One Piece is one of those manga series that feels like it's been going on forever, and for good reason. Now approaching its 1000th chapter, the manga has been published in Weekly Shonen Jump for 23 years, but that longevity is a double-edged sword, as many newcomers find the series daunting, while long-time fans are certain to have forgotten some key details. Not to worry though -- Shonen Jump and Viz Media have you covered.
From now until the 1000th chapter is released, Viz Media will be releasing eight chapters of this iconic manga for free weekly through both the Shonen Jump app and Viz Media's website. The plethora of options to take up this opportunity means that no matter what your day looks like, you can easily find and access the chapters, whether chilling at home or braving the bus.
Not to mention, eight chapters is actually far more than it sounds. The currently-released free chapters, #1 through #8 are the entire first volume! And right now, until Tuesday, November 3, they're available for free, no strings attached (other than the time limit.) This is the perfect chance for newcomers to get into the series. For those who have been on the fence, uncertain of whether or not they'd enjoy the art, humor, world-building or any other aspect of Eiichiro Oda's story, this is the opportunity to give the series a test run with no need to shell out.
The first volume spends a fair amount of time establishing each of the characters, and introduces the large cast one-by-one, allowing each new character a chance to shine and demonstrate their particular quirks before moving onto the plot and new characters. As with any long-runner, the cast is massive, so getting to know them as they were originally established lays the groundwork for jumping ahead to watch with friends.
But this chance won't last forever. Viz Media will be changing which eight chapters are released for free on its platforms every Wednesday, so you'll want to keep checking back to make sure you don't miss a moment of the free action. Of course, keep in mind that the publisher has also said nothing about the chapters released being consecutive. Instead, it seems it's elected to take key points in the story and release the chapters surrounding them. What this means is that while the story's been stripped down to the bones, it should still be followable for a newbie, and there's always the option of buying the volumes you missed if you get hooked.
For older fans though looking to revisit epic battles, or simply refresh their memories on the plot, this is a great time to review the manga in preparation for the 1000th chapter, or just for a trip down memory lane. Many grew up with the series, and the chance for some nostalgia is too good to pass up, whether you discovered the manga as a teen; the dubbed anime as a kid (complete with 4kids' Pirate Rap opening), or later in life when you just wanted to find out what all the hype was about.
One Piece is the only one of Shonen Jump's "Big Three" manga to stand the test of time, and with fun characters, dynamic artwork, intriguing plot and surprisingly grounded world-building for a pirate story with superpowers, now is the best time to dive into the East Blue sea and see for yourself how it's managed to stay popular, relevant and fun for over 20 years.
