One Piece is one of the longest-running anime/manga titles, being in production for over 25 years, since 1997, with more than a thousand, published chapters. This abundance of material may prove “too much” for viewers, especially newcomers. That is the reason we have made the One Piece Arcs Tier List, ranking all of the main story arcs from best to worst in Tiers ranging from S to F.
- One Piece features 31 main story arcs spanning across tankōbon volumes and saga parts.
- Arc rankings are based on their value to the main plot, including spectacular fights.
- Top in-game arcs: Enies Lobby, Alabasta, Wano Country, Dressrosa, Post Enies Lobby, and Marineford.
- These arcs have significant impacts on the anime/manga story with notable actions.
- Weakest arcs: Drum Island, Orange Town, and Syrup Village, but they have critical plot points.
- Arcs to potentially skip: Spa Island, Little East Blue, Z’s Ambition, Caesar Retrieval, Silver Mine, Oceans Dream, Cidre Guild, and Marine Rookie.
One Piece Arcs Ranked
| Tier List Ranking Table | |
| Tiers | Arcs |
| S-Tier | Enies Lobby, Alabasta, Wano Country, Dressora, Post Enies Lobby, Marineford, Whole Cake Island |
| A-Tier | Little Garden, Levely, Thriller Bark, Arlong Park, Skypiea, Saboady Archipelago, Water 7, Impel Down, Post War |
| B-Tier | Baratie, Zou, Loguetown, Whiskey Peak, Fishmen Island, Jaya, Romance Dawn, Fishman Island |
| C-Tier | Punk Hazard, Reverse Mountain, Long Ring Long Land, Amazon Lily, Return To Sabaody |
| D-Tier | Drum Island, Orange town, Syrup Village |
Eiichiro Oda is the author and illustrator of the Japanese manga series One Piece. It has been published in Shueisha’s shonen manga publication Weekly Shonen Jump. The various chapters have been collected into 102 tankōbon volumes. While on the topic of One Piece and Tier Lists, we would like to divert your attention to our Tier List for King Legacy so you can easily decide on the best Devil Fruits in the game.
Arcs And Sagas in One Piece
Both the manga and anime versions of One Piece’s plot are frequently broken down into several story arcs for ease of comprehension. It is widely accepted that an arc starts when the Straw Hat Pirates arrive on a certain island and ends when they depart, but the exact distinctions are a little hazy.
The majority of storylines—if not all—are compiled into grander Sagas that frequently represent the targets or foes that the Straw Hats hunt throughout several islands. Smaller plot arcs are used to split up each tale.
The main story comprising 31 arcs can currently be divided into ten parts:
- The East Blue Saga
- The Alabasta Saga
- The Sky Island Saga
- The Water 7 Saga
- The Thriller Bark Saga
- The Summit War Saga
- The Fish-Man Island Saga
- The Dressrosa Saga
- The Whole Cake Island Saga
- The Wano Country Saga
These are the 31 arcs we have ranked in our tier list; most, if not all, of the other arcs are fillers with no real importance in the main plot. However, we would still recommend watching them if you enjoy the series as a whole. Because even if they may prove less emotionally involving yet, they are just as entertaining.
Furthermore, if you are interested in Pirate games such as Lost Ark, you should definitely check out our Lost Ark Tier List.
S Tier
S Tier represents the highest quality, showcasing sensational and spectacular fight sequences, scenic and striking visuals, and a superior and scintillating nature that captivates viewers. Here are some One Piece arcs that belong in the S Tier:
| S Tier One Piece Arcs | WHY S TIER? |
|---|---|
| Marineford | Known for its intense moments, heroic sacrifices, and epic clashes between powerful characters. |
| Whole Cake Island | Revolves around the Straw Hats’ journey to Whole Cake Island to rescue Sanji from a political marriage. |
| Enies Lobby | Celebrated for its character development and epic battles as the Straw Hats push their limits to rescue Robin and Franky. |
| Alabasta | Extensive and pivotal arc featuring encounters with Ace, clashes with Crocodile, and political intrigue. |
| Wano Country | Ongoing arc bringing together the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance to confront the Beasts Pirates. |
| Dressrosa | Known for its action-packed sequences and political elements as the Straw Hats confront Doflamingo. |
| Post Enies Lobby | Follows the Straw Hats as they recuperate after Enies Lobby, introducing new crew members. |
A Tier
A Tier comprises arcs with fascinating plot developments and entertaining fight sequences. These arcs are enjoyable to watch and contribute significantly to the One Piece universe.
| A Tier One Piece Arcs | WHY A TIER? |
|---|---|
| Sabaody Archipelago | Introduces Eleven Supernovas, Celestial Dragons, and Haki, leading to the Straw Hats’ separation. |
| Water 7 | Features ship repairs in Water 7, the introduction of Cipher Pol, and emotional departures from the crew. |
| Impel Down | Luffy raids Impel Down to rescue Ace, encountering Ivankov and Jinbe while facing escaped adversaries. |
| Post-War | Reflects on Whitebeard’s death, introduces Haki types, and welcomes Sabo into the story. |
| Little Garden | Encounter with giants on Little Garden, introducing them and senior Baroque Works members. |
| Levely | Nobility gathers for the Levely, highlighting the Straw Hats’ exploits and the Revolutionary Army’s plans. |
| Thriller Bark | Encounter with Brook and spooky adventures on Thriller Bark Island, involving Gecko Moria. |
| Arlong Park | Pursuit of Nami to Arlong Park, revealing her backstory and welcoming Sanji to the crew. |
| Skypiea | Adventure in Skypiea involving conflicts between Skypieans, Shandians, and Eneru. |
These arcs offer a mix of adventure, character development, and memorable moments, making them a solid addition to the One Piece saga.
