One Piece, the manga, has been running nearly 30 years, with the anime series just a couple of years shy of that. Rather shocking, truly, that a saga with that much baggage landed as a rather brisk and fun live-action series on Netflix—even if the stretchiness of lead Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) lands slightly better in animation than in CGI. Luffy is the boyish leader of the Straw Hat Pirates, pillaging the seven seas but mostly hunting for the legendary "One Piece," which will make him the pirate king. The live action adaptation of the show leans into the colorful and offbeat world-building of its source materials, as do these other colorful adventure shows.

Our Flag Means Death (2022 – 2023)

What if pirates, but a little silly? Not unlike One Piece, this swashbuckling series delivers action and a few laughs, while also serving as one of the better romances of the past few years. It's based (very loosely) on the real-life story of Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby), a gentleman who took to piracy despite having barely been on a boat before. It plays as a bit of a workplace comedy with two men in the middle of midlife crises: Bonnet, and legendary pirate Blackbeard (Taika Waititi). It also features, unexpectedly, one of the most believable and compelling gay romances of the last several years; HBO Max cut it short after a mere two seasons (because of course they did) But that doesn't mean it's not worth diving in. Stream Our Flag Means Death on HBO Max.

Firefly (2002)

This short-lived cult favorite follows a crew of mercenaries led by Mal Reynolds and Zoe Washburne (Nathan Fillion and Gina Torres), two disaffected former soldiers who fought on the losing side of a galactic war for independence against the thoroughly conformist central government. The crew tries to stay just under the radar of law enforcement while engaging in activities that aren’t always strictly legal. Canceled after just a handful of episodes aired, the series didn’t get a chance to make much of that core conflict, but the sequel/wrap-up film Serenity (2005) is a good capper, and the crew is forced to take a stand to protect one of its own. Stream Firefly on Hulu.

Cowboy Bebop (1998 – 1999)

An iconic, effortlessly cool genre classic, Cowboy Bebop is one of the undisputed GOATs of anime, blending western, noir, and crime genres and setting the resultant mash to a killer soundtrack. The title's "cowboys" are bounty hunters in a near-future in which humans have been forced to colonize the solar system after Earth became uninhabitable. Former hitman Spike Spiegel leads his crew on one nearly disastrous mission after another, their standalone adventures all building to a thoroughly memorable climax. Stream Cowboy Bebop on Crunchyroll or buy it from Prime Video.

Delicious in Dungeon (2024 – )

An anime import from Japanese animation studio Trigger (Cyberpunk: Edgerunners), Delicious in Dungeon is a cute and clever fantasy series with just enough action to keep things lively. A group of adventurers set out on a traditional dungeon crawl-type adventure only to have the sister of the leader eaten by a red dragon. Out of supplies but in a rush to catch the dragon who's fled to the lowest levels of the dungeon, the party comes to the attention of a dwarven master chef, who convinces them that their idea of cooking and eating dungeon monsters isn't merely practical—it could be high culinary art. The tie-in here is largely the fun, and adventurous vibe, but also in featuring a cast of immensely likable characters on an unlikely adventure. Stream Delicious in Dungeon on Netflix.

Black Sails (2014 – 2017)

This isn't so much a vibe match for One Piece, but it is one of the best pirate-related shows of the past couple of decades—so if you're looking for barely legal action on the high seas, here you go. We're in what's referred to as the Golden Age of Piracy, when you could hardly cross the Caribbean and eastern Pacific without dealing with buccaneers and privateers. Toby Stephens stars as the feared Captain Flint of Treasure Island fame, to which this is a bit of a prequel. Fictional lead aside, the show eschews the romantic view of piracy in media presentations in favor of a darker tone; Flint and company are our protagonists, but the show doesn't ignore the fact that they're hardly heroes. The complex politics of the era, both between the pirates and the governments hunting them, as well as between various factions, lend the show more depth as it proceeds. Stream Black Sails on Starz, or stream the first episode on Prime Video.

Alice in Borderland (2020 – )

Video-game obsessed Arisu gets his wish, after a fashion, when he finds himself, along with a couple of friends, transported to an alternate, eerily abandoned version of Tokyo—the title’s Borderland—vividly brought to life via some clever green screen work. The three are directed to an arena and given the instructions for the game, which they’ll be playing whether they want to or not. The first competition involves a locked-room-style puzzle; if they fail, the room goes up in flames with them in it—think Ready Player One, with deadlier stakes. There are games each night, though the rules allow for winners to get time off. There are a lot of rules, actually, but the games are cleverly and sadistically constructed. This is heavier than One Piece, but it's another impressively realized manga adaptation set in an impressively conceived, fully realized world—even if this one is virtual. Stream Alice in Borderland on Netflix.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2023 – )

Following a couple of just-OK movies, Rick Riordan's beloved middle-grade+ fantasy series gets a fun and faithful adaptation here with Walker Scobell as the young demigod. Following some shenanigans at a museum, our hero learns that he's been living a lie: His dad is Poseidon, and his mom has been trying to keep the family safe from godly machinations for years. With the cat now out of the bag, he's off to Camp Half-Blood, a training ground for other demigods, where he makes new friends (and new enemies) as he reluctantly pursues his destiny. There's fun camaraderie among the leads (friends and frenemies alike), but the series gets more One Piece-esque during the second season when Percy and company hop on a boat and head into the Sea of Monsters to rescue a friend, facing down the biggest names in Greek mythological sea creatures. Stream Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney+.

Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024 – )

Another impressively successful animated series-to-live-action adaptation, this one from a series heavily inspired by (but objectively not) anime and manga. Set in a world divided into four warring nations (Water, Earth, Fire, and Air), the show follows the journey of 12-year-old Aang (Gordon Cormier), last survivor of the Air Nomads, and who can control the elemental forces of all four nations. With the help and protection of his allies, he might be the one to unite a devastated world. Stream Avatar: The Last Airbender on Netflix.

Shadow and Bone (2021 – 2023)

Based on the fantasy books of Leigh Bardugo from her series of the same name, Shadow and Bone follows Alina Starkov, an orphan and cartographer who discovers and grows into her vaguely magical Grisha abilities. It’s a beautiful and dense fantasy world—darker but just as fully realized as the setting of One Piece, and content to drop you into its world without a lot of exposition. It’s worth the investment, even if a fan campaign to bring the show back for a third season didn't succeed. Stream Shadow and Bone on Netflix.

One Piece (1999 – )

And then, of course, we have the 800-pound gorilla of TV anime, with 22 seasons and well over 1,000 episodes (and counting)—if you're truly obsessed, this should keep you occupied for a bit (if you still need more, the original manga series is slowly moving toward a conclusion after a quarter century, and there's a new anime series coming next year). The adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and company, at least in animation, begin here. Stream One Piece on Hulu, Netflix and Crunchyroll.