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One of the best parts of One Piece’s Wano arc was how many exciting moments it’s had amongst its massive chapter and episode count. Spanning more than four years of the series’ publication history, it has certainly been one of the more divisive arcs in One Piece’s history.
Despite the controversial nature of the Wano arc, there have been a myriad of moments that are exciting enough to unite the fanbase, even if only for a brief moment. In both the anime and manga, there have been several moments so far which perfectly exemplify this unifying capability.
Here are the 10 most exciting moments in One Piece’s Wano arc, ranked in no particular order.
1) Roof Piece begins
Without a doubt, one of the most unifying and exciting moments in One Piece’s Wano arc thus far has been the beginning of Roof Piece. This section of the Onigashima Raid sees the Worst Generation members begin their group fight against the two Yonko, Kaido and Big Mom.
In both the anime and the manga, fans praised the scene heavily, with nearly every fan sharing positive opinions regarding how it was handled. The anime adaptation only increased this universal enjoyment, with added scenes, background music, and exceptional animation and voice acting stealing the show.
2) Jinbe returns
For both those who did and did not enjoy One Piece’s Wano arc up to this point, Jinbe’s return was a fantastic moment which had everyone happy. Those who enjoyed Wano up to this point felt like the crew had finally returned, and those who preferred Whole Cake Island were excited to see the resolution of this major cliffhanger from the arc’s end.
The celebration amongst the crew which followed was fantastically done, especially in the anime, thanks to the amazing direction from Megumi Ishitani. Since this directorial outing of hers, fans have near-universally held her in higher regard than any other director in the series, emphasizing how unifying her work was.
3) Zoro and Sanji reunite
One of the biggest questions after the initial issues and episodes of One Piece’s Wano arc was when would frenemies Zoro and Sanji reunite again. While the rest of the crew had met in Wano in the initial installments, their swordsman was off with Yasuie Shimotsuki learning about Wano and meeting its citizens.
When the two finally meet at Yasuie’s execution site, it’s exactly the reunion fans universally wanted, seeing the two bicker with one another while surrounded by enemy forces. It’s classic One Piece in every sense of the term, and was definitely one of the more universally enjoyed moments of Wano.
4) “He Laughed”
Without a doubt, the Oden flashback is the most unifying and exciting string of episodes or chapters within the Wano arc. The legendary samurai was a figure of great interest to fans, and his flashback delivered in every area possible.
The highlight of this flashback for many was the Roger Pirates finding Laugh Tale, and the infamous “he laughed” scene featuring Roger himself.
It’s an incredibly significant moment for both the Wano arc and One Piece as a whole, revealing part of what the treasure the former Pirate King left behind on Laugh Tale was.
It also finally gave readers an understanding as to why Oden desired to open Wano’s borders upon his return, even if this enigmatic explanation caused more questions to pop up.
5) Worst Generation versus the Yonko
The continuation of Roof Piece in both the One Piece anime and manga saw the Captains and Vice Captains of the Worst Generation battle Kaido and Big Mom incredibly fiercely. The fight was a constant war of attrition, with the five Supernovas struggling to get every hit they could in on the two Yonko, and it made for an incredible battle to experience.
The manga version of the fight was already amazing, and the anime only elevated that experience significantly. Thanks to movie-like animation quality and a similar level of quality in other anime-exclusive areas, Roof Piece is praised as one of the best sections of the arc by both manga readers and anime-only watchers.
6) Chopper saves the battlefield
Finally, a sleeper candidate for one of the most exciting moments in One Piece’s Wano arc is undoubtedly when Chopper saves Onigashima from Queen’s Ice Oni virus. Moments of Chopper actually being a doctor have become increasingly rare since the series’ time jump, a complaint made by even the lightest detractors of the series.
It’s lack of moments like these which make it incredibly exciting to see Chopper enter a battle of medicine, and even more exciting to see him win. For someone who many peg as one of, if not their favorite character of the series overall, it’s certainly an excitingly unifying moment.
WARNING: The following entries contain spoilers from the One Piece manga. Anime-only fans beware!
7) Advanced Conqueror’s Haki
The first moment on this list yet to be adapted into the series’ anime is Luffy’s discovery of Advanced Conqueror’s Haki. This moment marked a stark elevation for what it means to be powerful in One Piece, and also saw Luffy undoubtedly become strong enough to truly enter the world of the Yonko.
Even those who were getting bored of Roof Piece up to this point instantly had their attention snapped back to the situation. It’s one of the most memorable moments of the Wano arc, and is also undoubtedly the most exciting no matter who you ask.
8) Zoro’s Conqueror’s Haki
Similarly, One Piece’s Wano arc also saw Roronoa Zoro awaken his own standard and Advanced Conqueror’s Haki versus King the Conflagration. He had struggled in the matchup prior to this moment, to the point of even considering a loss likely since he had no means of damaging his opponent.
The moment in which he awakens his Conquerors is one which fans rave about even today, despite the issue having been released over half-a-year prior. It’s an incredibly engaging moment which got even the most aloof of Wano readers to jump out of their seats.
9) Luffy Gear Fifth and Awakening
Luffy’s Gear Fifth and Awakening versus Kaido in the final moments of their fight undoubtedly deserves a spot on this list. It not only got the attention of every One Piece fan, but of the entire anime community, causing the Naruto and Dragon Ball Z fandoms to get involved in the discussion following the form’s reveal.
While some critique how the fight against Kaido played out after this moment, the reveal of Luffy’s Awakened, Gear Fifth form is still nearly universally praised by readers. Without a doubt, the excitement will only be exacerbated in the anime reveal, for which many predict the aforementioned Megumi Ishitani to direct.
10) Shanks appears
Finally, one of the final issues of One Piece’s Wano arc sees none other than Red-Haired Shanks arrive at the borders of Wano. While he doesn’t actually make it onto the island or interact with Luffy and the Straw Hats, his presence in the seas around Wano was enough by itself to get every reader hyped.
Shanks’ appearances in the series are so few and far between that this is an understandable natural reaction, even before considering what he does in this appearance.
The fact that he flexes what may be the strongest Conqueror’s Haki seen thus far in the series before leaving only further fuels excitement for this cameo.
