Awesome Music / One Piece

"Gather up all of the crew,
It's time to ship out Bink's Brew..."

As should be expected, an epic series like One Piece deserves an epic soundtrack.

Awesome Music pages are Spoilers Off. You Have Been Warned.

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Openings

• Nothing beats the original opening song, "We Are!", by Hiroshi Kitadani, which can in many respects be considered the series' theme song. While One Piece has many great opening and ending songs, this is the only one that sounds apart from mainstream J-music, and more like something specifically written for the show (it was composed by Kouhei Tanaka, after all). It's cheery, upbeat, and has a great singer, and the accompanying animation is impressive. And if you've been a fan of the series for so long and look back upon it, it's bound to strike a few chords in your heart.
  • For you dubs fans out there, the Funimation version is amazing.
  • The version with all the Straw Hats singing together is even better, turning it into Heartwarming Music. (There really should be a page for that.)
  • It even makes it into an instrumental, one of the best in the series. It usually plays after the Big Bad is taken down, and everyone's having a good time in the aftermath. Fittingly, it's called, "We did it-Party!"
  • And here's the Animetal USA cover.
  • This 2013 cover by AAA, made for one of the movies.
  • It is also used in the live-action series, remixed into a more pirate-sounding piece that combines riffs from the five founding members of the Straw Hat crew.
• The intros to the English version of the second opening, "Believe" and the third opening "Toward the Light" are pretty inspirational.
• Opening 6, "Brand New World" is possibly the best opening, as one of the few that shows exciting scenes from the current arc.
• "Jungle P" by 5050 (the 9th opening) is an epic yet catchy song that fits the Thriller Bark Arc like a glove.
• The Ten Year Anniversary remix of "We Are". Knowing that an anime has lasted for ten years and is still going strong is definitely a triumphant moment for fans.
• "Share The World" by TVXQ continues One Piece's legacy of having great openings. And you know Hyadain, the guy who does a whole lot of awesome Video Game remixes? He's actually a professional composer, his real name is Kenichi Mayamada, and he composed "Share the World". AWESOME.
• The 12th opening, "Kaze wo Sagashite" ("Search for the Wind") definitely upholds the standard for great One Piece music. In addition, the TV version is accompanied with epic animation to set up for the Marineford Arc. An awesome sort of Easter Egg is that, Marineford Arc animations aside, many of the scenes at the beginning of the animation with the Straw Hat group are actually animations of color spreads found in the manga, which quickly turns to the events of Impel Down.
• If we must speak of the new One Piece songs, we must not soon forget the 13th opening: "One Day" by The ROOTLESS. It fits the epic and tense feel of the Marineford saga, and also describes the brotherly relationship between Luffy and Ace quite nicely.
• The fourteenth opening, "Fight Together" by Namie Amuro, is absolutely epic, capturing the feel and tone of the series post-Time Skip. Also doubles as a Heartwarming Moment if you watch the animated opening it plays on.
• "We Go". It's a follow up to "We Are!", so you know that would be awesome before even listening to it. Y. Chang's English cover of it is worth listening to as well.
• "Wake Up", by AAA (the same artist as the 2013 remix of "We Are!"), is so gosh-darn happy!
• “Hope”. This song is also sung by Namie Amuro and is considered by many to be one of the best openings in the New World era.
• "Super Powers" by V6. An energetic piece guaranteed to pump you up for the coming episode.
• "Over The Top". Now the fourth opening song sung by mainstay Hiroshi Kitadani, this may be his finest work on the series since "We Are!". Better yet, an instrumental version of it is played during Luffy's fight with Kaidou!
• "UUUUUS!" For Hiroshi Kitadani's fifth opening, he brings out all the stops on this grandiose song accompanied by splendid animation, signifying the beginning of the end.
• Say what you want about the 4Kids Entertainment version of the series, but it's hard not to love the rap theme. YA-YO! Years later, the original rapper came back and did an extended version featuring verses for the later additions to the Straw Hat crew.

