6 Manga Like One Piece [Recommendations]

Gol D. Roger had it all as the Pirate King until he was finally captured and sentenced to be executed by the World Government. However, before his death, he revealed that his treasure was hidden somewhere in the Grand Line, and that anyone who found it, which he left in “One Piece”, could lay claim to it. His last words helped usher in a new age of piracy as many set sail for the Grand Line to search for his vast treasure and become the new Pirate King. Years later, the search for One Piece continues, and a new pirate by the name of Monkey D. Luffy joins the fray. With a unique personality and honed abilities he obtained from eating the Gum-Gum Fruit, Luffy certainly has the potential to be a great pirate, but he will need to assemble a crew as talented and crazy as he is if he’s going to stand any chance of finding One Piece…

As the highest selling manga series of all time, One Piece stands in a class of its own. While there are many adventure manga and comedic manga just as riveting and humorous as One Piece is, there aren’t any that can be truly be considered its equal, as One Piece is truly something special with its unique blend of humor, adventure, action, and emotional moments. However, there are certainly some manga that come close to matching certain aspects of it. Here are (in no particular order) 6 Manga similar to One Piece.


1. Black Clover

  • Mangaka: Tabata, Yuuki (Story & Art)
  • Genre: Action, Comedy, Fantasy, Magic, Shounen
  • Volumes: 9 (s far)
  • Published Date: 2015 - ongoing

Abandoned together at the same church, Asta and Yuno form a tight friendship as they both set their sights on becoming the next Emperor Magus. However, it slowly becomes apparent that Yuno is gifted with the use of magic whereas Asta can’t use magic at all and must rely on training physically. When they receive their Grimoires at age 15, Yuno gets a book with a four-leaf clover, and Asta seems to receive nothing in his until it’s revealed that he actually received a five-leaf clover Grimoire, a "black clover"! With these new clovers, Asta and Yuno set out into the world, each of them determined to become the next Emperor Magus.

A relatively new manga that may soon have its own anime adaptation, Black Clover shares multiple similarities between the main characters. Both Luffy and Asta have a strong desire to never give up, and both want to become the best of the best. They even have similar catch phrases: Luffy constantly lets his opponents know he will become the King of the Pirates, and Asta is constantly saying that he will become the Sorcerer Emperor. While Black Clover is more heavily involved with magic than One Piece is, it certainly bears a resemblance in terms of how the main characters approach their adventures.


2. Metallica Metalluca

  • Mangaka: Mizuno, Teruaki (Story & Art)
  • Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Shounen
  • Volumes: 3
  • Published Date: May 2010 - Sep 2010

In a world where rare metals are revered more than anything else, "Minea", or the people who risk their lives searching for these metals, are highly respected. When a young boy named Luca wanders into a rundown town, he ends up under the watchful eye of Shino, whose younger brother is sick from a poison gas accident in the town's now-closed mine. As the events begin to develop, Luca finds that he must help out his new friends along the way of one day becoming a Minea.

Although this manga was canceled very early on, what it showed in its short run was enough similarities to One Piece to make this list. Luca is very similar to Luffy: carefree, very strong in combat…even their names are somewhat similar. His dream of becoming a Minea is very similar to Luffy’s early dream of one day becoming a pirate. It’s a shame that we didn’t get to see this manga play out, as it gave off vibes of more characters possibly joining Luca and Shino along their adventures. However, if you’re interested in a short read similar to One Piece and have the time for it, Metallica Metalluca would be right up that alley.


3. Gintama

  • Mangaka: Sorachi, Hideaki (Story & Art)
  • Genre: Action, Comedy, Parody, Samurai, Sci-Fi, Shounen
  • Volumes: 67 (so far)
  • Published Date: 2003 - ongoing

In Edo Japan, alien creatures known as the Amanto suddenly arrive, and despite the samurais’ attempts to stop them, they eventually surrender to the Amanto. Thus the world becomes what it is today, one where a countrywide sword ban is in effect and the disappearance of the samurai are all but apparent. However, one unconventional individual still wields a wooden sword and refuses to let his samurai status die. That man is Gintoki Sakata, who performs various odd jobs with his friends in order to make ends meet and often gets caught up in all sorts of crazy and hilarious shenanigans.

