Do you belong to the otaku demographic who keep juggling work, business, and leisure in this very short human lifespan that we have? If you heard of One Piece anime or watched the first arcs when you were younger and are craving to catch up, it's never too late.
Whether you want to start from the humble beginnings of the Straw Hat crew or resume from the Water 7 Arc, where you last stopped, which was our case, we'd like to tell you that it's possible!
"Oh, but I have a job or a business that needs attending to..."
We're telling you again. It is very possible.
If you think you don't have enough time to binge-watch a show that's already more than 1000 episodes, we want you to think again.
Where We're At On One Piece Anime
In two months, I watched One Piece Water 7 arc to the Fish Man Island arc (Episodes 229-541). That's a total of 312 episodes for a busy guy who was also able to finish Squid Games Season 3 and watch Final Destination: Bloodline with my whole crew.
We crossed out the following One Piece arcs:
- Water 7 arc
- Enies Lobby arc
- Post-Enies Lobby / Return to Water 7
- Thriller Bark
- Sabaody Archipelago
- Amazon Lily arc
- Impel Down arc
- Marineford arc (War of the Best)
- Postwar arc
- Return to Sabaody
- Fish Man Island arc
We got over the Water 7 drama, saw Luffy's switch to Gear 2, Robin becoming a full-pledge crew, Franky and Brook tagging along, kicking Moria's ass, their defeat at Sabaody, how Luffy met Boa Hancock, the exhausting Impel Down and Marineford struggles, Ace's death, the brotherhood's backstory, and finally, the time skip.
It had been a rollercoaster of emotions, and we're proud of ourselves as we're proud of the Mugiwara crew for achieving so much.
At our pace, we can catch up to the latest episodes of One Piece in a matter of 3-4 months.
Let's share with you our case:
- I work for multiple clients as a writer, marketer, and advertiser.
- I have my own firm where I also work with other clients.
- At this firm, I also serve as the finance officer, HR representative, and strategist. I work for everybody.
- I sell anime and antique merch from Japan.
- I am a fur parent to seven dogs and five cats.
- I have a lifestyle to maintain: gym at 4 am or 6 am (5 times a week) and socializing that happens at least once or every two months -- if you consider that a lifestyle. LOL.
I get assistance with the above tasks, but managing people who help me adds up to the above.
With this, where do we get time to watch anime and play games? Let's add a few more suggestions on how to catch up with One Piece. Read One Piece 2025 Returns In A Few Days - How To Catch Up to see our earlier tips.
We'd like to share how our previous tips worked for us:
Tip No. 1: Streamline Your Watch List
We actually did not list a program of arcs to watch. However, we know a filler as soon as it plays on our screen, so we either skip some scenes or the episode entirely. In the previous article, we mentioned the filler arcs that may be worth skipping unless you are not keen on catching up quickly.
These are the episodes/arcs we skipped:
- Foxy's Return Arc (Episodes 225-228)
- Ice Hunter Arc (Episodes 326-335)
- Spa Island Arc (Episodes 382-384)
- Little East Blue Arc (Episodes 426-429)
Tip No. 2: Making Time for Binge Sessions
We didn't have to because we're doing Tip No. 8
Tip No. 3: Avoid Burning Out
Tip No. 4: Understanding the Best Arcs to Prioritize
Enies Lobby, Impel Down, and Marineford arcs will keep you up at night, and I don't think you'll feel burnt out if you binge-watch their episodes. Once a One Piece arc has concluded, maybe it's time for you to take a well-deserved rest.
Tip No.5: Engaging With the Community
The community is already talking past the Wano arc, so it's not actually wise for someone like us who doesn't want to get spoiled to engage with the community. However, it may work for you, so go for it. Just be careful of One Piece spoilers.
Now, let's continue with our additional tips.
Tip No. 6: Find A Push To Watch One Piece
First, there must be some sort of motivation. It's always harder at the beginning. While One Piece is one of the best anime out there, you still need to convince yourself whether it is worth your time or not. After all, some of us are busy hustlers in our late 20s or early to late 30s. Our time is precious, so justification is crucial if you want to reach the end.
Let us give you a few samples of motivation and move forward from there:
- As an otaku, you shouldn't miss one of the world's best and longest-running anime stories ever written. Even if you are no longer the type who jumps on trends, watching One Piece is a life achievement you can secretly gift to yourself.
- Monkey D. Luffy is actually a chasmic protagonist. While we laugh at him with his stupid gags, his happy-go-lucky persona conceals a level of understanding beyond expectations. He will surprise you with his seemingly-moronic decisions that always turn out to be the only and lasting solution to a complex problem. Lastly, we gained a realization of what true strength can accomplish from him.
- Parts of the anime show subtly relate to our world's corrupt and evil governments, as well as the character development, uprisings, and revolutions they have given birth to. While we haven't reached some of the biggest revelations, it's clear to us that some of the One Piece characters' motivations have been shaped by the wicked history, which seems to be tainted by the victors of the past war. If you don't mind politics and world events, One Piece will be able to deliver this reality in its unique version. Damn PR angling is strong on this one, too!
If you can, find a deeper reason than the above. Just don't skip this part, as it'd be harder to have nothing to remind yourself of when you're halfway through pre-post action chapters.
Tip No. 7: Find Your Entry Point
You can simply go to Netflix and watch the One Piece anime or wait for a timely announcement, such as a notice of hiatus. An entry point backs up your motivations by saying that this is the best time to catch up on over 1100 episodes of One Piece anime.
We'll give you a few examples:
- The One Piece Egg Head Hiatus in Q4
- The One Piece Anime 2025 Announcement (This is where we continued watching One Piece anime)
- Upcoming One Piece Live-Action Season 2: You might want to finish a few One Piece anime arcs before you get spoiled by the live-action.
- Egg Head arc conclusion
Tip No. 8: Consider Watching One Piece As A Quality Downtime Chore
Tired from a long day and can't do anything productive? Watch One Piece.
Want some inspiration? Go see Zoro, Sanji, Robin, or Nami.
Feeling H, but don't want to engage with P? One Piece can distract you... maybe.
Stressed? A sudden drop in energy because feelings of anxiety kicked in? Take refuge in One Piece episodes.
You can still be productive even if you feel drained. If you're a content creator or a business owner in a hobby niche, it's part of your job to stay updated. If you can't do admin work, then at least do something that feeds the soul. Watch One Piece.
Will One Piece End Soon?
Another reason to watch One Piece now is its upcoming conclusion. You'd want to be on top before the hype and lore reach their peak. While some of us introverts won't be using it as a conversation starter at a personal level, it's easier to engage with the online community once you've finally caught up.
According to creator Eiichiro Oda, the One Piece anime and manga series is in its final saga. Although there's no definitive end date, the community speculates that it's 70% to 80% complete, based on interviews with the mangaka. Some even say that it's already 90%, although we at Otaku Fantasy think it's somewhere around 65-70% and will probably conclude in 2029 or 2030.
To sum up, we consider watching One Piece as a quicker way to self-reinforcement amid the tight deadlines and harsh realities that we endlessly navigate. It's not an irresponsible and thoughtless escape. It's more about consuming high-quality content that we can make use of in the future. Thus, watching One Piece is a thousand times better than doom-scrolling on social media, so remind yourself that you're better off with Luffy and the gang.