Key Takeaways
- Early One Piece games were unique and exclusive to Japan, such as the first on Bandai’s WonderSwan.
- A variety of game genres were explored, including strategy, RPGs, board games, and even baseball.
- Some fan-favorite One Piece games, like Great Pirate Colosseum and Fighting Path, were never released outside of Asia.
One Piece is a global phenomenon, and its undeniable popularity has spawned different types of merchandise, including a vast catalog of video games. North American gamers have been able to enjoy some really solid One Piece games, but things used to be very different in the past.
Related
Best One Piece Games, Ranked
One Piece games have become more common in recent years, and while not always great, the franchise has produced a couple of gems.
The series’ initial success in its home country of Japan led to the creation of several rare video games that remained unreleased in other territories, like North America. While this practice has mostly changed in today’s gaming landscape – due to One Piece’s recent worldwide success – there is still a fair share of fascinating titles that are unique to Japan and other Asian countries, and most fans have never heard of them.
1 Become The Pirate King!
The First Official One Piece Game
- Platform: WonderSwan
- Released: July 19, 2000
- Developer(s): Soft Machine
- Genre(s): Strategy, RPG
The first One Piece video game was not released for the PlayStation or the Game Boy but, oddly enough, for Bandai’s forgotten WonderSwan handheld. One Piece: Become the Pirate King! was most likely developed to capitalize on the anime’s recent success, and it was quite an interesting experience.
Fans could relive the events of the East Blue Saga and the first One Piece movie in this odd black & white adventure that was part strategy game and part RPG. Gameplay-wise, players had to meticulously build different paths for the Going Merry by connecting tiles, and even the occasional turn-based battles are structured around this mechanic. Due to its slow-paced gameplay, it’s understandable why Become the Pirate King! was never released outside of Japan.
2 Legend Of The Rainbow Island
A Conventional RPG With An Original Story
- Platform: WonderSwan Color
- Released: September 13, 2001
- Developer(s): Tomcat System
- Genre(s): RPG
A little more than a year later, Bandai released One Piece: Legend of the Rainbow Island for their more recent handheld, the WonderSwan Color. The brand-new colored graphics definitely benefited the franchise’s lighthearted tone and cartoony art style.
When compared to its predecessor, Legend Of The Rainbow Island is a much more conventional RPG with a distinctive real-time combat system, which made it more accessible for fans of the show. But this title’s most striking characteristic is that it was one of the very first One Piece video games with an original plot, as it told a narrative set between the Loguetown and Arabasta arcs, and it even introduced two new original characters named Dias and Atoli.
3 Great Hidden Treasure Of The Nanatsu Islands
Another Original Story Featuring Interesting New Characters
- Platform: Game Boy Advance
- Released: November 15, 2002
- Developer(s): Cavia
- Genre(s): RPG
With time, original stories that were not featured in the canonical manga and anime became a common practice in One Piece video games, and One Piece: Great Hidden Treasure of the Nanatsu Islands is one of the most fascinating examples. The main antagonists of this title are the Simon Pirates, and their captain, Simon, a candidate for Warlord of the Sea with the powers of a Logia Devil Fruit that allows him to transform his body into paper.
Great Hidden Treasure of the Nanatsu Islands is yet another turn-based RPG, this time with a grid battlefield that makes things more complex and interesting for the player. Not to mention that the power of the Game Boy Advance lets the developers craft better-looking environments, sprites, and animations.
4 Aim! The King Of Berry
A Handheld Board Game With A Focus On Earning Money
- Platform: Game Boy Advance
- Released: March 28th, 2003
- Developer(s): BeanCurd Label
- Genre(s): Board Game, RPG
Oddly enough, One Piece: Aim! The King of Berry is an economics-themed board game released for the Game Boy Advance, and it certainly is one of the most bizarre ideas for a One Piece game. After the Going Merry crashes into an iceberg, Nami tasks the other Straw Hat Pirates with the mission of earning huge amounts of money for repairs.
Because of this premise, the gameplay in Aim! The King of Berry is reminiscent of a tabletop board game, with dice, movements on a board, different turns, etc. There are also the occasional fights against a boss or enemy, which are built like a battle in an RPG. This is not the worst concept for a game, but the fact that it doesn’t even have a multiplayer mode makes the entire experience feel weird and somewhat boring.
5 Chopper’s Big Adventure
A Colorful Animal Adventure Starring Tony Tony Chopper
- Platform: WonderSwan Color
- Released: October 16th, 2003
- Developer(s): Bandai
- Genre(s): RPG
Just because One Piece games were already popping up on mainstream consoles like the Game Boy Advance didn’t mean that Bandai Namco was going to leave their WonderSwan Color behind. As a result, they developed and published One Piece: Chopper’s Big Adventure, which holds the distinction of being the only game in the franchise that is centered on just one character.
