Another (Helpful) One Piece Skip Guide
Part 2
Welcome back to the One Piece Skip Guide! For part 2, we’ll continue where we left off. Our beloved band of merry pirates are set to begin their journey through the new world and we are along for the ride! From here on out, the battles are bigger, the stakes are higher, and the arcs are much MUCH longer. So for the sake of the audience, we’re going to take our time with this one. Expect longer commentary from yours truly, especially when we get to a certain favorite arc of mine.
As usual, feel free to use this guide to entice your friends into joining the winning side. Spread the good word of One Piece. It’s what the masses need in these times. Let’s get started!
Return to Sabaody Arc (517-522)
Skip: 517-520
What Happens:
Our skipped episodes feature the “fake straw hats” i.e. a band of loser criminals posing as our gang. Some of the gags are funny at first but quickly wear out their welcome. Leave it to Toei to kick off a grand return with some filler.
Notes: Episodes 521-522 do a really good job of showing off some of the new abilities the crew has picked up during their time away. This is the straw hats, new and improved. Luffy is starting to look more and more like the contender for the crown we know he can be.
Fishman Island Arc (523-574)
Skip: 528, 537, 542, 550, 556-558, 561-563, 572
What Happens:
528 is the very first time I experienced the a true ICK from Sanji, 537 being the second.
At 542 Toei, for whatever reason, decided they needed to do a Toriko crossover that week. They tried so hard to make fetch happen with Toriko. I respect the hustle, but not now please.
550 just really felt like it didn’t need to exist, it’s okay to cut some of the bloat. Same with 556-558. If the entire episode can be covered in a recap and adds little to the ongoing plot, it’s okay to put it away. This is a lesson that took Toei years to figure out.
Notes:
Fishman Island is my second to least favorite arc. Overall, the story felt a tad bloated and I couldn’t connect with it the way I did with other arcs. Though, the Jimbei interactions are a highlight and I love learning more about my One Piece uncles (OP is also a show about uncles). I would be lying if I said I didn’t sleepwalk my way through a lot of the Hordy Jones and Queen Otohime part of the flashback. It ended up mattering very little to me but I kept it in because I want you to give the arc a chance. This arc however, ends up being important to understanding the lore of the ancient weapons and it is the first time we hear of a mysterious figure known only as “Joyboy”. Remember the name.
Special: Toei remastered Fishman Island arc during the 2024 hiatus. Complete with new performances and artwork, the arc length is now only 21 episodes. I believe it’s worth it to watch the remaster but there is some charm to the 2014 version that I believe is lost in the update so keep that in mind when you make your decision!
Z’s ambition Arc (575-578)
Skip: All of it
What Happens:
Filler episodes that set up One Piece Film: Z
Notes:
If we’re being honest, the later One Piece films leave much to be desired in terms of quality. The music in film red is fun though so there’s that.
Punk Hazard Arc (579-625)
Skip: 592-593, 609-610, 614-615, 618-621
What Happens:
590 would be here as it was initially another crossover episode but it has since been removed from Crunchyroll… very suspicious…
For 592-593, I just cannot with the yeti cool brothers so I’ve added their episodes here.
609-610 is mostly bloat so I added them here. If anything, make sure to check out the recaps after every skip section so you don’t feel like you’re missing out.
I added 614-615 completely kill the momentum and are definitely worth the skip.
Episodes 618-621 are filler that also add a touch of context to the next arc. However, it is not necessary to enjoy the story.
Notes:
Punk Hazard is tricky as you will have entire episodes that are mostly bloat but they will have major character introductions and actual manga-based story mixed in. There were so many episodes I wanted to add but couldn’t because you’d miss key moment. Episode 611 comes to mind.
Punk Hazard has a special place in my heart. Something about it feels so cozy to me. Plus it serves as the reintroduction to my favorite character outside of our crew and that definitely plays a big part.
