Many One Piece Fans Are Questioning One Piece's Powerscaling, Saying It Is Broken
For over two decades, One Piece has been praised for its intricate world-building, emotional storytelling, and carefully layered power system built around Haki, Devil Fruits, and raw physical strength. But as the Final Saga dives deeper into history and cosmic-level powers, a growing number of fans feel that the series’ powerscaling has started to crack under its own weight. Online, a familiar refrain is popping up again and again: “The powerscaling is completely broken now.”
From sudden power jumps to confusing matchups and seemingly limitless abilities, the current arc has sparked one of the loudest debates the fandom has seen in years.
The God Valley Arc Has Taken Over the Fandom
The God Valley Incident has become one of the most captivating storylines in One Piece history, and many fans aren’t ready for it to end. Eiichiro Oda’s exploration of this long-mysterious event has brought together legendary figures like Rocks D. Xebec, Gol D. Roger, Monkey D. Garp, the Holy Knights, and even the enigmatic Imu — creating a flashback that feels less like a detour and more like a historical epic.
The arc dives deep into the world’s past power structure, revealing how terrifyingly strong top-tiers were decades ago and how their actions shaped the present. That alone would be hype enough, but each new chapter seems to introduce another overwhelming ability, god-like Haki feat, or reality-bending Devil Fruit power.
For many readers, it’s thrilling. For others, it’s where the trouble starts.
Some fans argue that the sheer number of “broken” abilities appearing all at once makes it harder to understand where everyone stands on the power ladder. If Garp, Roger, Rocks, and others were already operating on near-mythical levels back then, how do modern monsters like Luffy, Kaido, Shanks, Blackbeard, and the admirals really compare? God Valley has taken over the fandom’s imagination — but it’s also spotlighted just how blurry the power hierarchy has become.
Why Fans Say Powerscaling Is “Broken”
Criticism of One Piece’s powerscaling isn’t new, but the Final Saga has amplified it. Across X, Reddit, and YouTube comment sections, fans are pointing to the same kinds of issues:
- Abrupt power jumps: Characters seemingly leap several tiers in strength after a short time skip, offscreen training, or a single moment of “awakening,” with little sense of gradual build-up.
- Inconsistent matchups: Fighters who were once portrayed as untouchable suddenly struggle, while previously outclassed characters keep up with or even surpass them in unclear ways.
- Vague limits on Haki and Devil Fruits: Advanced Conqueror’s Haki, Future Sight, and Devil Fruit awakenings are often portrayed as “whatever the story needs right now,” with few clearly defined boundaries.
God Valley has only intensified that feeling. Each new reveal tries to top the last: island-shattering clashes, gravity-twisting powers, mythical Zoans with absurd regeneration, and Haki so overwhelming it seems to ignore earlier rules. The spectacle is undeniable, but some fans say it’s coming at the cost of internal consistency.
One popular complaint sums it up: “If everyone has god-tier Haki now, then no one feels special anymore.”
Haki, Devil Fruits, and Ancient Powers Are Overlapping
A big part of the debate centers around how stacked top-tier characters have become.
Earlier in the series, a character might be defined by one core factor: a Devil Fruit, incredible physical strength, or unique Haki. Now, many Final Saga characters — both past and present — seem to have all three maxed out and backed by mysterious bloodlines, titles, or ancient lineage factors.
Fans worry that this constant escalation makes older, more grounded fights look small by comparison. The days when Luffy versus Lucci felt like the pinnacle of intensity now coexist with clashes that reshape geography, alter gravity, or bend reality itself. Some readers love the ramp-up to godly power levels; others miss the clarity of earlier arcs where wins and losses felt more tied to strategy and grit than stacked superpowers.
There’s also concern that “power creep” is retroactively rewriting the story. When we see how monstrous certain legends were at God Valley, some fans feel like previous descriptions of “strongest in the world” or “unmatched in the seas” no longer fit as neatly as they once did.
Fans Don’t Want to Return to the Straw Hats Yet
Interestingly, even as they criticize the powerscaling, many readers say they don’t want to go back to the Straw Hat Pirates just yet.
Social media is full of fans admitting that the God Valley flashback is the most thrilling One Piece has felt in years — thanks to its darker tone, tighter pacing, and high-stakes lore. While Luffy and his crew remain the emotional core of the series, this flashback offers something completely different: a deep dive into the legends that built the world the Straw Hats inherited.
One fan on X (formerly Twitter) wrote, “If we cut away from God Valley now to go back to Luffy, it’s going to feel like waking up from a dream.” That sentiment is surprisingly common. Even those frustrated with how strong everyone seems to be are still glued to each new chapter, eager for the next reveal about Rocks’ ambitions, the Celestial Dragons’ terror, and the true scale of Imu’s power.
In other words, the powerscaling might feel “broken” to some — but the hype around God Valley is very much intact.
A Divided but Passionate Fandom
The current debate has split the community into a few loose camps:
- Fans who think the powerscaling is broken, but still love the arc for its lore and emotional weight.
- Fans who say the story’s internal logic is intact, arguing that we’re simply seeing the true upper ceiling of the One Piece world at last.
- Fans who gave up on strict powerscaling years ago, treating the series more like a mythic saga where symbolism and drama matter more than rigid power charts.
What almost everyone agrees on, though, is that Oda is swinging for the fences. This is the endgame, and the series is clearly trying to feel larger-than-life in every way — visually, emotionally, and yes, power-wise.
The question is whether that scale can stay believable all the way to Laugh Tale.
A Testament to Oda’s Storytelling and Legacy
Even among those criticizing the power system, there’s a reluctant respect for just how ambitious the Final Saga has become.
The enthusiasm surrounding the God Valley arc underscores Eiichiro Oda’s enduring talent for reinvigorating his own story. After more than 25 years, he’s still introducing major historical events, secret alliances, and shocking character dynamics that recontextualize everything fans thought they knew.
The arc’s emotion and scope have reminded many readers of One Piece’s golden-era storytelling — a mix of mystery, political intrigue, and tragic backstory that few other shonen series can match. Some fans fear that returning to the Straw Hats will inevitably slow the momentum, but others argue that this constant back-and-forth between past and present is exactly what keeps the series alive.
Whether the powerscaling feels “broken” or brilliantly mythic may depend on each reader’s expectations. But one thing is clear: the God Valley saga has already cemented itself as one of the defining chapters of One Piece — and the debate around it proves just how invested fans still are in every clash, every reveal, and every impossible power on the page.
