One Piece Arcs Ranked: 15-11

In celebration of Netflix's live-action adaptation of the anime, I will be ranking most of the many story arcs (fillers included). These are just based on my personal opinion. So, here are arcs 15-11.

15. Whiskey Peak

This arc officially brings the crew into the Grand Line and gives them their first true threat on the island of Whiskey Peak. This also lets Zoro flex in one of his best fight scenes as he literally takes on 100 foes and utterly dominates them all. But then, of course, in true Oda fashion things take a twist with new character Princess Vivi appearing all of a sudden and assassins attacking. This arc is very short, only four episodes long, but it is non-stop fun and then has some of the most suspenseful scenes ever as it sets up the overarching Alabasta Saga and new villain Crocodile. This arc was used to show what the Straw Hats would be up against and it is truly terrifying, more dangerous than anything they've faced before and Oda nails that perfectly. And, as a final touch, Nico Robin is also introduced in another scary fashion, bringing the first arc of the Alabasta Saga to a dramatic close.

14. Fish-Man Island

This arc is a bit controversial as most viewers consider it a disappointment. Coming as the first major arc after the time-skip, many were looking forward to seeing the skills the Straw Hats developed. And they do in spades as the Straw Hats, especially Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji dominate every foe in front of them. And that's the problem. The New Fish-Man Pirates, led by Hordy Jones, are actually pretty interesting, all victims of the growing hatred the Fish-Men have towards the surface dwellers that has festered for years. Unfortunately, none of them are really a threat to the new OP crew, making the fight scenes lackluster. Hordy does prove a challenge to Luffy in the water given his Devil Fruit weakness, but even that doesn't last long. Still, the story as a whole makes up for the fight scenes and helps rank this arc so highly with Fish-Man Island being one of the most imaginative places Oda created, a whole island beneath the ocean with mermaids and Fish-Men alike. It also has major ramifications on the future with the superweapon Poseidon revealed, Joyboy teased, and the introduction of the Noah, an ancient ship said to play an important role soon. The flashback of Fisher Tiger and Queen Otohime highlighted the abject prejudice against Fish-Men, the core theme of this arc, and Tiger's storyline in particular was one of the saddest in One Piece. The fights were still cool, even if they were never that challenging and they did allow each crewmate to show their new skills, all of them getting a cool moment, especially Luffy in using his new Conqueror's Haki against thousands of enemies. Plus, what their foes represented was a much greater foe and that came across well. Luffy's friendship with Princess Shirahoshi was also well-developed and Sanji's relationship with the mermaids was always a laugh. And Jimbei makes his triumphant return, shining some light on Nami's own tragic past. All that and more makes this arc one of the best.

13. Little Garden

This arc serves two major purposes in setting up the ongoing Alabasta conflict even more by bringing in Baroque Assassin Mr. 3 as well as fleshing out the world of One Piece with the introduction to the race of giants with dueling kings Dorry and Brogy. Apparently stranded on an island filled with prehistoric plants and animals, the crew gets separated early on which is bad news as Baroque Agents appear to take them all out. Whiskey Peak gave a hint to the danger the Straw Hats were up against. Here, the threat becomes real as they face off against Mr. 3 and his cronies with most of the crew rendered helpless early on. Plus the tale of the giants was both funny and moving in a way. Luffy's fight against Mr. 3 was truly awesome and Usopp is also given a chance to shine. Little Garden helped flesh out the world of One Piece with giants and make the overarching threat of Crocodile even more menacing. That and more makes this one of the best.

12. Thriller Bark

It's hard to top the previous arc that is Enies Lobby and this one didn't even come close. Still, it did have some truly standout moments as well as introducing Brook, the strangely still-living skeleton. Here, Oda decided to explore the gothic-horror route by bringing the crew to the massive ship Thriller Bark, owned by a cluster of classic horror movie villains. Gecko Moria, the main antagonist, was never really that menacing, but he did prove to be the formidable opponent with his shadow abilities. And the Shadow Luffy form was top notch as well as all the Straw Hats fighting against the massive giant Oars (and Robin's blatant refusal to 'dock') was one of the best parts. Zoro's fight against Ryuma was non-stop epic and Usopp gets another chance to shine against the seeminly unbeatable Perona (his line about negativity gets me every time). This arc may not be as great as some of the others but it had plenty of great moments that helped elevate it. And Brook's backstory with his long-lost friend will always be one of the best and saddest stories in One Piece. But Oda once again proves to be a master storyteller by bringing back a character from so long ago in a truly amazing way. It also holds Zoro's most badass scene of his faceoff against Kuma, taking all of Luffy's pain to spare his captain, showing off the kind of friend and first mate he truly is.

11. Sabaody Archipelago

This arc starts off with a simple story where the crew encounter Camie, a mermaid, and help her out against a gang of traffickers. This beginning dragged on for a bit which is the only reason this arc is this low on the list. Because once the crew lands on the Sabaody Archipelago, everything takes off. Here, Oda introduces so many major characters and plot points that have a huge impact on the story. The Celestial Dragons are brought in as the rulers of the world and they're instantly hated by everyone due to their treatment of literally anyone who isn't one of them. Their inclusion is a good prediction to what the final conflict of the story will be about. This arc also introduces the Worst Generation, this era's strongest pirates who have all made it to the halfway point of the Grand Line and each one will make their mark though some more than others. The scene of Luffy, Law, and Kidd facing down the Marines was an epic shot of their future team-up against the Emperors even if Oda didn't necessarily plan it when he drew it here. Rayleigh also comes in like a badass and provides more details about the mysterious One Piece which would automatically make this arc one of the best. But what really makes it the best is the theme of this arc is of slavery as the crew sees the dark underbelly of the world and the true power the Celestial Dragons wield leading to the absolute epic smackdown of Luffy v. Saint Charlos. But, of course, the crew is also quickly reminded of their place in the food chain as they go up against the full force of the Marines and Admiral Kizaru. This arc set up much of the plot for the second half of the story so while it may have had a slow start, everything after that made it gold.

And there's the next batch. Thanks for reading and check back soon for 10-6.