Congratulations! If you’re reading this article, it’s highly likely that you’ve caught up on over 1,100 episodes of the One Piece anime. While that’s absolutely an accomplishment, I well remember the mixed emotions from the day I caught up on One Piece, too, and I’m here to help.
When you start One Piece, it feels infinite—and when you spend so long with one series, it becomes like a bonafide companion in your life. There was a bizarre anxiety as I neared the “caught up” line. “No more One Piece? You mean I have to wait weekly now? What does that even mean?!” In other words, you’re looking for a new project. One option is to jump to the manga, which is one hundred percent what I ended up eventually doing. I wanted a break in between, and yet, once I exited the One Piece realm, I realized how much One Piece had influenced and reformed my tastes. (Going to a new season of Rick and Morty immediately after finishing One Piece? Bad idea.)
So here’s a list of other anime series you can jump to in your new post-One Piece binge state. Of course, nothing is like One Piece; it’s a gem all its own. But these are all action series with a large cast of eccentric, memorable characters, focusing on themes of friendship, found family, finding hope in trauma, etc.
In addition to these series, I’d also heartily recommend Our Flag Means Death—which is not an anime, but is another funny, heartfelt series that frames piracy as a form of found family.
10. Chainsaw Man
I have had to personally contend with why my favorite series is One Piece, and my second favorite is Chainsaw Man. On their face, they seem completely different: Chainsaw Man is based in an alternate version of ’80s Tokyo where fear-based demons run rampant. It’s much more gritty and violent than One Piece, and it has a dark humor which is easily contextualized by the tidbit that the mangaka loves South Park. It’s the kind of show where beloved characters will die.
But beneath that darker veneer, I realized Chainsaw Man ticks a lot of the same boxes for me as One Piece: It’s a series where forming any kind of relationship with another person takes real bravery, because the world of Chainsaw Man is so bleak, but people do it anyway.
It’s also funny as hell.
9. Haikyuu!!
If you don’t think volleyball is action-packed and adrenaline-pumping, that’s because you’ve never watched or read Haikyuu!! But if you doubt it, Haikyuu!! was serialized in Shounen Jump, just the same as One Piece.
Like One Piece, Haikyuu!! is also a series with a huge cast of memorable characters—but instead of a pirate crew, we’re dealing with a volleyball team. Everyone is so earnest and trying so goddamn hard in this series, it makes your heart explode. You’re deeply endeared to everyone. I just want what’s best for all these very, very sincere boys.
8. Mob Psycho 100
Mob Psycho 100 is the tale of Shigeo Kageyama, a boy who has unmatched powers as a psychic, but who just wants to lead a “normal life” and doesn’t know how. Mob is more of the child version of Robin than a Luffy. He comes under the guidance of Reigen Arataka, a conman and one of the best characters, ever.
What Mob Psycho 100 has to offer in spades is an incredible cast of weirdos who you quickly come to care about very, very deeply. It’s very funny, and one of the most stunningly animated series in existence (anime or otherwise—come at me). It’s one of the most sincere, too.
But yes, Mob Psycho 100 is not as action-centric as One Piece. Reigen’s infamous “Salt Splash” is its own kind of thing. But there are definitely fights, which can ratchet up to leveling entire portions of cities.
7. Avatar: The Last Airbender
Look, I’m not interested in getting into the whole “is Avatar an anime?” debate. All I know is Avatar: The Last Airbender is the first big action show I watched after One Piece, and it worked like a charm. (While they’re not “like” One Piece at all, the two shows I watched and loved between One Piece and Avatar were Yuri!!! On Ice and Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu. In case you’re curious.)
Like One Piece, Avatar: The Last Airbender is an action epic that wears its heart on its sleeve. Aang and Luffy have a lot in common, too—they’re both firmly in the “chaotic good” category of heroes who are excitable and delightful, but absolutely need a babysitter at their journey’s start point.
6. Naruto (or Dragon Ball, or Bleach)
Chances are, you’re not looking to dive immediately into a new 700-some-episode odyssey, right? In case you are …
One Piece is known colloquially as one of the “Big Three”—the three long-running, epic shounen series which arose in the wake of Dragon Ball. The other two members of the Big Three are Naruto and Bleach. There’s actually a close association between One Piece and Naruto: the mangaka are close friends, and both of them apprenticed beneath Dragon Ball mangaka Akira Toriyama. The fandoms have historically felt a sense of rivalry, but to be blunt, I think that’s silly.
It feels a bit obvious to say, “Hey, you finished One Piece? Go start Naruto/Dragon Ball/Bleach!” which is why I’m lumping them all into one section here. I’d personally go with either Naruto or Dragon Ball, depending on whether ninjas of “KAMEHAMEHAAA” sounds better to you.
5. Hunter x Hunter
Hunter x Hunter is another classic shounen series. If you’re an anime fan, watching Hunter x Hunter at some point is kind of like eating your veggies. You simply have to do it at some point. I don’t make the rules. Fortunately, Hunter x Hunter is a fantastic show.
Gon Freecss is a definite Luffy-type: excitable, curious, adventurous. He wants to become a hunter because his dad abandoned his family to become a hunter—so, you know, more absentee dad stuff here, too!
4. Delicious in Dungeon
If you want to catch up on a very recent show, I cannot recommend Delicious in Dungeon enthusiastically enough. It’s a very different world than One Piece—instead of pirates, we’re basically in Dungeons and Dragons territory here. But it’s also the kind of show that, when one fan posted a “who’s your favorite character?” poll on Twitter, almost 1000 votes yielded a perfect four-way tie. That’s some One Piece sh*t.
Also like One Piece, our core party of four can kaleidoscope out into a massive cast of ridiculously interesting characters, and then shrink back again.
Delicious in Dungeon is mostly cozy and warm, where our resident Sanji is a dwarf named Senshi who cooks the monsters his parties defeat into mouthwateringly delicious-looking meals. But the action-centric episodes hit hard. It’s a Studio Trigger anime, after all.
3. Gintama
Gintama is another sprawling epic, with nearly 400 episodes. While that makes it almost a quarter of One Piece‘s length, that’s definitely not a small investment. But it’s also a highly bizarre and incredibly meta shounen which will likely tickle the fancy of those who are deeply attracted to the wonderful weirdness of One Piece’s world. It’s also very satirical and has even satirized One Piece itself. Multiple times.
The first words of Crunchyroll’s description of the series are, “In a world where aliens have invaded Edo Period Japan …” I mean, tell me you’re not immediately interested.
2. My Hero Academia
Fun fact: Kohei Horikoshi, the mangaka of My Hero Academia, submitted fan art to One Piece’s artist corner when he was a child. So My Hero Academia is the work of someone who grew up loving One Piece.
As such, it shares a lot in common with One Piece, despite us dealing with a school where children are training to be super heroes rather than a bunch of pirates. Both shows have a “heart of gold” protagonist who, as the series continues, gets the spotlight occasionally stolen from him by other members of the ever-increasing, highly complex cast. The series is also a really fascinating critique on didactic governmental systems which insist there is a simple “good” and “evil”—not unlike One Piece‘s Navy.
1. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Remember when I said that Hunter x Hunter is like eating your anime veggies? Watching Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is like eating the big, juicy steak in the center of the plate. And we all know Luffy loves his meat.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood remains one of the greatest anime series ever made, and it’s very, very much about the importance of friendship and family (found or otherwise) when facing hardship. There’s not much more to say—if you’ve never witnessed Edward’s sassiness and the heartbreak of the Elric brothers’ backstory, do yourself this favor.
(featured image: Toei Animation)
