The anime adaptation of Oda's One Piece manga premiered in 1999 and, to this day, is one of the longest-running anime in history. It's also one of the most popular. The adventures of Luffy's Straw Hat Pirates are known and popular worldwide, so we're wondering: are they suitable for children? Since One Piece is one of the most important anime series in history, we've decided to tell you whether the series is suitable for children or not.

One Piece is rated TV-14 in the United States; in Japan, the series is listed as G. One Piece is a very family-friendly and child-friendly series and is a typical representative of the shonen genre, which is why there is absolutely no doubt that it is suitable for all audiences who can follow the plot. Some scenes may be more exaggerated, but they do not influence the overall tone of the series.

In the following paragraphs, we'll expand on this answer and give you some additional information about the show's content. You'll discover whether One Piece is suitable for children, how scary and gory it is, whether there's sex, nudity, and profanity, and what age it's appropriate for. This will be your ultimate parent's guide to One Piece.

What age is One Piece appropriate for?

According to official ratings, One Piece is rated "14," meaning 14 years old. This standard is defined as follows: This program contains material that most parents would find inappropriate for children under 14. Japan lists the series as a 16+ series, while most other countries classify it in similar age categories (12-16, depending on the country). No country has applied a stricter standard for One Piece, which speaks volumes about the maturity of its content.

This means that One Piece is a series suitable for teenagers and older fans. Children under 14 should not be able to watch the series, as some content may be inappropriate for them according to the standards. This is the show's official rating, and we'll now see how things progress in several different categories.

One Piece: Sex and Nudity

As we've seen, the show features a very light level of nudity and some very mild sexual references, but over the course of the series, there weren't many such scenes and they were—in most cases—shown in a very comedic context. Here's an example of some of the scenes involving nudity and/or sexual references:

• Nami, one of the protagonists, usually wears bikini tops, revealing a large part of her body.
• Many female characters have revealing outfits and clothing.
• Nudity is shown to a small extent and rarely.
• There are frequent sexual innuendos in the series, although no sexual activity has been shown.

As you can see, it's really not much, and while some scenes can be a little suggestive, they are very limited.

One Piece: Violence and Gore

The battle violence in One Piece has also been described as moderate in general, although some scenes are both milder and more violent than others, which is why some moments would definitely merit a PG rating. The number of these scenes is very small and overall limited; the uncut version contains more, but as stated, it is nothing over the top. The battle scenes are epic and the violence is depicted in the series in accordance with the plot, but it is nothing over the top and it is not particularly graphic or gory.

Most of the violence depicted in One Piece is cartoonish, and you won't have any problems with it, and neither will your children. Some scenes suggest deeper violence, but they are mostly comical. As the series progresses, the violence and fighting become more intense, there is more blood and even some bizarre elements, but it's still not over the top, and that's part of the show's inherent realism.

One Piece: Profanity

As for profanity, it isn't very prevalent in My Hero Academia, although it is present. Examples of words that can be heard are "son of a bitch," "shit," "hell," "damn," and "bastard," and the word "whore" can be heard used several times; the second dub contains more of this type of word than the first. This might bother some viewers and is something that children shouldn't really repeat, but it adds to the realism of the series, doesn't it?

First of all, it's worth noting that the characters in One Piece are pirates and other scoundrels who sail the seas raiding villages and other ships, and people don't really tend to be careful with their language in such situations; it's just not natural. It would be silly if these characters didn't swear from time to time, wouldn't it? This is only realistic, and the series adds to it by adapting the language to be appropriate for a specific situation.

So, profanity is certainly present in the series, but we don't think it's a bad thing. It simply adds to the realism of the series and helps viewers better understand the characters, the world, and the entire setting. Anything else would be completely out of place, which is why we can only applaud the show's authenticity. And, on top of that, it's really not very present and isn't serious.

Should You Allow Your Kids to Watch One Piece?

One Piece is one of the most kid-friendly anime series you can find today, despite all its bizarre elements, and is a relic of the older generation of anime. The show focuses on adventure and is a prime example of the shonen genre. This is why there is nothing overly exaggerated in One Piece, as the three main categories—sex and nudity, violence and gore, and profanity—are generally mild, with some moderate violence present in the fights, but it is not over the top. The series focuses on the daily adventures and struggles of its protagonists.

Environments like that of One Piece are nothing strange when it comes to Japanese art, even if it is a more Western setting than most anime, and there are many other manga and anime that depict such worlds, which is why the shonen genre is so popular worldwide. One Piece is quite faithful to the original material and there aren't many filler episodes, which is good for anime fans who don't like filler content. So, should you allow your kids to watch One Piece?

Well, the official ratings suggest that children under 14 shouldn't watch One Piece, but it all depends on your parental approach. Honestly, we at Proximité Japon don't think there's anything wrong with watching such anime series (yours personally grew up watching Dragon Ball, where he was exposed to a fully naked Child Goku, blood, characters piercing other characters' bodies, and so on), and One Piece doesn't really cross any boundaries that would make it too inappropriate for children (for example, there's no cannibalism, no mutilations, no torture, no sexual violence, etc.).

Children under 13 might be a little confused if they can't follow the plot, but we don't think those over 13 or 14 will have any problems with the show. If your younger children can follow the plot, they can also watch One Piece because they could also learn a lot about friendship and heroism. So, in our opinion, One Piece is suitable for all ages and children of all shapes and sizes. So, if your child wants to watch it – we absolutely support it – and not only that, One Piece is so important that we encourage you, as parents, to introduce One Piece to your children because they will definitely love it.