Some viewers are asking “When does the One Piece animation get ‘good’?” The anime series has been ongoing since 1999. More than 20 years have passed, so there will surely be many changes to the art style of the series. Fans who have seen the series witnessed how the animation quality improved. Here is a guide on when the One Piece animation quality improves.
When does One Piece animation get “good”?
Most would say that One Piece animation gets “good” around episode 600.
However, the answers will vary depending on the style and quality you are looking for. Of course, the One Piece art style from its early seasons will differ greatly from the anime now.
The early arcs, such as East Blue to Skypeia, still had the 4:3 aspect ratio. You will notice how the quality changes as you go through the arcs. Eventually, Toei Animation started presenting the episodes in HD and changed the aspect ratio to 16:9. This is somewhere around episodes 206 to 207.
When it gets to the Water 7 and Enies Lobby arcs, there’s a significant change in the animation quality. Water 7 starts with episode 229, while Enies Lobby starts with episode 264. Many also say that the Summit War/Marineford arc, which starts in episode 457 brings high-quality animation especially when it comes to the fight scenes.
However, many fans aren’t too happy with the animation quality of the Dressrosa arc, which starts with episode 629. Some of the fans complain that many animation frames are repeated too much.
What episode does One Piece animation change?
Around episode 600 is when the One Piece animation changes occur.
The art style also changes following the post-time skip arcs. If you’re thinking of the good quality that is close to the Wano arc, many fans would say that begins at around episode 600, which is the Punk Hazard arc. Meanwhile, the latest episodes from the Wano arc have the highest graphics quality. One of the relatively recent episodes that has top-tier quality is episode 1015.
If you’re wondering whether the One Piece movies are canon, check out our guide on whether the One Piece movies are canon to the anime.