Movies

• Both versions of the eighth movie song "Compass". So pretty...
• The Movie 10 ending theme, "fanfare", is just plain epic. Unfortunately, due to legal reasons, it couldn't make it into Funimation's release.
• The 11th movie, Straw Hat Chase, has "Break into the Light" by the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra.
• "Ready!" from Folder5. The song's so good it was the main focus of one of the shorts, Jango's Dance Carnival.
• In building up for Film Red, the announcement of seven different tie-in songs for the movie was made, all featuring the vocals of Ado (Uta's singing voice) alongside seven prolific musicians from Japan, which would all be released weekly up to the release of the movie. "New Genesis", the song featured in the film's official trailer, and the in-universe song that put Uta on the map, features an intense and energetic tune co-produced by Yasutaka Nakata of Capsule fame.

OST

• All of the Straw Hats' themes are awesome, and fit them to a T. Sanji's is jazzy and suave, Robin's is sexy, classy and elegant, Usopp's is fast-paced and upbeat, Nami's is cute and mischievous, Zoro's is dark and serious, Franky's is triumphant and awesome (So awesome it was even used before Franky was introduced), Brook's starts off creepy, then becomes goofy and happy, mirroring people's reactions to him (At first they're scared, then realize that Brook is a Nice Guy), Luffy's is adventurous, and Chopper's is cute and happy, curious even.
• "Karakuri Defense System, Activate" is a very foreboding track that usually precedes the appearance of an enemy stronghold or a huge threat bursting onto the scene. Most notably, it's used to introduce Enies Lobby headquarters and showcase the moment when Blackbeard reveals he can use two Devil Fruit powers simultaneously.
• "Karakuri Castle, Transform" is arguably one of the most intense, fast-paced fight themes in any show, and especially by anime's standards. Played often through the series, KCT makes any scene that much more thrilling.
• "Overtaken" makes any scene in which it's played instantly better, because it's usually when the Straw Hats have decided that, no matter how much punishment they've taken already, no matter how hopeless the situation has become, no matter how powerful the Big Bad is, these guys will not back down, they will not surrender, they will pull out all the stops and won't quit until they're dead or have put the villains in their place. If "Overtaken" has come on, you know the Mugiwara/Straw Hat Pirates have just officially declared that SOMEONE is about to get their shit DESTROYED.
• May be Heartwarming/Tear-Jerking Music instead, but Bink's Sake, or Bink's Brew, definitely qualifies as awesome.
  • Hearing Brook sing a quiet, ethereal version of the first verse while an unstoppable monkey spider zombie freaks out at the very sound is Brook's first Moment of Awesome, making the soft music awesome but not really as heartwarming as it usually is. Cue copious asskicking.
  • And here's what the ethereal version sounds like in the Funimation Dub. Ian Sinclair is a beast as Brook.
  • Those who love "Bink's Sake" will love the DcII Straw Hat Version.
  • There's also the violin instrumental version, which was used to devastating effect at the end of Episode 405.
  • The version sung by the Roger Pirates. Perfect for the king's final journey. Made funnier with Oden attempting to sing along but clearly not knowing the lyrics.
• "After Eating, Grand Line" does a good job of showing the Straw Hats going into ominous situations, and often plays when an episode ends on a Cliffhanger.
• For many One Piece fans, nothing can top the sheer Triumph of the end of the final Luffy/Crocodile fight done to the tune of the New World Symphony by Dvorak. Except perhaps, "Ode to Joy" during the defeat of Sanji and Zoro's zombies as Hogback cries out his defeat.
• It's not Dvorak, but the piece that plays during that scene's recreation in Movie 8 (and later on in the actual anime for Rob Lucci's defeat), "I Will Surpass You!", has a wonderful build-up of pain and sorrow before exploding in a triumphant and furious climax as Luffy puts everything he has into his last move to defeat the Big Bad.
• "Straw Hat Pirates Fight". It's just perfect when Luffy and all of his friends are working together and kicking ass.
• The triumphant "Luffy's Fierce Attack", or Three Towers (ideal for storming enemy bases) and its partner in crime, Straw Hat Pirates, Begin Counterattack. And to finish with some awesomeness, Franky's Theme. It's actually a bit from a much earlier piece, but when someone has this as their leitmotif, you know something cool is about to happen.
• It may have come from a filler movie but this track has quickly become the new favorite for climactic action sequences: Ace's final battle with Blackbeard and Luffy's epic punching of the Celestial Dragon just to name a few.
• While it started out as a funny gag song, (warning, clip arguably has some spoiler material prior to Enies Lobby) "The Man from the Island of Snipers" becomes Awesome Music when Usopp gets dangerous. After all, this is a series about fulfilling one's dreams — so what is more badass in context than a song about one's dream self? Also comes in a dubbed version.
