One Piece: 5 Episodes New Fans Must Watch Before Netflix's Live-Action Series

"One Piece" premieres to Netflix on August 31, adapting one of the all-time leading anime and manga franchises to a live-action TV format for the first time in its more than 25-year history. Over the course of its historic run, the original "One Piece" manga has encompassed 1090 chapters and counting, whereas the anime series is now more than 1070 episodes in length. For newcomers, then, catching up the series in its entirety before its newest incarnation drops on Netflix is practically impossible.

The story that Netflix's "One Piece" will cover, however, amounts to a fraction of that, likely equivalent to around 45 anime episodes or 95 manga chapters. Of course, even just getting through either of these stretches is still a considerable time commitment. So, with that in mind, here are five of the most essential episodes of the "One Piece" anime from the span of material that Netflix's adaptation is expected to cover that are recommended for complete newcomers.

While "One Piece" Episode 1 is something of a classic for how it introduces protagonist Monkey D. Luffy, its story effectively stands alone and revolves around a few side characters who aren't very important through the rest of the material Netflix is adapting. Episode 2, however, is essential for its introduction of Luffy's first crewmate, Roronoa Zoro.

One of the first things viewers learn about Luffy in the "One Piece" anime is that — despite his friendly, optimistic demeanor — he wants to become the world's most notorious pirate. To do so, of course, he needs the world's greatest crew. Even in the latest episodes of "One Piece," Luffy is still in the process of strengthening his crew, and this narrative arc kicks off in Episode 2 when he decides to recruit Zoro as his first shipmate. Furthermore, in this episode viewers meet Zoro as he's facing a harsh punishment after standing up to a Marine in order to help a little girl. Personal sacrifice and resisting immoral authority figures are frequent plot points throughout "One Piece" that this episode likewise establishes.

When "One Piece" Episode 1 opens, viewers meet Luffy in media res, near the start of his pirate journey but nevertheless after he's already set out to sea. Episode 4 is the first time the show flashes back to Luffy's past and lets viewers know just why he's so committed to being a pirate.

The principal inspiration for Luffy's dream is one of the world's strongest pirates, Red-Haired Shanks. As a child, Luffy sees Shanks every time he stops at Dawn Island, which is where he's growing up in this flashback sequence. While he wants to be just like his mentor, Shanks wants to keep Luffy away from the dangerous pirating lifestyle. Angry with Shanks — for not supporting his dream, and in the moment for not fighting back against a disrespectful bandit — Luffy eats a rare Devil Fruit that Shanks was transporting. This grants him the ability to stretch his body like rubber while making him unable to swim in seawater. Episode 4, then, explains both Luffy's goal of becoming the Pirate King and the source of his superpowers.

"One Piece" Episode 8 isn't the first episode that revolves around a major battle, but the fight between Luffy and fellow pirate captain Buggy the Clown sets the tone for the series' signature style of action better than any of the big fights before it.

Luffy first encounters Buggy in Episode 5 after meeting his future shipmate Nami. Prior to this, Luffy's two biggest antagonists are Alvida, who he defeats handily in Episode 1, and Marine Captain Morgan, who he and Zoro overcome in just two episodes. Luffy's conflict with Buggy, meanwhile, encompasses four episodes, over the course of which he and his small crew must first defeat a few lackeys. While its scale pales in comparison to later story arcs — the Wano Arc, for example, is on track to total nearly 200 episodes — this nevertheless sets a precedent for a recurring storytelling format that sees Luffy and his crew fight their way to a powerful pirate captain whom Luffy must then face in a climactic final battle.

Luffy's fight with Buggy is the centerpiece of Episode 8, and establishes a couple of important "One Piece" tropes. Fans of other shonen anime franchises, for example, might be surprised by the silliness of Luffy's strategy against Buggy despite their conflict's serious stakes. Silliness In the face of danger is not just a recurring style element but key to the philosophy at the heart of "One Piece."

By "One Piece" Episode 26, Luffy's crew has grown considerably, now including swordsman Zoro, navigator Nami, and marksman Usopp. Next to join is chef Sanji, who Luffy and friends meet on a restaurant ship called the Baratie. There, Captain Zeff employs Sanji as a chef. At the start of this story arc, viewers witness a sort of tough love from Zeff toward Sanji, but it's not until Episode 26 that the source of their dynamic becomes fully apparent during a flashback to the time they first met.

In short, Zeff was once a pirate who boarded a ship on which a young Sanji was working. Amidst Zeff's attack they became shipwrecked on a small, barren island. Their survival, viewers find out, hinged on Zeff making a stoic sacrifice for young Sanji, who he barely knew at the time. By this point, viewers have already learned of tragedies in the backstories of Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp, but Zeff's selflessness is arguably even more heart-wrenching than anything that has come before it. This both deepens Sanji's character significantly and, once again, establishes a precedent that "One Piece" continues to follow to this day as characters are still becoming increasingly sympathetic after lengthy flashback sequences.

"One Piece" Episode 37 falls midway through the Arlong Park Story Arc, which itself is near the end of the East Blue Saga. Based on promotional materials released ahead of its premiere, Netflix's "One Piece" looks like it will cover the majority of the East Blue Saga over the course of its eight episodes. The Arlong Park Arc will likely be the focus of the final two episodes of Netflix's "One Piece" judging by their titles. Episode 37 of the anime features a moment that's arguably one of the most emotionally weighty in the series' history, and that served as the source of the only scene that made Nami actor Emily Rudd nervous while filming its Netflix adaptation.

Leading up to this key moment, Nami has left Luffy's Straw Hat Crew after revealing that she's actually subservient to the Arlong Pirates. Viewers soon find out that Nami hates the Arlong Pirates, however, but is working for them to save her home village in one of numerous instances of a protagonist making a selfless sacrifice. After keeping herself at a distance from her former Straw Hat Crew shipmates, in Episode 37 Nami breaks down and opens herself up emotionally to Luffy, giving him the green light to face his biggest adversary yet in a conflict that remains a series high point even as the anime approaches the 1100 episode mark.