One Piece is an epic saga that’s full of adventure and it follows the story of Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates on their travels, but it also highlights the friends and foes they meet along the way. On top of being one of the best shonen, it has some of the best world-building.
Eiichiro Oda created a unique world, and you are introduced to many different regions that keep things fresh and exciting as you read. You feel very much like you are exploring this world with Luffy and crew as they traverse the Blue Sea and beyond to islands and villages, meet their people, and dive into their landscapes and customs. One of my all-time favorite things about One Piece is that you truly feel like you are a part of this world.
With an amazing cast of characters, including one of the best MCs, and some of the best world-building I’ve ever seen, One Piece is a staple, but in terms of getting into it, its long-running nature makes it quite the investment, especially with the series now being over 100 volumes. With this in mind, I wanted to find out whether or not the One Piece manga box sets are the best way to collect One Piece. I did a side-by-side comparison with the 3-in-1 editions and the singles to find out.
One Piece Manga Editions – Manga Box Sets, 3-in-1s, and Singles
You can collect One Piece with English translation via the individual volumes, the paperback 3-in-1 editions, and the manga box sets. At the time of this post, 104 volumes of One Piece have been released, while 33 3-in-1 editions, which collect 99 volumes, and four box sets, which collect 90 volumes, have been released so far. The first box set collects volumes 1-23, 2 collects volumes 24-46, 3 collects volumes 47-70, and 4 collects volumes 71-90. The most up-to-date release is, of course, the individuals, but the manga box sets and 3-in-1s aren’t all that far behind considering.
Release Schedule
One thing to keep in mind before buying the One Piece manga box sets is that they are a little behind the singles in terms of release. As of now, four box sets, collecting up through Volume 90, have been released, but 104 singles have been released in the US.
Figuring out when One Piece Box Set 5 will drop is a bit of a guessing game, but if we go by how things have been released in the past, we need at least 19 volumes for a new box set. That means we’re looking at waiting for Volume 110 to hit US shelves before we can even start talking about a 5th box set.
With new volumes rolling out every four months and 107 confirmed for release on November 12, 2024, the earliest shot at Volume 110 is around November 2025. But, of course, this is an ideal scenario; seeing a 5th box set could take much longer, especially with planning, design, printing, and more.
Typically, box sets don’t hit the shelves until about two years after the release of the final volume they collect. This timeline suggests we might not get our hands on a 5th box set until 2027 or later, depending on the number of volumes they decide to bundle.
Remember, this is all just speculation. The actual release date hinges on when Viz chooses to launch the next set and if everything goes according to plan with the release. I just wanted to give you an idea of what you might be in for, especially if you want to catch up on One Piece ASAP. If this is you, you may want to consider picking up the already-released box sets and picking up the remaining individual volumes.
Price
The manga box sets will save you money in comparison to buying the singles, but they are not the most affordable way to collect One Piece. The box sets vary in terms of price with the 1st and 2nd retailing for $244.99 each, the 3rd $254.99, and the 4th $185.99. Sites often have all of these on sale for lower prices. I’ve seen them hit 45% off and even more when they are part of manga deals and sales, so you can often pick these up for cheaper prices. On the other hand, the One Piece singles retail for $11.99 each, while the 3-in-1 editions retail for $16.99 each.
Since only 90 volumes have been released in the box sets so far, I’m going to use that mark as my metric for cost. At retail, the box sets will run you about $931, while 90 singles would cost you around $1079, and the 30 3-in-1 editions that collect 90 volumes would cost about $510. While the box sets save you $148 in comparison to the singles, the 3-in-1 editions are even more cost-effective, with a savings of $421 in comparison to the manga box sets.
Size and Design
The box sets feature unique artwork on each side and I enjoy their design. They collect the singles safely and securely, but they also look great on display. They collect the singles, which are some of the most colorful volumes in my manga collection. I love all of the different colors they chose for the volumes. They are bright and vivid just like the series and I think they did a great job designing these.
