00:02:00 ⟾ Format - Tiers {ft. Oda-Doesn’t-Do-Bad-Arcs)
00:02:38 ⟾ 01. Romance Dawn (2.5)
00:04:24 ⟾ 02. Orange Town (4.3)
00:05:23 ⟾ 03. Syrup Village (5.3)
00:05:59 ⟾ 04. Baratie (4.2)
00:06:58 ⟾ 05. Arlong Park (1.3)
00:07:56 ⟾ 06. Loguetown (3.5)
00:09:04 ⟾ 07. Reverse Mountain (4.5)
00:10:26 ⟾ 08. Whiskey Peak (4.6)
00:10:29 ⟾ 09. Little Garden (3.8)
00:11:34 ⟾ 10. Drum Island (3.9)
00:13:09 ⟾ 11. Alabasta (1.5)
00:14:55 ⟾ 12. Jaya (3.3)
00:15:41 ⟾ 13. Skypiea (4.1)
00:18:09 ⟾ 14. Long Ring Long Land (5.2)
00:19:19 ⟾ 15. Water 7 (1.1)
00:20:33 ⟾ 16. Enies Lobby (2.3)
00:21:53 ⟾ 17. Post Enies Lobby (3.6)
00:22:25 ⟾ 18. Thriller Bark (3.7)
00:23:50 ⟾ 19. Sabaody Archipelago (1.2)
00:24:25 ⟾ 20. Amazon Lily (5.1)
00:25:26 ⟾ 21. Impel Down (2.4)
00:26:43 ⟾ 22. Marineford (1.6)
00:27:47 ⟾ 23. Post War (2.1)
00:28:09 ⟾ 24. Return to Sabaody (3.2)
00:28:26 ⟾ 25. Fish-man Island (1.4)
00:29:31 ⟾ 26. Punk Hazard (4.4)
00:29:56 ⟾ 27. Dressrosa (3.4)
00:30:43 ⟾ 28. Zou (2.2)
00:31:57 ⟾ 29. Whole Cake Island (3.1)
00:32:51 ⟾ 30. Reverie (3.10)
00:33:09 ⟾ 31. Wano Country (TBA)
00:33:20 ⟾ Re-arrangement
00:33:40 ⟾ Description - Your Tier Lists
00:34:06 ⟾ Wrap-up, Outro
00:34:45 ⟾ [Promo] [Credits]
Thank's
thanks a lot
Yessssss
A true hero
Thanks cap!
I'm not ready for Merphy to be caught up...... but I'm also excited for Merphy to be caught up
That's what we call "One Piece dilemma". We want to see the ending, but doesn't want it to end
glad she taking her time with wano because I think merphy is at her strongest when she binges.
it was bound to happen a new Era is about to happen
The Logue in Logue Town is pronounced as it is in Prologue or Epilogue, where it got it's name from. "The Town of Beginnings and Ends". And yeah, that Arc is really great. It's where One Piece switches from just a (already very good) manga to an epic. Including putting forth the thesis it wants to explore (Rogers Quote about "Inherited Will, a Man's Dream, and The Flow of Time" we see when Dragon is first shown at the start of chapter 100) with everything that will follow.
Also same on Skypia winning me over for good. Alabaster felt so grant that at the time Crocodile felt like a series final boss, and I was like "Okay, what next? What can come after this?". But then Oda proofed with Skypia that he has by far not run out of ideas. (And still hasn't to this day. But Skypia was when I first got that this was more than just another shounen manga)
And yeah, calling Nami, Chopper and Usopp the "Weak Ones" is totally fine, because it's basically a quote from them X3
Is it? I thought it was supposed to be Rogue Town? Like the Raftel/ Laugh Tale debate.
@@Destrark151 "Rogue Town" is more similar to the Zoro/Zolo thing, it's a name they kept because it was translated that way for years beforehand. Raftel/ Laugh Tale is different, Oda didn't directly spell out it as "Laugh Tale" until years after it was first mentioned.
I always loved that about the name. It’s the setting for the prologue and epilogue of both Roger’s life and the East Blue saga (and possibly the series if the ending scene takes place there).
@@johnredden4867 Yeah, I feel like Oda might give us an epilogue there where Luffy passes on the strawhat to some kid that will be part of the next generation. Epilogue rather than final chapter because I have a hard time picturing Luffys final appearance in the main story being without his iconic strawhat. My guess is we'll get some double page of the entire crew setting sail to another adventure for the final panel, and then a sort of epilogue set some years later, probably in Logue Town.