B Tier
B Tier arcs offer entertaining content and contribute to the One Piece world’s development, although they may not feature the grand-scale battles found in higher-tier arcs.
| B Tier One Piece Arcs | WHY B TIER? |
|---|---|
| Jaya | Straw Hats journey to Sky Island, introduces key concepts and characters. |
| Romance Dawn | Sets the stage for Luffy’s adventure, introduces Zoro and Nami. |
| Baratie | Focuses on Sanji’s introduction and clash with Don Krieg. |
| Zou | Involves Straw Hats and Law’s alliance heading to Zou, encountering the Mink Tribe. |
| Loguetown | Last stop before the Grand Line, features foes seeking vengeance and Logia-type Devil Fruits. |
| Whiskey Peak | Crew arrives at Whiskey Peak, facing hidden complexities. |
| Fishmen Island | Deals with the crew’s arrival at Fish-Man Island after the time skip, explores alliances and predictions. |
| Fishman Island | Received mixed reviews for pacing and lack of tension, focuses on protecting the royal family. |
C-Tier
C Tier arcs in the Tier List are neither the best nor the worst. They offer entertaining content and contribute to the overall story but may not stand out as much as higher-tier arcs.
| C Tier One Piece Arcs | WHY C TIER? |
|---|---|
| Punk Hazard | Sends the Straw Hats to a mysterious island in the New World, criticized for pacing issues. |
| Reverse Mountain | Involves the journey to the Grand Line, introduces Laboon with ties to Brook’s past. |
| Long Ring Long Land | Introduces the Davy Back Fight with the Foxy Pirates, considered weaker due to its filler-like nature. |
| Amazon Lily | Follows Luffy’s arrival on an island inhabited by women, introduces Boa Hancock, relatively short. |
| Return to Sabaody | Reunites Straw Hats after the time skip, showcases growth, serves as a transitionary arc before the Fish-Man Island Saga. |
D-Tier
Although these arcs are placed at the bottom of our tier List, neither does it entail that they are necessarily “bad”, nor does this mean that they should be skipped? Some of these contain very important plot points that would prove damaging to your overall experience if skipped over.
These arcs were simply placed at the bottom of the tier list because they are lackluster and stretched. However, they are still somewhat entertaining, and you should watch them if you enjoy watching the series overall.
| D Tier One Piece Arcs | WHY D TIER? |
|---|---|
| Drum Island | Focuses on finding a doctor for Nami, encountering King Wapol, and introducing Tony Tony Chopper. Criticized for pacing and certain elements. |
| Orange Town | Follows the clash with Buggy the Clown and alliance with Nami. Relatively short with a lackluster beginning and minor villains. |
| Syrup Village | Centers on encountering Usopp and confronting the Black Cat Pirates. Criticized for pacing and relatively uninteresting plot. |
Filler Arcs To Skip
Since the manga and anime of One Piece are in production with new episodes and chapters being added regularly, there can be some issues regarding to the importance of each chapter or episode. This leads to filler arcs in the anime.
Since the updates of manga are not that consistent and the manga needs time to create each chapter commander anime will have some filler episodes in it in order to keep the audience engaged till a new chapter gets released. Some of the filler arcs are actually important and should not be skipped.
However, most filler episodes are skippable; we will list them below.
- Warship Island Arc
- Goat Island Ark
- Post-Arabasta Arc
- Ruluca Island Arc
- Oceans Dream Arc
- Cidre Guild Arc
- Marine Rookie Arc
- Silver Mine Arc
- Caesar Retrieval Arc
- Z’s Ambition Arc
- Little East Blue Arc
- Spa Island Ar
- Foxy’s Return Arc
- Ice Hunter Arc
Skipping these arcs won’t affect the main story as much. We recommend skipping the ones we mentioned as One Piece is quite long and if you are a beginner then catching up to the latest episodes might require a lot of time.
Conclusion
So this is it for our One Piece Arcs Tier List. We ranked all the main story arcs from best to worst to the best of our abilities. However, with things like these, opinions change drastically from one person to the next. Keeping that in mind, it is inevitable for people to have a different opinion than ours. So, if you have a difference of opinion or any kind of query, leave it down below. We would be happy to listen to what you have to say.
Moreover, seeing as you enjoyed this tier list and made it all the way to the end. We would highly recommend you check out some of our other tier lists for games, such as Elden Ring builds tier list, Fortnite weapons tier list, and Monster Hunter Rise weapons tier list.
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