Things One Piece Does Better Than Other Shonen Manga

Summary

• One Piece excels in world-building, creating a complex and engaging universe with detailed lore.
• The series offers a sense of adventure unmatched by its peers, drawing readers into a fantastical world.
• One Piece‘s multiple power systems, creative character designs, and female characters set it apart from other shōnen manga.

The shōnen demographic of Japanese manga is filled to the brim with excellent and inspirational series that have captivated the hearts of readers for decades, and while every single one of them has its own merits, some are naturally better than others. One of the most prominent examples is Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece, which is often considered one of the best shōnen manga in the entire industry.

This long pirate adventure has been in serialization since 1997 and yet it has slowly accumulated more and more fans around the world, especially in the past few years. This is because One Piece excels in many different areas and, as a result, it does a lot of things better than most of its contemporaries, not to mention that it’s so old that it also directly influenced many other series that came after it. These are good examples of things One Piece does better than any other shōnen manga.

1

World Building

This World Is Both Complex And Fascinating

Most manga authors don’t do that much world-building and prefer to only show and tell whatever is going to directly impact the main character’s story. On the rare occasion that one of them goes out of their comfort zone and tries to develop their fictional settings, it almost always ends up feeling incomplete and underwhelming. Of course, there is a fair share of exceptions in the industry, and One Piece is one of them.

While this manga initially seems to be only focused on the Straw Hat Pirates’ adventure to find the titular treasure, readers quickly find out that there’s a lot more to it and that this is actually an ambitious story about a ruthless world (called Blue Planet) that is being controlled by a corrupt World Government. The world-building of One Piece is impeccable, especially because Oda is not afraid to make entire chapters without the Straw Hats that show what’s going on with other characters in separate locations, not to mention that even the exposition sequences are fascinating. All of this works perfectly because it makes the story feel more ambitious, engaging, and rewarding, especially for passionate fans who keep close attention to every single detail.

2

A Sense Of Adventure

It Makes Readers Feel Things That Very Few Other Series Can Replicate

Most popular shōnen manga focus on just one element, like exciting action sequences, adorable romance, funny comedy, etc. This works well for those series, but One Piece is on a whole other level because it gives its audience something that few of its contemporaries can replicate: a wonderful sense of adventure.

Readers are not just witnessing Monkey D. Luffy’s journey, they are traveling alongside him, meeting bizarre characters and slowly unveiling the secrets of this fantastical (but surprisingly dark) world. While One Piece also has solid action and great comedy, this is one area in which this series has never been surpassed by any other, and it most likely never will be. After all, this is arguably the greatest fictional adventure ever told.

3

Justifies Its Length

It’s Both Too Long And Too Short

Due to the harsh conditions of the manga industry, most shōnen series are destined to leave readers unsatisfied with their length. Some are either too short, because they were canceled and/or because their authors were forced to end them sooner than expected, and others are too long, with fans feeling like they should have ended a lot earlier. Curiously enough, this doesn’t really apply to One Piece, even if it’s infamous for being one of the longest manga series ever created.

Yes, it has over 1,120 chapters (and counting), but it never feels like it’s drawn out, because every single one of those chapters is extremely important, as they seamlessly expand the narrative, its world, and its characters. To the surprise of most people, One Piece has excellent pacing, and those 1,120+ chapters can be read quickly if the reader is fully immersed by the story they’re telling. Seasoned fans have gotten so addicted to this series that some of them feel like it’s way too short, and they don’t want it to end.

4

Multiple Power Systems

It Doesn’t Focus On Just One Set Of Supernatural Abilities

There’s no denying that power systems are always one of the most interesting and fun parts of a manga series, not to mention that they also help each series build its own identity. However, most shōnen manga usually focus on just one power system, and while this is not much of an issue if they’re well-written and well-developed, it can also make them feel repetitive, especially if the powers of the characters are generic and uncreative.

