One Piece is a legendary series. The manga, written by Eiichiro Oda, launched in 1997 and quickly mesmerized fans with its fun plot and likable characters. In 1999, One Piece was turned into an anime, and both the anime and the manga are still running today. The manga recently surpassed its 1000th chapter, the anime broadcast its 1000th episode in 2022, and a live-action adaptation just premiered on Netflix — safe to say, this is not a franchise you can get through in an afternoon. In fact, if you did nothing but watch One Piece, it would take you over 16 days to get to the latest episode, showing how large this franchise is.
Of course, with any long-running show, people often wonder what parts they can skip, especially if they want to quickly catch up. While One Piece has some episodes we’d never dream of skipping, like many anime franchises, One Piece has quite a few filler arcs, and some of these can be skipped to save yourself some time.
What is One Piece about?
Set in a world of danger and pirates, One Piece follows a young boy called Monkey D. Luffy. When he was a child, Luffy ate a mysterious fruit called a Devil Fruit that gave him the power to stretch his limbs as if they were made out of rubber. Luffy, determined to become the King Of The Pirates, soon heads out on an adventure to find a legendary treasure called the One Piece. Along the way, he makes many friends and foes as he journeys through this strange world, sailing toward a destiny more free than he ever could have imagined.
What are filler arcs and why are they in One Piece?
The One Piece anime and manga are in production at the same time, and this can cause issues. Quite often, the anime will run out of manga to adapt and will thus make new content, often referred to as “filler,” to give the manga time to get ahead again. However, the One Piece filler arcs often adapt side content or work in plot points previously skipped over in canon episodes. Because of this, many filler arcs contain crucial information and character development, meaning you should be careful about what you overlook.
What are One Piece‘s filler arcs?
Currently, One Piece has the following filler arcs:
- Warship Island Arc – Episodes 54-61
- Post-Arabasta Arc – 131-135
- Goat Island Arc – 136-138
- Ruluka Island Arc – 139-143
- G-8 Arc – 196-206
- Ocean’s Dream Arc – 220-224
- Foxy’s Return Arc – 225-226
- Ice Hunter Arc – 326-335
- Spa Island Arc – 382-384
- Little East Blue Arc – 426-429
- Z’s Ambition Arc – 575-578
- Caesar Retrieval Arc – 626-628
- Silver Mine Arc – 747-750
- Marine Rookie Arc – 780-782
- Cidre Guild Arc – 895-896
- Uta’s Past Arc – 1029-1030
Which One Piece filler arcs should you skip?
The One Piece fan community heavily debates which filler arcs can be skipped. Some fans will tell you that you shouldn’t miss any of them, as they all help flesh out the characters and world and help make One Piece feel like a true adventure.
However, most fans agree you can skip the Warship Island arc (54-61) and the Ruluka Island arc (139-143). Both are short arcs that add little to the overarching plot. They also don’t contain story development you don’t get elsewhere.
If you’re desperate to cut out some episodes, there are other arcs that people suggest skipping. This is because they have less connection to the overarching plot than the main arcs. This includes The Post-Alabasta Arc (131-135), the Goat Island Arc (136-138), and The Ocean’s Dream Arc (220-224). While these have a lot of fun moments, if you skip them, you won’t be left confused later on, even if you will miss a few good character moments here and there.
A few filler arcs actually tie in with One Piece movies, and while these can be fun, you can definitely skip them if you’re short on time. The arcs with film tie-ins that you can skip are Little East Blue Arc (426-429) Silver Mine Arc (747-750), Z’s Ambition Arc (575-578), Cidre Guild Arc (895-896), and Uta’s Past Arc (1029-1030). That being said, if you do plan on binging these films, these can be fun to watch before doing so.
There is also a commonly accepted list of unmissable fillers, focusing on the filler arcs that no One Piece fan should skip. This list usually includes G-8 Arc (196-206), Foxy’s Return Arc (225-226), and Caesar Retrieval Arc (626-628). All three of these arcs contain crucial information that will play into later plot points, and all three are very entertaining, often ranking high in “best arc” fan polls.
List of the One Piece arcs you can skip
If you want a handy list of arcs to refer to while you watch, here are the filler arcs in order and if you can skip them.
- Warship Island Arc – Episodes 54-61 [Skip]
- Post-Arabasta Arc – 131-135 [Maybe Skip]
- Goat Island Arc – 136-138 [Maybe Skip]
- Ruluka Island Arc – 139-143 [Skip]
- G-8 Arc – 196-206 [Don’t Skip]
- Ocean’s Dream Arc – 220-224 [Maybe Skip]
- Foxy’s Return Arc – 225-226 [Don’t Skip]
- Ice Hunter Arc – 326-335
- Spa Island Arc – 382-384
- Little East Blue Arc – 426-429 [Maybe Skip]
- Z’s Ambition Arc – 575-578 [Maybe Skip]
- Caesar Retrieval Arc – 626-628 [Don’t Skip]
- Silver Mine Arc – 747-750 [Maybe Skip]
- Marine Rookie Arc – 780-782
- Cidre Guild Arc – 895-896 [Maybe Skip]
- Uta Past Arc- 1029-1030 [Maybe Skip]
