One Piece is much more than a purely action and adventure series. A series without any deviation from a genre would be boring and wouldn’t resonate with such a huge and diverse group of fans. I love the action and adventure genres and I am definitely a shonen fangirl, but all of the smaller genres within One Piece that show up in various arcs and certain characters really make it something special.

Despite One Piece aiming for the shonen demographic, the group of people that read it are incredibly diverse. For those who don’t know the term, shonen refers to a series that is aimed at young boys around ten up to their late teens, although that certainly doesn’t preclude people of other genders and ages from like it. In fact, in a chart made in 2012, female readers actually made up 51.8% of the Japanese subscriber base. What drives people towards loving One Piece as a series is different for everyone, as each person has their own taste in what kind of genre and storyline they enjoy. Most series in Weekly Shonen Jump have action and adventurer as the main crux of their stories, but through its many arcs One Piece developed different themes and genres that appeal to a very diverse audience.

One Piece is a pirate series, but we can’t forget that it’s setting has many elements of fantasy. The world is made up of oceans that are filled with giant sea monsters, fish, and merpeople, whose citizens often have powers given to them by mysterious fruits. There are island in the sky with angel people and weather wizards, and you can find someone across the world by following a piece of paper made from their fingernails. There are animal people who have lived on top of a giant ocean walking elephant for a thousand years, and dwarves and giants and so many more species that we have seen and have yet to see. All of these things are fantastical and set the series in a world that is more than ordinary.

Along with the fantasy genre, there is also a surprisingly large amount of science fiction in One Piece. Everything about Doctor Vegapunk adds in that mysterious mad scientist aspect that only grows with every new invention of his we discover. There is also Enel’s flying ship that leads him to the moon, little robot soldiers, and even the discovery of aliens. The very fact that the idea of the Straw Hats one day going to space isn’t completely impossible really brings in the science fiction genre. Franky himself literally embodies the mecha sub-genre of science fiction, as well as Kuma and the Pacifistas.

From the very first chapter on, it’s clear that comedy is a huge part of One Piece. Oda’s unique style of exaggerated proportions and expressions only adds to the hilarity that many scenes have. Water Luffy will always remains a scene that shows just how excellent bits of hilarity can be in One Piece, especially when surrounded by some of the most serious moments in the manga.

Every single one of the Straw Hats have comedy quirks to make sure the plot never takes itself too seriously as an action series. And the comedy has a place in-universe too, as Luffy’s knack of nonchalantly making fun of his opponents only proves to enrage them more. This has led to him to being both underestimated during fights and also being a shock to people who meet him for the first time, expecting him to be much more serious considering his high bounty and infamous reputation.

As all One Piece fans know, the drama genre is one that can hit especially hard even in such an often lighthearted series. I, for one, can’t watch Hiluluk’s death or Merry’s final voyage without shedding a tear or a hundred. The characters are inspiring because of their backstories and the trials they have faced have shaped them, but not broken them. These backstories are what make them human to us in such a fantastical setting, and tugs on our heartstrings to make every victory more important to us readers.

Something that often goes along with the drama genre is the mystery genre. This isn’t always apparent in some arcs, but One Piece has many world-wide mysteries that still need to be solved. This was very easily apparent in the Water 7 arc, the one that exemplifies the mystery genre the best as we found out the truth of Robin’s disappearance and Cipher Pol identities, all wrapped up in the backstory of Cutty Flam and Ohara. This is nothing compared the overall mystery that is the Void Century and the Will of D. We just recently got another glimpse into Raftel and the actual One Piece treasure, but that was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the questions we still have yet to answer regarding the true history.

Along with all these many genres, there are also smaller ones that make their way into certain points of the series. Thriller Bark was clearly entrenched in the horror genre, even if it was often a parody of itself. Hancock’s visions and ideas of Luffy are ripped straight from a shojo manga. Germa 66 are clearly a reference to sentai series, which we are undoubtedly only going to see more of as their storyline continues.

I never know what to expect from One Piece because an arc is never purely one dimensional in terms of genre. Who knows what we might get later in the series? Are we (hopefully) going to get more pirates in space? Could we get more slice of life with the Straw Hats? Will Oda give into the weird part of fans who want a harem manga? We can only keep reading to find out what new genres Oda can work with, so there is no way we are going to be bored.

“Fort Knight” is a monthly editorial by Jillian Knight written exclusively for the One Piece Podcast website.

If you want to ask me a question or talk about why the Straw Hats should really go to space, you can post here or at my Twitter @PiratessUnluck.