Hello, and welcome to the Otaku Mind. This is Justin, and welcome to another Memories of One Piece. Throughout the years One Piece has had a number of films shown in Japanese theaters. Some of them have been great, others good, and some we barely remember. I’ve reviewed a number of these films and the past, and some have asked me which ones I think are the best. Well on the anniversary of One Piece, I’ve decided to rank all the One Piece films from worst to best. Keep in mind, I’m only looking at the films. This means no TV specials, crossovers, or OVAs. These are the films that got a theatrical release on Japan’s big screens and had a run in theaters. Let’s get started, these are my rankings of the One Piece films.
#14. Straw Hat Chase
Starting off with the one everyone considers the weakest of the movies. Over the years anime studios have played with CGI and have tried incorporating it into the future of anime. Some studios give us something amazing like Beastars while others give us something terrible like Berserk 2017. In 2011 Toei would throw their hat into CGI with the 11th One Piece film by shooting the entire film in CGI. The results were not good. The box office told the story as this film would go on to only make 790,000,000 yen, the lowest out of all the films to this date. To give you an idea of how bad this was, the previous film Strong World made almost 5 billion yen and the film after Straw Hat Chase, Film Z, would go on to make almost 7 billion yen. On top of that the film was roughly 30 minutes long and the CGI wasn’t really all that good. It honestly looked like something that belonged on a One Piece rollercoaster ride and the story didn’t feel grand or epic as it just follows Luffy trying to get his hat back from a Marine base. This sounds like a filler for the anime not a stand-alone film. The CGI would return a year later for the One Piece games where it would work out better, so I guess one good thing did come from this ordeal.
#13. Chopper’s Kingdom on the Island of Strange Animals
The third film in the One Piece series and the one film a majority of fans regard as the worst film in the series. When Chopper made his anime debut, he quickly became one of the most popular characters on the show. Fans loved his voice, backstory, character design, and personality. Toei decided to capitalize on his popularity by having a film entirely centered around him. The Straw Hats follow an old treasure map which leads to Crown Island. Through a series of events Chopper gets separated from the crew and gets picked up by the inhabitants of the island who are all animals who can speak and think like humans. Chopper soon fulfills a prophecy heralding him as the new King of Beasts and becomes torn between staying on the island or traveling with the Straw Hats. While the film didn’t do well as the second film it did make an impressive 2 billion yen at the box office, good animation, and had two cool fight scenes courtesy of Zoro and Sanji where the two admit their respect for each other. Other than that, the film really didn’t have that much going for it and was one of the more forgetful of the films in my opinion. The story is bland and forgetful, the side characters aren’t the least bit interesting, and the main villain doesn’t come across as all that threatening. As much as I love Chopper I think Toei may have pulled the trigger too soon on this.
#12. The Desert Princess and the Pirates: Adventures in Alabasta
The eight and ninth films of One Piece did something different from the other films. Instead of having their own stand-alone story, they would re-tell a story from the manga complete with new animation and scenes. The first film of this series was the Alabasta arc the arc that completely hooked me on One Piece. The film re-tells the Alabasta arc eliminating all the filler from the anime and focusing more on the action and characters throughout the arc. It was good as it was nice to revisit the arc in a better animation style and it did bring in new fans who didn’t have time to read the manga and got them interested in the series. While the film tries to cram in a lot of stuff everyone admits that it was a fun watch.
#11. Episode of Chopper Plus: Bloom in the Winter, Miracle Sakura
Building off the success of the Adventures in Alabasta, Toei would continue this trend with the ninth film which would adapt the Drum Island/Chopper arc. However, this film would take more chances. Instead of it being a complete retelling of the story, they added in new features such as giving Wapol an older brother who has his own devil fruit power and even adding Robin and Franky to the crew indicating that this arc took place after the events of Enies Lobby. This was an interesting idea as it makes you wonder how the series would have been different if Chopper joined the crew much later in the story. The film managed to touch at your heartstrings as Chopper’s backstory is arguably the saddest of the Straw Hats, but also manages to be funny, action-packed, and fun to watch. Sadly, the film didn’t do as well as Toei had hope and this would be the last retelling shown in theaters. Instead, the retellings would now be TV specials which in my opinion was for the better.
