One Piece, Vol. 1 Review: Is It Worth Starting?
Is starting the world's best-selling manga worth the 100+ volumes?
By Web Admin
There is no easy way to say this: One Piece is enormous. Eiichiro Oda’s pirate epic began serialization in 1997 and is still going, spanning well over a hundred collected volumes and, by the publisher’s count, more than 500 million copies in circulation — making it the best-selling manga in history and one of the best-selling comics of any kind, anywhere, ever. So the real question a new reader asks is not “is it good?” It is: “is it worth starting?” This review of One Piece, Vol. 1 answers exactly that, and shows you the smartest way to begin.
The opening chapter of the most popular manga ever made. Bright, funny, surprisingly heartfelt shonen adventure with…
Check price on Amazon$8.62as of Nov 12, 2026 1:37 pm UTCOur verdict (4.7/5): The opening chapter of the most popular manga ever made. Bright, funny, surprisingly heartfelt shonen adventure with a first volume that hooks fast. The daunting length is the only real catch — and there's a smart way around it.
What is One Piece?
One Piece is a Japanese action-adventure manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It follows Monkey D. Luffy, a cheerful, rubber-limbed boy who dreams of becoming King of the Pirates by finding the legendary treasure known as the One Piece. Volume 1, subtitled "Romance Dawn," collects the first eight chapters — roughly 200 pages. It introduces Luffy and the beginning of his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates.
The setup is pure adventure: a vast world of islands and oceans, a magical fruit that gives Luffy his stretchy powers at the cost of ever being able to swim, and a hero whose defining trait is unshakable loyalty to his friends. It is shonen manga — aimed originally at a young-teen audience — but its craft and heart have made it a genuine all-ages phenomenon.
The story: found family on the high seas
Volume 1 is, at its core, about Luffy starting to gather his crew. He recruits Roronoa Zoro, a three-sword-wielding bounty hunter, in an arc that establishes the series' emotional formula: introduce a character with a painful past and an impossible dream, then have Luffy fight like hell to help them reach it. It sounds simple, and it is — but Oda executes it with such sincerity and comic timing that it works every single time.
What keeps readers going for hundreds of volumes is that One Piece is really a story about found family. Each new crew member is a fully realized person with their own tragedy and ambition, and the bonds between them deepen for years. Volume 1 plants those seeds. It is not the series at its peak — that comes later — but it lays the groundwork honestly and ends with you rooting for these misfits.
The art: cartooning that grows with you
Oda's early art is loose, elastic, and heavily cartoonish, closer to a Saturday-morning sensibility than the sleek realism of some rivals. Some new readers bounce off it at first. Stick around: his figures are wonderfully expressive, his action is legible and inventive, and as the series progresses his page compositions and world design become staggeringly detailed and imaginative. The style in Volume 1 is the seed of something that blossoms enormously.
The elephant in the room: the length
Let us be honest about the intimidation factor. With over a hundred volumes and counting, starting One Piece can feel like signing up for a second job. That length is genuinely the single biggest reason people never begin — and it is a fair concern. But there are two things worth knowing. First, you are not committing to all of it up front; you are committing to Volume 1. Second, there is a much smarter way to read the early stretch than buying single volumes one at a time.
The smart way to start: Box Set 1
Here is the tip that changes everything for new readers. VIZ Media sells Box Set 1: East Blue and Baroque Works, which collects the first 23 volumes in one go — far less than buying them individually. Its first 12 volumes are the East Blue saga, a complete, satisfying story on its own. If you finish it and you are not hooked, you have lost very little and read a genuinely great adventure. If you are hooked, you carry on.
