The Theme of Every Major One Piece Arc, Explained

Highlights

• One Piece arcs are inspired by real-life places and cultures, like Alabasta’s influence from Middle-Eastern and North African kingdoms.
• Each major arc showcases unique themes, such as Skypiea’s Aztec and Mayan inspirations, adding depth to the worldbuilding.
• From Water 7’s Venice vibes to Dressrosa’s Spanish influences, One Piece arcs offer diverse cultural references for fans to enjoy.

One Piece is a story that follows the journey of Luffy and his Straw Hat crew as they travel the world in search of a fabled treasure that once belonged to the Pirate King. Due to its grand scale and the rich world the story is set in, the heroes have since found their way to multiple islands and locations, each with their unique histories, cultures, people, and problems that they usually need the Straw Hat’s help in solving.

Because all these islands are distinct, the major ones that the Straw Hats visit, which share the same name as the arc itself, are based around either a real-life place, culture, or some trope or aspect that is very popular in modern pop culture. So, let’s take a look at the themes or tropes that every major arc of One Piece is based around and go over why this is such a great way for the arc system of the series to go!

Related One Piece: 5 Characters Stronger Than Egghead Luffy

Luffy is extremly powerful in Egghead. However, there are still more powerful One Piece characters.

East Blue Saga

Theme: The start of the journey

The East Blue Saga covers many small arcs, the chief of which are the final arcs of Arlong Park and Loguetown. Unlike many other major story arcs that this article will talk about, the East Blue Saga isn’t just one arc and isn’t based around a place or trope, instead consisting of some smaller arcs that all seek to show the very start of the Straw Hat crew’s adventures on the sea. These short arcs serve as the story of how Luffy obtained his second-in-command, navigator, sharpshooter, and chef.

Back during the early days of the franchise, the identity of the series was pretty different from how fans know it to be now. Due to it being a newer series, the worldbuilding and intricate lore weren’t the same as how they are today, so these first few arcs essentially served as the ‘team-up’ trope which showed fans the beginning of Luffy and the Straw Hat’s journey and how they all came together!

Alabasta Arc

Theme: Middle-East and North Africa/Desert Kingdom

One Piece’s first expansive arc was also the one that introduced the concept of the Poneglyphs, due to which it is also credited as being one of the first arcs to have started the incredible worldbuilding that the series is known for. Due to Alabasta itself being an huge island home to a desert kingdom, it is very clear that it takes inspiration from Middle Eastern and North African cultures.

No matter what happens from here on, our left arms will bear the sign of our friendship!

This can be seen from the way the people of the nation live, their culture, how they dress, and even how they look. With the notable exception of Vivi, most residents of this kingdom have a darker complexion due to the heat and exposure to the sun and are even shown to dress how many nomads do in the Middle East. Moreover, Alubarna even has golden domes on buildings made of white marble, clearly inspired by Islamic and Egyptian architecture.

Close

Skypiea

Theme: Aztecand Mayan

The next major arc that the heroes would go on was their iconic journey into the Sky Island known as Skypeia. The culture of this island on its own was fairly unique with all that the native Skypieans got up to, but one of the central parts of the story had to do with the secret city of Shandora and the Poneglyph located inside of it. At first glance of the city itself, it can be seen that it was inspired by ancient Aztec culture, especially with the giant pyramid in the middle of it being a Mesoamerican Pyramid.

We’re still here!

Moreover, the flashback concerning Mont Blanc Noland’s visit to Shandora gave even more insight into this, especially when seeing how the people dressed as well as the markings on their bodies, with their social structure being a tribal one. One of the most memorable moments from the flashback was when Noland interrupted a human sacrifice to the Gods, which Aztec culture is synonymous with to this day.

Close

Related One Piece: Is Shanks’ Return A Threat or Alliance For Luffy?

Will Shanks’s intent to pursue the One Piece treasure signal a potential for a powerful alliance or a challenge for Luffy’s journey?

1

Water 7/Enies Lobby

Theme: Venice/Crewmate Rescue

Water 7 and Enies Lobby are often lumped together due to their interconnected story and immediate succession. Water 7 is a town that is inspired by the city of Venice located in Italy due to its bustling and lively environment. Most of all, however, the biggest indication of this theme is the waterways that serve to take characters from one place to another instead of streets, with the city itself made up of similar materials and interconnected archways as the Italian city.

I want to live!

Enies Lobby is different since it is not based on a particular place. However, the theme of it relies on a chase to rescue their crewmate, Nico Robin, who is due for execution. Such a trope is similar to the one of the East Blue Saga and is also something that many other franchises have done before. Examples of this are Naruto’s Sasuke Retrieval arc, Bleach’s Soul Society arc, and Fairy Tail’s Tower of Heaven arc, to name a few.

Close

Thriller Bark

Theme: Halloween

Thriller Bark wasn’t exactly an island. Instead, it was Gecko Moria’s ship that was themed exactly how he was; as a terrifying and monstrous figure, and although the arc itself is anything but scary to the viewers, it certainly follows such a theme within the world itself with the inclusion of zombies, ghosts, ghouls, etc. This arc also introduces Brooke, a long-dead pirate who is nothing but skull and bones now.

