Summary
Like any other shōnen manga, action is a key element ofOne Piece’sidentity. This can be seen in all of its different adaptations, from the anime, to the movies, and especially its video games. Throughout the years,a lot ofOne Piecegames have been releasedand, while they vary in quality, a few of them have very worthwhile combat systems.
Regardless of their genre - whether it’s an RPG, a fighting game, or an action-adventure game - there’s a big collection of qualityOne Piecetitles that offers players some really fun, deep, & addictive combat. They are obviously not all the same, seeing as they were developed by different studios and for different hardware. Let’s see how they stack up against each other to find out which combat system is the absolute best in the franchise.
8One Piece (Game Boy Advance)
A Simplistic Beat ‘Em Up That Works Well
Bandai teamed up with legendary Japanese developerDimps Corporationin order to create a solid Beat ‘em up for theGame Boy Advancewith a North American audience in mind. The final product, simply titledOne Piece, worked surprisingly well, and it did a good job at entertaining western players with its simple but fun gameplay.
InOne Piecefor the GBA, players can only take control ofMonkey D. Luffywhile he fights different pirates and marinesfrom all over the initial East Blue Saga. The combat may not be too complex, but it still feels great thanks to the bouncy animations and powerful special attacks. The highlight here is the ability to summon Luffy’s crewmates, like Sanji or Zoro, to perform useful special techniques.
Because of its enormous popularity,One Piecehas a good number of beloved series of video games, of which theUnlimitedseriesbyGanbarionis one of the most popular. It consists ofUnlimited Adventure, Unlimited Cruise,andUnlimited World: RED.These are mostly adventure games with a big focus on exploration, fishing, and item gathering.
There’s also a lot of action in theUnlimitedSeries as well, and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. The combat system takes a fighting game approach, with a lot of fun mechanics in every game, like the Break Shot or Strong Words. The best part, however, is the ability to play asevery single member of the Straw Hat Piratesand switch between them at any point. This is something that would usually be quite common in an RPG or a fighter, but it’s unexpected for an adventure title like this one.
Cute Fighters With A Lot Of Personality
One Piece: Super Grand Battle! X
When it comes to fighting games,One Piecehas mostly preferred to stick to it’s more cartoony and goofy side rather than the serious and edgy side. That’s why the very first fighting game it spawned wasOne Piece: Grand Battle!,which was followed by many sequels. These are 2.5D fighters with a cute art style that focuses on platforming, item use, and amazing special attack animations. All theGrand Battle!games are easy to pick up, feature a huge cast of characters, and are really fun to play, especially against friends.
Things got even better when the series moved to theNintendo DSand3DShandhelds, where it was renamedGigant Battle. These new games feature an entirely 2D fighting system that isreminiscent ofSuper Smash Bros. As a result, they have a really dynamic & accessible combat system that focuses more on platforming, and is even more fun to play with other people. The similarities were so obvious thatSuper Grand Battle! Xfor the Nintendo 3DS even had a promotional crossover withSuper Smash Bros.forNintendo 3DSandWii U.
One Piece: World Seekerisan open-world action-adventure game where players control Monkey D. Luffyas he explores an immense island and defeats a vast array of enemies, which reminded a lot of fans of Insomniac Games’Spider-Man. While this video game ended up being quite divisive for a variety of reasons, its combat system is still really entertaining.
The combat itself is quite snappy and feels good, and it truly shines in its implementation of Armament Haki in order to power up all of Luffy’s movies. The best part, though, is how the RPG elements ofWorld Seekerperfectlycomplement its combat system. As he levels up, Luffy will slowly gain more abilities and techniques to use in combat. By the end, he’ll become a powerhouse, which is super satisfying for the player. For fans who want more characters to play as,Zoro,Law,andSaboare also playable in the DLC, offering some much-needed variety & even more hours of entertainment.
While there have been some turn-based RPGs based off ofOne Piecein the past, none of them had the ambition and scope ofOne Piece Odyssey,the most recent AAA video game in the franchise. DeveloperILCAalready had experience with this genre, seeing as they also madePokémon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearla few years prior, and they certainly delivered on this premise.
Turn-based combat may not be as popular as the real-time action combat of previous games likeWorld Seeker, but it worked really well inOdyssey. It’s not too complex, and that’s exactly what this game needed. All the Straw Hat Pirates are playable, and they can all use a large variety of powerful moves & techniques that are enhanced by their incredible animations. To top it all off, its stylish interface ties everything together, making this turn-based combat more energetic and less confusing for all players, even those who may not be used to this type of gameplay.
3Burning Blood
One Of The Best 3D Arena Fighters Based On An Anime
When it comes to anime fighting games, most people in the community usually point to incredible series likeDragon Ball Z Budokai TenkaichiorNaruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm. Curiously, theOne Piecefranchise didn’t really delve into this type of game until the release ofOne Piece: Burning Bloodin 2016, and it quickly became a new fan-favorite.
Burning Bloodis a 3v3 fighter, meaning that players can choose up to 3 characters that can not only be switched around at any moment, but that can also assist each other. Aside from that, the combat is frantic and almost unstoppable, not to mention that there’s a lot of mobility for the characters, who can move around at all times in the game’s spacious stages.Burning Bloodhas 44 playable fighters and a collection of incredible special attacks, so it is no surprise that dedicatedOne Piecefans are playing it online to this day.
2Great Pirate Colosseum
The Best Fighting Game In The Series
A lot of fans wantArc System Worksto make a brand-newOne Piecefighting game, similar toDragon Ball FighterZ, but most of them have no idea that this game already exists. Its name isOne Piece: Great Pirate Colosseum, an impeccable 2D offering that was developed for the Nintendo 3DS, and managed to be very effective for a handheld fighter.
As expected from Arc System Works,Great Pirate Colosseumplays like the quintessential 2D fighting game, with a lot of playable characters, complex combos, and amazing special attacks that are always tricky but satisfying to pull off. On top of that, the large sprites and colorful visual effects make the combat a joy to watch. It even had cross-play with the 3DS gameDragon Ball Z: Extreme Butōden! If Arc System Works ever takes another shot at theOne Piecefranchise, they should either remasterGreat Pirate Colosseumor make a sequel.
Musou games (likeDynasty WarriorsorHyrule Warriors)are not everyone’s cup of tea, but when they are well-made,they can grant players countless hours of intense fun.One Pieceis a franchise that ended up working surprisingly well with the Musou formula, and as a result, an entire series of high-octane action video games was created:The Pirate Warriorsseries.
FromPirate Warriors 1to the recentPirate Warriors 4, all of these games encapsulate everything that aOne Piecefan looks for in a combat system: It’s fast and dynamic, it feels incredible, there are a lot of enemies to defeat, the arenas are huge, the boss fights are gigantic and epic, and each character has a solid variety of different attacks & techniques that are based on the iconic anime series. On top of that, almost every single importantOne Piececharacter is playable, not merely the Straw Hats, to the point thatOne Piece: Pirate Warriors 4featured over 60 different playable characters, which is an incredible number. There may be otherOne Piecegames that stand out in other areas, but when it comes to combat, there’s nothing better in this franchise than thePirate Warriorsseries.
