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As One Piece’s Wano arc rapidly approaches its climax in the manga, a vast majority of fans feel it will end as the series’ best yet. Wano has definitely felt like a top-tier arc thus far, and will surely continue to do so in future One Piece chapters.
However, before Wano’s ending, it’s important to assess the current best One Piece arcs. One Piece certainly has a fair number of candidates for the title of best arc, and Wano will undoubtedly muddy those waters further.
Here are the current top five completed One Piece arcs in no particular order.
WARNING: One Piece spoilers through till Whole Cake Island below.
These 5 One Piece arcs are the best for many reasons
5) Marineford arc
The Marineford arc is undoubtedly one of the best in One Piece, and to many, it is the ideal story arc. Serving as the finale to Luffy’s solo adventures, the Marineford arc finally sees him free his brother Ace who sadly dies later on.
Beyond the story aspects, Marineford also hosts some great fights and team-up moments as well. Luffy confronting the three Admirals is an incredibly memorable action moment, as is his confrontation with Garp, which also has story-driven undertones.
Without a doubt, Marineford is one of the best arcs One Piece has to offer.
4) Enies Lobby
Enies Lobby is such a memorable and beloved arc for so many One Piece fans. From a story perspective, it showed Oda’s brilliant writing skills by developing both Franky and Robin as fully fleshed out characters simultaneously.
They both shared the backstory spotlight in this arc and amazingly, neither felt underdeveloped as a result.
From an action perspective, Enies Lobby is home to some of the best combat moments in all of One Piece. Luffy debuts Second and Third Gear during this arc. Coupled with that, Zoro and Sanji showcase their Ashura Style and Diable Jambe respectively.
The Luffy vs. Lucci fight is easily the best up to this point as well, giving the former his first arduous obstacle to overcome.
3) Dressrosa
While some criticize it for being too long, Dressrosa is undoubtedly one of One Piece’s best story arcs. The Law/Luffy combo move used against Doflamingo and Trebol is an incredibly exciting moment for fans.
The arc’s introductory colosseum section also gives great action sequences and fights while allowing the main narrative to build in the background.
Speaking of narratives, this arc also has one of the greatest flashbacks One Piece has to offer. Law’s backstory is incredibly tragic, and is essentially a tale of human greed and corruption.
Corazon and Law’s relationship is also beautifully developed, as the two went from being mortal enemies to trusted comrades against the former's brother, Doffy.
2) Whole Cake Island arc
Much like Dressrosa, the Whole Cake Island arc is often criticized for being too long. A contrarian point is that the latter arc devotes ample time to its storylines without demeaning the payoff.
The buildup of Katakuri as a mysterious and powerful enigma pays off incredibly as we watch Luffy struggle and rise against him mid-battle.
The star of this One Piece arc is undoubtedly Sanji, who wrestles with emotions regarding his crew, family, and wife-to-be. His emotional struggles are truly captivating, especially during his lowest moments. One can't help but sympathize with Sanji after he discovers Pudding’s true intentions.
1) Arlong Park arc
Although the oldest on this list, Arlong Park is undoubtedly one of the best One Piece arcs. Many fans cite this arc as the foundation of their love for the series.
The buildup of Nami’s background and character development is masterfully done, as is Luffy’s eventual liberation of his dejected cartographer.
The fights in this arc are somewhat dated in choreography and animation style, but are still incredibly pleasing to watch. The highlight is undoubtedly Luffy vs. Arlong, in which the former fights with unprecedented ferocity.
Zoro also gets a great mid-fight moment here, in which the Fish-Man Arlong labels him a monster for being able to fight through the wounds from his battle against Mihawk.
