One Piece: 10 Best Episodes of the Thriller Bark Saga, Ranked (2024)

Early on in Luffy's journey, the Straw Hat Pirates travel to the haunted island of Thriller Bark in one of the shortest arcs of the One Piece anime series. On the ghost island, they have their shadows stolen by the ominous Gecko Moria and must recover them before the sun rises. Classic One Piece hijinks ensue, along with some of the series' best moments.

Despite not being a very long arc in the series, One Piece's Thriller Bark Saga still has fantastic episodes full of supernatural fantasy creatures, including ghosts and zombies. The saga also offers plenty of hilarious moments for fans of the long-running franchise. All in all, Thriller Bark makes for an enjoyable experience for longtime fans and newcomers alike.

10 Thriller Bark Reveals How Blackbeard Became a Warlord

Episode 378: 'Promise on a Day Long Ago - The Pirate's Song and a Tiny Whale'

As the Thriller Bark Saga reaches its climax, Hogback and Absalom escape the giant ship with Gecko Moria's unconscious body, and it is revealed how Blackbeard became one of the powerful Seven Warlords of the Sea in One Piece's story when he defeated Portgas D. Ace, Luffy's sworn older brother.

Meanwhile, the Straw Hat Pirates celebrate their victory over Moria and are happy that their shadows have been returned to them. A party ensues, and during the party Luffy tells Brook that Laboon is alive and well, to the delight of the friendly Island Whale. After all the turmoil the Straw Hats faced while on Thriller Bark, this celebratory episode is a breath of fresh air and sets them up to continue their adventures on the Grand Line.

9 The World Government Orders Thriller Bark's Destruction

Episode 375: 'The Endless Crisis! Orders to Obliterate the Straw Hat Crew'

After Gecko Moria's victims regain their shadows and can once again enter daylight, celebrations ensue. Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Robin manage to regain their shadows just in time to avoid being disintegrated by the sunlight, and Luffy is seriously wounded from using his Gear Second and Gear Third forms in the fight against Moria.

Meanwhile, Bartholomew Kuma, one of the Warlords of the Sea, receives orders from One Piece's terrifying World Government to kill everyone on Thriller Bark and hide the fact that Moria was defeated. With Luffy and the other Straw Hats exhausted from the battle against Moria, the episode ends with Zoro stepping up and facing the Warlord in battle. This episode beautifully illustrates how One Piece always keeps the action going; even after it appears that everything will work out in the Straw Hats' favor, a new enemy quickly appears to keep them on their toes.

8 The Straw Hats' Ship is Ransacked by Zombies

Episode 353: 'A Man's Oath Never Dies!! To the Friend Who Waits Under A Far-Away Sky'

Usopp, Chopper, Robin and Franky return to the Straw Hat Pirates' ship, the Thousand Sunny, and find that it has been ransacked by Thriller Bark's terrifying zombie creatures in this episode. Luffy, Zoro and Sanji were returned to the ship by the zombies, but the Straw Hats ended up losing their shadows in the process.

The Straw Hat Pirates regroup and share their intel with each other, including that of Nami's abduction and some very important information they learned from Brooks: how to purify the zombies that are causing them so much trouble. They also learn that Moria is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, which proves that he will be one of the strongest enemies they've ever encountered so far in their adventures.

7 Brook Meets the Straw Hats in the Florian Triangle

Episode 337: 'Venture Into the Devil's Sea! The Mysterious Skeleton Floating Through the Fog'

Episode 337 of One Piece marks the debut appearance of Brook, the living skeleton man who joins Luffy's pirate crew. After the Straw Hat Pirates go octopus hunting, they discover a barrel filled with massive red flares that ends up with their ship tossed into the mysterious Florian Triangle known as the "ghost sea".

This episode begins the Thriller Bark Saga, and Brook's arrival in the series perfectly captures One Piece's signature blend of comedy and adventure. The pirates are amazed at the living skeleton — and he is just as amazed at their arrival, having not seen real people for years.

6 Luffy Battles Moria for the Shadows

Episode 374: 'The Bodies Vanish! The Morning Sun Pierces Through the Nightmare Island!'

In Episode 374 of One Piece, Luffy begins fighting against Gecko Moria in an effort to win back the shadows of the pirates. Luffy uses his Gear 2 and Gear 3 forms during the fight, even combining them both together to unlock a new technique.

By using the Gomu Gomu no Gigant Jet Shell, Luffy is able to knock Moria into the mast of the Thriller Bark ship just in time to release all the shadows he'd stolen. It was a tense battle that saw time running out for Luffy and the Straw Hats, and even with Moria defeated, the episode ends on a cliffhanger as the morning light rises. Luffy, Zoro, Robin and Sanji begin to burn, realizing that their shadows may not return to them in time to save their lives, despite having freed them from the villain.

5 The Straw Hats Take Down Oars

Episode 373: 'The Conclusion Arrives! - Deliver the Finishing Blow'

The Straw Hat Pirates unite for a satisfying battle against the giant Oars known as "The Continent Puller", who was the 900th zombie in Gecko Moria's army. With his incredible size, Oars is an intimidating foe, and it takes all the Straw Hats' powers combined to finally bring him down. Luffy and Brook team up to deliver the final blow, with Luffy smashing a 'Gigant Bazooka' in Oars' face and breaking his spine.

