One Piece Fan Letter is officially one of the top-rated anime of all time. The One Piece spin-off — an adaptation of One Piece Nove: Straw Hat Stories —is a compilation of short stories about members of the Straw Hats told from the perspective of side characters.
Developed in celebration of the franchise's 25th anniversary, the special debuted in Japan this week. Not only is One Piece Fan Letter one of the best anime of 2024, but it's also one of the top-rated anime of all time.
That's according to My Anime List, a social networking site that ranks anime and manga based on a user list-like system. As of this writing, One Piece Fan Letter has a score of 9.24, which makes it the second-highest-scored anime of all time.
It trails only Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, the 2023 release with a 9.32 rating that took the crown from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood in late March. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood had previously been the highest-rated anime on MAL for years, but now it's No. 3 with a rating of 9.09.
One Piece Fan Letter is currently available to stream on Crunchyroll with subtitles. The platform describes the episode synopsis:
Two years after the Paramount War, the Straw Hats are about to reunite on the Sabaody Archipelago. At the same time, a girl who is head over heels for Nami is trying to hand a fan letter to her before the group leaves the island.
The episode features short stories that focus on the Straw Hat crew. Nami, Luffy, Zoro, and Franky, each have stories told about them. Here's how each of the stories is described in the original novel:
- Nami: “A young shut-in from Sabaody with an obsession for female pirates falls in love with her idol, Nami. When she hears of the Straw Hats returning at the Archipelago after 2 years, she hopes to catch a glimpse of the woman that changed her life.”
- Luffy: “During the battle of Marineford, a Marine witnesses Luffy rescuing Ace. Witnessing the bond between the two brothers makes him question his relationship with his own brother, who is also fighting in the war.”
- Zoro: “In a bar at Dress Rosa, a drunk Zoro enters a powerscaling debate with a bunch of Marines about who the strongest swordsman in the world is: Mihawk, Shanks, Vista, Ryuma, or Zoro; without any of the Marines realizing who he really is.”
- Franky: “A young girl moves to Water 7 from another island and takes the job of managing a bookstore. There she hears stories about Franky from different familiar faces, as she grows accustomed to her new life in the Water Capital.”
One Piece Fan Letter is directed by Megumi Ishitani — best known for directing episodes 957, 1015, and openings 25 and 26, of the anime series — with a screenplay by Momoka Toyoda (My Happy Marriage) and character designs and animation direction from Keisuke Mori, who also worked on opening 26.
Have you watched One Piece Fan Letter? If so, do you agree that it is one of the best anime ever?