One Piece: Arc Tier Ranking (prepare for screaming)

WHERE TO FIND ME:

[merphynapier]

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.

[nmjr]

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.

[kristinberthiaume]

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.

[SnowyJop]

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.

[alexweirdyoung]

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!

[hoid]

I was still reeling from the latest chapter (1037), and this calmed me down. Thanks 😊😊

[belphegor]

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.

[apoptosisduellinks]

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.

[itsyaboy]

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!

[NZAnimeManga]

I’ve read through One Piece start to up-to-date, but this makes me want to re-read it all, all over again

[tximinoman]

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.

[oliverorchard]

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.

[dantecrottogini]

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

[zanbamon]

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.

[emmanuelasante]

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

[coolvbk]

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)

[Maria-mkuj]

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!

[arv]

Water 7, Enies Lobby, Zou and Sabaody are my favourites . Water 7 the best. So I am pretty happy with your tier list

[ilsukdyang]

It's funny how both Oda and Sanderson (two of our favorite authors) have a huge problem with fake deaths 🤣

[TuskyBaby]

I was actually thinking about your rankings before opening up Youtube. No worries on Wano! There are so many characters doing so many different things. Never feel the need to rush yourself with this.