Skypiea had a really grand storyline: 10,000 meters in the air, there is an island in the sky with things beyond your wildest dreams. A group of pirates, known as the Strawhats make it up there in search of adventure, but little did they realize that this island of dreams is a living hell. Now, the Strawhats become involved in a 400 year war between the holy warriors of Skypiea and a group of guerillas of Shandia in the battle for sacred land they call Vearth. The Strawhat will have to face guerillas, priests, and even the almighty “god” himself in this incredible and unbelievable adventure.
I can understand why people could not like, even hate, Skypiea arc. It probably had the least memorable villains yet, the main villain was too almighty with his power, and this arc was one that felt like it could’ve been taken completely out, and it nothing would’ve changed. Yea it’ll probably become more important to the story later but that’s a different direction than this rant.
First were the villains. Only Gedatsu is really memorable. Every other character doesn’t have a defining characteristic about them that makes them quirky like the other characters in One Piece. Especially being compared to the previous big arc of Alabasta, these characters were just plain and dull.
Then there was the main villain, Enel. He had the power of lightning. Having a big villain like that spells trouble because he is too overpowered. Even with the power of lightning, he couldn’t kill one person. He knocked them out for a couple of hours, but he stopped being a “threat” after awhile.
Wiper was a bit annoying as well. I think he should’ve died more than Pell did, and he got blown up by a bomb that could wipe out a city. Wiper took a bunch of lightning strikes, and 3 blows from the reject dial. The impact is supposed to blow your arm off, and the reject is ten times more powerful than that. It was just getting ridiculous.
One more thing, the soundtrack seemed bad for this arc as well. It didn’t even have music during the final battle with Enel. It did bring a lot of tension though to the climax when you hear the thunder, but overall it was disappointing.
Also the story is always jumping around. It goes from the Strawhats to the Shandians to the Holy Warriors, it was just jumpy pacing.
I still like this arc a lot though. It has a lot more redeeming characteristics that make up for it. The fights themselves were really good actually. We got Chopper, Robin, and Nami to show off their skills. Sure, Zoro got two fights, but they were good fights. He perfected his technique in the sky, and that’s good development. Luffy vs Enel was also one of the best fights ever. Enel proved that he is no pushover and decapitated Luffy in a uniquely ingenious fashion. Luffy vs Enel was definitely sweet. Some people say Enel sucked, but he’s used to constantly using his powers, and he just met this person that can’t be affected. He was quickly able to adapt. Plus, his final attack on the island was definitely the most dangerous attack ever shown, even more so than the Buster Call.
The amount of screen time for each Strawhat wasn’t the best, but it did a decent job of making sure everyone got good moments, maybe except for Sanji
- Zoro had a lot of screen time. He got two big fights and face time with Enel. He also helped bring out the giant jack.
- Chopper got good screen time in the beginning and was out in the end. He met Shura when he was alone on the ship and even got his own fight.
- Robin was able to discover the underground city, get a good fight with Yamma and face time with Enel.
- Nami not only helped the Sky Knight fight with Hotori and Kotori, but she also made her way to Enel and realized how important her friends are.
- Luffy was in the snake so he was basically out until the finale. He really had his quirks though, and had a cool fight with Wiper for a bit.
- Usopp was out in the beginning. When he got too, he faced Enel and helped save Nami. He did have a funny part in bringing down the beanstalk.
- And Sanji got the short end of the stick. He was out early by Enel. Then he was taken out again. His one cool moment of taking out the ship was wasted too since Enel had backup.
Overall the story was really fluent. It was complicated but not too complicated, and Oda really tied everything nicely at the end, even including the touching flashback of over 400 years ago. The setting and objects used there were creative, and this was really an unbelievable adventure.
Even at the climax Enel started to become a real threat again. He could’ve wiped out the whole island if Luffy didn’t nullify the attack. Sure the final punch was a bit of an understatement he’s too fast but enel has the power of lightning. He was a giant monster and brought out all of his full on power, and it just wasn’t enough. Enel couldn’t defeat Luffy no matter what, so at least he went down in style as a giant monster.
This is definitely one oft those love/hate arcs, especially since it’s so long.
So if anyone actually read this, if you like a great adventure with twists and turns, Skypiea is the right arc for you. This has a little bit of everything, even romance like Norland said. However, the villains are a major disappointment, and it seems a little jumping around everywhere. I still say its one of the better arcs in One Piece.