Ah, One Piece, right? This series is a huge anime classic, and has been running since 1999! Imagine, there are already more than a thousand episodes in this epic journey of the pirate Luffy and his crazy gang, traveling the seas for decades.
But hey, as happens in almost every anime, there’s always that argument between the guys, right? And in the case of One Piece, one of the biggest is the Skypiea arc: is it worth watching or can you skip it? This arc shows some pretty crazy Celestial Islands and has a talk about history and consequences, but not everyone thinks it is essential to the anime’s larger story.
Come on, for those who aren’t aware, One Piece tells the story of Monkey D. Luffy, a young and ambitious pirate who dreams of finding the One Piece treasure and becoming the Pirate King. After eating the Devil Fruit Gum-Gum fruit, he gains the power to stretch his body like rubber, but he loses the ability to swim. Luffy assembles a very varied team, the Straw Hat Pirates, with swordsman Zoro, weapons master Usopp, navigator Nami, chef Sanji and even a reindeer doctor called Chopper. They travel the Grand Line, facing powerful enemies, making friends, and discovering the world’s secrets, including Skypiea.
Speaking of Skypiea, it is a part of the Sky Island Saga, which runs from episode 136 to 195. It has some smaller arcs, like the Goat Island, with an old man and a bunch of goats, and the Ruluka Island, with a dictator and a mysterious fog. The Jaya Arc is the first in the saga, introducing Blackbeard and Bellamy, and sets the stage for the new era of pirates. The Skypiea Arc, which runs from episode 153 to 195, shows Luffy’s gang exploring this island in the sky and facing the “God” Eneru.
Now, why are there people who don’t like Skypiea? Some think that it doesn’t have much to do with the main plot, that the characters and events in this arc don’t add much to the larger story. And then there’s the Water 7 arc shortly after, which is super popular and has notable events, such as Going Merry’s death and Franky’s entry into the team. Skypiea focuses more on story and world than action, and that might not be everyone’s vibe.
But wait, there are good reasons not to ignore Skypiea. First, it introduces the Celestial Islands, expanding the One Piece universe beyond the seas. There’s a lot of story and world-building in this arc, which is important to the series as a whole. Furthermore, it talks about Poneglyphs, which are mega important ancient inscriptions. Characters like Conis and Pagaya appear in other arcs later, showing the importance of the connections made. And facing Eneru was quite a challenge for the Straw Hat people, showing that they are ready to face even almost divine enemies.
So that’s it, each One Piece arc has its importance, and Skypiea is no exception!
