Like many long-running anime, One Piece owes its length not just to its massive episode count, but to its extensive film library, as well. Ever since the early days of the anime, One Piece has constantly been releasing new movies of increasing scale, and at the time of writing, there are an impressive 15 different movies under One Piece’s name.
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The One Piece films vary not just in length and story, but in overall quality, resulting in some being masterpieces and others, unfortunately, being better forgotten. Which films fall under which category is highly subjective, but overall, it should be easy to get a general idea of which One Piece films are truly the best to watch.
15) One Piece: The Giant Mecha Soldier Of Karakuri Castle (2006)
2006’s One Piece: The Giant Mecha Soldier of Karakuri Castle is the seventh movie in One Piece’s filmography. The Straw Hats arrive on the mechanical wonderland of Mecha Island in search of treasure, but in doing so, they end up in conflict with Ratchet, the tyrannical ruler of Mecha Island, who plans to expand his reach to the entire world.
In addition to having the most egregious fanservice in the anime, Karakuri Castle is brought down by its lackluster plot, a villain who’s never taken remotely seriously, and a take on Luffy’s character that makes him selfish to the point of being unlikable. There is nothing redeemable about Karakuri Castle, and there’s no worse contender for One Piece’s worst film.
14) One Piece Movie: The Desert Princess And The Pirates: Adventures In Alabasta (2007)
2007’s One Piece Movie: The Desert Princess and the Pirates: Adventures in Alabasta is the eighth theatrical One Piece film. As the title suggests, the film is an abridgment of One Piece‘s Alabasta arc, focusing primarily on the battle between the Straw Hat Pirates and Baroque Works, with elements such as Ace and the Marines either downplayed or removed altogether.
Compilation films are common in anime, and sure enough, Adventures in Alabasta is one of the many terrible examples of them, as its short runtime cuts out far too much content to make the story worth getting invested in. There’s some novelty in it being the first One Piece project dubbed by Funimation, but beyond that, it’s mostly without merit.
13) One Piece: Clockwork Island Adventure (2001)
2001’s One Piece: Clockwork Island Adventure is the second theatrical One Piece film. When the Straw Hat Pirates’ ship and supplies are stolen, their quest to get them back puts them in conflict with the Trump Pirates, a powerful group of pirates who have turned the beautiful Clockwork Island into their headquarters at the expense of its citizens.
Clockwork Island Adventure has all the charm of a classic One Piece story, and despite its age, it has some surprisingly good cuts of animation, as well. Unfortunately, the story, despite its charm, is still fairly simple, and that lack of depth keeps it from being one of One Piece’s stronger movies.
12) One Piece (2000)
The very first One Piece movie was released in 2000 and was simply called One Piece. As the Straw Hats are dangerously strapped for cash, they try to get rich by finding the treasure of the legendary pirate Woonan, although it ends up being a race between them and the deadly Eldoraggo Pirates.
Like Clockwork Island Adventure, the first One Piece movie is held back by its simple story and lackluster villains, but at the same time, the story with Woonan and how it relates to the rest of the cast has a surprising amount of heart to it, and that makes it plenty fun to watch from start to finish.
11) One Piece: Chopper’s Kingdom On The Island Of Strange Animals (2002)
2002’s One Piece: Chopper’s Kingdom on the Island of Strange Animals is the third One Piece film that, very fittingly, is centered around Chopper. When the Straw Hats land on an island of talking animals, Chopper is accidentally crowned their king, and he’ll have to live up to the role to protect them from a deadly poacher after their treasure.
As a film based entirely around Chopper’s mascot status, how much someone enjoys The Island of Strange Animals will depend on how much they can put up with that. That being said, with its strong action and a surprisingly engaging story, it’s one of the stronger entries among One Piece’s early films, even with so much time having gone by.
10) One Piece 3D: Straw Hat Chase (2011)
2011’s One Piece 3D: Straw Hat Chase is the 11th theatrical One Piece film. After a bird steals Luffy’s hat, the Straw Hat Pirates end up in a massive chase to get it back that not only escalates into a battle with the Marines, but is revealed to have a tragic history to it, as well.
With a runtime of only thirty minutes, One Piece 3D: Straw Hat Chase is closer to a filler episode than a movie, and there’s very little content because of that. However, between the fun story and the surprisingly good 3D visuals, Straw Hat Chase is a great short film to watch for anyone willing to give it a chance.
9) One Piece: Episode Of Chopper Plus: Bloom In The Winter, Miracle Sakura (2008)
2008’s One Piece: Episode of Chopper Plus: Bloom in the Winter, Miracle Sakura is the ninth theatrical One Piece movie. The film is a retelling of the Drum Kingdom arc, but it’s more of a reimagining than an abridgment, as it reworks the story to take place after Enies Lobby and has a new plot thread with Wapol’s brother, Musshuru.
Unlike Adventures in Alabasta, Episode of Chopper’s source material is short enough to work as a film, and when combined with the unique changes to the story, the overall narrative is stronger than one might think. Add in some great animation and a stunning visual style, and Episode of Chopper works as a great alternate take on Chopper’s introduction.