There is also the 3-in-1 omnibus line, which bundles three volumes per book — an economical, shelf-friendly way to read if you'd rather not commit to a box set. Here is how the main formats compare.
| Format | Volumes | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Single volume (Vol. 1) | 1 | Trying it risk-free |
| Box Set 1 (East Blue + Baroque Works) | 1–23 | The smart entry point |
| 3-in-1 omnibus | 3 per book | Continuing long-term |
Our advice: grab a single Volume 1 if you want zero risk, but if the premise appeals at all, Box Set 1 is the best-value on-ramp in manga. For more sets like it, see our guide to the best manga box sets.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Hugely charming, funny, and heartfelt adventure
- Box Set 1 makes starting easy and low-risk
- Deep, beloved found-family cast that grows for years
- Genuinely all-ages fun with real emotional payoffs
Cons
- The overall length (100+ volumes) is genuinely daunting
- Early art is cartoonish and takes some adjustment
- Volume 1 alone is just the setup — it gets much better later
Is One Piece a good first manga?
Yes, with one caveat: start with the box set mindset, not the "hundred volumes" mindset. As a first manga, One Piece is welcoming, funny, and easy to follow, with none of the graphic content that makes some of our other picks adults-only. The only barrier is psychological — the length — and the East Blue saga neatly solves it by giving you a complete story to try. If you would rather sample the wider medium first, our best manga for beginners guide lays out shorter starting points, and the full manga hub covers every genre.
Where to buy One Piece, Vol. 1
One Piece is published in English by VIZ Media and is stocked almost everywhere books are sold. Single volumes are easy to find; Box Set 1 is the format we point most new readers toward. Digital volumes are also available if you prefer to read on a tablet.
Get One Piece, Vol. 1 on Amazon
The verdict
So — is it worth starting? For most readers, yes. One Piece, Vol. 1 is a bright, funny, sincere adventure that has earned its record-breaking popularity honestly, and the East Blue saga removes the one real obstacle by turning "a hundred volumes" into "a great twelve-volume story you can try." You do not have to promise to finish the biggest manga ever made. You just have to set sail. Once you plan your route with our One Piece reading guide, the daunting part gets a lot smaller.
Frequently asked questions
Is One Piece finished?
No. It has been serializing since 1997 and is still ongoing, though Oda has stated the story is in its final saga. There is a lot to read, but it does have a planned ending.
What is the best-value way to start reading One Piece?
VIZ's Box Set 1, which collects the first 23 volumes (the East Blue and Baroque Works sagas), is the best value. If you prefer smaller purchases, the 3-in-1 omnibus editions are an economical way to read.
Do I need to read the manga or can I watch the anime?
Either works, but the manga moves faster and avoids the anime's filler. Many readers prefer the manga for the early arcs and switch to the anime later — see our One Piece reading guide for how to combine them.
Is One Piece appropriate for kids?
Largely, yes. It is a shonen series with cartoon action, some peril, and mild language, but nothing graphic. It is one of the more family-friendly titles in our manga hub.
Ready to chart a course? Start with our One Piece reading guide, or browse more entry points in the manga hub.
Is One Piece's art hard to read at first?
One Piece's art can feel busy at first: Oda's pages are crowded with characters, sound effects and background gags, and the cartoony style is unlike many modern manga. Most readers adjust within a volume or two. The art also becomes more detailed and ambitious as the series continues, so Volume 1 is the simplest it gets.
How long does it take to read One Piece, Vol. 1?
One Piece, Vol. 1 takes most readers about an hour, give or take: it collects the first eight chapters, roughly 200 pages. That makes it an easy one-evening test of whether the series is for you. If you enjoy it, the next few volumes move just as quickly, and the story widens considerably as Luffy's crew grows.
Is One Piece better than Naruto for a first manga?
One Piece is the better first manga if you want adventure, humour and a huge, colourful world; Naruto is better if you want a focused underdog story with rivalry and ninja fights. Naruto is complete at 72 volumes, which some newcomers find less daunting. Our Naruto, Vol. 1 review helps you compare them.
Who are the Straw Hat Pirates?
The Straw Hat Pirates are Monkey D. Luffy's crew in One Piece, named after Luffy's trademark straw hat. Zoro joins in Volume 1, and Nami, Usopp and Sanji follow during the East Blue saga, with more members added as the series grows. Their friendship and loyalty are the heart of One Piece.