@@Destrark151 I'm not sure if I read it anywhere as officially confirmed, but Oda likes to hide meaning in names (and pretty much everything else X3), and Rogue Town would kinda imply it to be a sort of criminal haven, I'd say, like Mock Town was? The Marine presence seems too big there for that to be the case, though. But the town does have the title of "The Town of Beginnings and Ends", so the Pro-/Epilogue part seems a lot more likely.
To me the sanji gimmick of never ever letting anyone, even scumbags, Go hungry is excelent to show his natural empaty and kindness, the main element of his character that not only define him but Also make the diference betwen his brothers more aparent.
The way I see it is One Piece is a series where there hyperbolic representations of certain ideals and Sanji's willingness to feed anybody is another example of that. Sure, logically when you think about it it doesn't make sense but from an over the top emotional type perspective it is the embodiment of Sanji's "gentlmenly" ideals and moral code as a chef.
@@Cheesehead302 Personally I think it's not just as a chef, it's also a representation of his experience with hunger
I heard someone talk about the uniqueness of Sanji’s character once. They talked about how his goal isn’t to become anything or to change in fact it’s the opposite. Sanjis character is all about sticking to his personal convictions whether they are right or wrong. That’s just the kind of man he is. Whether it’s about only using kicks, feeding all hungry people, or never hurting a woman Sanji must always overcome the situation without breaking his convictions
Finally someone who is truly with me in Fishman Island love!
Im sure everything from Dressrosa and on will go higher and higher the more you read, counting rereads.
They are very dense, but they do give One Piece a very complex and deep level story and world wise.
They also manage characters perfectly!
Hopefully you reread soon enough and fall in love with Dressrosa and WholeCake too!
It honestly hurt me how low dressrosa was. It's in my top 3 favorite arcs and odd shows how much it can make you dislike doflamingo but at the same time he's my favorite antagonist. I remember reading it week by week and it felt slow but on reread it changed my mind.
@@Acemerks Dressrosa is low becouse it was dragged out in my opinion.
it's longer than it should.
Oof, I'm a Fishman Island stan too but above marineford?! I couldn't do it. And Whole Cake is the best Arc in the series, seeing it not be ranked at least 'Incredible' hurts. Love Big Mam and Katakuri
:( anime pacing lowkey ruined whole cake. Manga was masterpiece 100% tho
@@epicpizzamastr4686 really? I enjoyed the WCI in the anime more than the manga. All those musicials, Big Mons introducing, Luffy vs. Katakuri (especially the Snakeman episode). Even outside the animation, I really enjoyed seeing all the vivid colors
Of course, the manga pacing is better, but the other positives made it up for me. Coming off of Dressrosa, the pacing felt better so that made the pacing more tolerable
@@juccidrugs3405 strangely, I liked dressrosa more than WCI. Maybe it's bc i was waiting weekly for WCI so watching a 23 episode fight was a bit too much for me. Dressrosa I could just get through really quick bc it was already out by the time I watched. Either way, both could definitely see some major pacing adjustments imo
@@epicpizzamastr4686 I had the same situation as you. The pacing didn't bother me in Dressrosa because I could watch it in bulk. The pacing in WCI did bother me and made me switch over to the manga. I guess since I was reading it and knew how it was going to play out, the bad pacing didn't annoy me as much
But yeah, both could use a pacing fix
@@epicpizzamastr4686 If you havent heard of it yet: check out the one pace cut.
I look forward to more analysis, whenever or however you go about it. Patience is part of being a One Piece fan :)
which is weird given how excited and intense the fandom is in general hahaha
Patience is part of being HxH fan (more like abandonment issues already).
That was very well said
@@Venom-uv5fw Hard agree
Fun fact: Reyleigh's first appearance is in chapter 19, his official introduction was in chapter 500.
Yeah, I know
Fun fact: Dr Vegapunk was for the first time mentioned by Koby in chapter 433 and has not yet been established. But his first influence in the story was with the dog cannon Lassoo in chapter 160.
@@kevinrafaelriverabueso1419 with lassoo they mentioned that 'people' on the grand line figured out how to feed devil fruits to objects. But they didnt mention vegapunk by name no.
@@tiem6260 later on i think they mentioned that VegaPunks experiments on devil fruits were what made object Zoans possible.
@@tiem6260 they didn't no. But it's later revealed that it's only possible because of Vegapunks experiments with devil fruits. Hence, Lassoo is his first influence seen in the story.
@@sindri1447
That's taking a past event and writing a connection on top of it rather than foreshadowing and planting seeds.