• The most terrifying combination of music when played to the presence of someone like Bartholomew Kuma has to be Desperate Situation and Difficult. If either one of those pieces are playing, it's usually a sign that shit has hit the fan. Also, A Dangerous Storm!.
• Facing 3 Admirals, quite possibly the best song from the tenth movie, if not the entire soundtrack. First plays when Luffy stands against the admirals.
• Both versions of Brook's Fight. Both fast-paced, heart pumping pieces.
• Debuting in the Thriller Bark Arc, The Eleven Supernova plays when the good guys are gaining the advantage, or kicking the bad guys' asses.
• Movie 10 introduces a whole brand new slew of awesome music. First there's Run Luffy! which fits the rough, wild nature of the movie's setting perfectly, as well as To East Blue?, which starts out majestically, befitting the Scenery Porn of Merveille's introduction before abruptly shifting gears along with the plot. Next we have Begin the Operation for when the Big Bad's plan goes into motion, and the sad Nami's Message. Then we get Baby Dance, Nami Escapes, Sanji and Usopp, and Sanji's Leg of Wind (the latter apparently having become Boa Hancock's Leitmotif), all catchy, jazz swing pieces. Rounding out the battle music are Zoro's Nine Blades (actually a rearrangement of the much earlier "Gomu Gomu vs. Goe Goe" piece mentioned above), and the appropriately climatic The Final Battle. Finally, there's Message of Faith, showing the return to normalcy for the Straw Hats as well as underscoring the Heartwarming Moment that the film ends on.
• Zoro vs General Maji and Sanji vs Captain Honki, both from the 7th movie.
• The music in the OVA Defeat the Pirate Ganzack is all kinds of awesome. A shame that none of those tracks were reused for the actual show when it came out.
• The moment you hear Uunan and the Stone Storage Room, expect a really serious scene to take place.
• The music at the end of the episode where Oars, dying, reaches out to Ace is the most amazing, heart-rending piece. It's called "Dokuro ga Shinnen no Shouchou", and is from the 9th Movie Soundtrack.
• I'm Becoming the King of Pirates! gives off the sense of joy and adventure the series loves.
• Sign of Friendship from the 8th movie. First used when the Straw Hats say goodbye to Vivi at the end of the movie, but it's best known for The Going Merry's Big Damn Hero moment in the Enies Lobby Arc.
• Dokuro wa Shinnen no Shouchou from the 9th Movie. Notable moments when this song played during the anime includes the part in Impel Down where Luffy tells Iva that he's going to Marineford to rescue Ace and, more memorably, the scene where Whitebeard makes an epic Last Stand against the marines. Also featured in the clash between Luffy and Don Chinjao, the first battle where both fighters were confirmed to have Haoshoku Haki. It is also featured when Monkey D Dragon puts out the fire on Gray Terminal and invites the Bluejam Pirates to join the Revolutionary Army in the fight for freedom.
• Gomu Gomu no Bazooka! (2:00 is especially epic)
• "Can't Escape, Fight", the song that plays when Luffy is fighting Wyper, is nothing short of kick-ass.
• Whenever Luffy's Here starts playing, you can expect Luffy to either have an epic entrance or do something amazing.
• Shuraiya vs Needorusu is the song they play when shit goes down. Originally from Movie 4.
• The second part from The World's Number One Oden Store is an amazingly beautiful track, and does a great job of getting across the great things that tend to happen in One Piece flashbacks (Saul's betrayal of the marines and Roger/Rayleigh's first meetings stand out).
• Karakuri Defense System, Deploy is the kind of theme that makes any dramatic scene twice as intense. Usually played whenever the bad guy has the upper hand in a fight, or when there's impending doom.
• The song that plays in various flashbacks (such as the barkeep's reminiscence of Gold Roger) is particularly great, providing a trailer-esque quality to the flashbacks, and sounding great on its own.
• Luffy versus Rachet Round 1 and Luffy versus Ratchet Round 2 from Movie 7. Mostly Round 2; when that plays, you KNOW something big is about to happen.
• Mother Sea is Tearjerker and Heartwarming put into musical form.
• Z adds a number of impressive action soundtracks to the series's music collection, such as "Z vs. the Straw Hat Pirates", "Fierce Battle" - a medley of battle music for the Monster Trio, and "A Grand Battle". It also contains the heroic "Now Onward to the Island of the Final Battle! and the melancholy sailors' hymn "Ocean Guide". Of course, there's other awesome tracks that deserve mention. Robin's Dance is a catchy, oriental music played during, well, Robin's dance; ZEAL, the opening theme of the movie, and Z's Tragedy, a dark and sad theme that fittingly plays when Garp reveals Z's Dark and Troubled Past.
• The New Animal King. A triumphant-sounding tune, fitting for big moments (Vivi's introduction during her coming of age speech) and after big victories (Luffy vs Lucci).
• The Marine Swordsman's Battle Cry. Serious music for serious moments, perfect for setting up big events (like Shanks' meeting with Whitebeard).
