In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the One Piece anime, Toei Animation is conducting a fan poll to determine the top 30 scenes in the anime. The interim results for the top 10 were published on the official X account in late June, and the final results for the top 30 will be revealed on August 10 as part of One Piece Day 2024.

The One Piece scenes that are currently in the top 10 are all scenes that are commonly hailed as the best scenes in the franchise, but one scene, the one in 4th place, especially stands out: it’s the flashback to Yamato learning that Luffy and Roger had the same dream.

The gorgeous artwork and direction were one thing, but even more impressive was that the scene of Yamato learning about Luffy’s dream is actually filler. It’s a testament to how good filler can be, and fortunately, it’s hardly the only example in the One Piece anime.

How the One Piece Anime Used Filler To Create One of Its Best Scenes

Scene featured in One Piece episode #1015: “Straw Hat Luffy – The Man Who Will Become the Pirate King”

While Yamato learning about Luffy and Roger having the same dream happened in the One Piece manga, the execution was completely different in the anime. In the manga, all that happened was a few panels of internal monologue, but in the anime, Yamato’s realization was expressed by witnessing Luffy and Roger revealing their dreams to Ace, Sabo, Whitebeard, and Oden as if this was happening in real time. It added far more to the moment than the manga’s simplistic handling of things, and it was the perfect way of selling its gravitas.

The direction of the scene also played a big part in why it was praised so highly. Thanks to director Megumi Ishitani, the scene of Yamato realizing Luffy and Roger had the same dream was expressed with gorgeous coloring and animation, and it’s a big part of why One Piece episode #1015 is often regarded as one of the best episodes in the anime. Overall, the One Piece anime took what was basically nothing in the manga and expanded on it with gorgeous and creative animation, and that’s why the scene is held in such high regard, despite being filler.

One Piece Has Finally Mastered Filler in Recent Years

The scene of Yamato realizing that Luffy and Roger had the same dream was hardly the last time One Piece used filler like that. In the two years that have gone by since episode #1015, One Piece has repeatedly used filler as a means of expanding the story with gorgeous animation, with notable examples including Zoro and King’s fight and Luffy and Lucci’s rematch. Those examples and others do a great job of adding life to the story in the same way as Yamato’s scene, and sure enough, they’ve all been met with universal praise from fans and critics alike.

What makes all of that even better is how much of a turnaround it is for One Piece. In recent years, One Piece‘s filler content is now used to tremendous effect through better pacing and direction, and now, the anime’s additions are often seen as being better than the original manga. The scene of Yamato learning that Luffy and Roger had the same dream is the perfect example of how good One Piece’s filler has gotten, and it’s likely to remain in such high regard once the rankings are finalized come One Piece Day 2024.

Source: One Piece official X account.