One Piece Box Set 3 Review (Thriller Bark to New World: Volumes 47-70)

The moment we have all been waiting for, the third box set of One Piece is finally out, and here is our indepth review of the One Piece Box Set 3.

Inspired by Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump at a young age and by the animated series Vicky the Viking, Eiichiro Oda wanted to draw a pirate manga series, and hence the birth of “One Piece”.

We have done a review of the One Piece Box Set 1 as well as the One Piece Box Set 2, make sure to check that out if you haven’t already.

   

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One Piece Box Set 3 – The Story Sagas

The third box set of One Piece Manga series consists of several sagas namely The Thriller Bark Saga, The Summit War Saga, The Fish Man Island Saga and last but not the least The Dressrosa Saga. In this review we are going to briefly discuss the highlights of each saga and their respective story arcs.

The Thriller Bark Saga

The Thriller Bark Saga is the fifth saga in the One Piece manga series. It follows the Straw Hat Crew, after their departure from Water 7. The Thriller Bark Saga consists of several filler arcs in the Anime, and only the one Thriller Bark Story Arc in the manga.

The Straw Hat Pirates travel to the ghost island of Thriller Bark, where they encounter the Shichibukai Gecko Moria.

The Thriller Bark Saga – Thriller Bark Arc (Vol 47 to 50)

The Thriller Bark Arc is the first and only story arc in the Thriller Bark Saga. The main highlights of this arc is as follows:

  • The Straw Hats, during their journey into the Florian Triangle arrive at a haunted island/ship called Thriller Bark.
  • This is where they encounter Gecko Moria, Warlord of the Sea. Shadows are stolen by him, and the straw hat crew must hurry to get them back before the sun rises.
  • The Star Hats defeat Moria with the help of a living skeleton named Brook who joins their crew as their musician.
  • To make the Straw Hats’ situation worse, another Warlord shows up!

   

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The Summit War Saga

The Summit War Saga also known as the Whitebeard War Saga and the Paramount War Saga in the official Viz release, is the sixth saga in the One Piece manga series. It is also the last saga of the first half (Sea of Survival: Super Rookies Saga) of the series.

There are many story arcs in this saga namely, Sabaody Archipelago Arc, Amazon Lily Arc, Straw Hat’s Separation Serial Arc, Impel Down Arc, Marineford Arc and last but not the least Post War Arc. We are going to briefly discuss them below.

The Summit War Saga – Sabaody Archipelago Arc (Vol 50 to 53)

The Sabaody Archipelago Arc is the first story arc in the Summit War Saga of the One Piece manga series. The main highlights are as follows:

  • Sabaody Archipelago is the tenth island that the Straw Hats encounter on the Grand Line.
  • The arc takes place in the titular archipelago, and centers around Luffy and his crew coming into conflict with a deadly slave trading ring that sells to the World Nobles.
  • The eleven dangerous rookie pirates known as the Eleven Supernovas arrive, keen on entering the New World through the archipelago as well.
  • This arc marks a turning point for the Straw Hat Pirates since they were all utterly defeated by powerful opponents such as Admiral Kizaru, the Pacifista, Bartholomew Kuma, and Sentomaru.

The Summit War Saga – Amazon Lily Arc (Vol 53 & 54)

The Amazon Lily Arc is the twentieth story arc in the series, and the second in the Summit War Saga of One Piece. The main highlights are as follows:

  • After his defeat at the hands of Kuma in Sabaody Archipelago, Luffy is sent flying and crash lands on Amazon Lily.
  • Amazon Lily is an island exclusive to women that executes males on sight.

The Summit War Saga – Straw Hat’s Separation Serial (Vol 56 & 57)

The Straw Hat’s Separation Serial is a set of Cover Stories, created as a side story on the title pages of each One Piece chapter.

  • It is divided into stories of each crew member of the Straw Hat Pirates apart from Luffy after the crew was separated at the Sabaody Archipelago by Bartholomew Kuma.
  • In the manga, each story runs through two cover pages per member, and they all take place during the arcs where Luffy was separated from them.
  • In the anime, they were shown during Luffy’s travel from Impel Down to Marineford.

