One Piece Odyssey Plot: Is It Canon? [Explained]

The main plot of One Piece Odyssey is simple enough to explain, but where most players will end up getting confused correlates to the fact of when and where it fits into the main timeline of the anime and manga series. It is also worth stating that many video game adaptations of One Piece aren’t canonical at all. Still, the question begs to be asked by any new player of this game of how it fits with the overall storytelling and world-building of the show itself.

[The article contains minor spoilers of One Piece. Read at your own Discretion]

The Plot Of One Piece Odyssey

One Piece Odyssey kickstarts players off right into the fray of things as the crew is sailing in the Grand Line on their usual journey of uncovering the whereabouts of the One Piece.

But to their surprise, the crew spots an unknown island off the coast of where they’re heading, but before they can come to a decision on whether or not they should travel there, a knock-up stream launches the Strawhats and their ship, The Sunny, high into the skies.

This series of events end up sending Luffy and his crew of pirates on a collision course across the skies near the island until Franky maneuvers the ship straight near the Island. Unfortunately, there are hardly any safe landing plans involved as we are shown that the Sunny has crash-landed near the beach of the Island and is, quite possibly, on the verge of sinking entirely.

However, not all hope is lost in an instant as our Captain of the straw hats, Monkey D. Luffy, is alive and conscious, along with a few other crew members. We soon learn that Nami, Zoro, and Brook are missing, so the remaining crew decides to find and regroup with them. Along the way, through Nico Robin, we learn about the fact that we have arrived on the mysterious Island of Waford.

Upon reuniting with Nami and Zoro in the heart of the Island, the crew then needs to discover how to get back Brook’s body as it was submerged underwater amidst the crash. Still, thankfully his soul form managed to maintain its existence to inform them of his situation.

Not too long after, One Piece Odyssey will soon introduce players to new characters, including Lim, a girl who has the ability to erase and remove the powers of the straw hats, sending them on a goose chase to hunt them down via past memories. These past memories are a recollection of several critical events in the One Piece storyline, such as the Alabasta Saga, as well as the memorable events of Water 7.

Venturing through these memories will showcase players a chance at several “what-if” scenarios, such as Luffy’s crew visiting the War at Marineford, which only their Captain had visited first beforehand in the main series. These moments along with many more, are just the tip of the iceberg of what the game has to offer, and the rest, well, it’s better that players experience that for themselves as the twists and turns are all worth the playtime.

When And Where Does The Story Take Place?

Hardcore fans of both One Piece’s manga and anime have an undying adoration for the world-building and narrative and will have one crucial question to ask as soon as they dive into the game for the first time. It is the question of when and where the main storytelling takes place in the prolonged timeline of the show.

Well, to answer that question, as both a fan of the series and interpreting what the game has shown so far, it is safe to say that the game starts off after the events in the Dressrosa Saga.

This is primarily because the crew visits almost every major arc before it, such as Enies Lobby and Fishman Island, as well as including the Dressrosa arc itself, where the straw hats learned about Smiles and a greater threat that kickstarted the battles against one of the four emperors of the sea.

While the game certainly doesn’t tell the player where Luffy and his crew are during the intro sequence, the implication that the events at Dressrosa are the only recent arc in the game will certainly lead you in a coherent direction of understanding when it takes place in the series.

Is One Piece Odyssey’s Narrative Canon To The Series?

While it has been officially stated that the series’ author, Eiichiro Oda, had overseen the narrative of the game himself, it is safe to say without any doubt that the game is not canon whatsoever to the main series. This is because the crew is able to re-visit multiple locations from the past, and there is no mention of game-exclusive elements here, such as Lim or Waford Island in the anime or manga of One Piece.

Furthermore, fans of the anime will know that there are quite a few non-canon arcs about One Piece, which, more or less, serve as fan service to allow extra character development or over-the-top action sequences. The game will allow players to experience the story at their own expense and remind them that the main plot serves nothing too integral to the actual storytelling of the anime and manga.

The Wrap-Up

According to a recent Subreddit Post, a user had asked if knowing the show itself was important in order to understand the events of the game. While we highly recommend checking out the game, reading the manga or anime may be your own choice. The former of which offers better pacing overall, but some might argue that you can’t miss out on the action and voice acting of the anime.

Speaking of which, fans of the series will be delighted to know that the Voice Actors Of One Piece Odyssey are all the same ones who voice the characters in the show. So you can be sure to expect the usual hilarious banter between the crew as well as experience the comical banter between Sanji and Roronoa Zoro.

The game is filled to the brim with charm, and turn-based combat can feel like a chore, but it is still fun to play for the first time. You can learn more about the game in detail with our Review of One Piece Odyssey. Aside from that, no fan of the series will want to miss the opportunity of experiencing fan-favorite story elements again, such as the iconic battle against the CP-9 at Enies Lobby to save Nico Robin.

However, for now, this wraps up our guide to the plot explanation of One Piece Odyssey and how it may fit into the events of the series. If you have any questions about the game or the guide, please let us know in the comments section below so we can answer as soon as possible.