You have the cover art on the front of the volumes along with the One Piece logo at the top and the saga name as well. The spine features different characters from the series along with the volume number and logo. On the other hand, the 3-in-1 editions, which are the same size and height as the singles, feature a more uniform design, each featuring three characters on the cover alongside a prominent One Piece logo at the top.
The spines, each adorned with different artwork of Luffy, really benefit from the larger size compared to individual volumes. It allows the artwork on the spines to stand out and pop on the shelf. I do think these look better than the Naruto 3-in-1s, but I like the look of the Bleach 3-in-1s best, which I also reviewed on the site, because they feature a different character on each spine, unlike the others.
Although these editions are overall less colorful than the singles, the One Piece logos on each spine change color with each saga—deep red for East Blue, a scarlet red for Baroque Works, a teal for Skypeia, blue for Water Seven, and so on. This color variation helps separate the major sagas in series but it also makes them more visually appealing on the shelf.
I prefer the look and quality of the individuals overall, but the 3-in-1 editions are a cost-effective way to collect the series, they save space, and they look good on the shelf as well.
Print and Page Quality
One of the most significant differences between the 3-in-1s and singles that are collected in the manga box sets, aside from their design, is their print and page quality. The page quality in the 3-in-1s isn’t nearly as high quality as the singles, and this is a big reason why they are more affordable. They collect more volumes in one at a fraction of the cost, but page and print quality, in this case, was sacrificed a bit as a result.
The biggest issue, though, with the 3-in-1 editions is bleedthrough due to their extremely thin pages. While reading you can see the panels bleeding through the pages, whereas you get way less bleedthrough, if any at all, in the individual volumes. This is because the pages are a lot thicker in the singles than the 3-in-1 editions. The 3-in-1 editions are printed on what feels like newspaper-thin paper, while the singles are printed on a thicker off-white paper. That said, the edition with the best print and page quality is the individual volumes, which you can also collect in the manga box sets.
Extras
Along with getting the individuals for a cheaper price, the box sets also come with a few extras. The first box set comes with a mini booklet and a full-color, double-sided poster. The second comes with a booklet that includes the prologue Strong World and a double-sided, full-color poster, with both sides featuring artwork that celebrates the film.
The third comes with a 48-page mini-comic that includes two crossovers between Dragon Ball and One Piece and Toriko and One Piece as well as a double-sided color poster with beautiful and colorful art that showcases the crew enjoying their time together. Finally, the fourth box set comes with a booklet that includes the Solitary Journey of Jimbei and a double-sided color poster with one side featuring art of the Straw Hat crew alongside their childhood selves and the back featuring them having fun in the water.
I have to say that the One Piece box sets have some of my favorite double-sided posters in any of the box sets released by Viz so far not just because of their art, but also because of their matte finish. Both the singles and the 3-in-1 editions contain the same content, so the manga box sets are the only editions that come with extras.
Final Thoughts: Are the One Piece Manga Box Sets worth it?
Yes, the One Piece box sets are some of the best manga box sets you can buy. After going over everything each edition has to offer and reading them side by side, I think the best way to collect One Piece is the manga box sets because they allow you to collect the individual volumes at a more affordable price and as it currently stands, their quality, especially when it comes to page and print quality, is the best. You also get some extras which is a bonus.
Getting into One Piece isn’t cheap and it will cost you quite a bit of berries, but trust me, it’s worth the investment. No matter what you choose, you are going to read one of the greatest shonen manga of all time. You can find out where to shop the box sets below, and if you are looking for a more detailed look at the One Piece manga editions, be sure to check out my comparison on YouTube, which I also included below.
Where to Shop
You can shop the One Piece manga box sets now at a trusted manga retailer.
One Piece Manga Editions Compared Video
Looking for more comparisons? I also reviewed the Bleach manga editions, the Naruto manga editions, and many more on the site if you’d like to check them out.