The Summit War Saga – Impel Down Arc (Vol 54 to 56)

The Impel Down Arc is the third in the Summit War Saga of the One Piece manga series, continuing from the Amazon Lily Arc. The main highlights are as follows:

  • Luffy puts finding his crew on hold in favor of rescuing his brother Ace from the underwater prison Impel Down.
  • With some assistance from Boa Hancock, he manages to infiltrate the facility.
  • However, fulfilling his objective and escaping the hellish prison might be easier said than done.

The Summit War Saga – Marineford Arc (Vol 56 to 59)

The Marineford Arc (also known as the Paramount War in the Viz Manga translation and the War of the Best in the FUNimation dub and subs) is the fourth in the Summit War Saga of the One Piece manga series, continuing on from Impel Down Arc. The main highlights are as follows:

  • Luffy failed to reach Ace before he was transferred to Marineford.
  • Luffy along with other escapees from Impel Down (which include Jinbe, Emporio Ivankov, Crocodile, Mr. 1, Mr. 3, Buggy and Inazuma) follow his brother to Marineford, the base of Marine Headquarters.
  • With the odds stacked high against him, the coming threat of Whitebeard, and the ulterior motives of pirates that wish to overthrow the Emperor, Luffy struggles to hold his own in this titanic clash of powers.

The Summit War Saga – Post War Arc (Vol 59 to 61)

The Post-War Arc is the final arc in the first half (Sea of Survival: Super Rookies Saga) of the One Piece manga series, continuing on from the Marineford Arc. The main highlights are as follows:

  • The world reels from the death of Whitebeard, causing pandemonium on a global scale.
  • Luffy’s mind and body are in critical condition, having not only endured infiltrating and escaping from Impel Down and battling through the Marines and Warlords of the Sea at Marineford, but having all of his work come to naught due to Ace’s death.
  • Boa Hancock leads the Heart Pirates and the rest of Luffy’s allies to take him to Amazon Lily, where he may recuperate in peace.
  • As the Marines steadily recover from their great battle, Sengoku learns that the World Government is taking disturbing courses of action.
  • Luffy begins to come to terms with his brother Ace’s death, which leads to a flashback of when he met Ace and his friend Sabo for the first time.
  • After being consoled by Jinbe, Luffy remembers that he still has his crew and expresses his desire to see them again.

   

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The Fish Man Island Saga

The Fish-Man Island Saga is the first saga of the second half (also known as The New World) of the manga series, One Piece, and is the seventh saga overall.

This saga consists of two story arcs namely Return to Sabaody Arc and the Fishman Island Arc.

The Fishman Island Saga – Return to Sabaody Arc (Vol 61)

The Return to Sabaody Arc (sometimes known as Straw Hats Return or Straw Hats Reunion Arc) is the first story arc in the Fish-Man Island Saga of the One Piece series. The main highlights are as follows:

  • Set two years after the events of the Marineford Arc
  • Straw Hat Pirates reunite on Sabaody Archipelago to pick up where they left off and to head to Fish-Man Island which they have been planning to do since the Post-Enies Lobby Arc.

The Fishman Island Saga – Fish-Man Island Arc (Vol 61 to 66)

The Fish-Man Island Arc is second and last arc in the Fish-Man Island Saga of the One Piece manga series, continuing on from the Return to Sabaody Arc. The main highlights are as follows:

  • The Straw Hat Pirates finally head for Fish-Man Island after their two year hiatus.
  • Many surprises await them as they head for their undersea destination and even more so once they reach it.

   

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The Dressrosa Saga

The Dressrosa Saga also known as the Pirate Alliance Saga, is the second saga of the second half (also known as The New World) of the manga series, One Piece and is the eighth saga overall.

This saga has 2 Story Arcs namely Punk Hazard Arc, and Dressrosa Arc of which only the former is included in the third Box Set of One Piece. Therefore, for the purpose of this review, we are only going to touch on the story arcs that are included in the Box Set.

The Dressrosa Saga – Punk Hazard Arc (Vol 66 to 70)

The Punk Hazard Arc is the first in the Dressrosa Saga of the One Piece manga series, continuing on from the Fish-Man Island Arc and the Fish-Man Island Saga. The main highlights are as follows:

  • Punk Hazard is the first island the Straw Hats encounter in the New World.
  • Upon entering the New World, the Straw Hat Crew immediately receive a distress call from a group of people on an island called Punk Hazard, stating that they are being attacked by a samurai.
  • Punk Hazard is made up of a frozen side and a burning side. The island also contains the abandoned research laboratories of Dr. Vegapunk.
  • Luffy sets out to the blazing island without any hesitation, and with Vice Admiral Smoker hot on his tail.
  • On reaching the island, Straw Hats soon realise that they are not alone, meeting many new and old foes as they explore the purpose of the island.

