One Piece

10 Best Episodes of One Piece - Season 12

One Piece has been a beloved anime series since it first aired in 1999, and with 22 seasons and counting, it's no surprise that fans have their favorite episodes. We've looked at viewer rankings to compile a list of the best episodes that are sure to keep you hooked on Luffy's journey to become King of the Pirates.

At the top of the list is episode 405, "Eliminated Friends - The Final Day of the Straw Hat Crew". This emotional episode sees Luffy and his crew face off against Bartholomew Kuma, one of the most powerful members of the Shichibukai. The stakes are high, and the Straw Hat crew is pushed to their limits in a battle that leaves them forever changed.

Another fan-favorite episode is number 316, "Shanks Makes His Move - The End of the War". In this episode, we finally get to see the legendary pirate Shanks in action as he steps in to stop the war between the Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates. It's a thrilling battle that showcases Shanks' strength and sets the stage for future conflicts in the series.

Whether you're a longtime fan or just getting started on your One Piece journey, these episodes are not to be missed. Tune in to Fuji TV to catch all the action and see why One Piece has become one of the most beloved anime series of all time.

Written by Sophie and last updated on jan 28, 2024.

PS: The following content contains spoilers!

PPS: I will admit that parts of this page was written with the help of AI - it makes my work so much easier to not start from a blank page!

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One Piece - S12E46

#15 - The Straw Hat crew annihilated! Full-throttle Kage Kage abilities! (Season 12 - Episode 46)

Moria explains that he enabled Oars to stretch by stretching his shadow, thereby forcing his body to stretch along with it in order to ensure that the body and shadow are the same shape. Usopp fires Brook out of Kuwagata, with Robin making him spin and Nami electrifying him, but he only does minor damage to Oars and is knocked out when Oars retaliates. Robin attempts to use her powers on Moria, but he attacks her with his shadow and then switches places with it, rendering her attack useless. He then takes her shadow, rendering her unconscious. Chopper discovered that Oars died of frostbite, and that while he does not feel any pain, he can still take damage from their attacks. Sanji and Chopper launch a combo attack on Oars, who then knocks out both of them with Gum Gum Gatling, leaving only Nami, Zoro and Usopp standing.

The episode was rated 8.04 from 81 votes.

One Piece - S12E54

#14 - Brook`s Past - Sad Farewell to the Cheerful Crew (Season 12 - Episode 54)

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Brook recalls his past, when the whale Laboon started following his pirate ship and befriended the crew. When the crew headed toward the Grand Line, they had no choice but to leave Laboon behind because the danger the sea would present to a young whale like him, but Laboon followed them over Reverse Mountain, anyway. Brook and his captain convince Laboon to stay behind, promising that after they traveled through the entire Grand Line and he grew strong enough to follow them, they would come back and bring him on their adventures. They were unable to fulfill the promise, though.

The episode was rated 8.04 from 79 votes.

One Piece - S12E56

#13 - A New Crewmate! Musician - The Hummer Brook (Season 12 - Episode 56)

Brook tells Luffy that he is glad to be alive and asks if he can join the crew, which Luffy approves of. All the Straw Hats are shocked by this, except for Zoro, who is sleeping, and Robin, who knew Luffy would accept him no matter what, but they nevertheless welcome him to the crew. Two days later, Usopp and Franky make a grave for the dead Rumbar Pirates, and Zoro lays the broken Yubashiri at the grave. Nami gets a Vivre Card from Lola, which points the way to Lola's mother, a pirate in the New World. Luffy takes out the piece of paper he received from Ace, which is also a Vivre Card, and learns that as it is burning and shrinking, Ace's life is in danger. Believing that Ace can get out of trouble on his own, Luffy decides to head onward rather than go to rescue him, and the Straw Hats sail away from Thriller Bark. As the Luffy and his crew sail away, three enormous and mysterious figure appears in the fog, looking over Thriller Bark.

The episode was rated 8.04 from 75 votes.

One Piece - S12E13

#12 - The Delight of Having Met People! The Gentleman Skeleton's True Colors (Season 12 - Episode 13)

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Onboard the Thousand Sunny, Brook tells his story of being a musician before being killed. However, his spirit was able to reanimate his skeleton due to the power of the Revive Revive Fruit. He also tells of having his shadow stolen, and thus cannot be out in open sunlight. A ghost suddenly appears in the galley, and the Straw Hats find out that they have been targeted by the ghost isle Thriller Bark, which has found them.