Not as impressive.
Honestly just hearing you talk about each arc and fight about their placement with yourself was more fun then where you ended up putting them anyway.
And notice how the "Oda doesn't do bad arcs" tier was empty😉Cause it's true!
Loved your Fishman Island take though. It's a masterpiece indeed!
The thing oda does well unlike other mangakas is that when something is taken from luffy e.g. ace or crew, he completely broke down and is more or less as vulnerable as a baby in these states. Other animangas tend to let their protagonists to go berserk bloodlust mode after a close friend or relative is lost, which somewhat denies the impact of the loss of the life which was just taken. These scenes by oda are extremely impactful and dont take away from the plot of the story. I love oda.
Have you considered that "going Beserk" is a way communicating that the protagonist has "broken down"...
I feel like a lot of people dislike Fishman island because of the powerscaling. They wanted Hordy to be a next level threat and that wasn’t the point. Unfortunately a lot of people only care about the fights for an arc ranking. Even the worst part, Sanji’s nosebleeds, tied back into Fisher Tiger’s story.
A lot of people also forget Fish-Man Island isn't in the New World, Hody isn't supposed to be a New World level villain. (A place where even fodder knows basic haki.)
Oh no. Skypiea, Baratie, Dressrosa so low? Fishman Island in top 4??? Damn. Well you are not mainstream thats for sure. Lmao
Can you explain how Sanji’s nosebleeds tie into fisher tigers backstory?
@Keagan Miller in Fisher Tigers backstory, he ended up dying because of his hatred of humans. He could've easily gotten a blood transfusion in order to live, but the only ones near him who had the same blood type were humans, so he chose to die rather than live with "human blood". Sanjis nosebleeds were the introduction to this concept, as when his nosebleeds were at its worst, he needed a blood transfusion, but no Fishman would share blood with him. Then, the blood storyline made a full circle when Jinbe offered a blood transfusion to luffy at the end of the arc
Fishman Island is just fine or good to me as someone who doesn't care about the power scaling. I never had a problem that Hody was easy to beat but besides the flashback the arc feels clumsy. Rewatching it rn, the villains and side characters (besides the king and Shirahoshi) really fall flat for me with their gags and gimmicks. Still a great take on racism though
Looking forward to a longer analysis. I can't wait for you to be caught up but I'm also not ready for Merphy to be caught up. The excitement and anxiety of being a weekly reader and sifting through theories is something, I guess. Looking forward to the tier list! So far we are 128 chapters deep in wano.
Edit: Take your time with Wano.
I love your take on Skypea. People just want to skip it but I feel like they don't understand the significance of that arc. Noland's execution was one of the most tragic things I experienced watching One Piece. The heart wrenching contrast between Noland and Roger is what really got to me. They were very similar people, both had the power to hear those voices of the world. But Noland died being branded a liar while Roger to this day holds the title of the king of the pirates. Noland died crying. I can't man, that was so heartbreaking. I started One Piece in 2015 cuz at the time I had a massive crush on this girl and she loved One Piece. I was a huge Narutard at the time and thought there can't be a better story than Naruto so I just watched it cuz, know, simping lol. Skypea was the arc in which I had that canon event moment where I was like, well shit, I guess I like One Piece better.
You were totally right about Fishman Island. Your take on Hody Jones was spot on. It was so great to have someone see it to! Plus even further analysis, yes!
If you're not sure how to pronounce Logue town, here's a tip: It was Roger's EpiLOGUE and also the ProLOGUE of Luffy's story ;)
Not canon, but I feel it’s still worth mentioning that a certain English translation called it Rogue Town. I kind of like that.
thats because l and r letters in japenese are interchangeable and thats why there are translation errors like zolo and levelie
Rogue as in criminal. And many pirates stop at Roguetown to get to the Grand Line.
I was today years old when I learned that.
It's also Roger's Prologue, as it is the island he was born in.
I personally always look at Water 7, Enies Lobby and Post Enies Lobby as one arc, because I don't think they make sense from a story structure perspective as three individual arcs, and for me personally they are easily the best arcs in One Piece, I love the series and genuinely think there is not a single arc that's actually bad, and yet nothing even comes close to the Water 7 Trilogy, I'd be amazed if Oda ever tops it (at least for me)
100%. There is a difference for me that I caught up while impel down / marine Ford was going on, so after that it wasn't binge reading or re-reading anymore, but weekly, ao how the experience flows is truly different. But I don't think I'll ever cry as hard as I did with Robin I want to live and the Going Merry Go goodbye. I remember those moments very vividly, I was crying uncontrollably as a 14-15 year old.
