One Piece and Fairy Tail each devoted one major arc to an in-universe isekai adventure to Skypiea and Edolas, but one did it a little better.
Most shonen anime stay grounded in one world so they can remain consistent and develop that world more deeply. One example is the multi-national realm that Naruto takes place in, along with the ever-expanding world of Attack on Titan, a grim mirror of the real world. However, other series have partial, in-universe isekai arcs to explore a fresh setting before coming back.
Bleach did that once each with the “Soul Society” and “Hueco Mundo” story arcs, while the hit series One Piece and Fairy Tail each had exactly one major isekai-style arc. Both arcs offered a lot to their respective series, but one of them was handled a little better in terms of characters, story impact, characters and most of all, worldbuilding.
One Piece’s Cloudy Adventure to Skypiea, the Floating Island
Soon after the “Alabasta” saga, Luffy and his Straw Hat crew arrived on Jaya Island, where they encountered villains like the insidious Captain Blackbeard and Bellamy the Hyena. However, the real fun started when they met the ape-like Mont Blanc Cricket, who was determined to prove his ancestor Nolan correct and find the mythical island in the sky. Luffy was determined to see it, and the log pose pointed up there anyway, so Mont Blanc Cricket and his friends helped the Straw Hats ride the powerful, dangerous knock-up stream to soar into the sky and arrive at Skypiea, where the legend came to life.
At first, Luffy and his crewmates marveled at the sights, such as rivers of milky liquid and angel-like people like Conis and her father Pagaya, not to mention Ganfor the gallant sky knight, the previous Kami. Soon, though, the Straw Hats found themselves in trouble, with the White Berets determined to capture them before the lightning Kami himself, Enel, took an interest in the blue sea intruders. Luffy and his crew ended up in the Upper Yard, or the half of Jaya Island that got relocated to the sky. Upper Yard was home to the Shandora people and their gold city El Dorado, along with their beloved bell. Luffy and his crew fought a hard-won battle against Enel’s seemingly divine warriors, who used Haki while calling it Mantra.
In the end, Luffy foiled Enel’s devastating plan to destroy Skypiea with his massive ship, and Enel was flung all the way to the moon. Luffy and his friends also helped ring the bell, and Mont Blanc Cricket was delighted to hear it and have his ancestor’s “lies” proven true after all. As they departed, the Straw Hats also obtained some much-needed dials and plenty of gold treasure from El Dorado.
Fairy Tail’s Expedition to Edolas, the Parallel World
Seemingly out of nowhere, several key members of the Fairy Tail guild found themselves magically teleported from Magnolia’s streets to a bizarre new world, though in reality, this was no accident. Natsu, Lucy and the others began a new journey in a bizarre new world with different colors, floating landmasses and most of all, a peculiar lack of natural magic and an entire island of Exceeds, or flying cats. This world was Edolas, a parallel version of Earthland, and its ruler, the tyrannical King Faust, had wicked plans in mind. Faust envied Earthland’s abundant magic and sought to steal it all for his own use to become a truly invincible ruler. Here on Edolas, magic only existed in items and weapons, as the Edolas Fairy Tail guild explained to their isekai guests.
Natsu, Lucy and the others all met their doppelgangers, most of whom belonged to the Edolas Fairy Tail guild, while a few others were more neutral or hostile, such as Edolas Gajeel being a journalist and Edolas Erza being a brutal enforcer of King Faust’s will. Fairy Tail’s heroes got to work unraveling the mysteries of Edolas, including the truth of the Mystogan/Jellal Fernandez doppelganger duo, and then the final battle began. After defeating Faust’s elite agents Erza Knightwalker and Sugar Boy, among others, Fairy Tail’s heroes battled and destroyed King Faust’s giant robot dragon, and then Mystogan reversed the Anima to siphon what little magic Edolas had to Earthland.
This ensured that no Edolas ruler could tyrannize people with magic ever again, and along the way, all Exceeds journeyed to Earthland, including a certain Panther Lily. As Fairy Tail’s heroes returned home, they brought the seemingly deceased Lisanna Strauss with them, who had ended up in Edolas rather than perishing on Earthland. In the end, back on Earthland, the Fairy Tail guild became stronger with the addition of Panther Lily and Lisanna, and the connection with Edolas was all but severed.
One Piece vs. Fairy Tail – Which Had The Better Isekai Arc?
Given its reputation as “the poor man’s One Piece,” Fairy Tail did a remarkable job competing with One Piece‘s isekai story arc. It was fun seeing alternate versions of the Fairy Tail guild, and the heartfelt return of Lisanna Strauss was a big plus. Ultimately, however, One Piece‘s “Skypiea” storyline is the better isekai arc, even if some One Piece fans call it skippable.
The worldbuilding is much deeper and more compelling than in the “Edolas” arc’s, and the backstory with the Shandorans and Nolan was handled well and paid off in spectacular style in the end when that bell rang. Also, the introduction of dials, wave skimmers and Haki all contributed much to this arc, along with Nico Robin’s fascinating scene with the El Dorado poneglyph and the hints about Gol D. Roger and Laugh Tale. That’s the kind of foreshadowing and worldbuilding that One Piece is famous for, and Fairy Tail never matches it, even in its own exotic isekai arc.
Src: cbr.com
