One Piece is a show that first came on my radar because of Cartoon Network. It was a show, as far as I remember, that used to air after Naruto. While I loved Naruto, I never came around to liking One Piece. A show about a magical pirate and his crew who are searching for a grand treasure hidden by an executed pirate never piqued my interest. Not to mention I don’t enjoy pirate stories or find the sea interesting. Pirates are criminals who ‘earn’ their money by stealing and pillaging. I could never wrap my head around rooting for magical pirates because their motivates weren’t aspirational.
What changed my mind about One Piece was how amazing the opening chapters were. Creator Eiichiro Oda carefully crafted a world where there are several types of pirates. Unlike the real world, not all pirates are evil people. There are some who are only interested in taking the ill-gotten gains of other pirates, such as searching for hidden plunder, like the mysterious One Piece treasure that the pirate world is searching for. From the few television episodes that I saw, I never obtained this information that makes it easier to root for pirates.
Monkey D. Luffy is a great protagonist because of his earnest nature. He knows what he wants to accomplish, how he wants to accomplish it, and nobody is going to stand in his way of obtaining the One Piece and becoming king of the pirates. Luffy is fearless and willing to take on any challenger who stands in his way. It’s fun and inspiring to watch him overcome seemingly insurmountable conflicts, all while retaining his aspirational characteristics.
Oda made the great choice of forcing Luffy to claw his way up to the top. He has no resources to begin his quest. When he sets out to find the treasure, he doesn’t even have a ship, let alone a crew. The only advantage that he has over most pirates are the powers that he gained from eating a devil fruit - mysterious fruits that grant those who eat them unique abilities, at the expense of being able to swim. Starting from such a low societal rung allows Oda to pen many adventures of Luffy assembling everything he needs for a treasure hunt.
All pirates need crews to sail the sail, and an interesting crew is needed to sustain readers interest. Roronoa Zoro is the first member that Luffy successfully recruits. Zoro is a Clint Eastwood silent-type hero. He is a badass with a heart of gold. But his kindly nature isn’t obvious. His personality is slowly and meticulously teased out through the opening chapters. Zoro’s backstory is tragic but provides an excellent motivation for his pirate escapades. Unlike any character I’ve ever seen, Zoro wields a sword with his mouth, allowing him to fight with three swords at once. This unique combat style makes him a formidable fighter, capable of taking on any challenger. Zoro is exactly the type of interesting and unique character that is needed to sustain a franchise.
At this point in time, One Piece has exactly one hundred volumes in publication. This first volume makes it clear why the series has been in print for over twenty years. Luffy has grand ambitions - but he’s not the only person with those same ambitions. If he is going to obtain the One Piece, it’s going to require a skilled crew and vast amount of effort. Beginning with absolutely nothing but a row boat puts him at a distinct disadvantage from other established crews. Luffy is going to struggle to achieve his dreams, and that’s what makes the series interesting.