The defeat of Oars should be a moment of celebration for the Straw Hats, but One Piece raises the stakes once again during this Thriller Bark Saga battle. After Oars is defeated, Gecko Moria rises from the giant's stomach and sucks up all the zombies' shadows on the ship, giving him 1,000 shadows worth of power. As Moria becomes a giant shadow monster as big as Oars, the Straw Hats quickly realize they must now face a threat even more terrifying than they could have ever imagined.

4 Luffy Takes on a Nightmare-Inducing New Form

Episode 372: 'The Battle for Superiority Starts! - Luffy vs. Luffy'

After being infused with 100 shadows, Luffy assumes a new form called Nightmare Luffy, growing several times larger than his normal size and having his skin turn a pale blue hue. This puts him at roughly the same size as Gecko Moria, and this gives the Straw Hat Pirates their best chance at taking on Oars and Moria in battle.

Racing against the clock before the shadows leave his body, Luffy quickly rescues Nami and Usopp from dying to Oars before taking the giant on in battle. This episode does a great job at showing the creative ways One Piece uses its storytelling to enhance Luffy and the other protagonists. Along with that, Nightmare Luffy's initial battle with Oars is incredibly entertaining — especially because it's so unusual to see the hyper and energetic Luffy take on such a grim and serious attitude in this new form.

3 Kuma Shows His Incredible Strength Fighting Zoro

Episode 376: 'Kuma's Nikyu Nikyu Power That Deflects Everything'

An exciting battle breaks out at the end of the Thriller Bark Saga between Zoro and Kuma, with the Warlord ordered to kill everyone on Thriller Bark by the World Government. The Straw Hats are exhausted from their fight with Gecko Moria, and even Zoro and his incredible swordsmanship skills struggle against Kuma's incredible newfound strength.

Having eaten the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi (Paw Paw Fruit), Kuma is effortlessly able to repel any attacks at high speed, including all of Zoro's moves and Sanji's Concasse attack. The episode ends with a huge cliffhanger as Kuma compresses air into a pressure bomb and declares that he'll only spare everyone if they hand over Luffy. When the Straw Hats decline the offer, Kuma detonates the bomb and destroys Thriller Bark.

Episode 380: 'Binks' Sake - The Song that Connects the Past and Present'

The penultimate episode of One Piece's Thriller Bark Saga is quite an emotional one, with Brook telling the pirates the story of his journey into the Grand Line with the Rumbar Pirates back when he was still living. It shows the connection between Brook and the young Laboon and the promise Brook made to sail around the world and return to visit him.

After the Rumbar Pirates are destroyed by an unknown enemy in the Florian Triangle, the crew worries about Laboon and their promise to him. This prompts Brook and the crew to sing a final message before their expected death, recording it on the Tone Dial. Thanks to the Yomi Yomi no Mi Devil Fruit Powers, Brook was then turned into a Reviving Human and able to resurrect after his death, and he made it his mission to find Laboon once more.

1 Zoro Makes an Incredible Sacrifice for Luffy

Episode 377: 'My Crewmate's Pain is My Pain, Zoro Fights Prepared to Die'

The best episode of One Piece's Thriller Bark Saga is by far Episode 377, when Zoro steps up and proves himself to be one of Luffy's fiercest allies. After Kuma unleashes his Ursus Shock, the Straw Hat Pirates and the Rolling Pirates are knocked out, and Kuma is about to capture Luffy when Zoro intervenes.

Kuma reveals to Zoro that he is one of the Pacifista units created by Dr. Vegapunk to work for the World Government, and that it would be almost impossible to beat him. Zoro realizes this and offers up his own life to Kuma in exchange for Luffy's, unwilling to let Luffy be captured so easily. Kuma agrees to the deal, promising to spare Luffy if Zoro takes his place and experiences all of Luffy's pain from Thriller Bark. Without hesitating, Zoro agrees to the deal, falling to the ground, consumed by the pain.

Later, after the pirates regain consciousness, Luffy is back to his old self. When Sanji asks Zoro what happened, the swordsman refuses to share the sacrifice he was willing to make for Luffy. Zoro remains a legendary One Piece character, and this episode is one of the best examples that showcases the lengths he is willing to go to protect his crewmates.

One Piece (1999)

TV-14

Animation

Action

Adventure

Follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his pirate crew in order to find the greatest treasure ever left by the legendary Pirate, Gold Roger. The famous mystery treasure named "One Piece".

Release Date

October 20, 1999

Creator(s)

Eiichiro Oda

Cast

Mayumi Tanaka , Akemi Okamura , Laurent Vernin , Tony Beck , Kazuya Nakai

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

1

Studio

Toei Animation

Creator

Eiichirô Oda

Production Company

Toei Animation

Number of Episodes

1K+

Streaming Service(s)

Crunchyroll , Hulu , Funimation , Adult Swim , Pluto TV , Netflix