8) One Piece: The Cursed Holy Sword (2004)
2004’s One Piece: The Cursed Holy Sword is the fifth entry in One Piece’s film catalog. After arriving on Asuka Island, the Straw Hats are tasked with sealing away the Shichiseiken, a magic sword with power that can plunge the world into darkness, and things get even more complicated when Zoro suddenly leaves the crew to help its wielder, Saga.
In addition to having great action and animation, especially in Luffy’s final fight with Saga, The Cursed Holy Sword works for its emotional storytelling and for the surprising amount of depth given to Zoro’s character. It was one of the first One Piece movies to put more effort into its production, and the results speak for themselves.
7) One Piece: Dead End Adventure (2003)
2003’s One Piece: Dead End Adventure is the fourth theatrical One Piece film. The Straw Hat Pirates enter the Dead End Race, a deadly ship race among pirates with a massive cash prize, but what should have been a simple contest is ruined when they’re caught up in the conflict with the villainous Gasparde and the bounty hunter Shuraiya.
One Piece: Dead End Adventure was the first One Piece movie produced as a full movie and not a double-feature, and that can be seen with the massive uptick in art and animation compared to the first three films. Add in the highly engaging story with Shuraiya, and Dead End Adventure still holds up well after over 20 years.
6) One Piece Film: Z (2012)
2012’s One Piece Film: Z is the 12th One Piece film and the second one that had Eiichiro Oda involved in production. The Straw Hat Pirates have finally entered the New World, but they have no time to relax as they run afoul of Zephyr, a former Admiral leading a group of ex-Marines in a plot to destroy the world.
With gorgeous animation courtesy of legendary director Tatsuya Nagamine and a well-developed villain in Zephyr, One Piece Film: Z is a standout among modern One Piece movies and is often heralded as the best of them all. Unfortunately, the film gives its villains surprisingly little screentime, and because of that, it’s hard to rank Z too highly.
5) One Piece: Stampede (2019)
2019’s One Piece: Stampede is the 14th entry into the One Piece film catalog. The Straw Hat Pirates join hundreds of other pirates around the world to hunt for a lost treasure of Roger’s, but as it turns out, it was all a trap by Douglas Bullet, Roger’s former apprentice, who’s scheming to wipe out Luffy’s entire generation of pirates.
One Piece: Stampede prioritizes spectacle over story, and that does bring it down somewhat, but with how great the action is and how fun it is to see so many old characters come back, it’s nowhere near the problem one might think. Stampede was created as a celebration of One Piece’s 20th anniversary, and it more than succeeds at that.
4) One Piece Film: Strong World (2009)
2009’s One Piece Film: Strong World is the tenth One Piece film and the first one produced by Eiichiro Oda. In their latest adventure, the Straw Hat Pirates arrive on a floating island of strange and deadly animals, and while there, they must work to stop the sinister plot of Roger’s old rival to destroy the East Blue.
Not only is Shiki a great villain with plenty of appeal beyond being canon, but with its incredible animation and strong narrative centered around the Straw Hats’ friendship, Strong World is an all-around great film to watch. Strong World set the standard for modern One Piece movies, and overall, it’s still one of the best of the bunch.
3) One Piece Film: Gold (2016)
2016’s One Piece Film: Gold is the 13th theatrical One Piece film. After making their way to an island-sized casino, the Straw Hats are tricked into taking on massive debt by its owner, Gild Tesoro, and they have to team up with an old rival of Nami’s for a heist to clear their debt and end Tesoro’s reign of terror.
While Gold doesn’t have the massive scale of other modern One Piece movies, between its fun action and how well it uses heist movie tropes, it does a perfect job of selling itself as a summer blockbuster-type movie. Add in the surprisingly strong writing for the new characters, and it’s a far stronger film than people give it credit for.
2) One Piece: Baron Omatsuri And The Secret Island (2005)
2005’s One Piece: Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island is the sixth theatrical One Piece film. The Straw Hats take a trip to Omatsuri Island for a much-needed vacation, but what should have been a relaxing adventure quickly takes a dark turn as the Straw Hats fall victim to infighting and the horrifying machinations being hidden from them.
With its dark imagery and deconstructive take on the typical One Piece formula, Baron Omatsuri is easily the darkest story in the One Piece franchise, but because it uses that to reaffirm the positive elements of One Piece, it becomes a film with incredible depth and one that’s still beloved by fans everywhere 20 years after the fact.
1) One Piece Film: Red (2022)
2022’s One Piece Film: Red is the 15th and latest film in the One Piece franchise. The Straw Hat Pirates’ latest adventure reunites Luffy with his old friend Uta, a world-famous pop star and Shanks’ daughter, but it soon becomes clear that Uta’s intentions for Luffy’s friends and the wider world aren’t as innocent as they appear.
Not only does Red have the best animation of any One Piece film, but it also has some of the most emotionally resonant writing in the filmography, as well, especially when it comes to Uta’s arc. It’s one of the best anime movies of all time, and that, in turn, makes it the best One Piece movie, by far.
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