An underrated One Piece arc is the key to understanding why the series is so popular

One pieceThe adventurous storylines are as different as day and night, but the Skypeia Arcalso known as the Sky Island Arc, is not only the Straw Hats’ most ambitious adventure, but also one of the most important in the series. It also contained everything to love about the series and greatly expanded the lore and world-building.

The Skypiea Arc is One pieces thirteenth story arc. In it, the still-unfinished Straw Hats traveled to the sky island of Skypiea in search of adventure, but it turned out to be much more than just that. They helped defeat the cruel villain Enel, found the gold city of Shandora, and helped end a 400-year-long war.

Like every arc, Skypiea has its share of problems, but the good far outweighs the bad, and it’s criminal how underrated it is compared to other arcs like Wano or Sabaody. It was a great arc overall, but it really picked up speed in the middle and ended beautifully.

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Many popular aspects of One piece Shining brightly in Skypiea

From comedy to action – Skypiea had it all

One piece wouldn’t be the same without its humor and comedy, and this aspect shone the brightest in the arc. It brought about some of the funniest and most iconic scenes, such as the campfire, Luffy’s singing, Zoro imitating Tarzan, Chopper guarding the Going Merry, Enel’s iconic shocked face, Usopp backing away after seeing Enel, and many more that solidify Skypiea as the funniest arc in One Piece.

Up until this point, fans had seen heartbreaking backstories like those of Sanji and Nami, but the backstory of Montblanc Noland and the Shandorans was as tear-jerking as it was insightful. It was also the first flashback, which went back hundreds of yearsand gives viewers much-needed context to the centuries-old war and Noland’s story. The fact that Noland’s story was set in the Jaya Arc with his descendant and false reputation and later expanded upon at the end of Skypiea while also tying in all the major plot points makes it one of the most compelling backstories in One Piece.

Noland’s backstory also the main theme of the inheritance of the “will” from one generation to the next. This theme is one of the most relevant in the story, as seen in Luffy inheriting Joyboy’s will, Zoro succeeding Ryuma, Momonosuke following in his father’s footsteps, Luffy again being a great parallel to Roger, and many other examples of succession. Wyper carrying on Calgara’s will so that Noland or his descendants can hear the bell was an incredibly touching moment.

One of One pieceAlso, many great moments from occurred in this arc and were a great proof or reminder of how incredibly well written Luffy was. When Shandorra was about to be destroyed by Enel, Luffy refused to leave despite his crew trying to convince him to evacuate. He was determined to ring the Golden Bell so that Cricket, who was on Jaya, could hear the sound and know that the Sky Island and the City of Gold existed and that his ancestor was not a liar. This heartwarming moment shows how empathetic Luffy is, and he finally frees Cricket from the task of proving the city’s existence.

The series’ lore has been expanded like never before

Many important action points were introduced or explained

Poneglyphs were mentioned in the series, with the first case taking place in Alabasta, but there was not enough information about them yet. Skypiea was the place where the meaning and importance of these stones was shown.who show that they know the secrets of the world and the Void Century as well as Laugh Tale. The series became more than just traveling from one island to another in search of adventure; in Skypiea, the mysterious aspect of One piece began to become prominent.

Skypiea was also the first case of Haki usagewith Enel and his priests using Observation Haki against the Straw Hats and Shandorans. This was the perfect time to introduce this power to combat the powerful Logia, and the next arc introduced the Admirals, some of the strongest in the series. Although Luffy and the others were not able to use Haki until much later, a new level of power and potential made the future of One Piece much more exciting.

Skypiea is not without flaws

Despite all the great things about Skypiea and the many things it did well, there were unfortunately some drawbacks. The pacing was possibly the worst of the series, especially for anime viewers. The anime only had 30 more chapters than the manga, so the series ended up being much slower, with breaks, reuse of scenes, and additions of irrelevant content. The manga offers a better alternative for those who want better pacing, but it still drags at times compared to other storylines.

The concept of damage and death also seemed to have been thrown out the window. Many times, characters were hit by millions of volts of Enel but were still alive and barely damaged. Wyper using an Impact Dial multiple times but surviving and recovering within a few days also felt odd. This greatly reduced the sense of tension and stake in the story arcs. Although future story arcs showed that death is a very real possibility, the series as a whole shies away from letting characters die, as creator Eichiro Oda once said.

Skypiea reached some of the highest peaks in One pieceespecially as the story arc neared its conclusion. While the story arc has its flaws, the plot beautifully weaves together several elements to make the story arc as entertaining as it was, while also clarifying many aspects of the series’ lore. Skype is really a fun ride that pays off, and fans of One piece Despite the common rhetoric, you should not get the impression that it is okay to skip it.

One piece

Created by Eiichiro Oda, One Piece is a multimedia franchise that began as a manga series, following the adventures of the Straw Hat Pirates led by Monkey D. Luffy. An avid pirate with a thirst for adventure, Luffy is afflicted by a mysterious curse that grants him various powers to protect himself and his friends. The manga eventually gave way to the anime series, with the two being among the longest-running anime and manga series in history. Along with over fifty video games created over the years, the series entered the world of live-action with Netflix’s adaptation in 2023.

Created by

Eiichiro Oda

Pour

Kazuya Nakai, Akemi Okamura, Kappei Yamaguchi, Hiroaki Hirata, Ikue Ôtani, Yuriko Yamaguchi