One Piece is a story that's been coming together for decades. In order to keep the anime from outpacing the manga, and also making room for interesting "what if?" scenarios filler arcs are pretty plentiful in One Piece's animated adaptation. These filler arcs range from simple episodic adventures to content that adds context for the anime's many movies.
RELATED: One Piece: Characters That Can Defeat Luffy (In An Eating Contest)
What makes One Piece special among anime is its massive overarching story that progresses slowly but surely, as its main character Luffy grows. Luffy's relationships with himself and his crew are what holds the plot together so they should work in filler arcs that don't add to the overall story as well, and according to IMDb, they often do.
Updated June 28th, 2021 by Mark Sammut: One Piece has had its share of filler arcs over the decades, and they vary greatly in quality. Not counting the one-off filler episodes, One Piece's anime has thrown out a unique story 15 times throughout its run so far. While they can easily be skipped, some of these arcs are entertaining in their own right, especially since most do not overstay their welcome. This article has been updated to include every filler arc in One Piece, at least up until the Wano saga. Which filler arc is the best? Which one is the worst? Which are worth watching and which should be skipped?
15 Cidre Guild – 6
- Episodes: 895-896
This filler arc follows a standard formula that's been the norm for One Piece since it started. The crew's ship needs something, so they stop at a mysterious island and end up having to defend themselves while there. This is the lowest rated filler arc on IMDb with an average score of 6, which is strange because it doesn't do anything blatantly wrong.
The reasoning behind this poor rating is most likely because of its placement. The Straw Hat Crew ends up in this predicament between the Whole Cake Island and Wano arcs. These two arcs have been built up to since the beginning of the time skip so breaking up their pacing probably didn't sit well with fans.
14 Foxy's Return – 6.5
- Episodes: 225-228
It isn't difficult to understand why Foxy returning would warrant low ratings from fans. Foxy is cunning sneaky and overall evil so seeing him again wasn't exactly what fans had in mind. Not only did he reappear, but he had his own little side story as if fans were supposed to root for him.
RELATED: Great Anime Games No One Talks About
This arc has one of the most time filler atmospheres of all the storylines in One Piece. The reasoning for this is mostly because it doesn't really serve to help viewers learn anything. One Piece's massive world is alive and can operate without the main characters, so good filler arcs usually show this side of the world. Foxy's Return arc doesn't do this in any meaningful way.
13 Spa Island – 6.7
- Episodes: 382-384
After the halloween-themed chaos of the Thriller Bark arc, the Straw Hats earned the right to enjoy a day in the sun. The Spa Island arc involves the Foxy pirates, a myserious notebook, and a lot of goofing off. The story leaves a lot to be desired, as does the new characters introduced. Foxy is also a rather polarizing figure, as he is a non-threatening antagonist who's comedy hijinks tend to be very hit and miss.
For all its flaws, Spa Island does at least boast great animation. One Piece had made the jump to HD by this point, so at least this filler story looks visually pleasing.
12 Ice Hunter – 6.7
- Episodes: 326-335
Compared to other long-running shounen series like Naruto and Bleach, One Piece's filler arcs tend to be short. At least, fans do not have sit through multiple months of pointless fluff. The Ice Hunter arc is a rare exception, as the saga lasts for an agonizing ten episodes.
The story centers around a group of bounty hunters, the Accino family, who steal the Thousand Sunny's flag. Naturally, this leads to a chase, a couple of fights, and a lot of humor. If this arc was about half as long, it would fare much better; as is, it is a slog to get through.
11 Silver Mine – 6.7
- Episodes: 747-750
The Silver Mine arc does a few interesting things. During the arc, viewers get the necessary information for the One Piece: Gold film, and nice character moments featuring Bartolomeo. Bartolomeo is only really seen in the Dressrosa arc in the manga, but he's also one of the funniest and most beloved characters in the franchise, so it is nice to see more of him.
RELATED: One Piece: Devil Fruits With Oddly Specific Usages
Luffy and Bartolomeo get swept up in chaos and end up having to work in a silver mine and fight their way out to escape. The plot is pretty standard but the character moments are what make it worth the time spent.
10 Caesar Retrieval arc – 6.7
- Episodes: 626-628
Caesar is one of the most important side characters in all of One Piece who becomes the center of attention for multiple arcs because of his connection to Vegapunk and his scientific knowledge. After the events of Dressrosa, the Straw Hats continue escorting Caesar since he's their captive and leverage against Doflamingo and Kaido.
This arc shows off the relationship between Law and the Straw Hats even more as it's been developing since Punk Hazard, Caesar's original arc. Other than that, it's a pretty standard filler with funny moments.
9 Goat Island – 6.8
- Episodes: 136-138
Following the Alabasta arc, One Piece set off on a string of filler episodes stretching across multiple storylines. Stuck in the middle between the Post-Alabasta and Ruluka Island arcs, the Goat Island episodes tend to get overshadowed. While not the most memorable story in the series, this arc works well as a three-episode diversion with a fun new character in Zenny.