It was truly masterful and special. My favorite arcs after that would be Arlong Park and Alabasta, and while I really really love current one piece those 3 arcs are something else. Maybe re-reading I'll put dressrosa up there too, but it's hard to get there with water 7
Same, I also think of Sabaody to Marineford as one long arc.
Totally agree. I think Oda is trying to top it with Wano Arc (Japan culture, the amazing flashback, new reveals and hints, number of chapters) but all of that means nothing as the arc is missing the legendary Sogeking :)
@@Abdullah_92 For me (in all seriousness) I think it really comes down to the fact that the water 7... trilogy? is the only set of arcs in One Piece that are about THE CREW, every other arc/saga is about a friend of the crew, or a group the crew befriends, or just one specific member of the crew, but it's never about the crew as a whole, the crew is almost always a third party that gets themselves involved in an already existing conflict, but in Water 7 the conflict is literally about them, and their relationships, which is why I feel so much more invested in every character and every fight and every moment.
W7 and PEL>EL
I was still reeling from the latest chapter (1037), and this calmed me down. Thanks 😊😊
Word bro. Chapter was wild.
What a damn chapter indeed !!!!
Yeah. What a twist ending!!
more questions!
Great chapter bro
Thank you Merphy for giving Fishman Island the recognition it deserves.
I love how Merphy put Fishman Island on the top tier, I like how Hody represents strong and dark haterate than Strong physical dominance.
I am a fan of fights and yet this arc shows that there is more than beating the villain.
I don't like hordy. But he is a perfect symbol of racism. The way how he hates human with NO REASON is a masterful writing.
People act like Hody is such a lackluster villain when he's easily better than most villains pre-time skip. Enel, Kuro, Don Krieg, Wapol, even Arlong (before his full story) what is their motive? All of them felt empty against Hody's "nothing". Such an excellent theme.
@@OsSas3 I think the majority of the ppl disregards FMI so quickly because of the antagonists being so weak and therefore no real stakes being there...
@@OsSas3 Hody’s character was perfect for an arc like Fishman Island
also, come on, the crew came right from the time-skip, of course they can steamroll the first boss after all that training ^^; it felt natural to me.
i agree with your issues on skypia, but I personally believe the payoff with the bell ringing is unmatched in terms of final blows in one piece so far.
She's not wrong about the lightening attacks not being as effective as they should. Skypieans fear the very thought of being El Thored but if everyone can survive it and shake it off after an afternoon of rest then it's not much to fear. But that being said, Enel is one of my favourite antagonists because he is so absurdly arrogant, intelligent, powerful has a wicked character design. He elevated the arc for me. Skypiea arc is in my top 5 OP arcs but I do I understand why people may have issues with it. I like it for the worldbuilding, the flashback, the character moments, the poneglyph scenes, the bell ringing and the enel face.
@@Jordie_42 enel also feels like a big metaphor for the celestial dragons later.
When you get to act 3 I'd reccomend stopping at 974, then reading 975-1000, then 1001-1025. And then onward
Lel
I'd recomend waiting until the current part of the arc is done. I'd read until 974 and hold off so as to binge the final section
@@dantecrottogini529 maybe. But the original comment is very digestible
I've been watching a fan of this series for 3/4 of my current life and am subscribed to many One Piece focused channels, but I love your love of One Piece and how you convey it hits on a level that just makes me feel like a proud dad/big brother (ignoring that you're a few years older than me). Always stay Merphy
One piece fridays let’s goooo
Wooot wooot
I'm lobbying for one of my favourite arcs lol. Skypeia is a masterpiece thats more than just Enel, it's: inherited will, the Noland & Kalgara flashback, the struggle for the Golden bell, the struggle to end 400 years of war, Ancient History lore, Robin's adventure, the embodiment of romance - a grand adventure, and a ton of great SH interactions & the development of existing dynamics (e.g. continuation of luffy showing Nami the type of pirate that he is, which started in orange town and was emphasised during Jaya).
There's so many threads connected to future arcs, including Wano. Its truly staggering when you consider everything that it covers. Even the centre confict of the story, the Ds vs the Gods of the world. Wiith the icing on the cake being the musical themed chapter titles, showing the escalation of the story, peaking with the chpt 300 "symphonia" - where luffy's party heals the scars of war & brings the different tribes together.
Anyway, that was a interesting list, not that controversial. I'm totally with you on Fish-man Island & Thriller Bark.