• Musshuru vs Luffy - Conclusion is intense and triumphant, usually played when there's a big finishing move.
• The Straw Hats Counterattack is lauded as one of the greatest tracks in the series by a lot of fans, mainly due to one key moment it's played: when Shanks appears to stop the Marineford War.
• A yet unreleased track has been played a few times in the Dressrosa Arc, essentially solidifying itself as Doflamingo's leitmotif. It's a sinister, chilling theme that fits the character incredibly well.
• The Time of Promise has joined Mother Sea as one of the most heart-wrenching tracks in the series, and is used beautifully during tragic or emotional moments.
• The Very, Very, Very Strongest, which plays when Luffy takes down 50,000 New Fishmen Pirates with one burst of Conqueror's Haki.
• To Victory, which plays when Usopp stands up against Perona on Thriller Bark, and again when the Thousand Sunny's Gaon Cannon is first used.
• The New World soundtrack features some amazing pieces used in the Dressrosa arc. Dressrosa is an upbeat Spanish guitar piece that does an excellent job of setting the mood for the new arc's setting and Dressrosa's Hidden Secrets is a Ghibli-esque piano piece that gives any scene it's played in a haunting beauty.
• The theme for Gear Fourth is a standout for a Theme Music Power-Up.
• Guardian of Alabasta is easily one of the single most intense pieces in the series. It debuted in Episode of Alabasta when Pell sacrifices himself, but it's best known for its use during the Marineford Arc when Luffy launches his attack against the three Admirals.
• Film Gold has a number of excellent pieces, including the swingtastic Gold & Jive, the badass and intense Daigyakuten, Kyukyoku no Entertainment, or Sakusenkaigi.
• Bonds of the Samurai and Mink Group plays during the reveal towards the end of the Zou arc. A emotional and beautiful Japanese-style track for the epic scene.
• Katakuri's Theme, a dark and ominous leitmotif mirroring Big Mom's strongest commander and strongest son.
• Germa 66 Transform! Both Version 1 and Version 2 purposely invoke the soundtracks of Super Sentai, playing during Germa's brilliantly animated henshin sequences.
• Capone "Gang" Bege's Theme is a dark yet jaunty tune fit for a mafia boss.
• Luffy's Feelings, Come Back Sanji!, a heart-rending track following Sanji beating Luffy and refusing to return without saying why, plays as Luffy knows he's lying and demands he come back, even declaring his intent to go on a hunger strike.
• Charlotte Pudding- Hidden Face plays upon the reveal of Pudding's true nature, showing she is not as good as she claimed.
• Soul Pocus ~Song of the Queen~, the final operatic tune to close out Whole Cake Island as the Straw Hats escape while Jinbe, the New Sun Pirates, and the Germa 66 fend off Big Mom's crew.
• Wano Country - Opening Curtains, Closing Curtains, a very Japanese-inspired shamisen track that plays at the beginning and ending of each act of Wano.
• Kaido's Theme is an imposing track bolstering the world's strongest creature.
• Onigashima's Theme is just as imposing as Kaido, reflecting the feeling of infiltrating a dangerous enemy's lair.
• When it came Sanji's time to transform in his Germa outfit, it was outfitted perfectly with Transform!! Sanji to Soba Mask!, going for a lighter tone than previous Germa themes to show that Sanji is a hero.
• Oden's Theme, a high-energy theme just as grand as Oden.
• Oden's Adventures, Travels with Whitebeard and Roger, an epic track reflective of Oden seeing the world and sailing with two incredible men.
• Oden's Public Execution incorporates Oden's leitmotif for his final moments as he declares Wano will be open and Kaido will fall.
• Depart! Nine Red Scabbards is a heartwarmingly beautiful track that first plays when Oden and the Akazaya Nine marches straight towards Kaido.
• Kozuki Oden's Feelings - Open the Borders of Wano Country plays when the Akazaya Nine, carrying on Oden's will, charge Kaido at the start of the raid.
• Though it has yet to play in the anime, Luffy~Awakening~ is an amazing track. The use of drums and the fact this dropped after Chapter 1043 only bolstered its quality with fans.
• Awakened Luffy's Performance is a great boisterous battle theme, with more than a shade of Luffy's own theme used in it - almost a Triumphant Reprise, worthy of a hero back from the dead.
• Drums of Liberation, sounding at the end of Chapter 1070, has a lot of things - rhythm, impact, and the sense that what's going to follow is nothing short of awesome.
• Duel That Defies Description uses screeching violins and aggressive brass notes to create an intense and oppressive piece that would fit right in with a horror movie or a nightmare. It perfectly sets the mood for the movie scene it debuts in, although the main series never gets nearly as creepy, so the effect is limited whenever it plays there.
• The Most Ridiculous Power in the World encapsulates 5th Gear's wildness, while Gear 5 Battle is a more kookily piece that wouldn't be out of place if Looney Tunes was an anime. Both tracks are also somewhat triumphant as if Tanaka was purposely delivering on the year-long hype between the manga and anime debuts.