Zenny's banter with the Straw Hats is genuinely amusing, as is the character's backstory. The Goat Island arc might not be world-changing, but it is a fine way to spend an hour.
8 Post Alabasta – 6.8
- Episodes: 131-135
After the events of Alabasta, the Straw Hats sail towards their next destination. During this journey, they tell stories about themselves and adventures they went on before their time as Straw Hats. It's a weird choice in terms of pacing, as well as execution.
A lot of the stories are told awkwardly between the crew and have no actual bearing on the overall story. One Piece doesn't waste time with unnecessary exposition so these episodes stand out as strange among others in the series. This is what makes it obvious filler that exists to do nothing but fill time until the next arc.
7 Ruluka Island – 6.8
- Episodes: 139-143
Ruluka Island has some of the higher average scores on IMDb, most likely because of the story it tells. The Straw Hats end up on an island while fleeing Marines like usual. The residents live under fear of their leader who takes all their money to build a tower.
The arc stands out slightly because it carries the feel of early One Piece stories where Luffy and the gang show off their unwavering will against evil. Luffy's morals are simple, but he won't let anyone trample over them or the well-being of the people around him. The arc has a lot of cool moments where characters show how strong they've gotten since joining the crew which adds to the sense of progression in a filler arc.
6 Warship Island arc – 6.9
- Episodes: 54-61
Warship Island is the first filler arc of One Piece. This might be the reason it ranks higher than a lot of others. The arc focuses on rescuing a girl named Apis and helping her return a dragon to its home island while avoiding the Marines.
RELATED: Anime Series With Breathtaking Visuals
Luffy and company go on this adventure between the end of the East Blue Saga and before they head to the Grand Line. The timing for this arc was a little anticlimactic since it was supposed to lead into the next major chapter of the series. Its messages and characters were interesting though, so it wasn't a complete miss.
5 Little East Blue – 7
- Episodes: 426-429
Little East Blue serves as a nostalgia check as well as a reminder of all the progression the crew has made. It doesn't have much to show as a filler arc, but it does lead directly into the events of the film One Piece: Strong World. The crew finds an island that's essentially a recreation of their home, East Blue. They enjoy themselves until they're confronted by a group of pirates who they have to defeat.
The nostalgia factor led to a lot of fans ranking this arc highly as a filler arc. Watching the Straw Hats indulge themselves in their favorite things after being away from home for so long was a treat for sure.
4 Z's Ambition – 7
- Episodes: 575-578
Used to set up One Piece Film: Z, the Z's Ambition arc is mostly worth watching only if someone plans to sit through the movie. Otherwise, it's largely a forgettable piece that doesn't fit that well within the canon timeline. Set after the Fish-Man Island arc, Z's Ambition has the distinction of being the first post-time skip filler storyline, so the animation is at least pretty great.
The Straw Hats end up in the Maubeugemour Sea, an area with strange weather conditions. This location is a fascinating concept, although Z's Ambition does not really push the idea as far as it probably could.
3 Ocean's Dream – 7.2
- Episodes: 220-224
Once One Piece hit its 200th episode mark, the anime went through an underwhelming stretch of storylines; the Davy Back Fight is one of the worst canon arcs, and it is followed up by two filler in Ocean's Dream and Foxy's Return. Out of those three, Ocean's Dream is the easiest to sit through, although that's not saying too much. The Straw Hats' memories are wiped, riverting them to how they were prior to joining the crew.
Filled with flashbacks and opting for a mostly laidback atmosphere, Ocean's Dream serves as a nice showcase of how far the heroes have come since their debuts. However, these types of stories can get a touch boring, and Ocean's Dream is no exception.
2 Marine Rookie – 7.5
- Episodes: 780-782
The Marine Rookie arc is what One Piece filler arcs should be more like. The arc's premise is par for the course when it comes to how it starts, but what it does through its story is what makes it special. Luffy's actions lead to the crew being in trouble like normal, so the crew has to invade a Marine base and disguise themselves as Marines to find food.
RELATED: Dragon Ball: Fights That Are Better In The Anime
What makes this arc more interesting than most is that fans get a closer look at the inner workings of the Marines and how they train their members. Showing details like this in filler arcs is a great way to make them more engaging and give viewers a reason to want to watch them, besides just filling time until the next arc.
1 G-8 arc – 8
- Episodes: 196-206
The G 8 arc is almost universally accepted as the best filler arc of One Piece. It follows the same structure as almost every other filler arc but what it does differently is show the story from the side of the Marines as well. The Marines have followed questionable forms of justice, as shown by Smoker's change of heart during the series.
The Marine in charge of the base the Straw Hats invade has similar questions and a change of heart that slowly occurs through the arc. Characters also have defining moments during these episodes, showing that the writing for this story went above and beyond, embodying what makes One Piece so interesting.