Take your time Merph! I'm always happy to see your videos, and the longer we have them the better! It's almost sad to know you're already in Wano so you can't experience the series for the first time again
Marineford is masterful. iIt's the ultimate showing of what a long form narrative can achieve and can only pay off so impactfully BECAUSE it takes so much time to built up to it
If u haven't watched that scene of rain at arabasta while vivi shouting in anime yet, it is a must. That is the spot when viewers were screaming with her but no one was listening. U can feel her despair in u like u are there. That is truly a cinematic masterpiece
Also friendly advice: DO NOT bother about powerscaling at all. Those who care and fight about it have no real appreciation for OP story. They are stuck with biggest baddest fights with no context. Also the powerscaling goes incredibly insane where totally impossible characters get compared and for odd qualities too. Most superficial way of enjoying such a masterpiece
That's because most of the new anime fans are still in their battle anime hype so they take one piece for a battle shounen rather than an emotional jumble of an adventure
I've seen someone who only watches the episodes with fights in them and I'm like "Sir, One Piece is not about the fights, it's about the meaning behind them."
Man, I've watched a lot of OP reviews and reactions, but yours not only got me to re-experience the story all over again, you also got me to fully appreciate the parts I didn't get to give a fair shot before.
I admire your literary acumen and I can't wait for the rest of the reviews 💙
Skypiea is my favorite arc because no other arc embodied the adventurous spirit of One Piece the way it did. And I personally think it has one of the best pay offs to a set up when they discovered the truth about upper yard and how it went to the sky and later on when Luffy rang the bell to clear Norland's name. It's also the arc I have the most fun with because it has the perfect blend of humour and adventure.
Agreed. One of the best
I'm one of those minorities who has always loved Sky island. Frickin 17 years ago when I read it the first time, or when I first saw it in the anime, when I binged the Sky Island arc in the anime again 5 years ago, and when I reread the digitally colored manga 2 years ago. It's just one of my favorites. I love Enel. He is the best. But I agree. Someone should have died when hit by an island busting lightning attack
It truly does. It's the only arc that managed to truly embrace its themes, and served as set up for many plot points in the future without dragging the story down with exposition.
Hearing you speak about One piece makes me want to watch the series again for the millionth time and I think that's the best compliment I can give you
Ok, so I've been following OP for like 15 years now, and just now by looking at those arc names and hearing Merphy saying them I realized that Jaya is a way to pronounce Gaia (earth) which is under SKYpia.
Sometimes I am really slow
I never caught that either
I'm glad to see someone else appreciate Water Seven as it's own arc. It's my personal favorite in the series. The setting, conflict with the franky family, the shipwright's betrayal, the unmatched aesthetics of when Aqua Laguna is close, Franky's flashback, it's all just so perfect :)))
The real question is:
How does she rank G-8 though?
The most important arc, where we finally got Con D. Oriano.
Personally, G-8 goes in the "Way better than it has any reason to be" tier.
Yea I loved g-8 I’m surprised no one includes it, but I guess it’s more fillery but it’s just a good solid arch.
I agree with you on Fishman Island and your views on it. A lot of people think its weak because it had a weak antagonist but this arc is more of the ideals that literally compose the core ideas of the series all condensed into a single masterful arc.
Loguetown is a pun more than likely, L and R are the same in Japanese, so it can be Roguetown (town of rogues) and even more likely town of Logue's (perhaps like a pro-logue, and an epi-logue?).
Its called the town of beginnings and ends. So yeah definitely more so epilogue and prologue
@@tiem6260 I forgot about that, thanks for the reminder.
@@tiem6260 Which is also cool because it's where Roger was born and the place where he died.
@@shridharbiju7370 and the end of the east blue aka the prologue for luffy and presumably the epilogue too
Merphy: *Puts Fish-man Island in masterpiece*
Me: *YESSSSSS!!!!!*
I always consider water 7,enies lobby and post enies as three acts of one massive arc.Also believe Drum Island is a masterpiece with Dr Hiriluk's "When does a man dies" speech.
I actually generally agree with this list. The only changes I would make are moving Enies Lobby to alongside Water 7 as those arcs bounce off too much from one another to seperate them, moving Fishman Island to at least incredible as while I think its really good, it isn't perfect and finally, I would move Skypiea to incredible due to what it sets up for the future and how it develops the straw hats. It does things like introduce Haki through it being called Mantra, the fighting styles of the Priests and Chandorians through the different tone dials was really cool and unique for the location, the newer crew members Chopper and Robin get much needed spotlight in this arc, the history of Skypiea was fantastically done and it was overall just a beautiful location.
