The Spring 2024 Manga Guide

One Piece: Ace's Story

What's It About? 

Experience the origin story of Fire Fist Ace, the legendary older brother of Straw Hat Luffy, in this exciting manga by renowned artist Boichi! Adventure along with Ace as he gathers a loyal crew of like-minded buccaneers—including Masked Deuce, Mihal, Skull, and the wild Kotatsu, and forms the Spade Pirates. Witness the power of the Devil Fruit as it bestows Fire Fist's fearsome punching power! Piratical feats abound as Ace and his Spade Pirates head toward the New World and the dreaded Captain Whitebeard. Don't miss the bonus chapter featuring Straw Hat swordsman Zolo!

One Piece: Ace's Story is a manga with art by Boichi, storyboards by Ryō Ishiyama, adapting One Piece: Ace's Story novel by Shō Hinata and Tatsuya Hamazaki, based on Eiichiro Oda's popular manga series, One Piece. Stephen Paul translated the manga into English with lettering by Stephen Dutro. Published by Viz Media (March 12, 2024).

Is It Worth Reading?

Illustrated by half of the Dr. Stone creative team, One Piece: Ace's Story is a prequel side story highlighting the humble beginnings of fan-favorite character Portgas D. Ace. I love Boichi's art style. The gritty, detailed art style must be a nightmare to maintain at times, but it leads to some incredibly striking and memorable imagery when it pays off. The art style, for the most part, translates well to the One Piece franchise, fully emphasizing muscle details and flash effects that truly leave an impact on the page. Unlike Dr. Stone, the panel layouts felt a bit cluttered during more intense action scenes, and I found myself disoriented regarding how scenes flow from one scene to another. However, as an experiment, this is largely a success, and I could recommend this book based on the artwork alone.

There's more to One Piece: Ace's Story than just the art, as there is a solid story here about a man trying to speedrun his way into surpassing his father's legacy with varying degrees of success. The story isn't told from Ace's perspective but rather by an original character who would later serve as Ace's second in command. This framing device works because getting inside Ace's head might feel redundant if you're a long-time One Piece fan. For One Piece newbies, that unfamiliarity makes some of the more dramatic reveal bits towards the book's end feel much more engaging. The story is both beginner-friendly and compelling. There's the lovable goofball who wants to make a name for himself in this giant world where he can die at a moment's notice. The flames he produces aren't the only hot thing he has going for him.

I'm surprised the story doesn't wrap up in a single volume. The choice to extend the story especially feels weird since the last chapter is just a redrawing of one of the earlier chapters of the One Piece manga focusing on Zoro. But this makes me curious about where things will go from here. This should be a must-purchase if you were already into One Piece. If you've never consumed any One Piece media in your life, I would recommend this as a solid entry point into the franchise from a wholly unique perspective. There might be some references you don't immediately catch onto, but overall, One Piece: Ace's Story is worth it.

Poor Ace, one of One Piece's most beloved tragic figures. By the time we meet him in Eichiro Oda's sprawling epic, the wheels of his doom are already in motion. But what if readers had the chance to meet him sooner when his whole future was unwritten and full of hope? That's what Ace's Story delivers. Based on the light novel of the same name, this manga is a fun, if inconclusive, origin story for Luffy's powerhouse big bro.

The art is the most impactful part of this manga. You might recognize Boichi from his work on Doctor Stone—his style is instantly recognizable. With intricate detail and shading, his art straddles the line between realistic and exaggerated. Standing out as he does in a sea of manga artists is not easy. His intense style combined with Oda's strong original character design means that Ace and the other One Piece characters who appear here are instantly recognizable even though they look different than usual. Boichi's art focuses on Ace's wild hair, defined muscles, and hot-blooded expressions. That's the draw of Ace's Story, far more than its meager plot about Ace's acquisition of his Devil Fruit powers and first pirate crew. Seeing Ace, Whitebeard, Jinbei, and other iconic characters drawn in Boichi's lovingly rendered detail makes them look larger than life.

According to Boichi's author's note at the end of the manga, this collaboration came after Oda professed wanting to see not Ace but Zoro drawn in Boichi's style. True to Oda's wish, Ace's Story is followed by a brief redraw of Zoro's fight with Mihawk on the Baratie. (I'm calling him Zoro even though they call him Zolo here and in all Viz Media translations because I don't like it.) This is by no means required reading for One Piece fans. It doesn't shed any new light on the manga's central plot. But if you're a One Piece fan, especially an Ace fan, this is a fun side story with stunning, high-quality art.