Character Singles

• Family is a wholesome celebration of the Found Family that Straw Hats have made for themselves, performed by the cast, with new versions for recorded when the crew grew to nine, and later ten.
• Sea Moon, Sea You, sung by a young Sanji, is a hauntingly beautiful tune.
• The ending of the Romance Dawn Story OVA, A Thousand Dreamers, is very heartwarming. It's all the Straw Hats singing together a happy song about their Cool Boat, the Thousand Sunny.
• The Chopper Man theme, probably the most adorable superhero song you'll ever hear.
• At the count of Jango, you will listen to this beat. 1, 2, Jango!
• "Bink's Brew" is Brook's theme song, sung by himself or with others. Even the beautiful duet with Laboon is as Tear Jerker. It even appears in the live action series as a piano and violin ensemble.
• Go on, try to listen to Blackbeard's character song Now My Hands Get!!! without headbanging. Go on. We dare you.
• "One-World", sung by Luffy, is an uplifting and amazing song, with its lyrics about going on a worldwide adventure. We also get to hear Luffy say "Hello!" in various languages, giving off a sense of unity. And if that wasn't heartwarming enough, there's a version where the whole crew sings it. If you (somehow) didn't think of the Straw Hats as a Found Family before, you will after this.
• "Live Today!" may start out a little tepid, but as soon as Luffy's vocals kick in, it becomes a very horn-heavy track that almost seems like a direct callback to "We Are!" and goes from "passable" to "amazing".
• "Yujo wa Bannoyaku", sung by Chopper, is a very danceable song with enough slow moments to balance its more energetic moments out, and manages to capture Chopper's character perfectly in the lyrics.
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Other Music from Anime

• Luffy defeating Crocodile to Dvorak's 9th Symphony, "From the New World", Allegro con fuoco.
• Scratchmen Apoo weaponizes this trope!
• Rather than just dubbing "We Are" into German, they made an entirely original song for the show's first opening in Germany. The result? Die Legende.
• The Italian dub's opening is really catchy from the beginning!
• The "Soul King's" final song, New World! So kickass that his fans jumped to hold back a force of invading Marines just so they could listen to it. Here's the full version. And now the long-awaited English version by Ian Sinclair is just as awesome.
• This English cover of "Share the World" is just like how Funimation would handle it if they were still dubbing the theme songs.
• Big Mom's introductory Villain Song, "Bloody Party", is just as cheerful and violent as it sounds.
• Zoom Zoom, Queen and Scratchmen Apoo's song for the Golden Festival. The Awesome Art that came with Wano's Art Shift helps makes this song even better.
• Gear 5's Heartbeat Soundtrack as heard in the anime, first in this teaser before making its full debut in episode 1070, is precisely as joyous, uplifting, powerful, and ridiculous as the manga implied.

