Not everything needs to be realistic.
Summary:
- Some new fans are surprised by how over-the-top One Piece fights are when they get into the anime.
- The anime gets somewhat more serious, but crazy and unrealistic fights never go away.
- They actually benefit the series and make it more fun.
One Piece has a reputation of one of the best battle shounen series out there. While the actual definition of the battle shounen genre is debatable — as well as how much One Piece truly fits into it, the anime still boasts its iconic status.
However, if it’s one of your first anime, you might be somewhat baffled by how silly and goofy its fights are. There’s a chance you were expecting something more serious and epic, especially considering the out-of-context clips from the latest arcs that have been posted online.
Still, the over-the-top nature of One Piece fights is actually perfect for the series, and you shouldn’t complain about it.
New Viewers Are Sometimes Dissatisfied
One Piece is intentionally goofy and funny. The manga was at first targeting a younger demographic, and the first arcs are lighthearted and somewhat comedic. If you don’t like that aspect, it’ll slowly fade away. While One Piece will never really become fully serious, it’ll be way more epic in later arcs.
To be fair, you can’t really expect full seriousness from a series where the main protagonist can essentially stretch out like gum. The very premise of One Piece is goofy, and you can’t really expect it to be dark and gritty.
Another reason why fans might expect One Piece to be something it’s not — that said, a series with realistic fights — is because they come to anime from live-action series and expect it to be at least somewhat grounded.
The One Piece live-action is not the worst adaptation, but it had to severely change the fight choreography to adapt the series to a different medium.
Why These Fights Fit One Piece Perfectly
One Piece is, by its very nature, a story of a big adventure with your friends — and that feeling of adventure is fun. As such, the anime emphasizes fun over realism and logic, a lot of the time simply operating on the “rule of cool.”
Some characters serve as comic relief (usually Usopp, but he gets his epic moments as well), and the fights are absolutely insane — and that’s what makes them so fun.
Animation doesn’t need to restrict itself with realism, especially in a series such as One Piece, where the worldbuilding itself supports all kinds of craziness. If the anime breaks your suspension of disbelief, then the entire genre of battle shounen might not be for you — unrealistic but cool fights are a staple of it.