One Piece has 15 films under its belt at the time of this writing, and out of those 15, there are some films that just haven’t aged well. Not that they are bad films or were bad films when the companies released the movies, but compared to where the anime is now, these films just don’t hold up.
Today we are going to be taking a look at the worst One Piece movies and letting you know why you are better off getting more Straw Hat content elsewhere. Here are the movies you might want to avoid.
6. One Piece 3D: Mugiwara Chase
There are a lot of things wrong with this movie, especially if you are a fan of the series at all. First of all, the ‘movie’ is only 30 minutes long. Secondly, the entire film is made in 3D animation. The 3D takes some getting used to at best, and is downright bad at worst. Additionally the plot is pretty basic.
An eagle steals Luffy’s straw hat he and the crew try to get it back. However, they run into some forgettable bad guys along the way. At the end of the day, the movie is short and doesn’t have any of the charm that the show has.
5. One Piece: Chopper’s Kingdom in the Strange Animal Island
This movie features the adorable resident doctor of the Straw Hats, Tony Tiny Chopper. It was never dubbed into English, but it did play in Japan when it was released in 2002. In this movie, Chopper gets separated from the crew on Crown Island, the intelligent animal population crowns him the king of the island.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Straw Hats have to wrestle with a hunter who is dehorning animals in the area. Legend says that one of the horns contains power. The Straw Hats have to team up with the animals to take down the hunter and Chopper leaves his throne to rejoin the crew. It is an interesting movie if you like Chopper, but other than that it is very forgettable.
4. One Piece: The Movie
This first movie was pretty great at the time, but is pretty dull and predictable now. With only the four beginning Straw Hats, it lacks a lot of what the series is known for. The plot is straightforward as the Straw Hats cross paths with a pirate seeking treasure and conflict ensues.
But the characters aren’t as powerful as we have come to remember them from seeing the latest episodes. So the action scenes can be a little underwhelming. The movie was a good first effort, but against later films and the series itself, it can’t hold up.
3. Clockwork Island Adventure
The plot and premise of this movie is very cool. The Going Merry gets stolen by a group of pirates and the Straw Hats (now including Sanji) have to get it back. However, the lead pirate captain ends up stealing Nami too. All for the purpose of making her his bride! Clockwork Island Adventure sees a lot of chaos thrown into its sadly short runtime.
If the movie had been allowed to pace itself a bit more, then perhaps the film would be better. As it is now, it moves too fast while trying to cram in too much content. That’s why it is on this list. But if you want something fast and fun to have on with the Straw Hats, then this is a good movie to toss on the TV.
2. The Desert Princess And The Pirates
Who could forget the Alabasta Arc? This was the arc that introduced the evil Crocodile, Princess Vivi, and showed the Straw Hats working as a team like they would do later in the series. The Desert Princess And The Pirates turns the arc into an easily digestible feature film, but it tends to lose a bit in the retelling of the second saga of One Piece.
If you liked the arc well enough and want to see the story told again through a different lens, you can do so. This might also be a good movie to show a friend to get them into One Piece. But for the die-hard fans of the anime, it just isn’t anything new. They’d rather just watch the arc.
1. Bloom in Winter, Miracle Sakura
Much like the previous entry, this movie is a retelling of the Drum Island arc. Only the movie takes advantage of being outside of canon. The film includes Nico Robin, Franky, and the Thousand Sunny, all of whom were introduced later in the arc. Otherwise, despite the welcome interjections of these new characters, the arc plays out the same.
Still, it is kinda fun to see old characters go up against enemies with their future power sets. Plus, the Drum Island arc is another classic one. Again, if you want to get a friend into One Piece, you can do so with this film. But for the die hard fans, the original arc has everything they need.
Skip Out On These Movies Unless You Just Want Something To Watch
Again, these movies aren’t bad movies at all. But when you hold them up to the 1000+ anime episodes and manga issues, and the other movies, they fall short. They lack all of the investments and work that have made the Straw Hats a team and a family for the ages. The newer stuff is better, even if people wish that certain parts of the movies were made canon.
If you want something related to One Piece to watch, then you can certainly throw these movies on. It can really be nice to see the older style of animation, the pre-timeskip battle moves, and the relationships that weren’t fully fleshed out. Many of these movies just provide fun and low stakes nostalgic adventures, and that can sometimes be what you need. So don’t be afraid to watch these movies, just know that they aren’t the best.