One Piece (2023) Live Action

Composed by Sonya Belousova, Giona Ostinelli, Marcin and others, it remixes some tracks from the anime soundtrack.

• 01. "Wealth, Fame, Power" begins with a dark and mighty remix of Gol D. Roger's theme, but then transitions to Luffy's theme as a symbolic meaning of one's end being another's beginning.
• 02. "My Sails Are Set", sung by Aurora, is a lyrical piece that culminates Nami's storyline in the East Blue Saga.
• 14. "The World's Great Swordsman or Woman", Rorona Zoro's theme, is a Japanese-sounding piece. It gets remixed into "Wado Ichimonji", reflecting his childhood, and "Ronorona Zoro", which gradually builds up its suspense before erupting into an epic piece.
• 16. "I'm Gonna Be King of the Pirates / We Are!", Luffy's theme mixed with "Overtaken" and "We Are", capturing the spirit of the series.
• 22. "Dracule Mihawk", a majestic piece that befits one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, sounding like something out of Bleach and Zorro with its Mexican riffs. It gets combined Zoro's theme to produce two epic pieces: "Zoro Vs Mihawk" and "Wounds on the Back Are a Swordsman's Greatest Shame", both being duels much the scenes they were played in.
• 27. "Nami": It begins cold and drap, hinting to her Dark and Tragic Past, before transiting to an upbeat and jazzy tune that alludes to her moniker "Cat Burglar Nami".
• 36. "The Real Adventures of Captain Usopp", Usopp's theme, opens up epic-sounding to reflect his bravado as a liar before winding down into a calmer yet full piece that perfectly shows his personality as someone timid yet willing to face his fears to stand by his friends.
• 47. "Buggy the Clown" is mix of dark-sounding suspense and circus whimsy, a Dark Reprise of "Buggy's Horror Dai Circus" that befits him and his crew.
• 65. "Who's Hungry", the Arlong Pirates' theme, is a suspenseful jazz piece. It gets remixed into "Bang" (Rap vocals by Flawless Real Talk) and "Welcome Arlong Park".

One Piece video games

One Piece Grand Battle!

• Choose Your Character!, though repetitive, has a surprisingly good keyboard solo around 0:56 in.
• Paradise of the Fish People, a catchy Arlong Park theme that will be stuck in your mind. Many people declared this song as "the best theme in the whole game".
• Fate, an intense track for the final battle in Event Battle mode.

One Piece Grand Battle! 2

• Select Now!, a character select theme that sounds more upbeat and hopeful than its first game counterpart.
• Country de Fosha, the cheerful and catchy theme for Fusha Village (Luffy's homeland).
• Hill Road with a Sea Breeze, a theme for Syrup Village (Usopp's homeland). Based on this progressive tune alone, you know that the composer improved a lot compared to the previous installment.
• Holiday in the Park, a theme for Arlong Park in the second Grand Battle game. While it sounds completely different from its first game counterpart, it is still a good song.

The America-exclusive Game Boy Advance platformer

• Loguetown Area 1 has an upbeat music that, while may be a bit unfitting, it sounds very good!.
• Navy Base Area 2 has a badass music that is sounds like you're gonna have a blast, while also saving Zoro's life in the process.
• the music that plays when Smoker chases Luffy right after the latter defeats the former in the former's boss battle is catchy and fits the situation.

Other One Piece music

• Future Island, the song celebrating the release of Chapter 1096, the start of the Future Island or Egghead Arc. Done in collaboration with hololive's Calliope Mori, it's an upbeat jpop tune featuring Mori's excellent vocals and rapping. The collaboration with Mori, a vtuber, also goes well with the "future" theme of the arc.