One Piece story telling Analysis - The Beauty and importance of Wano's Acts

One piece is a legendary story where each element of its storytelling has certain nuances to it and can generally end up being more significant than our initial perception of that element.

Many believe that the story as we know it, is continuously following an Act like structure where the East Blue was the prologue of the series (first act where the characters are introduced).

The initial sagas ever since the straw hats entered the grand line can be interpreted as the second Act until of course the start of Water 7 Saga. 

From there on out, till the heartbreaking end of Marineford, the story can be perceived as the 3rd Act, generally assumed to end at a great point of tragedy, which it obviously did.

Then there is the 4th act which centers around the conflicts of the new world which we are currently going through.

The 5th act will end being the final Saga which leads to the increasingly hyped Grand Finale of this beautiful journey, if we consider the traditional manner than the fifth act is supposed to wrap up the story quite rapidly, and since Oda said that One Piece will soon enter its final phase, we can assume that things are indeed going to take place quite fast after Wano.

Story Structures

Or at least, that’s how a number of fans interpret One Piece’s storytelling to be, but Oda himself has never stated that the One Piece storyline is divided into acts, rather, it’s an interpretation, as it is also the case with most other stories.

These stories follow a definitive story structure where it can either be a three act story structure with a beginning, a middle, and a climax, or an intricate five act story structure where there is a considerable introduction, blooming action be it literally or metaphorically, an instance of great tragedy or climax to something profound, falling action, and then the finale to wrap up the story.

Be that as it may, these are still traditional definitions of what an act is supposed to signify, that’s why the execution can greatly differ when comparing two works of fiction, also most works generally follow a three act story structure.

However, while many of One Piece arcs are set up for interpretation as to how the nature of the story changed as it progressed in each arc, the introduction of the Wano arc set a stage for a more cultured approach when it comes to storytelling.

The story is now being told in an Act like “Kabuki play style” manner and most likely seems to be following the renowned Five act structure, but the number of acts could change as we are still no where near the end of this arc.

Now, why did Oda decide to change things up a little?

The most obvious answer is probably the right answer in this case, Oda has foreshadowed and hyped up Wano ever since Thriller bark - both the warrior Ryuma and the main antagonist of this arc, the Emperor Kaido, were introduced all those years ago when the manga was still in Thriller bark.

It was only befitting that the arc he had so genuinely wanted to do would be a tad bit different and more special.

Not to mention, Oda had always wanted to do a more Japanese like arc with Samurai and “Ninjas” but ended up holding off because Naruto was still ongoing at the same time. However, because of that, the stage for Wano has been organically set and even by One Piece’s standards, this is by far the most ambitious arc.

We have a stupid number of characters, a wide range of conflicts, many big players, unexpected yet ever mesmerizing lore, relevant but depressing backstories, and more importantly, this allows the hype bomb that is the Reverie interludes to take place subsequently as we enjoy the Wano arc and get tidbits of what has taken place in the meantime ever since the Reverie.

Oda is being bold in his approach to make this arc as grand and meaningful as possible, and so the use of the story act structures is not only a nice addition to make the arc look more compelling, but also a way to divide the ambitious storytelling into classifiable acts so that it even though it’s way longer than any of the other arcs, it doesn’t feel that long, and the story is properly divided into segments to make everything feel less complex than it actually is.

Furthermore, Oda is having a good time drawing this arc, he even mentioned that the panel he drew for Wano’s introduction is currently his favorite panel of the series.

The manga readers can see that this arc especially shines in the visual aspect.

Plus, since Wano is based on Japan, using the Japanese “Kabuki” theatre play structure adds a new layer of color to this arc.

Five Act Structure

A five-act structure in Kabuki plays comprises of the following acts: Jo, Ha, Ha, Ha, Kyu. (Jo-ha-kyū)

Here, the term “Jo” (序) means “beginning,” the term “Ha” (破) means “break,” and “kyu” (急) means “rapid.”

As you might’ve already realized,

“Jo” is the first Act. It is supposed to be a gradual beginning that introduces us to the main conflict and characters of the story.

“Ha” is basically the Second, Third, and Fourth Act. Where the second and the fourth acts mainly compromise of action, while the third act is supposed to lead up to a great moment of tragedy.

And “Kyu” is the Fifth Act. This is where the story is wrapped up and leads to a satisfying conclusion.

If we go into the traditional definition of Jo-ha-kyu than it basically implies that the play would begin slowly, take its time, and then come to end rapidly.

Oda is indeed following this traditional play style, considering how when an act ends, the curtains close and where are told that the act has just ended.

We are still in act 3, so the greater intentions behind the meaning of these acts is still not clear. But by the time this arc ends, we’ll truly see what this story structure meant in the context of Wano’s narrative.

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