Video after Video, Merphy's transformation into a One Piece RUclips that occasionally reviews other books is slowly finished. Soon it won't be long before she posts her own crazy theory of what the One Piece is
I'd say she'll always be a booktuber but one piece I think will consistently be her king of manga and comics in general
slow down, she just makes OP videos once a week in between her usual content
She isn't and she won't be a OP RUclipsr
I love how she's talking about stuff that happens in Enies Lobby when talking about Water 7.
And then she talked about stuff that happens in Water 7 when talking about Enies Lobby lol (the betrayal reveal)
I agree with your list for the most part except for Enies Lobby which to me is a masterpiece (and my favourite arc). The I want to live moment is my favourite moment in the whole series, that alone would make this my favourite arc, but then you have stuff like Gear 2's revelation, Sogeking saving the day and making impossible shots from the tower, Sanji's "I'm the hunter" appearance, the "Jump to the sea!" shout, Chopper choosing to become a monster to save them, Robin not letting Luffy thank her for saving him because she just wants to thank them all what they've done, Sanji's escape plan, the fight between Zoro and Kaku, the "we're not dead yet" moment with Usopp, and if that wasn't enough, the Merry's funeral at the very end.
To me no other arc has gotten even close to how good the Water 7 saga was, and this series has never been as good as it was in Enies Lobby.
I agree with this to the most part, Enies was definitely one of the more climatic archs in one piece, the character flaws and them being overcome is just too gold. Like I hated franky, personally until Enies and it went completely 180, during water 7 I told my self there was no way I would ever like franky like outright and then Enies lobby and I was like, “franky save her! Franky save her!” No show has ever made me hate a character so much and then turn that hate into love. Like the whole arch was so poetic, usopp even got the giants to help and the sea kings (i believe they were) were even willing to sacrifice themselves to save franky. Franky destroyed legendary invaluable blueprints so the government couldn’t have them, zero went into his 9 sword style for the first time which was just iconic. They literally did the impossible and at the same time also being their biggest feat. Like chopper turning into a monster in desperation knowing the risk is honestly the highlight fight for me (I don’t care too much for fights but character development and story). But tbh I didn’t like the giraffe guy as a character.
Whole Cake island does a perfect crime/noir for a manga for me, I just adore this arc. Also I completely agree with Fishman Island it Oda's storytelling at his finest
Im currently reading the act 3 of wano and like damn. It is going to be the best arc of one piece. Hands down amazing. So many elements I did not care for in one piece like fights, henchemen, the worst generation, zoan users, momonosuke. Why are they all soo good all of a sudden?? Like I'm convinced oda has a higher seeling of potential still, it just keeps getting better and better. The drawings, the panneling, the charecters, the jokes. I cant belive how stunned I am. Its so good
All the perfectly ordinary dinosaurs
@@dudeguy8686 love me some dinos :)
"Oda doesn't do bad arcs" BASED and TRUE!
It's very refreshing to see somebody that doesn't have the nostalgia bias, like most of us do, rank the arcs. It's fascinating to see the post-timeskip arcs up there with the pre-timeskip ones and I agree with most of your list. Incredible job!
It's cool that you take your time with the arcs, no need to rush. Also Wano might be close to finishing so if i were you i'd try wait until it was over to catch up. Reading weekly is a very different experience from bringing
Merphy: Enel did not seem that powerful
King of Lightning: so, you've chosen death...
lol KOL. Actually I don't think enel is powerful.
*gets struck by lightning.
Stands up.
I didn't expect your favorites to overlap so much with mine! A pleasant surprise.
Your tierlist has motivated me to read Fishman Island in manga form for the first time.
The sad thing is? This might be the best manga or even piece of fiction ever written and nothing will live up to it or give us the same level of enjoyment and sadness to read.
How much stories have you read xD
@@fish-zb4tg the problem with this statement is : at which point should i say :"the is the best piece of fiction ever written" even if i read many piece of fiction.
Therefore let le ask you, if you had read or watch more piece of fiction, what is then to you : the best piece of fiction you ever watched or read ?
@@fish-zb4tg Nice grammar. I've read quite a few novels, manga, comics and watched considerable amounts of movies. Nothing has captured me more than the absolutely beautiful world building, scope and imagination that one piece has.
