One Piece Film: Z

Hauling a half-dead old man out of the ocean is already a bad idea in the New World, but that's exactly what the Straw Hats do. Turns out he's Zephyr, a former Marine Admiral who's gone rogue, built his own private army called the Neo Marines, and stolen a set of weapons called Dyna Stones that can level entire islands. His goal is simple: wipe out every pirate in the New World, collateral damage be damned. The Marines want to stop him. The Straw Hats are directly in his path. And Zephyr is strong enough to back up every bit of his conviction. What makes this movie hit different from a lot of One Piece films is Zephyr himself. He's not a cartoonish villain, but he's a tired, bitter man who trained some of the strongest Marines alive and watched the pirate era destroy everything he cared about. His backstory gives real weight to the fights, and the final stretch genuinely lands emotionally. The animation from Toei is a clear step up from the TV series, with fluid choreography and some gorgeous set pieces across the New World islands. Also, weirdly, the soundtrack features Avril Lavigne covering Nickelback, which somehow works. If you liked the stakes and spectacle of Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods or the emotional villain arcs in Naruto Shippuden: The Movie, this scratches that same itch. One of the stronger One Piece films, and it works even if you're not fully caught up on the series.