   

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The One Piece Manga Box Set 3

The third box set of the Manga Series, One Piece, contains the volumes 47 to 70, along with a Collectors Booklet and a Double Sided Poster. We have done our best to photograph the box set from all angles.

All the Viz Media manga box sets are considered to be a collectors items, and as of posting this review, the box set is out of print, and the prices have risen significantly.

Viz as always has done a tremendous job at collecting the entire series in Box Sets. Cant wait for the One Piece Manga Box Set 4 to come out.

When all 3 box sets put together, the spine looks absolutely stunning. These are my one of my most cherished box sets, next to my Dragon Ball & DBZ Box sets ofcourse.

One Piece Manga Box Set 3 - Front View

One Piece Manga Box Set 3 - Front View

One Piece Manga Box Set 3 - Back View

One Piece Manga Box Set 3 - Back View

One Piece Manga Box Set 3 - Side View (Left)

One Piece Manga Box Set 3 - Side View (Right)

One Piece Manga Box Set 3 - Top View (Box Close)

One Piece Manga Box Set 3 - Top View (Box Open)

One Piece Manga Box Set 3 - Top Spine

One Piece Manga Box Set 1, 2 & 3 - The Spine (In all their glory)

One Piece Manga Box Set 1, 2 & 3 - The Spine (In all their glory)

One Piece Manga Box Set 3 - Double Sided Poster & Booklet

One Piece Manga Box Set 3 - Double Sided Poster & Booklet

What One Piece Manga are available to buy right now?

The One Piece Manga Box sets are a great way to add this masterpiece of a Manga to your collection. Viz Media has outdone themselves, and presented the One Piece manga volumes in a beautifully packaged Premium Box Set. These Box Sets include a Collectors Booklet and a Double Sided poster which you can’t purchase otherwise. Just one of the perks of getting the box sets as compared to buying the single volumes individually, which by the way are more expensive to purchase.

The other option is to buy the One Piece 3-in-1 Omnibus Editions, they are big, fat and have 3 editions in one volume. Look absolutely menacing. Well if you are a big fan and love the Manga Series, I don’t see why you can’t have both the box set, as well as the 3-in-1’s in your collection. I personally am going to start collecting the omnibus edition soon.

Having said that, it does not mean that you should not purchase the Single volumes, by all means go ahead and buy the Single Volumes if you wish. Many a times we have seen from the past trends, that once the Box Sets are out of print, the value sky rockets. Unless you can actually justify spending insane amount of money ($400 easily) on a single box set, single volumes are great to buy.

Please note that it is the Manga Story that we are in love with, and if you are a collector, then Obviously, you wont wait that long for the Box Sets to go out of print. So you are golden there. If you are new to the Manga Series, and not sure wether you want to get into this manga series, (although I don’t see a reason why), single volumes are great to check out first.

Last but not the least, if you are a hardcore One Piece Fan, and you already have all the box sets, in order to stay updated on the latest manga volumes, buying Single Volumes is the only option. Go ahead and buy the single volumes (the one’s that don’t have a box set yet) now. You can sell them later once they a Box Set Version is available.

One Piece is the best seller manga of all time, and you won’t have any problems selling them later on, so no sweat. We have created a list of all the Single Volumes and the Omnibus Editions along with links to buy on Amazon. You can follow the link below.

   

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Closing Remarks

One Piece is the best selling manga series of all time, and the series is still ongoing. As of posting this review, there are 98 tankobon volumes, the first 70 of which have already made their way to the box sets. We can’t wait for the fourth box set to come out soon.

As we have stated several times earlier, this is a must have manga in your collection, and it does’nt get any better than this. The Box Sets enhance the beauty of your Book Shelves, and you can just stare at them all day long. The Box Sets is THE WAY to go. Enjoy the series, and as an added bonus, see your investment grow.

We have done a review of the first two box sets as well, make sure to check them out if you haven’t already. The links to these reviews are mentioned below.

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