The only thing that comes to mind when it comes to the adventure of one piece is one thousand and one nights. Great adventure book.
fishmen island? masterpiece? wut
Since she is catching up I would love to see a collab with another One Piece fan or somebody who watched the series or read the series to have a full conversation about the story and for future events
I didn’t watch no animes or read mangas for a long time but I saw some of ur reviews of one piece and also some friends recommending it to me so I gave it a shot and im really liking it so far im on sabaody archipelago
When you put Fishman Island in masterpiece, I screamed with joy. Don't listen to the naysayers!
31:38 When you get choked up right there, I was getting choked up right at the same time from your description of that scene. That emotional empathy why I love these reviews. It's amazing what a good series can do.
You skipped over the best part of Impel Down!! Bon-clay's return and his sacrifice to luffy was quite moving, and he became a true ally of Luffy's! He was good in Arabasta and amazing in Impel Down! He even opened the doors of justice for Luffy to get to Marine Ford
Great arc ratings Merphy!! I love your one piece vids and seeing you talk about all the arcs is really cool :)
I think you might just want to lump Water 7, Enies Lobby, and Post Enies together tbh, there basically the same arc lol
Keep making One Piece vids please! Your one of my fav youtubers for One Piece :)
Logue Town ( pronounced Log Town) as in Prologue and Epilogue. The town is the epilogue of rogers journey as that is the town of his execution. At this point luffy has his main crew together so everything before luffy gets there is his prologue ( the straws now enter the grand line)
Oh my god! As someone who isn't really into manga or anime in the first place, I came to love one piece instantly the moment I gave it a chance to watch. And I very much relate on your take on it. I pretty much 90% agree on your tier list.
Especially on your take on skypiea!
No, I take that back. I 100% agree on fishman island!! When I finally caught up with one piece and started looking into other people's opinions, it broke me when they say Hordy was a failure villain. But I loved his character. When the merman prince explained that Hordy's hatred was born out of other's spite, it explained so much about how effed up the one piece world is. That arc just got so many to offer that it sets aside all of its bad side others hated that's why I can say fishman island is really really great imo.
24:05 Literally Luffy losing his crew is the only scene in One Piece made me cry. I absolutely love this arc.
I love this series too!!! I liked this video, I should eventually look your reviews of the arcs. I'm only at Dressrossa so I'm not caught up, but until now I do have a top 5: five arcs I do consider to be fully 10/10 (and I dont usually put 10/10 that often, or maybe yes but you know, this series is great). These arcs are: Arlong Park, Water 7, Ennies Lobby, Sabaody Archipielago and Marineford. I just think they are as flawless as an arc could possibly go and that they are in my opinion the peak of emotion and epicness in this series (specially the Water 7 saga is just magnificent I think). Other arcs I consider to be 9/10 are Alabasta, Impel Down, Jaya and Post War. This series is amazing and I love it a lot :)
Makes sense that Merphy was questioning if Marineford was a masterpiece as she values story and the fun little moments way more than the fights.
In my opinion, Marineford is more than just a fight. It was the cumulative result of the the first half our journey and was only such a payoff because of all the set-up done by Oda since we started on the grandline.
Especially when whitebeard shouted that One Piece do exist, goosebumps everytime.
I’ve read through One Piece start to up-to-date, but this makes me want to re-read it all, all over again
I really love Fishmen Island. A lot of people in the community doesn't like Fishmen Island because "is boring", but it is one of the most important and impactful arcs in all One Piece. Fishmen Island connects the story with the past at Arlong Park and Sabaody, but also will connect with the future with the Promise and the Noah that i am sure that will have a big role in the One Piece ending.
One of my favorite things about Luffy is how he is a perfect protagonist to this story. In Arlong Park, Sabaody and Fishmen Island we see all the discrimination and racism between humans and fishmen, and my favorite moment of Arlong Park is the one that Arlong says to Luffy: "Do you know what difference there is between you and i?", refering to the fact that he is a fishman and Luffy is a human, but then Luffy says: "The nose?".
Really fun tier list, I agree on some and disagree on others.
Its cool to hear the thoughts of someone on the first read-through, re reads and community discussion can definitely change your perspective a lot.
Merphy a lot of peoples opinions are skewed once they read week to week
With the hype of the war ark a lot of new readers were reading weekly at fish man island. And week to week it's not super strong. But together it's a fantastic ark
Haha pun
my favourite thing about this video is just the excitement you have talking about the story! it feels pretty universal that if you get a one piece fan to just talk about the story they'll start tearing up at some point. literally if i just think about that nami/luffy moment in arlong park i start crying lmao.