The episode was rated 8.04 from 94 votes.

One Piece - S12E43

#11 - Soundless Invasion!! The Mysterious Visitor: Kuma the Tyrant (Season 12 - Episode 43)

Taking advantage of several weaknesses, including his stupidity and similarities to Luffy, the Straw Hats continue to wear away at Oars, yet his continued persistence allows Zoro to test his new sword Shuusui for battle. Meanwhile, Kuma tries to find out Moria's location from Perona, yet her defiance forces him to make her disappear with an ungloved hand before speaking with Nami about his "choice to be here". Luffy appears to catch Moria again, only to discover it is Doppelman.

The episode was rated 8.06 from 79 votes.

One Piece - S12E45

#10 - A Crazy Strategy to Turn the Tables - The Creation of Nightmare Luffy (Season 12 - Episode 45)

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With Moria's guidance, Oars is better able to counter the Straw Hats' strategies and turn their attacks against them. Franky is knocked unconscious after a failed attempt to fire himself at Oars with a giant slingshot known as Kuwagata and shoot him at point-blank range with Weapons Left. Nami arrives and joins the battle, but Oars demonstrates that he can somehow stretch his limbs, which the crew realizes is Moria's doing. Elsewhere, Luffy meets up with the Rolling Pirates, whose shadows have been stolen by Moria. They plant shadows into him in order to multiply his fighting strength and grant him new skills so that he can defeat Moria.

The episode was rated 8.08 from 78 votes.

One Piece - S12E37

#9 - Slashes Dancing on the Roof!! Finale - Zoro vs. Ryuma (Season 12 - Episode 37)

Zoro duels Ryuma in Hogback's lab, while Franky guards over the injured Brook. Neither Zoro, nor Ryuma, can gain any advantage over the other, as they keep matching the other's attack. Their attacks quickly destroy the lab, forcing them to escape the room and continue their fierce duel on the roof. As Brook watches on, he comes the conclusion that Ryuma was never taking their fights seriously. After an intense sword fight, during which the entire roof collapses to the ground below, Zoro finally defeats Ryuma using a technique which sets him ablaze. Zoro lands hard on the lip of the roof below. Ryuma manages to land on a higher ledge. Ryuma staggers slightly, then acknowledges his defeat at Zoro's hands. Sheathing Shunsui, Ryuma throws it to Zoro. Ryuma collapses in a bout of flames and Brook's shadow is finally returned to him, to his great joy. Zoro acknowledges Ryuma's skill as a swordsman and says he wishes he could have met Ryuuma before he died. He also agrees to forget the outcome of their fight.

The episode was rated 8.10 from 80 votes.

One Piece - S12E50

#8 - The Endless Crisis! Orders to Obliterate the Straw Hat Crew (Season 12 - Episode 50)

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All of Moria's victims recover their shadow and celebrate regaining their ability to enter daylight. Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Robin recover their shadows in time to avoid being disintegrated. Luffy lies unconscious from his wounds and using Gear Second against Moria, and Usopp worries about him endangering himself by having to use the technique on the stronger enemies ahead. Kuma receives orders from the World Government to kill everyone on Thriller Bark in order to cover up Moria's defeat. He attacks the survivors with a strange move that sends several people flying backwards, before turning his attention to Zoro.

The episode was rated 8.27 from 82 votes.

One Piece - S12E51

#7 - Kuma`'s Nikyu Nikyu Abilities That Deflect Everything (Season 12 - Episode 51)

Zoro attacks Kuma, who reveals that he has eaten the Paw-pad Paw-pad fruit, and shows his ability to repel attacks, move considerable distances almost instantly and repel the air to attack his opponents. Zoro is quickly outmatched, and Sanji and Usopp's attempts to help him are rendered futile by Kuma's hard body and ability to block projectiles. Kuma then offers to spare the survivors of Thriller Bark if they turn over Luffy, but they unanimously refuse. He then detonates a paw print full of compressed air, devastating the island.

The episode was rated 8.31 from 87 votes.

