When Is One Piece Finally Getting A Video Game Adaptation That Doesn’t Suck?

In 2021, I committed myself to reading the One Piece manga after hearing countless praises from my friends and everywhere else online about its immaculate world-building and characters. Now, being a fan of Shounen stuff as a kid with DragonBall Z, One Piece is in a league of greatness on its own; I mean that in the most respectable way possible.

After reading both the manga and re-watching my favorite arcs in the anime, the thought of enjoying this brilliant piece of media in a video game format immediately crossed my mind; surely there’s a game on the same levels of awesomeness as DBZ and Naruto’s countless video games, right? RIGHT?

Despite having an array of video game adaptations in its arsenal, One Piece just doesn’t have one that’s legendary or memorable. I mean that in the sense that its competitors, like DBZ and Naruto, all have adored games remembered throughout history, and it’s about time that (hopefully) changes.

The History Of One Piece Video Game Adaptations

Given how old One Piece is, its video game adaptations trace back to the Game Boy Color and PlayStation 1. To this day, with over 50+ video games made for it, while I’m not one to speak on behalf of the One Piece fandom, there’s not a single game that captures the beauty of this medium as other Shounen games do, like DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi 3 or the Naruto Shippuden franchise.

Before fans of One Piece: Pirate Warriors raise their angry pitchforks at me, I know those games are probably the closest to a great video game adaptation of One Piece. But that aside, are you really going to ignore how One Piece Odyssey, released just last year, was decent at best? I enjoyed Pirate Warriors 4 and 3 like any other fan, too, but I’m looking at the games as a whole, not just a single game or series inspired by Dynasty Warriors.

There are still games regarded by the community as ‘underrated,’ such as One Piece: Burning Blood, a fighting game, and One Piece: World Seeker, but that’s just about it, honestly. Moreover, despite how much you want to try enjoying them, you can’t expect anyone to seriously defend the glaring issues in these games either, proving exactly why the history of One Piece video games is just satisfactory at best.

The Cycle Of Mediocracy Needs To End Sooner Or Later

Have you seen how utterly insane Dragon Ball Sparking Zero looks in one of the latest gameplay trailers? Compare that to a game like One Piece Odyssey or Burning Blood. I could hardly care about gameplay or graphical comparisons, but my main takeaway is the quality and effort showcased here.

A game such as One Piece World Seeker, which could’ve been great, is a shallow and boring mess. It has you exploring a lifeless world using Luffy, along with repetitive gameplay and combat to complement it. Similarly, while it is a fan-service-filled JRPG on the surface, One Piece Odyssey is ultimately a side adventure with uninspiring combat, as I’ve stated in my review.

It’s baffling to me that Bandai Namco and Toei Animations don’t see the potential for an awe-inspiring One Piece video game, almost as if they hold an eternal grudge for it. It’s even hilarious when you realize that a company like Netflix has a superb live-action adaptation made for it. Hence, with games like DBZ Sparking Zero on the horizon this year, I’d really prefer if One Piece gets the same level of respect for its games moving forward.

Translating The Strawhats To Your Controller Isn’t Impossible

One Piece deserves a truly epic video game adaptation
byu/Starboy11 inOnePiece

With how rich and dense the world-building and narrative of One Piece is, it’s understandable that a full recreation of the show/manga is a lost dream. But given how we’ve gotten games like DBZ Kakarot that masterfully capture most of the highs of the series’ story arcs, I’ll never rule out my undying wish for a One Piece video game that can stand on the same sky-high pedestal as the manga and anime.

Luffy and his Strawhat crew deserve better recognition in a video game. Knowing that the series is getting a remake of the beginning story arcs, a season renewal of the live-action, and even the manga has entered the final story saga; this is the prime time for Toei and Bandai Namco to hear my pleas to make a video game adaptation that’ll cement One Piece as the greatest media across all forms of entertainment.