The Straw Hat Pirates land on a mysterious island and the entire crew transforms into different animals for unknown reasons. To help them, players have to control the adorable Tony Tony Chopper, as he explores various dungeons, finds important items, and fights multiple enemies. This is undoubtedly quite a unique experience, and it would have been great to see more One Piece games starring individual members of the Straw Hat Pirates.
6 Going Baseball
The Straw Hat Pirates Delved Into The World Of Sports Games
- Platform: Game Boy Advance
- Released: March 11, 2004
- Developer(s): Now Production
- Genre(s): Sports
Most seasoned fans will be familiar with Take Aim! The Pirate Baseball King, a hilarious animated short about baseball that premiered alongside the fifth movie. However, most of them might be unaware of the fact that it was also created as a promotion for a unique baseball game starring characters from the anime, simply titled One Piece: Going Baseball.
This is quite a versatile franchise, but a sports video game is not what most fans would expect from it. The baseball gameplay of Going Baseball is nothing to write home about, but it stands out for having simple mechanics, a goofy art style, and playable teams that are made up of different iconic characters, like the Straw Hat Team, the Marine Team, the Arabasta Team, etc.
7 Dragon Ball Z x One Piece: Battle Experience
A Weird Crossover Made For A TV Plugin System
- Platform: TV Plugin
- Released: November 15, 2008
- Developer(s): Bandai
- Genre(s): Action
Dragon Ball has been a major source of inspiration for One Piece and, as both series were eventually solidified as two pillars of the shōnen battle genre, they have crossed over with each other on more than one occasion. One of these crossovers was made in celebration of Shonen Jump’s 40th anniversary, and it was titled Dragon Ball Z x One Piece: Battle Experience.
Bandai developed this odd game as one of their many TV Plugin consoles, which makes sense considering that Japanese audiences have always been more accepting of unconventional gaming systems that have nothing to do with the mainstream home consoles. This resulted in a fun action game with both motion controls and voice controls and a fun mixture of both One Piece and Dragon Ball Z characters interacting with each other. However, the graphics left a lot to be desired.
8 Super Grand Battle! X
A Collaboration With Super Smash Bros Did Not Warrant An International Release
- Platform: Nintendo 3DS
- Released: November 13, 2014
- Developer(s): Ganbarion
- Genre(s): Fighting
One Piece: Grand Battle! was a series of fun fighting games that were surprisingly popular in North America. Unfortunately, its spiritual successor, the Gigant Battle series, remained exclusive to Japan. This is a real shame because these were enjoyable and creative experiences, especially the third and final entry, One Piece: Super Grand Battle! X.
This is a 2.5D platforming fighter that appealed to most Nintendo 3DS users, as it was extremely similar to Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros franchise. The similarities were so obvious that Super Grand Battle! X even featured unlockable costumes for the Straw Hat Pirates that were themed after iconic Nintendo characters. Nevertheless, it’s quite odd that this game never saw a release in North America, despite this wonderful collaboration.
9 Great Pirate Colosseum
Arc System Works’ Take On A One Piece Fighter
- Platform(s): Nintendo 3DS
- Released: September 21, 2016
- Developer(s): Arc System Works
- Genre: Fighting
Arc System Works are the undeniable kings of 2.5D fighting games, and their experience with Dragon Ball FighterZ has demonstrated that they can seamlessly adapt beloved anime franchises into one of these competitive titles. But most fans may be unaware of the fact that they have already worked on the One Piece IP, with One Piece: Great Pirate Colosseum, an incredible fighting game that was never released outside of Japan.
Great Pirate Colosseum has everything that fighting game enthusiasts would expect from an Arc System Works title: a huge cast of playable characters, incredibly detailed sprites and animations, a dynamic but technical combat system, and much more. It even has online cross-play with Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butōden, which allows players to create an unexpected crossover with the Dragon Ball franchise.
10 Fighting Path
A Pirate Warriors Game For The Chinese Mobile Market
- Platform(s): Android, iOS
- Released: July 28, 2020
- Developer(s): China Mobile Games and Entertainment Group
- Genre: Action, Adventure, RPG
Even though One Piece achieved worldwide success and brand recognition in the last few years, there still are a few video games that have remained exclusive to Asian markets, which is quite surprising for such a popular franchise. The mobile game is huge in China, and Toei Animation did not waste time trying to delve into it. This led to the release of One Piece: Fighting Path.
This is a high-octane action game with a fun and addictive combat system that is very reminiscent of the legendary One Piece: Pirate Warriors series. This is extremely ambitious for a mobile game, especially considering that it also features impressive graphics, a big open world, and solid RPG mechanics. It’s a real shame that Fighting Path was never released outside of China because worldwide audiences would certainly enjoy it.
