One Piece has consistently been Shounen Jump's most popular manga and anime since its first release on July 22, 1997. It's now more popular than ever, with the manga entering its final saga, the anime boasting high-quality production, and the new animated feature film, One Piece Film: Red, just released worldwide. With the release of the new film, some fans have begun to wonder where these events fit into the One Piece timeline and whether the One Piece movies are canon or not.

1. One Piece Movie: A Strong World – Canon

This is the 10th One Piece animated feature film and the first with its original creator, Eiichiro Oda, involved in the production. Eiichiro Oda wrote the script for the film and produced it. In previous films, Oda only provided approved character designs and story ideas.

The events of the film are said to take place between the Thriller Bark Arc and the Sabaody Archipelago Arc, as Brook is considered a member of the Straw Hat Pirates. The film also features Golden Lion Shiki as the villain, a canonical character from One Piece who was one of Gol D. Roger's rivals, a former member of the Rock Pirates, and the first person to escape from Impel Down. This information appears first in the manga, not the film.

Given that the film features actual One Piece characters throughout the story, provides important information to the series, and was written and produced by its original creator, Eiichiro Oda, it's safe to consider the film's canon. However, this isn't a must-watch, as you don't necessarily need to watch this film to read or watch One Piece.

2. One Piece Movie: Z – Mixed Canon

One Piece Film: Z is the 12th One Piece animated feature film and the second to have its original creator, Eiichiro Oda, involved in the production. Instead of writing and producing this film as he did with the previous one, Eiichiro Oda only produced this film and did not write it.

Despite being produced by Eiichiro Oda, this film doesn't have much content that could lead it to be considered canon. The only difference this film has compared to the original manga is that it was responsible for the debut of many Marines after the time skip, as they had yet to appear in the manga when the film was released.

3. One Piece Movie: Gold – non-canon

One Piece Film: Gold is the 13th One Piece animated feature film and the third to have its original creator, Eiichiro Oda, involved in the production. Just like with the previous one, Eiichiro Oda only served as an executive producer on this one and did not write the script. In fact, he collaborated on the script by writing the film's climax and its final ten minutes because he disagreed with the director's vision for it.

This film cannot be properly placed in the One Piece timeline because it doesn't make much sense. It supposedly takes place after the Dressrosa Arc, since Luffy has already defeated Doflamingo and Sabo has the power of the Mera Mera Fruit, and before the Zou Arc, since Nami still doesn't have her enhanced weapon. However, during the time between these two arcs, the Straw Hats weren't together, making it impossible to make this film.

4. One Piece: Stampede – mixed canon

One Piece: Stampede is the 14th One Piece animated feature film and the fourth to have its original creator, Eiichiro Oda, involved in the production. This time, however, Eiichiro Oda only served as a creative supervisor and neither produced nor wrote the film. He also stated that he would not have authorized the making of this film if it had not been a celebration of One Piece's 20th anniversary.

It is also the first film Eiichiro Oda appeared in that did not have the subtitle "One Piece Film:".

Much like the previous one, this film doesn't fit properly into the One Piece timeline. This film should have taken place between the Whole Cake Island arc and the Wano Country arc, but again, the Straw Hat Pirates weren't together at the time, making it impossible to make this film during the proper One Piece timeline.

The film contains important information about the One Piece canon. This is the first time the correct name of the Grand Line's final island, Laugh Tale, is revealed, unlike its first manga debut much later. It also features a Log Pose to Laugh Tale, a compass that supposedly leads directly to the island.

5. One Piece Movie: Red – Mixed Canon

One Piece Film: Red is the 15th and final One Piece animated feature film and the fifth to have its original creator, Eiichiro Oda, involved in the production. On this film, he served as general producer and supervisor and has not yet written the script.

This film also doesn't fit well into the One Piece timeline. It should happen after the Wano Country Arc since Jinbe is with the Straw Hat Pirates and Luffy can use Gear 5, but Luffy is still called the Fifth Emperor, and Big Mom also seems undefeated as Emperor. However, this film has canonical qualities since the new character Uta briefly appeared in the manga and was confirmed by Eiichiro Oda to have existed in canon.

By now, you should already have a good grasp of the One Piece movie canon and whether or not they're mandatory viewing. However, these movies are just as entertaining as the original content and are definitely worth your time. I hope you're ready to binge-watch all of these movies and get even more into this incredible series.

Got anything to add? Let us know in the comments below!