One Piece doesn’t have this problem because it features more than one power system, and all of them are interconnected in a brilliant and satisfying way. Of course, the main and most famous one is Devil Fruits, but not every single relevant character in the series has eaten one (only four of the ten Straw Hats have done so). There’s also Haki, a more basic but effective power system that can counter Devil Fruit abilities, and anybody can learn how to use it, meaning that those who master both their Haki and their Devil Fruits can become some of the most powerful fighters in the entire universe. On top of all that, these two can also be combined with a multitude of other techniques, martial arts, and superhuman abilities, like Fish-Man Karate, Rokushiki, Three Sword Style, etc. These multiple power systems keep things fresh and interesting while also helping expand the world even further.

5

Creative Character Designs

It Features Some Of The Most Bizarre Characters In The Manga Industry

Most people (even those who don’t consume much anime and manga) can easily recognize the generic “anime art style” that most franchises are guilty of falling into. Of course, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as most shōnen manga do have beautiful art and solid character design, but sometimes these similarities make them all blend a little bit too well. One Piece has been criticized by many for its cartoony art style and bizarre characters, but, curiously enough, this has also helped the series stand out a lot more.

The character design in One Piece is incredible because characters often have exaggerated proportions or expressions that may look odd, but they reflect their history and personality well, not to mention that many of them are supposed to be goofy and/or weird on purpose. Additionally, the unconventional character design of One Piece also perfectly complements its storytelling and world-building, seeing as many figures that look weird at first are actually part of one of the series’ many fictional races and tribes, like Fish-Men, Merfolk, Giants, Buccaneers, Longarms, Longlegs, etc.

6

Comedic Writing

It’s Filled To The Brim With Hilarious Comedic Scenes

Eiichiro Oda is very similar to his mentor/idol, Akira Toriyama, because he has repeatedly excelled at writing high-quality action, adventure and mystery, but he clearly enjoys comedy more than anything else. Because of this, One Piece is full of so many running gags, slapstick and lighthearted humorous scenes that it can easily be considered a comedy manga as well.

Fortunately for his readers, the comedy of this series is so well-written and well-executed that it succeeds at making most of them laugh, and it never feels annoying or like it overstays its welcome. Of course, not every single joke is perfect (especially those revolving around Sanji’s perverted antics), but the ones that do work are among some of the most hilarious ones in the entire manga industry, especially those that involve the main character, Monkey D. Luffy.

7

Well-Written Female Characters

Its Female Representation Is Better Than In Most Shōnen Manga

Female characters in shōnen manga tend to be quite underwhelming and disappointing, since they are always supposed to be either romantic interests or damsels in distress. This can be mainly attributed to the fact that young teenage males are the genre’s main demographic but, for some reason or another, some authors are clearly not very skilled at writing good female characters.

Needless to say, One Piece‘s female representation is far from perfect, but it’s still far better than in most of its contemporaries. The series’ leading women, Nami and Nico Robin, have their own dreams and agency, are not romantically involved with anybody, and can fight on their own without any help. On top of that, some of the most powerful pirates in the world are strong women, like Big Mom or Boa Hancock. Unfortunately, Oda tends to hyper-sexualize his female characters way too often, which can be divisive among fans, but at least they’re all quite well-written.

8

Conveying Important Messages About The Real World

It Is Not Just About The Adventure, It Actually Has Something To Say

Unbeknownst to most people, shōnen manga is not supposed to just be mindless fun, since most popular series also try to convey a message to their young and impressionable readers. Of course, sometimes this can be something as simple as “be a good person, no matter what” or “never give up on your dreams,” but it is still nice that most authors are trying to say something important through their work. However, One Piece goes above and beyond in this area since it features a lot of complex and dark themes and messages.

This famous story also has all the classic themes seen in most shōnen manga, but it says a lot about the real world in ways that most readers may not see coming when they begin reading it. Some entire arcs and characters focus on racial discrimination and social injustice (like Arlong, Jinbe, and the Fish-Man Island Arc) or genocide, political corruption, and the importance of world history (like the Five Elders, the Celestial Dragons, the Enies Lobby Arc, or the Wano Country Arc). For a series as goofy and lighthearted as One Piece, most of its darker elements are a brilliant reflection/critique of the real world, which is why this shōnen manga has resonated with adults as well.