#10. One Piece: The Movie
The first One Piece film made its debut as part of the Toei Anime Fair, an event where Toei would release a series of theatrical specials of their anime. The film had a run time of only 51 minutes and was received warmly but outside of Japan not so much. The whole plot of the film is about a pirate looking for a legendary treasure and the Straw Hats getting involved. Just like the Straw Hat Chase the film lacks that theatrical feel with its story and visuals. The whole film just feels like an extended episode and the animation looked no better than the anime at the time. Some even think the animation in the film was worse than the anime. The one saving grace of this film was that it has great humor and action to go along with it. Not the best theatrical debut, but things got better as the years would go by.
#9. Giant Mecha Soldier of Karakuri Castle
Often considered to be the strangest of the One Piece films because of its animation style which completely sexualizes the female cast. Seriously, every time Nami moves her boobs jiggle, it’s like they have a mind of their own and the physics of gravity don’t apply to them. Even in the one scene where they’re supposed to be jiggling they remain perfectly still. On a positive note, I will admit that this film probably got the most laughs out of me. The Straw Hats go on a scavenger hunt to find treasure on an island ruled by a mechanical engineer who specializes in making machines. The twists and turns do keep you intrigued, and the machines are pretty creative. The major highlight of this film is that this was the first time we saw Luffy use Gear Second which would go on to help him in the main story. A strange film with a lot of laughs, cool machines, and fanservice courtesy of Nami.
#8. The Cursed Holy Sword
It’s no secret that Zoro is one of the most popular characters in One Piece. His dream to be the best swordsman, loyalty to Luffy, and having some of the coolest moves and moments in the series makes him one of the highlights in every arc. Yet surprisingly there hasn’t been an arc where he’s the main focus in the manga. Having a film centered around him and an old acquaintance of his from the past could lead to an interesting story and explore a new side of his character. On paper, this sounds good but the overall execution leaves much to be desired. Taking place shortly after the fourth film the Straw Hats land on an island that’s home to the cursed sword Shichiseiken a sword that takes control of the wielder and forces them to do their bidding. Zoro’s old friend Saga has come into possession of the sword and is trying to an enact a ritual to make the sword the ultimate weapon with Zoro helping him. It’s a shock to see Zoro actually turn his back on the crew and fight Sanji seriously for getting in his way. The film also features one of the most graphic and violent images in the series as we actually see a living character get sliced in half. We see Zoro take center stage and ultimately defeat the main villain in cool fashion, but the rest of the film is very forgetful. Nothing noteworthy happens outside of the events I mentioned earlier. The rest of the film is mostly the characters talking about the curse, how they can stop it, and how they can defeat it. It leads to a lot of filler in the film and makes the film all the more unmemorable. For a film that has Zoro take the lead this film should in no way be unmemorable.
#7. Clockwork Island Adventure
The second film of One Piece. Out of the first three movies this was by far my favorite. The Straw Hats get their ship stolen by a pirate group called the Trump Pirates and go after it. During their chase they meet and befriend two thieves who dream of stealing the diamond jewel on Clockwork Island which is ruled by the Trump Pirates. The two groups team up and sail to Clockwork Island where we get a good twist, some good laughs, and an exciting climax which features all the Straw Hats fighting the Trump Pirates. I will say I did like the animation style they used for this film. The hand-drawn animation really brings the characters and the scenes to life. It was a huge upgrade from the first film and made the film feel more genuine and unique from the anime. Shockingly, this film would go on to be One Piece’s highest grossing film until Strong World with 3 billion yen made at the box office and after watching it you’ll see why it was so well received by fans.
#6. Dead End Adventure
The fourth film in the series and the first time the series got a full-length film. In the previous films the series shared the screen with Digimon who had a few theatrical specials as well. This film was the first time that One Piece got a chance to be on the big screen by themselves and they took full advantage of it. Short on funds, the Straw Hats participate in a secret race across the ocean for money. During the race they have to fight against other pirate crews participating in the race including a marine turned pirate named Gasparde who is being hunted by a bounty hunter who wants to kill him. Animation wise the film is visually pleasing as there are a lot of great shots to look at, some heartwarming scenes, good action, and an awesome climatic fight between Luffy and Gasparde who may just have one of the stranger devil fruit powers. The film only made 2 billion yen at the box office, but it showed Toei and everyone just how popular One Piece was becoming and how their popularity would only continue to grow in the years to come.
