Getting into 'One Piece': Manga, anime, or live action?

"One Piece" has been making mainstream waves recently, given the global success of the live action adaptation by Netflix.

The legendary story of pirate Monkey D. Luffy's search for the ultimate treasure, however, has been around for a long time — since 1997, in fact. This means that there's a lot to catch up on, seeing as the story is still ongoing. 

So if Mackenyu's shirtless Zoro scenes or Lera Abova's beautiful portrayal of Nico Robin caught your interest but you don't know where to start, worry not — here's a breakdown of every medium that "One Piece" is available on.

Manga

"One Piece" is a manga (Japanese comic book) series created by artist Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Japan's magazine Weekly Shonen Jump since July 1997.

This means that the source material is the manga; in fandom terms, the manga events are the ones that are purely "canon." Ideally, those interested in "One Piece" would start here.

As of writing, the manga has 1,176 chapters. It sounds a lot, but note that each chapter only has, on average, 20 pages. Arguably, reading the manga could actually be the fastest and most painless way to catch up to the story.

However, it might not be everyone's cup of tea. Manga being black-and-white, plus the fact that you read them from right to left, pose a challenge to those not used to it.

If you're interested in checking out Oda's original vision, the Shonen Jump app is available for download in the Philippines. A monthly subscription costs P199.

If reading manga is not you're thing, keep reading for other options.

Anime

If the manga's 1,176 chapters intimidate you, the anime might not be much better in this regard. 

Toei Animation adapted "One Piece" into anime (Japanese animation) in 1999, and as of March 2026, it has 1,155 episodes. However, each episode only runs, on average, 20 minutes.

The anime breathes lives into Oda's colorful characters and islands, providing a visual of the adventures that the Straw Hat Pirates go on. In the Philippines, it first aired in 2002 on GMA Network. Having run this long, the anime has garnered a loyal following. 

As is common with manga-inspired anime, however, the series is not purely a 1:1 adaptation. There are a lot of filler episodes, and even manga-accurate scenes tend to be dragged out as the anime has to wait for new chapters from Oda. Generally, it is faithful to the story and its characters, but fans tend to find the pacing off. And although Oda is a fan of the anime, he has previously stated that he has no hand in it.

Good news to those who'd prefer to watch the anime, though — Netflix is making a new version of the anime, titled "The One Piece," with the help of animation studio Wit Studio and "Attack on Titan" director Masashi Koizuka. It is expected to be more faithful to the source material, with less of a pacing issue.

Meanwhile, the good old "One Piece" anime is available for streaming on Netflix. The series took a break in the first quarter of the year, and will return on air on April 5.

Live action

Netflix's live action adaptation of "One Piece" no doubt propelled the already iconic story to new heights. 

Despite the bad rep that live action adaptation of anime tends to have, "One Piece" has been widely embraced by fans, to the extent where it is said to have "broken the live action curse." Of course, this is likely thanks to the fact that Oda himself is hands-on with the project, and that the people involved in its production are big fans themselves.

The "One Piece" live action (often abbreviated to OPLA) is an experience in itself. It does not follow the manga's story to the letter at all, but it is praised for keeping the spirit of the story. Given than many manga or anime elements would not translate to modern TV audiences, there have been changes with regard to characterization — for example, Sanji — and storytelling.

Perhaps due to airtime constraints, the adaption of the story arcs have adjustments as well. 

Netflix's "One Piece" has been a good starting point for casual viewers and non-anime fans. With its fresh take on the well-loved story, the show reached brand new audiences, pulling a new crowd into the Straw Hat Family.

For those who want to start here, it can be said this show has been made specifically for you — you can always check out the manga or anime later. In fact, if you loved OPLA, you're probably on your way anyway!

"One Piece" Seasons 1 and 2 are available for streaming on Netflix.

Season 3 is already in production. —JCB, GMA Integrated News