In terms of overall story structure, Gintama is pretty different compared to One Piece, as there are a lot more stand-alone stories that take place in Gintama. That being said, one thing they both share in common is humor. Gintama excels in a variety of different styles of humor, and a fair amount of humor that takes place can be similar to One Piece, such as the characters overreacting to certain decisions their friends make, physical running gags like Brooke’s 45 degrees pose and Shinpachi’s glasses being mistaken for the actual Shinpachi, or certain weaknesses of the characters themselves, such as Zoro’s uncanny ability to get lost and Gin’s fear of ghosts. If you really enjoy One Piece’s style of wacky, random, and idiotic sense of humor, then you’re sure to find Gintama enjoyable as well.



Any Manga Like One Piece ?

4. Fairy Tail

  • Mangaka: Mashima, Hiro (Story & Art)
  • Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Magic, Shounen, Super Power
  • Volumes: 60
  • Published Date: 2006 - ongoing

In Earth Land, magic exists at the core of everyday life. However, since magic can be used for evil as well as good, a system of magical guilds in the Kingdom of Fiore was set up to help keep things in balance. Under their respective guild masters, these guilds are made up of witches and wizards who do various jobs in order to earn fame, fortune, and so on. One guild in particular guild stands out due to its history and members: Fairy Tail.

Another adventure manga that relies on magic, Fairy Tail and One Piece share a strong connection when it come to the idea of “nakama”, or friendship. Luffy makes a lot of friends along his journey, with his closest ones becoming part of his crew. Likewise, Natsu Dragneel becomes nakama with the members of Fairy Tail as they look out for each other and grow close on their adventures. The art style used for Fairy Tail is also somewhat similar to that of One Piece; everything appears bright and jumps out at you throughout most of the series. It can be also noted that both Luffy and Natsu tend to be idiots at times. If you enjoy reading One Piece both for the art style as well as the concept of “nakama”, Fairy Tail would be your go-to choice to read next.


5. Wanted!

  • Mangaka: Oda, Eiichiro (Story & Art)
  • Genre: Action, Comedy, Shounen
  • Volumes: 1
  • Published Date: 1992 - 1996

Before One Piece became a major international hit, Eiichiro Oda released Wanted!, a collection of short stories that would serve as a stepping stone as to what One Piece would become. Because these stories predate One Piece, Oda’s artwork is still very much in the early stages and not as refined as it is now. However, Oda’s humor and his ability to write wacky idiotic side characters are very much intact. In addition, Monkey D. Luffy is present in Romance Dawn, the main short story that would later become One Piece. If you are an Eiichiro Oda fan and want to read his earlier works that he did before committing to One Piece fulltime, then Wanted! won’t leave you disappointed.


6. Hunter x Hunter

  • Mangaka: Togashi, Yoshihiro (Story & Art)
  • Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Shounen, Super Power
  • Volumes: 33 (so far)
  • Published Date: 1998 - ongoing

In this world, Hunters are one of a kind, as they dedicate themselves to tracking down treasures, magical beasts, and so on. However, in order to be a Hunter, one must obtain the proper license, and less than one in a hundred thousand can pass the grueling Hunter Exam. For those who do pass, they gain access to restricted areas and certain types of information. Gon wishes to be a Hunter just like his father and hopes to one day meet him, but does he have what it takes to become a Hunter?

Hunter x Hunter is very similar to One Piece in terms of its progression through its story as well as the character development. Most of the story is divided into arcs, and some of them resemble One Piece’s arcs, such as the Zoldyck Family arc. Hunter x Hunter also does a great job in introducing the peak of the characters’ skills before introducing the concept of Nen, which is very comparable to One Piece’s Haki. Not to mention the similar attitudes of Gon and Luffy. If you enjoyed the fighting in One Piece as well as its story structure being divided into arcs, Hunter x Hunter is definitely worth checking out.


Final Thoughts

One Piece isn’t perfect; there certainly is a formula in terms of the progression of each arc, and depending on your sense of humor, you may find certain characters or situations annoying. However, it does have excellent story progression, interesting characters that you grow to care about as they grow as people, and just an overall amazing sense of adventure that draws you in and leaves you wondering what’s going to happen next and how the story will end. These 6 manga can’t match that, but most of them do come close. But what are your guys’ thoughts? Is there a manga you would have liked to see on this list? Let us know in the comments!

One-Piece-manga-300x450 6 Manga Like One Piece [Recommendations]

Writer

Author: Ian Williams

Hi, my name's Ian. I grew up in the United States, but I've traveled to and lived in many different countries, including Scotland, Japan, and New Zealand. Some of my hobbies include reading, writing, chess, running, playing video games, and watching anime. I started getting more into anime after watching Dragon Ball Z on Toonami as a kid, and have been hooked by the amazing stories and characters in anime ever since.

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