No matter how deep the night, it always turns to day, eventually!

With Moria’s ability to manipulate the shadows of other people, he can create many dastardly Frankenstein monsters for the heroes to face. Moreover, Thriller Bark took inspiration from the Bermuda Triangle; a mysterious place where ships sink and are never seen again. In fact, this is even called the Florian Triangle!

Close

Summit War Saga

Theme: Great War, Prison Break, Heroes Defeat

The Summit War arc was full of many smaller arcs that had their own themes but built towards the massive battle of the Whitebeard Fleet against the Headquarters of the World Government. After every member of the Straw Hats was teleported to a different island by the end of the short Sabaody arc, Luffy found himself on Amazon Lily, an island of warrior women clearly inspired by the Ancient Greek myth of the Amazons.

The One Piece is real!

After this was the Impel Down arc, where Luffy and a bunch of his allies sought to break Ace out of the massive prison of the same name. This covered a prison break trope that is very popular in pop culture and everything culminated in the Marineford arc, which saw the death of Whitebeard and Ace. This incredible arc covered many thematic tropes, chief of which were the Great War and the death of heroes.

Close

Related One Piece: Oda Sets Up A Shocking Truth About The Gorosei

Oda has a huge secret about the Five Elders in One Piece. The Gorosei are a threat that has never before been seen.

Fishman Island

Theme: Atlantis

Fishman Island is a unique island located right beneath the Red Line and is home to the Fishman race. Over here, special air bubbles are needed for the inhabitants on the surface to reside due to the lack of oxygen, which shows that this island is inspired by the ancient underwater kingdom of Atlantis. Such a showing is something that many different series have covered across all fiction.

Even the concept of Atlantis being incredibly old is reflected in Fishman Island, since on its outskirts there exists the Noah, an incredibly massive ship that has laid dormant for centuries.

Dressrosa

Theme: Spain

When the heroes first step foot onto Dressrosa, the verdant plant-life and beautiful vistas stretch as far as the eye can see. Dressrosa is very clearly inspired by Spain and Spanish culture due to its colorful city squares, rich traditions, and unique scenery, which was enough for fans to spot many similarities. One such thing is the food that is served to the Straw Hats as they arrive, which shows traditional Spanish cuisine such as Paella.

The tide will bring those of unmatched power and the New Era will begin!

Moreover, the character of Violet, among many other women, dances and dresses like a Spanish Flamenco performer, which is even seen by the musicians behind her as well as their instruments. Particularly taking inspiration from Andalusian and Catalonian culture, much of the nation of Dressrosa can be seen as directly based on much of Spain.

Close

Whole Cake Island

Theme: Crewmate Rescue, Alice in Wonderland

Whole Cake Island is the central island of Totto Land, which is Big Mom’s base of operations. While entirely fantastical and not based on any real-life place, it heavily takes inspiration from the magical world of Alice in Wonderland. This is where Big Mom and her crew live on various islands that have entire buildings and fantastical structures made of cake and candy.

Without you, I can’t become the Pirate King!

Moreover, similar to Enies Lobby, this arc mirrors the rescue of a Straw Hat crew member. Here, Luffy, Nami, Brooke, and Chopper invade the land in the hopes of rescuing Sanji, who is being used as a pawn in a political marriage that seeks to merge the forces of the Big Mom pirates with those of Germa 66.

Close

Wano

Theme: Feudal Japan

Perhaps the most visually stunning arc of them all, Wano shows One Piece’s take on a feudal Japanese society. Out of all the arcs, this one’s inspiration is the clearest to see, since the main fighting force is the samurai, the country is ruled by a Shogun, the various areas are ruled over by Daimyo, etc. The parallels are endless, with the Straw Hats even donning Kimono during their time there.

I am Oden and I was born to boil!

The topography of the area is also heavily inspired by Japanese culture, since the land is dotted with verdant soils and Sakura blossoms, the latter of which are synonymous with the country. Moreover, the buildings and general architecture are exactly the same as seen in some of the country’s most famous buildings, and pretty much everything within the country has a Japanese name.

Close

Egghead

Theme: Futuristic City

Owing to Dr. Vegapunk’s unparalleled genius and technological brilliance, Egghead is the most unique island on the entire Grand Line. This is because it is essentially just a futuristic city in every single aspect, from the clothing to even the food. The clothes that the characters wear are inspired by the Techwear trend that is very popular in modern-day Tokyo, whereas everything else is inspired by a traditional futuristic city in fiction, as seen by the robots everywhere as well as the automated things that make the city up.

One Piece can be streamed on Crunchyroll.

One Piece (1999) ActionAdventureComedyFantasy

One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates’ ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.

Release Date October 20, 1999 Main Genre Anime Number of Episodes 1082+ See at Hulu

Fuente: successacademy.edu.vn
Categorías: Anime