2024 has marked a bold year forOne Pieceas a franchise. Just over the course of this year, the anime celebrated its 25th anniversary, the Netflix live action adaptation entered production for its second season, a new anniversary special calledOne Piece Fan Letterwas released, theOne Pieceanime entered the Egghead Island arc, and the manga finally headed to Elbaf Island. These endeavors not only prove thatOne Pieceis headed into its most ambitious era yet, but thatOne Piece’s Final Saga could lead to even bolder entries into the franchise.
One of these new daring entries should undoubtedly be a video game. Though it’sunlikely that Elbafwill be the last arc of the franchise, it does bringOne Piececloser to the finish line. As soon as that line is crossed, it would be unsurprising to see new media that encompasses the franchise’s entire story. While this may seem like a daring endeavor consideringOne Piece’s length, it’s an undertaking that will likely be attempted at least once.
The Next One Piece Game Could Tell the Franchise’s Entire Story if it’s an RPG
SinceOne Piecehasn’t concluded yet, a game that tells the franchise’s entire story obviously has not been released yet. However,previousOne Piecegameshave attempted to tell as much of the story as they can. Looking at these games, a handful have been successful at their attempts to cover as much ground as possible.
The most notable game to exploreOne Piece’s entire story isOne Piece Odyssey. While otherOne Piecegames may flirt with multiple arcs,Odysseymakes sure to hit important story beats rather than simply reference.Odysseyachieves this through its story, as the Straw Hat pirates are forced to relive their memories,including the Alabasta, Water 7, Enies Lobby, Marineford, and Dressrosa arcs.
Though the nextOne Piecegame title probably won’t usethe same method asOdysseywhen exploring the franchise’s various arcs, this next completionist title should stick withOdyssey’s genre and be an RPG. A role-playing game that allows gamers to play as the Straw Hats would essentially allow players to experience past arcs from the perspective of their favorite characters. Reliving these arcs from different perspectives could be an interesting selling point for the hypothetical game.
A One Piece Fighting Game that Includes the Final Saga Could Change the Franchise Despite Challenges
It would also make sense forthe nextOne Piecegame titleto fall under another one of the genres the franchise tends to favor – fighting games. However, there are a few pitfalls aOne Piecefighting game that attempts to encapsulate the franchise’s entire story could fall into.
The constant combat of a fighting game could be difficult to balance with the amount of storytelling the hypothetical installment would have to undergo if it wanted to truly encompassthe entirety ofOne Piece. As a franchise lasting over twenty-five years, the game would have a lot of story beats it would have to hit while simultaneously making its fighting gameplay engaging and fresh.
Additionally, there are other games under theOne Pieceumbrella that have the benefit of consistently updating alongside the franchise. Mobile gamesOne Piece: Treasure CruiseandOne Piece: Bounty Rushhave remained relevant despite the series’ ever-changing story, while still engaging players.Treasure Cruiseis an RPG, whereasBounty Rushis a solid multiplayer fighting game. This new hypothetical installment has to distinguish itself from these two titles to be successful.
There’s One Game This Hypothetical Installment Could Take Inspiration From
However, developers still have a successful model to base this type ofOne Piecefighting game off of.Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zerowouldbe a great model for this hypothetical title, as the game has not only received praise for its mechanics, but its balance between combat, story, and fan service. If aOne Piecegame focusing on the series’ entirety manages to deliver on its story elements while balancing similar fighting mechanics and character additions asSparking! Zero, it could cement the hypothetical title as one of the best in the franchise’s history.
There are many routes the nextOne Piecegame could take to solidify its place as the boldest title in the franchise, but it has a big challenge ahead of it if it aims to cover the entire scope of the seriesand its grand Final Saga.
