The best One Piece arcs showcase the Straw Hat Pirates’ friendship, grand adventures, and fight for freedom across the Grand Line. With over 34 arcs spanning 11 sagas and a thousand episodes, which storylines truly stand above the rest in Eiichiro Oda’s masterpiece?
Some arcs made us cry. Others redefined what an anime series could achieve in terms of scale and stakes. And a select few managed to do both while changing how we see the world of One Piece.
This list looks into the five best One Piece arcs the series has ever produced. We’ll revisit some of the best moments in the series, from saying goodbye to a ship that became family to watching our crew declare war on the entire World Government.
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These are the storylines that made us fall in love with the One Piece anime and keep us believing in the dream of finding the One Piece.
Spoiler warning: Major spoilers are up head if you have yet to watch the One Piece anime.
The 5 best One Piece arcs of all time, from Alabasta to Wano Country arcs
Alabasta Arc
Alabasta is where One Piece stopped being just another shonen adventure anime and became something we’d treasure forever. This is the arc that made us realize we weren’t just watching Luffy punch bad guys, but we were witnessing a crew willing to risk everything for a friend caught in an impossible situation.
This whole arc centers around the desert kingdom of Alabasta, which is being manipulated into a highly destructive civil war by the secret criminal organization known as Baroque Works.
Guided by Princess Nefertari Vivi, the crew races against time to unmask the mastermind, Sir Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. A respected hero of the country, he uses his status to reinforce distrust in the royal family and instigate a huge battle between the Royal Army and the Rebel Army. This arc gives an amazing villain in Crocodile, who forces Luffy to experience his very first real defeat and struggle for survival.
The arc’s conclusion is what cements it as one of the best One Piece arcs ever produced. When Vivi chooses to stay behind to rebuild her kingdom, the Straw Hats cannot openly acknowledge her as part of the crew because of the World Government’s watchful eyes. Instead, they raise their arms in silent farewell, revealing the “X” marks beneath their bandages.
It’s a moment that perfectly defines what nakama (comrade in English) means in One Piece, and it’s precisely why this arc has such incredible rewatchability. Every time we return to Alabasta, this scene hits just as hard as it did the first time.
Water 7 Arc
The Water 7 Arc represents one of the most emotionally challenging storylines in the One Piece anime.
The Straw Hat Pirates arrive in the city of Water 7 with a hope to repair their damaged ship, Going Merry. They are devastated to learn that Merry is beyond salvation, a realization that fractures the crew.
This leads to a duel between Luffy and Usopp over the fate of the ship. The duel itself is brutal to watch, not because of the physical damage but because it exposes just how fragile their bond is under enough pressure.
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In this arc, we also find out about the hidden intelligence agency of the World Government, CP9, which is in operation in the city. Their mission is to obtain the blueprints of an ancient weapon, leading them to kidnap Nico Robin.
Water 7 is one of the best One Piece arcs because it doesn’t opt for an easy way out, forcing favorite characters to impossible choices and proving that bonds, even those of the Straw Hats, aren’t unbreakable. This arc shows our heroes at their lowest, most fractured point, making their eventual reunion in Enies Lobby all the more powerful.
Enies Lobby Arc
The Enies Lobby Arc is the direct conclusion to the crisis that started in the Water 7 Arc. After Nico Robin’s self-sacrifice and kidnapping by CP9, the Straw Hat Pirates undertake an all-out attack on Enies Lobby to rescue her.
The arc takes place on one of the World Government’s three major strongholds, Enies Lobby, a judicial island that symbolizes their absolute authority. The Enies Lobby Arc delivers on every emotional thread Water 7 established.
The Straw Hats fight through thousands of troops in a nonstop series of battles, and for the first time, every single crew member gets their moment to shine with one-on-one fights against CP9’s elite agents.
The emotional beats are what truly cement this as one of the best One Piece arcs. Robin’s “I want to live!” confession is the kind of moment that defines why we watch this series. Hearing her finally ask for help, after spending an entire arc believing she didn’t deserve to be saved, and seeing Luffy smile and promise to make it happen… it’s all crushing and beautiful in equal measure.
Marineford Arc
Marineford is the arc that changed everything in the One Piece anime.
It features an all-out battle between the Whitebeard Pirates, who are considered the world’s strongest pirate crew, against the full military might of the Marines Headquarters and the Seven Warlords of the Seas.
The Whitebeard Pirates have the objective of saving their Second Division Commander, Portgas D. Ace, who will be executed publicly at Marineford. Monkey D. Luffy also infiltrates the battlefield after breaking out of Impel Down, determined to save his older brother, Ace.
The scale alone makes Marineford stand out among the best One Piece arcs. Every major power appears on one battlefield, including the Marines’ full military force, the Seven Warlords, legendary pirates, and figures we’d only heard about in whispers.
What makes Marineford devastating, even during rewatches, is how it completely shatters us. Ace’s death stands as one of the most tragic moments in the One Piece anime. Even after everything, after the impossible rescue seemed within reach, he dies in Luffy’s arms.
Then Whitebeard falls, standing tall even in death, and the old era dies with him. These losses break Luffy, forcing him to face the reality that determination alone isn’t enough to protect the people he loves.
Marineford juggles dozens of major characters in an impossibly complex battle while never losing sight of its emotional core. It’s the arc that ends One Piece’s first half and reminds us that in this world, not everyone gets saved, no matter how hard the heroes fight.
Wano Country Arc
Wano Country is the arc we’d been building toward for years, and it delivers on that promise in spectacular fashion. The Straw Hat Pirates finally fulfill their alliance with the Samurai of Wano, the Mink Tribe, and Trafalgar Law’s Heart Pirates to liberate an isolated nation suffering under the tyrannical rule of Shogun Kurozumi Orochi and Kaido, one of the Four Emperors of the Sea.
The crew spends quite a while undercover, gathering allies, and building up their forces for the final confrontation. The climax of the arc takes place on an island fortress called Onigashima, in which the alliance goes in an all-out war against the combined forces of the Beasts Pirates and Big Mom Pirates. This is the “Yonko Saga” clash we’d been promised, bringing together characters from arcs past like Law and Kin’emon.
Wano showcases some of the most visually stunning animation the series has produced. The battles are massive in scope and breathtaking in execution, but what really makes this one of the best One Piece arcs is the moment Luffy awakens Gear Fifth.
Watching him finally unlock his ultimate power and fight Kaido as an equal, with that absurd, joyful fighting style that perfectly captures Luffy’s spirit, feels like witnessing the culmination of everything the series has been working toward. This is the arc where Luffy stops chasing the Yonko and becomes one himself, proving he belongs among the world’s strongest pirates.
These five arcs represent the very best of what the One Piece anime has to offer, reinforcing why Eiichiro Oda’s franchise remains highly popular even after two decades.
They’re the arcs we return to again and again, the ones we recommend to new fans without hesitation, and the reason we’ll keep sailing with the Straw Hats until they finally reach Laugh Tale.