One Piece - S12E12

#6 - Venture Into the Devil's Sea! The Mysterious Skeleton Floating Through the Fog (Season 12 - Episode 12)

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In search of food, the Straw Hats attempt octopus hunting before discovering a barrel in the middle of the ocean. After opening the barrel, Thousand Sunny gets thrown into the foggy Florian Triangle where it encounters a ruined ship and a skeleton man named Brook, whom Luffy immediately asks to join the crew.

The episode was rated 8.31 from 93 votes.

One Piece - S12E55

#5 - Binks`s Sake - The Song that Connects the Past and Present (Season 12 - Episode 55)

Brook recalls the Rumbar Pirates' journey through the Grand Line, where they faced many dangers but still managed to enjoy themselves. The captain contracted an illness and attempted to leave the Grand Line through the Calm Belt with the other infected crew, leaving Brook in charge of the remaining pirates. The journey continued until some powerful enemies defeated the Rumbar Pirates in the Florian Triangle, fatally poisoning them. As they were dying, they sang Binks's Booze one last time, recording it in a Tone Dial in the hopes that Brook would revive with his Devil Fruit power and deliver the shell to Laboon. Back in the present, Brook silently hopes Laboon will wait just a little longer for his return.

The episode was rated 8.40 from 75 votes.

One Piece - S12E49

#4 - The Bodies Vanish! The Morning Sun Pierces Through the Nightmare Island! (Season 12 - Episode 49)

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Luffy begins fighting Moria, entering Gear Second in the process, but the blows that he deals to Moria are not enough to force him to release the shadows. Moria attacks Luffy with a devastating blow, but he manages to continue fighting, and activates Gear Third while Gear Second is still active. With a new technique, Gum Gum Gigant Jet Shell, he knocks Moria under the collapsing mast of Thriller Bark and forces him to release all his shadows just as dawn arrives. However, the ones who had their shadows stolen start to vanish.

The episode was rated 8.40 from 85 votes.

One Piece - S12E48

#3 - The Conclusion Arrives! Deliver the Finishing Blow (Season 12 - Episode 48)

Oars recovers from Nightmare Luffy's attack. However, the Strawhats all get back on their feet, from Luffy to Brook, and launch a final devastating attack on Oars, which ends with Luffy smashing a Gigant Bazooka into Oars' face from above, breaking his spine and finally defeating the demon. Moria, however, gets out of Oars' stomach moments later, and prepares himself for his ultimate technique, Shadows Asgard. By sucking up all of the shadows of all of the zombies on Thriller Bark, totaling one thousand shadows, Moria becomes a grotesque monster, as big as Oars in size with short spindly legs, gigantic arms, and a huge bloated neck pulsating with veins.

The episode was rated 8.45 from 84 votes.

One Piece - S12E47

#2 - The Battle for Superiority Starts! Luffy vs. Luffy (Season 12 - Episode 47)

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Zoro tries attacking Oars' arm again, but Oars knocks him out by kneeing him into a wall. Usopp shoots Brook's salt into Oars' mouth with Kuwagata, but Moria's shadow catches it and throws it out, breaking the bag and preventing them from using it again. Oars tries to stomp Usopp and Nami, but Nightmare Luffy arrives and gets them to safety in an instant. While the Rolling Pirates take the unconscious Straw Hats to safety, Luffy begins attacking Oars, and with his shadows, is far stronger than his opponent. Moria attempts to escape, but Luffy punches him out with Gum Gum Pistol and sends Oars flying with Gum Gum Storm. The shadows leave Luffy's body, but he appears to have won.

The episode was rated 8.45 from 86 votes.

One Piece - S12E52

#1 - My Companions' Pain is My Pain - Zoro Prepares to Die (Season 12 - Episode 52)

While almost everyone on the island is knocked out in the blast, Zoro slashes Kuma with Shishi Sonson, but sees that it is ineffective, as Kuma is a Pacifista, a cyborg whose body is harder than steel. Seeing that he can no longer fight, Zoro offers his life to save Luffy, saying that he cannot hope to become the world's best swordsman if he cannot protect his captain. Sanji attempts to take Zoro's place, but Zoro knocks him out. As part of his agreement with Kuma, Zoro takes in all of Luffy's pain and fatigue, which Kuma says would kill him if he suffered it on top of his already severe wounds. Zoro takes in the pain, and Kuma leaves, remarking on how Luffy has a loyal crew. Luffy regains consciousness, surprisingly energetic, while Zoro emerges from his sacrifice near death.

The episode was rated 8.85 from 109 votes.

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