A (Helpful) One Piece Skip Guide

Part 1

The most common barrier between new potential fans and One Piece is the length. As the anime has been airing for almost 26 years straight, One Piece currently stands at a whopping 1,126 episodes or a runtime of over 445 hours. I won’t lie, that’s a really intimidating number to wrap your head around. People are right to be afraid of getting invested in something that may demand months or even years of your time. I myself have been watching One Piece for a full decade of my life, having caught up during the Dressrosa arc in 2015.

While I understand the hesitation, the size of One Piece shouldn’t prevent people from embarking on the fictional journey of a lifetime. There’s a reason this story has captivated millions around the world and I believe everyone should have the chance to experience this story for themselves. So to make the watch easier, I’ve put together this skip guide! Complete with descriptions and notes, this guide should serve as your accompanying text for getting through the anime in the most time efficient way possible.

Feel free to share this with your friends and use it to convince them that “It really isn’t that bad” (one of my favorite sayings). Now is the perfect time to start as One Piece is on a course to end in the next few years.

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• East Blue Arc (episodes 1-61)

  • Skip: none

  • What happens:

    • The beginning of our story. Romance Dawn. Enjoy the journey!

  • Notes: I don’t recommend skipping this early on as even the filler helps establish the tone of the story. It is invaluable in connecting you with Luffy and his story.

• Pre-Arabasta (episodes 62-91)

  • Skip: 68-69

  • What happens:

    • In the skippable episodes, we follow-up with Koby and Helmeppo and see how their training with Garp is progressing.

  • Notes: While it is tempting to want to skip 70-77 (as it starts to feel like a slog to get through before we get to Arabasta), please don’t. There are plot points here that don’t pay off until decades later (it sounds crazy but trust me).

• Arabasta Arc (episodes 92-135)

  • Skip: 98, 131-135

  • What happens:

    • The straw hats mess around in the dessert with Ace. No critical Ace information is found out so feel free to skip 98 if it feels like it’s bogging down your watch.

    • 131-135 is a post-Arabasta wrap up arc. Not much happens as these spare episodes serve as buffers between the manga and the anime.

  • Notes: none

• Pre - Jaya Arcs (episodes 136-143)

  • Skip: 136-143

  • What happens:

    • 136-143 are understood to be pure filler meant to keep the anime from catching up with the manga.

  • Notes: Oda was understandably slowing down as One Piece was only supposed to be 5 years long. However, this chunk is fun but irrelevant to the story so watching is optional. Also, It’s crazy to think about how a 5 year manga has turned into an almost 30 year odyssey. I’m glad Oda didn’t quit because I would’ve been tempted.

• Jaya Arc (episodes 144-152)

  • Skip: 144-145

  • What happens:

    • In 144-145, A rando shows up to harass the crew and the crew see huge figures in the distance, opting to run away rather than fight.

  • Notes: Characters are introduced in Jaya who do not reach their true narrative importance until much later in One Piece. Their introductions are important to remember.

• Skypeia Arc (episodes 153-195)

  • Skip: 160-161, 170

  • What happens:

    • Episodes 160-161 contain filler that impacts the overall story very little.

    • Chopper fights with one of the priests in 170. The fight ends up being a little redundant when compared with the rest of the arc.

  • Notes: God serves as a title in Skypeia rather than God the deity. Our villain does have a superiority complex though and at times, that makes the dialogue a little muddled. This arc is the most significant pre-timeskip arc (to me) as it serves as the thesis of One Piece. If you ever lose sight of the story or why you’re even putting yourself through a watch as daunting as this, refer to the lessons of Skypeia for some encouragement.