I'm glad there is someone that loves Fishman island as much as I do :) and the only one I strongly disagree with is Dressrosa, I'd put that in Masterpiece.
I just finished Skypiea and will return when I've gotten further. I started watching One Piece because of you videos and am enjoying the manga so much!
I’d put Enies Lobby and Wano to masterpiece and Skypiea and Dressrosa to incredible. Everything else I agree with you and you pretty much describe how much I also gush about one of the most underrated Fishmen Island. Great list!
Wano is like a high fine, it has high highs but boy are the lows LOOOOW.
@@mkbthekid2041 ooh, the wacko n’ steroid designs and too many fake out deaths, yeah that especially. I can already see her disappointment.
Lov how you sincerely rank the arcs. Your one of my best one piece reactionaries. 😌🤝
Water7-Enies Lobby is peak OP for me, for rest I can agree with almost any ranking as long as they are on +ve side cause as you said, OP has no bad arcs
Its great that you rank these based on your enjoyment, because my arc tier is very different when i first read it, when i reread, and when i watch analysis videos for the arcs. So these tier ranks is pretty accurate bcs our mind will remember how fun and enjoyable the arcs is rather than how deep the arc is. Thats why fishman island is one of my top 5 as well. That arc is so fun
When i was a kid reading OP i couldn't stand Usopp and Sanji. Didn't even like Luffy that much and i pretty much just wanted Zoro to fight epic battles lol.. Now rereading the series as an adult i can really appreciate Syrup Village and Baratie simply for how great Oda is at establishing what a character is all about. Usopps annoying personality and his constant lying being the a face he puts on to hide his trauma of losing his mother and missing his father is something i completely overlooked for a long time. Same with Sanji being torn inside between wanting to go on adventures with Luffy and wanting to stay with his family (the Baratie) because of how much appreciation he feels towards Zeff. Those arcs were absolute rollercoasters of emotion and i enjoy them a lot nowadays.
I just love your unique input on this Masterpiece story that I love so much! I hate how most reviewers of this story are all about the fights and powers of the characters..... while the things that make this series amazing is the story, the world building and the foreshadowing genius of Oda.
Next week on Merphy One Piece Friday. "When at sea, you only fight as Pirate."
Thank you for showing love towards Along Park. This is where I fell in love with One Piece. ( I was already there while watching Zoro V. Mihawk, but Arlong park helped)
I adored every bit of this, and have loved keeping up with your takes on one piece throughout the last year!! Thank you for sharing and hold strong on these glorious takes!
I think Skypiea is one of the arcs that is tough to gauge. It really and truly is an arc that seems to be Oda’s “Set up long term Lore” story. One that pays off in later Arcs. I feel it was the point where Oda had a long term plan for the series. We had the first hints of Haki here for example. So I feel it will be one of those arcs that we will look back on as massively important, but not many people’s favorite.
Real talk: Fishman Island is a masterpiece easily. It gets shit for Howdy who is a great antagonist for the story but just an unmemorable character.
"Look at me, I'm Woody: howdy howdy howdy."
I was actually thinking about your rankings before opening up RUclips. No worries on Wano! There are so many characters doing so many different things. Never feel the need to rush yourself with this.
Marineford arc is the best arc in all anime.
I'm right there on the Fishman Island:Masterpiece-hill with you. Based on my experience with the subreddit, I'm not surprised people bothered you about it. The arc is full of emotions that most people (A) have not experienced or (B) have not finished processing:
Otohime's pacifism (a word people mistake for subservience or acquiescence)
Tiger's resentment
Shirahoshi's "naivete"; in quotes because I agree with Jinbei's response
Hody's mindless radicalism
This wasn't simply a conflict with a villain (Hody) or an opponent (Katakuri), or a battle to remove an enemy (Doflamingo). There isn't much in the sense of clear objectives besides "the plan" for the rescue. We're looking at this location and this story with the intent of understanding *what* these characters are feeling and some of *why* they feel that way; and the circumstances are rather abstract. This kind of storytelling is very atypical for manga (especially the shonen genre), and honestly quite remarkable that a Japanese writer can capture all of it so completely. But Oda truly understands emotions and conveys them better than anyone.
(Don't ask me to explain what being Japanese has to do with it. Look up the words burakumin, Ainu, Zainichi, and Japan migrant workers)
Every one piece Video is cool so dont worry
Greetings from Germany 🇩🇪
Love those picks. They're not identical to mine but I just enjoy how you put them where they are and how that reflects what you value in a story.