#5. Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island
The darkest and the most widely known film in One Piece. I’ve talked about this film in a previous Memories of One Piece so I’ll keep this one short. The Straw Hats get invited to a resort island where the baron of the island turns the crew against each one another. It’s a shocking experience as it’s the first time we’ve ever seen the crew have a legit fight with each other and it features some of the darkest moments ever shown in One Piece. This film was directed by Mamoru Hosoda who bought his own unique animation style to the series which only enhanced the dark moments and showed the series in a new light that would go on to be mimicked in the anime for a number of episodes. The darkest of the One Piece films and probably the one I recommend you show people to get them interested in the series.
#4. One Piece: Stampede
The latest film in the One Piece series is easily one of the best. I just got done reviewing it, so I’ll keep this short. A celebration of the anime, this film features cameos from just about every character in the anime and it’s such good fanservice to see all of these characters who made us laugh, smile, and gave us some of the most memorable moments in One Piece. Throw in an action-packed climax, a strong villain that seems impossible to beat, and a cameo appearance from Ace and you have one great film that makes all the fans happy. While the story may not be all that great the fight scenes and fanservice more than makes this a film that any One Piece fan needs to see.
#3. One Piece Film: Z
Often considered by many to be the best of the films, but I always consider two other films better than this one. After the Straw Hats rescue an old man out at sea, they find out that he’s Z a famous marine who has defected from the Marines and has declared war on both marines and pirates. He fights the Straw Hats, damages their ship, and then leaves to continue on with his plan to wipe out the world. This leads to the Straw Hats going after Z and his crew for revenge where we get some cool action scenes which are a great homage to DBZ. However, the main selling point of this film is Z, he’s one of the most compelling villains in One Piece. He has a strong sense of justice and feels that the Marines have lost sight of that. He’s considered a hero among the marines who hold him in high respect up until his final moments. Even near the end when they’re forced to fight him they can’t help but cry over the fact that they’re being forced to kill their hero. All this stuff is great, but my main problem is with the story. The whole plot just sounds ridiculous to me and was the one thing that stopped me from fully enjoying the film. Still, I liked the character of Z and he alone makes this film worth checking out.
#2. One Piece Film: Strong World
Written by Oda himself making this the only film that’s actually canon in the series. A pirate from the age of Roger named Shiki has escaped prison and now plans to conquer East Blue the home of Luffy and a few others. Impressed by Nami’s navigational skills, he kidnaps Nami and the crew have to save her on Shiki’s floating islands. The film is well polished and has this great sense of adventure, story, and creativity. The animals are so creative that I actually found them more interesting than a lot of Pokémon out there. The character of Shiki is great. He has his comedic moments throughout the film but is also threatening and a legit threat to the crew as they show just how powerful he can be. The character designs are great and a phenomenal fight between Luffy and Shiki caps this film as being one of the best films in the series. While non-fans will like it just fine, longtime fans will love this film for what it is and what it does.
And number one. . .
#1. One Piece Film: Gold
Considered to be Oda’s favorite film in the series thus far, Gold was an amazing film to watch. The Straw Hats enter the entertainment island of Gran Tesoro an island that can only be compared to Las Vegas. The Straw Hats find themselves in debt to the island’s owner Gild and now have to pay him back or he’ll execute Zoro publicly. This whole film is just a spectacle to watch. The animation is great, the island of Gran Tesoro just looks like so much fun that I wish it was real. The heist that the crew needs to pull off is something from Lupin the Third or Ocean’s 11 and leads to a lot of funny moments and created ideas on how the technology of this world works. Like for example, they have special owls act as a motion sensing security system, snails act as cameras, and have cars be powered by bodybuilding turtles. That’s so clever and inventive. Finally, the villains in this film are great. They’re just one-time characters but they have a lot of personality to them, great character designs, and cool devil fruit powers. I especially loved their fights with each member of the Straw Hats and how each one was defeated differently. While Gild may not be as complex or a major threat like Z and Shiki, he still has a tragic backstory that almost makes you feel sorry for him and makes you understand why he became the person he is today. Gold was the film that seemed to have the most fun with the Straw Hat pirates, the villains, and the setting of where it took place in. For me, this is as close to a One Piece film I could ask for.
And that’s my list. I hoped you enjoyed. What was your favorite One Piece film? Let me know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time on Project Nitsuj.
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