Let's head back to 2010. My brother and I moved from an apartment to a house. It took a while to move in, but once we did, we got cable. This was where I was introduced to Nicktoons, before it became a death channel. While watching Nicktoons, I was introduced to something that may be familiar to anime fans of the Toonami generation.406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvWSpodUdfv
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I was mesmerized by this. Yeah, I questioned why it suddenly switched from new animation to old animation, but it didn't matter. It was cool, and I had never seen action in a cartoon like this before. Just like that, I was introduced to anime, opening up my mind to what animation could do as a medium.406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcnq3QA4iYc
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Was I too young for it? Hell yeah. I was exposed to a lot of things a six-year-old shouldn't have been, but I watched it without a care. 406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9d4JWhozar
So, cut to 2011 or 2012. I was at my dad's house. He had Hulu, which my mom didn't have at the time. While staying up late looking for something to watch, this one show406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIvvUmDDqY7
one piece?
I didn't know what it was or how many episodes there were, but when I clicked on it and after the ad played, I was introduced to this.406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8aO2wwWdax
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One Piece was a child's wet dream, an action-adventure imagination for kids and a story for an older audience. With the first episode and the introduction of Luffy as a character, I was hooked. 406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKJftC2oMP3
I became a fan to the point where my only obsession was trying to get One Piece Unlimited Adventure for the Wii, which I have, and I'm not selling.406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkp6oCUfATj
And now, in 2026, it is finally done. After all the jokes about when One Piece will end, Luffy and the Straw Hat dream are almost there, and I think now is the time to look back at One Piece and see if it still holds up after all this time.406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmmsxH2kgZE
Yeah, I know, duh, yes it does, but I want to voice my opinion on the whole series. 406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEwlSmiXXlK
Now, with that out of the way, I want to mention a few things. One, I am no literary genius. Even though this is somewhat of a review, analysis, and memory look-back, and even though I'm a writer myself, I'm not a writer with a degree, so keep that in mind.406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3S0AYq0w6i
Also, I won't be doing the whole "Oda had this planned" thing a lot because, being a writer myself, not everything is planned. This is a manga with a weekly or bi-weekly release schedule.406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdPmlNnTake
Also, since I'll be adding the games to this retrospective, instead of saving them off for later, I will be doing them when they correlate with where we are in the story. I also won't play every One Piece game, including Japanese-exclusive games, because I don't know Japanese. I'm also going to ignore a couple because of their availability, so let's hope we get announced ports in the future.406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0QWCrgRV9n
And as an extra, I will talk about the One Piece movies, since I haven't watched most of them. Okay, with that out of the way...406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7E0YhTUI1y
ROMANCE DAWN Chapters 1–7406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIuPYOFsJ7j
Our story begins with a backstory as we're introduced to Gol D. Roger's execution. Wealth, fame, power—a man who had it all—announces to the world that his treasure is hidden out there, but they have to find it first. This sparks a new age of piracy as pirates around the world search for Gol D. Roger's treasure. 406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7v0IE3MF13
Note: Even though I grew up with the anime first, this bit of backstory gives a lot of viewers, and me, an imagination of what's out there, setting up things to come. Our story takes us to a small harbor village where we're introduced to our main character, and that character is... a small boy named Monkey D. Luffy.406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv3elYRmE6V
Unlike the anime, the story doesn't introduce our protagonist through conventional means. Just like the audience, young or old, we're introduced to this world through young Luffy's point of view. We see that he idolizes a group of pirates called the Red Hair Pirates, led by a man with a straw hat named Shanks. He asks to join his crew, or at least one of his voyages. 406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxLi1WISswq
Shanks knows Luffy is too young and thinks he isn't ready, with his first mate Benn Beckman telling Luffy that, as the captain, Shanks is only doing what is best for everyone, including Luffy. 406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzNH9aSTs3P
But despite this, Luffy, in his naivety, just ignores him, thinking Shanks is only making himself look dumb in this bit of backstory. Two things are clear here. One, Luffy wants to be a pirate. Two, Luffy, just like every child, wants to be seen as grown-up and not just some dumb child. 406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmzp7IoAjJf
So he wants to prove himself, despite the people he idolizes telling him that there's more to being a pirate. This second point becomes clear when a group of mountain bandits comes in wanting to drink. When they find out that Shanks and his men drank it all, they attempt to fight them. But Shanks, seeing no big deal in it, just takes it. Of course, they leave, and as they do, Shanks and his crew are laughing, something Luffy is mad about, asking why they didn't fight back. Shanks replies that he'll understand when he grows up.406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnVdm1AOmWb
We get more of this afterward as Luffy gets kidnapped by the same mountain bandit and is saved by Shanks later. Despite Luffy saying he wants to prove himself, he is still a child at the end of the day. As he cries in Shanks' arms, he realizes that, despite being sad that Shanks is leaving and that he can't swim, he decides that one day he will start his own crew, making a declaration that one day he will become King of the Pirates. Shanks, as a sign of their friendship, gives Luffy his straw hat and tells him to keep it safe until he one day asks for it back. Phew, that was a tight 58 pages. 406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwKVejQIeKE
