Considered by some to be the heir to the throne of Dragon Ball in terms of Japanese market penetration, One Piece is certainly a phenomenon. One Piece is actually one of the best series I’ve ever seen, anime or otherwise. The plot is pretty basic at first. Luffy D. Monkey ate the Devil’s Fruit, which gave his body extra-strength elasticity. He’s searching for the One Piece, a legendary treasure that will make him the King of all Pirates and finally allow him to prove himself to his childhood idol, a selfless pirate by the name of Shanks. Along the way, he collects an army of somewhat freakish rogues, including Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Robin, Franky, Chopper, Brook and Jinbe. Together they have wacky adventures, beat up the bad guys, and collect treasure.

One Piece also has its fair share of heart-wrenching moments, which may take you by surprise! There are some extremely powerful scenes and episodes that kind of blindside you and leave you wondering when you became quite so emotionally attached to certain characters or other things. The battles can be surprisingly brutal at times, but overall, this is pure action entertainment.