Fun pirate romp has positive themes, some violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a lot
Violence includes combat, executions, pirate attacks, murder, self-harm, risk of drowning, and fantasy monster attacks. Fight scenes have dramatic choreography and exaggerated "cartoon" violence. Characters fight with weapons (swords, guns), fists, knockout gas, and special powers. Injuries are bloody but not gory; camera cuts away at moment of weapon strike, showing aftermath (scars, cuts) but not excessive gore. Villain characters threaten innocent civilians; characters being held captive. Some episodes have dark, creepy imagery and a circus setting with a creepy clown. A young Luffy harms himself to prove a point but is admonished for it; other characters harm themselves in attempts to survive dire circumstances.
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Older teen characters (ages 17–19) and adults drink alcohol (whisky, rum, beer) and talk about wanting or "needing" a drink. One of them gets drunk (slurred speech, oversharing information with strangers, throwing up), which causes trouble for the group; character shows remorse for the trouble but not for drinking. Characters play a drinking game with shots of hard alcohol.
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Language includes profanity ("ass," "s--t," "damn") and insulting name-calling ("sniveling runt," "scum," "s--thead"). A character gives someone the middle finger.
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Some nudity; bare-chested male characters and a brief comedic scene where a character is fully naked (groin covered by pillow, bare buttocks shown). Two side characters talk about liking each other. Characters briefly kiss.
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Central themes are about friendship and dreams. Believe in yourself and follow your dreams, not what other people say. Leadership means making hard choices. Not everything needs to be solved with violence. Be both strong and good. Look out for your friends, and help people in need.
Positive Role Models
some
Luffy has a positive attitude, tries to choose "good" ways of achieving goals, and stands up for his friends. He's good at bringing people together and building community. He inspires other characters to follow their dreams and change their lives. The main characters' mentors are kind, good, and generous.
Diverse Representations
some
Male and female characters are shown in positions of strength and leadership (e.g., female pirate captain). Protagonist male characters value both strength and gentleness; they cry, reject violence as a default, and equate "manhood" with goodness. Female characters are not overly sexualized, unlike the original character designs from the manga and anime that inspire this remake. The show's world has broad diversity; background characters appear to be a wide range of races and gender presentations. A group of "fish people" villain characters is coded as Black; the lead villain points out racial division between the humans and his people and believes the fish people are objectively better than humans. Behind-the-scenes cultural diversity in the cast and creators: Mexican, American, American Japanese, Jamaican-born American, Spanish English, British, Australian, Russian American, Swiss Italian composers, and South African.
Parents need to know that One Piece is a pirate fantasy TV series inspired by the long-running anime and manga series of the same name. Although it's a live-action show, the violence and villainy have an exaggerated "cartoon" style. The show is bloody and has lots of fights (with weapons, fists, special powers) but avoids gratuitous gore. All characters fight, but there are clear villains; some even discuss how violence isn't always the right answer. The show also touches on violence related to self-harm, murder, captivity, and government-sanctioned executions. Language includes "ass," "s--t," and "damn," and a character gives someone the middle finger. Characters (including older teens) casually and frequently drink alcohol, sometimes to excess. The show has strong positive messages around friendship, helping others, and pursuing your dreams. This adaptation is set in a world that has a lot of cultural and racial diversity, and the main cast is a diverse group of actors that includes Mexican actor Iñaki Godoy, who plays lead character Monkey D. Luffy.
My kids and I weren’t familiar with the anime or anything about the show but saw all the positive reviews and decided to try it. It’s such a fun show and I loved watching my son and daughter with smiles on all our faces. Reminded me of the family nights with my parents.
This show showed much blood. I was watching it with my 7 and 5 year olds because they that all the cool kids watch it so I put it on and we see kids cutting themselves and there are lots of guns and smoking not to mention how much little clothes the girls are in and on top of that the show Is just bad and one of the worst I have seen
What's the Story?
ONE PIECE follows Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy), an energetic and passionate young pirate, whose one true goal is to find the One Piece treasure and become King of the Pirates. On his journey, he assembles the Straw Hat Pirates, a misfit crew of adventurers with mysterious pasts who soon discover that a life of friendship is more their speed than the lone wolf journeys they've been on. Fighting off oppressive marines, pirate-y villains, and Luffy's constant hunger, the Straw Hats seek their dreams while protecting anyone in need who crosses their path.
This exciting adaptation of a cultural classic delights with its successful translation of an anime series into a live-action gem for both new and old fans. One Piece is able to take the silliness and exaggeration of action anime and turn it into a believable fantasy-at-sea. It makes the classic "It's all about friendship!" theme of most shonen shows actually heartwarming and authentic. It's fun, it's sincere, and it serves as an engaging introduction to the source material (a manga that started in 1997 and continues to publish chapters almost 30 years later).
One thing that helps is that the show takes diverse representation seriously. Many American-produced live-action anime adaptations have faced scrutiny for white-washing the characters. One Piece's diverse cast defies this trend, which makes the developing themes around racism, gender stereotypes, and systematic oppression all the more impactful.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about friendship and leadership. What is it about Luffy that makes other characters become his friends and want to join his crew? What does Luffy learn about the responsibility of leadership?
Luffy's mentor tells him that violence isn't always the answer, but the Straw Hat Pirates often find themselves in violent situations. How do characters in the show use violence to achieve their means? How do they find ways to avoid violence? How do their approaches to conflict influence how we might handle conflict in our own lives?
Families can talk about substance use. Why do characters drink alcohol? How does it affect them? What does a healthy relationship to alcohol and other substances look like?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
