Summary
- One Piece has a wide variety of video games that offer different combat systems, ranging from simple beat 'em ups to complex fighting games and action-adventure titles. Here are some of the best combat systems in One Piece games:
- One Piece (Game Boy Advance): A simplistic beat 'em up that works well, featuring fun gameplay and the ability to summon Luffy's crewmates to perform special techniques.
- One Piece: Unlimited Series: Adventure games that focus on exploration, fishing, and item gathering, with a lot of action and a fighting game approach to combat.
Like any other shōnen manga, action is a key element of One Piece’s identity. 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 of One Piece games have been released and, while they vary in quality, a few of them have very worthwhile combat systems.
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Regardless of their genre - whether it’s an RPG, a fighting game, or an action-adventure game - there’s a big collection of quality One Piece titles 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.
8 One Piece (Game Boy Advance)
A Simplistic Beat 'Em Up That Works Well
- Platform(s): Game Boy Advance
- Released: September 7, 2005
- Developer(s): Dimps Corporation
- Genre: Action, Beat 'em up
Bandai teamed up with legendary Japanese developer Dimps Corporation in order to create a solid Beat 'em up for the Game Boy Advance with a North American audience in mind. The final product, simply titled One Piece, worked surprisingly well, and it did a good job at entertaining western players with its simple but fun gameplay.
In One Piece for the GBA, players can only take control of Monkey D. Luffy while he fights different pirates and marines from 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, in order to perform useful special techniques.
7 One Piece: Unlimited Series
Playing As Every Straw Hat Pirate In Fun Adventure Games
One Piece: Unlimited World Red
Because of its enormous popularity, One Piece has a good number of beloved series of video games, of which the Unlimited series by Ganbarion is one of the most popular. It consists of Unlimited Adventure, Unlimited Cruise, and Unlimited 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 the Unlimited Series 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 as every single member of the Straw Hat Pirates and 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.
6 Grand Battle! Series / Gigant Battle Series
Cute Fighters With A Lot Of Personality
One Piece: Super Grand Battle! X
- Platform(s): Nintendo 3DS
- Released: November 13, 2014
- Developer(s): Ganbarion
- Genre: Action, Fighting, Platforming
When it comes to fighting games, One Piece has 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 was One 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 the Grand Battle! Games are easy to pick up, feature a huge cast of characters, and are really fun to play, especially against friends.
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Things got even better when the series moved to the Nintendo DS and 3DS handhelds, where it was renamed Gigant Battle. These new games feature an entirely 2D fighting system that is reminiscent of Super 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 that Super Grand Battle! X for the Nintendo 3DS even had a promotional crossover with Super Smash Bros. For Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.
5 World Seeker
The One Piece Equivalent Of Insomniac’s Spider-Man
One Piece: World Seeker
- Developer(s)
- Ganbarion
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
One Piece: World Seeker is an open-world action-adventure game where players control Monkey D. Luffy as 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 of World Seeker perfectly complement 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, and Sabo are also playable in the DLC, offering some much-needed variety & even more hours of entertainment.
4 Odyssey
The Perfect One Piece JRPG
One Piece Odyssey
- Released
- January 13, 2023
- Developer(s)
- ILCA
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
While there have been some turn-based RPGs based off of One Piece in the past, none of them had the ambition and scope of One Piece Odyssey, the most recent AAA video game in the franchise. Developer ILCA already had experience with this genre, seeing as they also made Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl a 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 like World Seeker, but it worked really well in Odyssey. 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.
3 Burning Blood
One Of The Best 3D Arena Fighters Based On An Anime
- Platform(s): PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation Vita, PC
- Released: May 31, 2016
- Developer(s): Spike Chunsoft
- Genre: Fighting
When it comes to anime fighting games, most people in the community usually point to incredible series like Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi or Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm. Curiously, the One Piece franchise didn’t really delve into this type of game until the release of One Piece: Burning Blood in 2016, and it quickly became a new fan-favorite.
Burning Blood is 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 Blood has 44 playable fighters and a collection of incredible special attacks, so it is no surprise that dedicated One Piece fans are playing it online to this day.
2 Great Pirate Colosseum
The Best Fighting Game In The Series
- Platform(s): Nintendo 3DS
- Released: September 21, 2016
- Developer(s): Arc System Works
- Genre: Fighting
A lot of fans want Arc System Works to make a brand-new One Piece fighting game, similar to Dragon Ball FighterZ, but most of them have no idea that this game already exists. Its name is One 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.
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As expected from Arc System Works, Great Pirate Colosseum plays 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 game Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butōden! If Arc System Works ever takes another shot at the One Piece franchise, they should either remaster Great Pirate Colosseum or make a sequel.
1 Pirate Warriors Series
The Most Fun & Addictive Action Games In This Franchise
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4
- Released
- March 27, 2020
- Developer(s)
- Koei Tecmo, Omega Force
Musou games (like Dynasty Warriors or Hyrule Warriors) are not everyone’s cup of tea, but when they are well-made, they can grant players countless hours of intense fun. One Piece is 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 Warriors series.
From Pirate Warriors 1 to the recent Pirate Warriors 4, all of these games encapsulate everything that a One Piece fan 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 important One Piece character is playable, not merely the Straw Hats, to the point that One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 featured over 60 different playable characters, which is an incredible number. There may be other One Piece games that stand out in other areas, but when it comes to combat, there’s nothing better in this franchise than the Pirate Warriors series.
One Piece
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- October 20, 1999
- Seasons
- 21
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Creator
- Eiichiro Oda
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Pluto TV
