These fruit-loving pirates have appeared on portables far and wide. Here are some of the finest handheld titles from the gaming side of One Piece.
One Piece was conceived as a manga in 1997 and the anime began in 1999. Both adaptations are still going strong with seemingly no end in sight. There have been other media as well, like video games, most of which have never left Japan. It’s kind of like the Dragon Quest situation.
Dragon Quest was always more popular in Japan and Final Fantasy was the bigger hit in the West. For anime, One Piece didn’t really catch on the same way that Naruto or Dragon Ball Z did which meant less incentive for companies to market secondary products over here like games. Thankfully, its popularity has grown in the West, allowing more games to be localized. From easily accessible entries to rare games, here are some portable standouts for One Piece. 6 From TV Animation One Piece: Yume No Luffy Kaizokudan Tanjou
Platform: Game Boy Color
Released: June 28, 2002 (Japan)
Publisher: Banpresto
Metacritic Score: N/A
Based on the name alone, fans can figure out that From TV Animation One Piece: Yume no Luffy Kaizokudan Tanjou was not released outside of Japan. Thankfully, some dedicated fans have taken up the task of translating most of it into English. This Game Boy Color RPG adapts the One Piece series from the beginning.
It’s a strategy RPG, so Luffy will begin fighting birds and bandits before moving on to more exciting adventures with Nami, Zoro, and the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates. Battles are randomized, placing heroes on a map. Animations are simple except for when special attacks are used. It’s not as flashy as a Fire Emblem game but it is fun to see a tactical RPG in the One Piece universe. 5 Jump! Ultimate Stars
Platform: DS
Released: November 23, 2006 (Japan)
Developer: Ganbarion
Metacritic Score: N/A
Jump! Ultimate Stars is the second platform fighting game on the DS, similar in design to the Super Smash Bros. games. This was released in 2006 whereas the first game, Jump Super Stars, came out in 2005.
