Do You Need To Watch The Anime Before Playing One Piece Odyssey?

Do You Need To Watch The Anime Before Playing One Piece Odyssey?
Images via Bandai Namco

Written by 

Daniel Hollis

Published 

13th Jan 2023 17:10

One Piece Odyssey is finally out in the wild, and if you’ve seen any of the trailers or gameplay, you may have been enticed by the game. Unlike other games in the One Piece universe, this one takes the jump to full on JRPG, and if you’re a fan of the genre, you may be tempted to check it out.

The big question surrounding the game is whether you need to watch the anime or read the manga to understand what’s going on. Due to the massive departure in gameplay, many eager players are interested to see if this is a decent point to jump in. If you’re on the fence, find out if you need to watch the One Piece anime before playing One Piece Odyssey.

Do You Need To Watch The Anime Before Playing One Piece Odyssey?

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One Piece Odyssey puts the iconic anime characters in a JRPG setting reminiscent of games such as Dragon Quest. With those sorts of titles having a massive cultural impact and being an incredibly joyous experience, the idea of One Piece Odyssey offering something similar is incredibly exciting.

However, as you may very well be aware, this game marks the 25th anniversary of One Piece, with thousands of anime episodes and manga up until this point. It can be daunting to jump in, but if you’re wondering if One Piece Odyssey is an ideal starting point, the answer isn’t as easy as you may expect.

The story of One Piece Odyssey is set aside from the events of the manga, but it does reference a lot of past adventures. However, if you’re just wanting to go in and enjoy a traditional JRPG story, you won’t be too lost. The game does a good job of informing you who the characters are through their interactions, and there’s unlockable lore entires to teach you more about the franchise.

Since One Piece Odyssey is a celebration of the series, anyone who is familiar with the series will understand the easter eggs, callbacks, and nostalgic moments it throws your way, but it's not compulsory to understand and complete the game.

Daniel Hollis
About the author
Daniel Hollis
Daniel is a former Guides Writer for GGRecon. Having originally focused on film journalism, he eventually made the jump to writing about games in 2020, writing for sites such as NME. Eurogamer, GamesRadar, Tech Radar, and more. After a short stint in PR, he is back in the world of games media writing about his favourite games, including Bioshock, Fable, or everything Fortnite and Xbox Game Pass related.
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