You know, despite growing up with the anime and seeing them adapt it, looking back I feel like both the first episode and first chapter still do a good job introducing the audience to the main character, Luffy. They just do it in a different way, something I will get into in Chapter 2.406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvLHCOSQyiI
Chapter 2 begins after the end of Chapter 1. Luffy is now old enough to go out at sea and achieve his ultimate dream to become King of the Pirates. And then, as we see him relax, we see he is admittedly being pulled in by a whirlpool. 406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrnvc8pI7bo
Now again, even though I watched the anime multiple times, to be honest, I don't remember that many differences besides two, but I will get to the other one later down the line. 406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsUXbptsnC3
The reason I mention this is not to prove a point, but to talk about it and give you my two cents as someone who never read One Piece in the manga but experienced it through the anime. Is the anime pacing slow? 406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwj02Nr4uAs
Yes, in certain arcs. Does the censorship ruin the experience? No, not really. Are the dub actors great?..... With enough said, let me get back to the subject. 406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPhGqWLK30
So why do I think both Chapters 1 and 2, and Episode 1, do a good job at introducing One Piece to newcomers? First off, yes, I know how these events unfolded are a little different, so I won't mention every difference. 406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVPWO6H7Q0O
I'll just talk about the minor and major points, starting with Koby and Alvida. Koby's introduction, despite the changes, still says a lot about his situation. Despite the anime changing how the events unfold a little, it still gives us everything we need to understand his character. He's a weak, scrawny kid who doesn't have a backbone. In the manga, it explains why Alvida keeps him around despite not being that useful: he has knowledge of the sea.406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPpNt6fHV9R
But that's not where the heart of Episode 1 and Chapter 2 lies. Luffy surviving the whirlpool by going into a barrel is soon followed by Koby, who sees it washed up on shore. Just like in both versions, as he tries to haul it in, he is stopped by his crewmates. If you watch or read both, Luffy pops out. In the manga, Luffy and Koby run off before being seen by Alvida. In the anime, a member of Alvida's crew runs off to tell her about this strange person in a barrel. It is here where I notice the biggest difference in the manga.406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIIw56veJ6x
Luffy is still in the barrel when he introduces himself and asks for a dinghy. Koby is surprised that he survived a whirlpool and is planning a way of escape, so he shows Luffy a makeshift dinghy. In the anime, they lean more into Koby's cowardice. In both mediums, Koby explains his situation and how he got there.406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeiU3H6cnDv
One day while fishing, he accidentally boarded Alvida's ship. But in the anime, Koby didn't build a way of escape. In both versions, Luffy asks why he doesn't escape.406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA1ESfKFNvX
He replies that Alvida scares him so much that he doesn't have a backbone. Luffy, without sugarcoating it, calls him out anyway. And this is where we see Luffy as a character fully introduced in both versions.406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYVFa7YGbIr
In the manga, it shows that Luffy doesn't care who or what danger is near. He just goes with the flow. As he explains why he went out to sea, he tells Koby that he doesn't mind dying trying. At least he tried. Koby, the scared cat, admires him for this. Both the anime and manga express this, and looking back, this is why I gravitated toward Luffy as a character. 406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSfoU8qD7ug
Let me explain. We all know the story of Peter Pan. While the story ultimately teaches kids that growing up is a fact of life, the main reason I think kids gravitate toward Peter Pan as a character is because, as kids, we sometimes have the mindset that makes us afraid of growing up. 406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTucNMZKyJN
So seeing Peter actually do it is cool to them. For Luffy, he has a dream and sets out to do it, no matter whether he succeeds or fails, or whether people say it's impossible or that we can't do it. Just like the world was all afraid because of something holding us back, or someone telling us we won't amount to anything, or that we can't do something because of social norms, the "what ifs" start running through our minds.406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrxVCpkq5ER
This is again why I gravitate to One Piece and Luffy. Despite growing up without much support from others, I still chose to be a writer. After all, I like it, and I want to make people happy with the work I share. Am I famous? No, but at least I die trying. Back to the story. 406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYrcT4zaImf
So, of course, Koby gets found out by Alvida and is treated like a traitor. While begging Luffy to take it, he suddenly remembers the words Luffy said. These words are enough for Koby to stand up for himself, and while death is staring him in the face, he doesn't regret it. Luffy, of course, saves him. This is a point I'm saving for the Arlong part. 406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMIxVumkbRh
This is my fifth time re-experiencing the East Blue Saga, and looking back on both the anime and manga, I feel like both did a good job introducing me to a world matched by J.R.R. Tolkien. And even if the anime skips the flashback altogether, I feel like people who were only watching the anime would still piece together some of the clues about Luffy and what inspired him. Now let's move on to Chapters 3–7.406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTPDnoCSDNc
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So, with Koby and Luffy out at sea, they make their way to where this legendary pirate hunter Zoro is, Luffy's reason being that he wants to invite him to join his crew. With Koby scared for his safety, telling him that he's a bad dude and that he wouldn't think twice about killing him, Luffy replies, "If he is good, I'll do it anyway." I may reword a few things here or there, so don't hurt me. 406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrlaKrJExzw
On the next page, Koby and Luffy make it to the Navel Base Town before the two go their separate ways. The two grab something to eat. While doing that, they notice that the town people are scared when they hear Zoro's name. 406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvlGBryFbE4
At first, Koby thought it was obvious these people would be scared of someone like him, but when he mentioned someone by the name of Captain Morgan... Umm... unaffiliated. Even the townspeople freaked out in fear at that name, which was weird. But afterward, they made it to the Navy base, where Luffy finally got to see Zoro for the first time. 406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRR6Sppjw9j
So let's dive into the heart of this one, because out of all the Straw Hat introductions, this is kind of in my top five, being the only one I can vividly remember as a kid. And looking back, I can see why this attracted me.406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0wPq3UGwHl
When we meet Zoro for the first time, the story shows what people think he is. He has a menacing aura, and when he meets Luffy and a little girl he had saved earlier named Rika, the mask is off, proving Luffy right when Zoro tells Luffy to thank her for the rice ball she had made. 406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUNLN8I7IkE
When she told Luffy why he was hung up in the first place, it showed that Zoro is a tough man with a kind interior and not the monster people claim him to be. But let's go deeper. When Luffy finds out that the captain of the Marines' son, Helmeppo, has come through town bragging that he will execute Zoro anyway, it makes Luffy mad. He punches him in the face and tells Koby that he has made up his mind: he'll ask Zoro to join his crew. 406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMplZeoslss
Sorry, context. The reason Zoro is in the yard is that, while in the village, he killed one of Helmeppo's dogs that was about to attack Rika. Zoro made a deal that if he survived in the yard for a month, he would agree, and this is where we see him today. So, with all that context, what can we learn about Zoro? 406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb5a477BOer
He's not really a bad guy like people make him out to be, and just like Luffy, he has his own ambitions and goals. He made a deal with Helmeppo, which Helmeppo and Morgan, as ever, broke, just so they could make an example of the people. And it is that last point I would like to focus on: a promise. 406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYUHIh0Nt7D
Even though this arc feels the most episodic, it's not like there is no theme. There is something, and that is promising someone, and how it shows someone's character. This is something introduced in the first chapter. And even though Luffy never made a promise with Koby about his dream, Koby does make one in the form of announcing his dream to Luffy. Luffy makes a plan to go recruit Zoro, knowing he is captured by the Marines. 406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUAqKEFHhOM
When Luffy attempts to ask Zoro a second time, he makes a deal to get back his swords in the hope that he will agree. Zoro doesn't agree to this deal, but Luffy does it anyway, getting his swords back. 406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRHEV9olwKp
After Zoro finds out about Helmeppo, we learn that, just like Luffy, he made a promise with someone when he was young. He made the promise with a young girl named Kuina. After the two fought with real swords, they made a promise to each other, but before that promise could happen, she died due to an accident. Zoro then made a different promise, one that was the same but allowed them to achieve the same goal even after death. As a kid, I didn't think much of this, but now as an adult, knowing what happened later in this arc and seeing a quick flashback, it says a lot about Zoro as a character.406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr6ErGs9wCw
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In the post-Enies Lobby era, looking back at this moment says a lot about Zoro as a character. But back to the story.406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2Y8RK4NX0
After Luffy makes good on his end of the promise, Zoro keeps his end, announcing his dream to him. Afterwards, they defeat the mad ruler Morgan. 406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjq4pPWrHic
Luffy, Zoro, and Koby all relax, but right when Luffy and Zoro are told to leave the island, the current head of the base stops them, asking if Koby is with them. Luffy, knowing how much Koby's dream means to him, tries to tell them about Koby's background.406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQAbJ4SZpli
But when he is about to blurt out Alvida's name, Koby punches him, with Luffy returning the favor. But he is soon stopped by the Marines, who give them a warning. This scene here, despite Luffy and Koby forming a small bond in such a short amount of time, still hits so good.406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsTdgMu3s17
Because despite the two saying goodbye, despite the fact that they might be enemies in the future, Luffy still lets him go, not holding him back from achieving his goal. And so, Zoro and Luffy set out. 406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCXzo3QCFwl
Being given a goodbye, this brings our story to an end. So, Romance Dawn is kinda bitching. Yeah, I should mention my problem with the anime, but I've made it clear that both versions of the story do a good job in telling this story, especially with the introduction of our main character, Luffy. Is it a flawless arc? No. 406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu6WD1h9Qrp
If you have to look for flaws, the Koby and Luffy connection is a bit rushed, but that's more of a personal opinion of a newcomer. If I had to mention something else, it would have to be Oda's artwork. Not that it's ugly or anything, but I'm so used to his later, more modern work. I'd describe it as the characters still having exaggerated features, but with a bit more realism. Compared with Oda's later designs, where he embraces the cartoony features of his characters, both styles aren't bad. I just think it's an interesting difference to notice. That's all I have to say about this arc today. I hope you guys liked it.406Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNYeQ9K3tt
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and then Add to home screen.