One Piece is moving slowly with the anime, which should catch up with the manga relatively soon. The manga has brought us major upheavals in recent chapters, some of which not only shook the foundations of the storyline so far, but also provided us with epic new scenes that we can't wait to see in the anime. But is it worth it? Is One Piece so good that you should stick around for over 1,000 episodes? In this article, we'll tell you when One Piece gets good and which episode to start with.

In the case of One Piece, viewers will have it easy. Namely, One Piece is, like all the "Big Three" shonen series, good from the very beginning. There are many episodes, but you don't really need to wait for a later episode to start watching it because the very first episode is already quite good. So, if you want to start watching One Piece, definitely start from the very beginning and just keep going.

In the following paragraphs, we'll expand on this answer and give you some additional information about the show's content. You'll discover from the very beginning whether One Piece is good and why you should watch it from the beginning, as well as what it's about. This will be your ultimate guide for One Piece beginners.

When does One Piece get good and which episode should you start with?

One Piece was created by Eiichiro Oda as a manga, with an anime series premiering on October 20, 1999, about two years after the manga. Today, with over 1,000 episodes, One Piece is one of the most lucrative and long-running anime series, spanning the main anime series, several films, video games, and various other products. Arguably, One Piece is one of the most popular and important anime series in history, along with Bleach and Naruto, which—along with Oda's work—constitute the "Big Three." And while most One Piece fans have been there since the beginning, there may be some who missed the 1999 premiere and would like to jump in now, but since the series has over 1,000 episodes, they don't know when or how. That's why we're going to help you.

One Piece is a very composite narrative unit, and Oda is such a good narrator that he demands the audience's attention. There are many situations in episode X00 that take us back to episode X0, and we're like, "Oh, wait... ha! So that's it!" There are many examples of mysteries solved, as well as many examples of mysteries still unsolved, which is why watching One Piece actually requires a lot of dedication.

The adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates are many and varied. They've fought fishmen, ordinary pirates, giants, animals, monsters, hybrids, assassins, Vikings, and more. Oda probably included them in one way or another. This means that from the very beginning, you'll experience a very exciting adventure in One Piece, and if you like pirates and their adventures, One Piece is a series that delivers from the very beginning. Namely, from the very first episode, you see and know everything—you meet Luffy and learn about his efforts to become the Pirate King by finding the One Piece treasure, you discover that he's assembling a crew, that there are rogue pirates and Marines, a lot of humor, and a very unique animation style that illustrates the quirkiness of Oda's storytelling.

One Piece doesn't hold back much, and right from the start, you know what you're going to get. Okay, you can't predict the plot and all the twists and turns Oda has given us over the years, but the general idea of ​​the series is pretty clear from the start. That's why, if you like this style, we can confirm that One Piece is good from the start and only gets better with each episode. There isn't a single moment where you can say—"oh, this is where it gets good"—because it's good from the start.

Along the same lines, we can also give you the second answer: you can start watching One Piece from the very first episode. One Piece is a story that captivates you from the very beginning, and once you're in that original world, you probably won't be able to get out. A story that's still active after more than 20 years and has more than 1,000 episodes must be great; otherwise, it wouldn't have survived this long. One Piece is a unique work, and we can only confirm that it's truly great and that you'll be able to watch it from the very first episode, hoping that you'll have the stamina and willpower to stick with it until the very end.

What is One Piece about?

Now that you know when you should start watching the series and why, we can give you a relatively spoiler-free introduction to the series so you know what to expect. And remember, it only gets better from here.

The young pirate Monkey D. Luffy, who ate a so-called devil fruit, the gum-gum fruit, and can therefore stretch his entire body like rubber, leaves the Eastblue Windmill Village at the age of 17. Like countless other pirates, he sets out to find the legendary One Piece treasure left by Gol D. Roger in order to fulfill the promise he made to his great role model, Shanks: to become the Pirate King.

First, he meets young Corby, who decides to pursue a career in the Navy and later vows to capture Luffy one day. In the process, Luffy gains the first members of his Straw Hat gang in the form of swordsman and former pirate hunter Lorenor Zoro and the thief-navigator Nami. The three make an enemy of Buggy, the pirate clown, who later stays on their heels.

Usopp, the son of Yasopp, a member of Shanks' pirate gang, joins the group, and the Straw Hat Gang is given its first full-fledged ship, the Flying Lamb, by Usopp's friend Kaya. Luffy then manages to gain the support of Sanji, who becomes the ship's Smutje. The Straw Hat Gang travels to Nami's home island, Konomi, who is being bullied by a group of fish, the Arlong Gang. Because Nami was forced to work for Arlong, the murderer of her adoptive mother Bellemere, for years, the Straw Hat Gang attacks his base in Arlong Park and eventually defeats him.

As a result, the Navy placed a bounty of 30 million Berries on Luffy's head. Before the Straw Hats crossed Rivers Mountain to reach Grandline, they stopped at Loguetown, the site of the birth and execution of the Pirate King, Gold Roger. There, Naval Captain Smoker, who was able to transform into smoke thanks to a Devil Fruit, nearly defeated Luffy. But he was unknowingly rescued by his father, Monkey D. Dragon, leader of the Revolutionary Army and the world's most wanted man.

Once on the Grand Line, the Straw Hats rescue the giant whale La Boum from whalers on the nearby island of Whiskey Peak and meet Krokus, who explains to the Straw Hat gang the importance of lumber ports in Grand Line navigation. The Straw Hats then arrive at Whiskey Peak and are apparently given a warm welcome.

However, Zoro realizes that almost all the inhabitants are Baroque Company bounty hunters seeking Luffy's bounty and single-handedly defeats them. Nami promises the princess of Alabasta, Nefeltari Vivi, to help her fight against the Baroque Works' conquest of her country. En route to Alabasta, Vivi and the Straw Hats end up on the winter island of Drumm, where they are joined by Tony Chopper, who becomes the Straw Hats' ship's doctor.

When they finally arrive in the desert kingdom of Alabasta, they find themselves caught up in a rebel uprising. Deceived by the machinations of the Baroque Works, the rebels believe the king's use of forbidden chemicals is responsible for the drought that has plagued the kingdom for years.

The real culprit, however, is Sir Crocodile, the current leader of the Baroque Works syndicate and one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, who allows himself to be hailed as a hero of the people. Luffy is only able to defeat him after a cross-country chase. Sir Crocodile's plans to find and use the powerful ancient weapon Pluton are thwarted. He is captured by the World Government and loses his position as a sea samurai. When it starts raining again in Alabasta, the rebellion is over...