Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece in front of illustrations of Yuji Itadori from Jujutsu Kaisen and Tanjiro Kamado from Demon SlayerCustom Image by Vanessa Piña
By
Branson Garza
Published Feb 5, 2026, 9:00 PM EST
Branson is a Senior Writer for ScreenRant. Anime has been a major part of his life since he was able to raise his hands in the air for a Spirit Bomb. As a journalist, Branson focuses heavily on listicles and op-eds detailing the industry's greatest shonen series.
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There's no denying that Eiichiro Oda's One Piece is one of the greatest and most influential anime series of all time, but even One Piece could learn a thing or two from the amazing shōnen series that have come after it.
One Piece has guided the shōnen genre massively. No matter where you look, you can see One Piece's influence, both in shōnen and in anime at large. While a lot of the best shōnen series of the modern generation are influenced by One Piece, almost all of them are much better than Oda's franchise in one key area.
One Piece Is One of the Greatest Series Ever, But...
Luffy showing off his Gear 4 form
One Piece is one of the few series that can unquestionably be considered one of the best ever made. It's no hyperbole to say that, out of thousands of anime franchises, there isn't another like One Piece.
The main series itself is well over 1,000 episodes long, has spawned dozens of movies and video games, and is still going strong decades after its inception. There are dozens of reasons why One Piece works, and even though the series is massive, there aren't many major flaws standing in its way.
One Piece's biggest flaw is easily its run time. It's one of the longest-running anime franchises in existence, and honestly, it doesn't have to be.
It's Way Too Long, And It Doesn't Have to Be
Luffy in full Gear 5 form
One Piece is way too long, full stop. Currently, there are over 1,150 episodes in One Piece. There is no other major anime franchise with quite as many episodes, and it's not entirely on One Piece. Naruto, Bleach, and Dragon Ball, the other contenders for greatest shōnen franchises around, also have way too many episodes.
Naruto has a ton of filler, and a lot of it is widely considered to be terrible. Dragon Ball is notorious for having multi-episode fights that could have concluded in a single 20-minute episode, and Bleach consists of nearly 50% filler. There is so much filler in One Piece that there are pages dedicated to skipping it.
Filler is almost always used when an anime has caught up to a manga and doesn't have anything left to animate. It's used as a way of continuing an anime's release schedule without any breaks, and that almost always makes the anime itself worse.
There's a huge difference between the old generation of shōnen (Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, etc.) and the new generation, and it has nothing to do with the stories being told. The biggest differences between generations are run time and fillers, aspects that could make series like One Piece even better.
New-Gen Anime Don't Have Any Fat
Denji holding a flower and sticking out his tongue in Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc.
New generation shōnen series don't have any filler whatsoever. It's such a stark contrast from the older generation that it can be hard to fully understand. If series like Chainsaw Man and Solo Leveling can exist filler-free, then why does One Piece need filler?
A lot of the best shōnen series of the new generation have source material that is already completed by the time the anime is out. Solo Leveling's manhwa and web novel were finished well before the anime was announced, and series like Demon Slayer were just about finished when their anime adaptations came out as well.
Even though Solo Leveling has some pretty fast pacing, it still has a ton of memorable moments and amazing fights. A lack of filler doesn't make the series worse at all, and the opposite is true: less filler means more meaningful moments, which makes a better series overall.
If One Piece didn't have filler and had better pacing, it would be a much better series. The series that is currently 1,150+ episodes long could be reduced by half, at least. It would be a much better experience for everyone who watches, and fans intimidated by the unreasonably long runtime would finally check the series out.
If One Piece Was like Demon Slayer or Solo Leveling, It Would Be Even Better
The newest generation of shōnen series has taken a lot from One Piece, but One Piece could learn from its juniors as well. One Piece is in a league of its own when it comes to foreshadowing, world building, and character development, but it's one of the most average series around when it comes to pacing and the inclusion of filler.
Subscribe for sharper One Piece and shōnen analysis
Want more perspective? Subscribing to our newsletter unlocks focused breakdowns of One Piece pacing, filler, and how new-gen shōnen like Demon Slayer and Chainsaw Man reshape the genre—straightforward analysis for serious fans. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.If One Piece were to copy Demon Slayer or Chainsaw Man's pacing, it might be able to be considered the single greatest anime ever, and might even be one of the greatest pieces of media ever created. It would have a much more concise run time and invite even more viewers from across the world to bask in its glory.
One Piece
Created by
Eiichiro Oda
First Film
One Piece: The Movie
First TV Show
One Piece
Cast
Kazuya Nakai, Akemi Okamura, Kappei Yamaguchi, Hiroaki Hirata, Ikue Ôtani, Yuriko Yamaguchi
Video Game(s)
One Piece: Unlimited World Red, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4, One Piece: World Seeker, One Piece Odyssey
Character(s)
Monkey D. Luffy, Roronora Zoro, Nami (One Piece), Nico Robin, Usopp (One Piece), Vinsmoke Sanji, Tony Tony Chopper, Franky (One Piece), Jimbei (One Piece)
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One Piece
Subscribe for sharper One Piece and shōnen analysis
Want more perspective? Subscribing to our newsletter unlocks focused breakdowns of One Piece pacing, filler, and how new-gen shōnen like Demon Slayer and Chainsaw Man reshape the genre—straightforward analysis for serious fans. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime. Trending Now
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