Before 2025 came to a close, Shueisha released the “Highlights 2025” on the Manga Plus platform. This feature celebrates the hottest titles and chapters with the highest readership over the past year. Notably, One Piece reaffirmed its status as the king of Shonen, but the top-ranked chapter from the series surprised many fans.
Chapter 1161 Dominates One Piece’s 2025 Rankings
According to Manga Plus data, chapter 1161 titled “A Love Song Under the Rain of Names” was the most-read One Piece chapter in 2025. On the overall platform ranking, it placed third, only behind chapter 1 of Jujutsu Kaisen: Modulo (first) and chapter 198 of Chainsaw Man (second).
What’s remarkable is the rapid growth of chapter 1161. While Chainsaw Man chapter 198 debuted back in April and Modulo launched in early September, One Piece chapter 1161 was released only on September 28. Yet in a short time, it surpassed 817,700 views, closely trailing titles that had been out for months.
Fans Shift from Action to Emotional Depth
The explosive popularity of chapter 1161 shocked analysts. Usually, record-breaking chapters feature dazzling fights, Gear 5 transformations, or moments where the Emperors fall. Instead, this chapter focuses mainly on Rayleigh rescuing Shakky at God Valley and the budding romance amid the chaos of war.
This signals that One Piece’s audience has matured alongside the series. Rather than just craving flashy moves, readers now seek emotional resonance and character depth. Past romances like Sanji and Pudding or the tragic backstories of Kuma and Ginny stirred strong reactions among fans. The success of the Rayleigh and Shakky chapter proves that although Oda often claims he dislikes writing romance, when he does, he knows how to tug at fans’ hearts.
God Valley Flashback Rivals Gear 5 in Impact
While romance stands out, the intense allure of God Valley cannot be denied. Chapter 1161 is set during a climax where legendary pirate crews like Rocks, Roger, and Garp’s forces converge on the island. Scenes showing Saint Maffey attacking a young Dragon and the sword clash between Roger and Whitebeard captivated fans.
Interestingly, the chapter depicting the alliance between Roger and Garp defeating Rocks D. Xebec, considered the peak of the flashback, only garnered about 678,000 views, significantly less than Rayleigh’s romantic chapter. This shows that sometimes gentle, heartfelt moments resonate more deeply than explosive battles.
The popularity of chapter 1161 could be a key hint for Eiichiro Oda as the series nears its end. With his masterful character development, weaving in romantic elements amid life-or-death battles doesn’t dilute the story but adds humanity and weight to the characters’ sacrifices.
2025 was a standout year for the Elbaph arc and God Valley secrets. Riding this momentum, 2026 promises even bigger revelations as the final mysteries of the One Piece treasure begin to unfold.