To celebrate the release of One Piece: Strong World, Geek of Oz’s Ryan Huff navigates the high seas of this Shonen Jump staple.

Unless you’ve been locked in a chest in the briny depths of the East Blue, you’ve probably heard of One Piece. But on the off chance you’re yet to take the journey, then here – me hearties – is why you should!

The creation of manga-ka Eiichiro Oda, One Piece has gone from being a fledgling pirate series in Weekly Shonen Jump to the best selling manga series of all time and an all-encompassing media franchise. When I say all-encompassing, I mean it. You can buy One Piece toilet paper!

The story of our hero Monkey D. Luffy and his search for the ‘One Piece’, a great treasure once held by Luffy’s idol Gold D. Roger, the King of the Pirates. As with all great manga, Luffy is a loveable screw up who is more powerful than even he realises and through his endearing qualities he amasses a rag-tag crew of fiercely loyal companions. Showing all of the hallmarks of a great shonen manga series, One Piece has somehow transcended the norm and has become nothing short of a phenomenon.

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As insane as One Piece is (and it is pretty gosh darn insane), it’s the crew that makes it so enjoyable. While each story arc sees bigger and badder enemies, as well as ridiculous new powers for Luffy, it is all buoyed by the crew and their growing bonds.

The linchpin, of course, is Straw Hat Pirates captain Luffy. Generally a carefree, happy go lucky goofball of a character, he quickly turns into a fearsome combatant when he has a friend in need. His caring and trusting nature has a tendency to get him into trouble but even more so, it seems to draw people towards him.

You just can’t dislike Luffy. Throughout the entire series, which has spanned 72 tankobon (bound manga volumes) and 632 anime episodes so far, Luffy is a constant. He may get knocked down but he always gets back up. Like a cross between Captain Jack Sparrow, Mr Fantastic and Goku, he’s a super-powerful rubber swashbuckler with a heart of gold.

The expanded crew is also fantastic with Tony Tony Chopper being a standout. This anthropomorphic blue-nosed reindeer is at the centre of some of the most touching story lines in the series. Extremely loyal and trusting to the point of gullibility, Chopper is a trained and seasoned Doctor who believes that the preservation of life is paramount. Kinda strange that he has chosen a life of piracy though, huh?!

Another favourite character of mine is the consummate story-teller, Usopp. Granted, when I first came across him, all I could think of was ‘soursop’, but he started to grow on me and eventually showed a side of himself that was quite emotional. Even though he’s a dorky compulsive liar, he manages to show that for all of his stories and bravado, he’s actually an incredibly caring and loyal individual.

Other crew members include the pirate/samurai Roronoa Zoro (fun fact, he was renamed Zolo in the U.S.’ 4Kids TV version and VizKids Manga due to fairly obvious copyright issues), the lecherous lead-foot of Sanji, the sassy and strong-willed Nami, cola-powered cyborg Franky, the undead Brook and the mysterious Nico Robin. All of these characters go through some form of growth throughout the series, confronted by obstacles big and small. For such a large cast, they all get an opportunity to grow and show their worth as a member of the Straw Hat Pirates.

Since first being released in 1997, Eichiro Oda’s art has, of course, improved but really not all that much because, quite frankly, it didn’t need to. His cartoony, whimsical style is a brilliant fit for the off-the-wall material that he delivers. One Piece manages to be action packed, heart wrenching, ghoulish and hilarious in a single tankobon. It’s for this reason that every single volume of the manga, and every single collection of the anime series, is so incredibly enjoyable. It’s consistently, persistently and irrepressibly fun.

If there’s one thing that you can take away from One Piece it’s the importance of surrounding yourself with good people who make you want to be the best person you can be through honesty, loyalty and good times.

One Piece: Strong World is available now on DVD & Blu-Ray, and comes to Digital platforms Mar 5.

The One Piece (Uncut) TV series is also available now on DVD and Digital, and One Piece Manga is now available in both individual and 3-in-1 volumes.

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