One Piece is the unstoppable anime juggernaut of Japan. Arguably more popular than Dragon Ball Z and My Hero Academia, One Piece began as a manga and was adapted to a major weekly anime series.

With any adaptation, however, things can change from one form of media to another. So what are ten of the largest differences between the One Piece anime and the source material of the manga? Naturally, censorship does come into play from time to time when it comes to adaptational changes, but this isn't always the case. Some of the biggest changes between the manga and the anime are incredibly varied.

RELATED: 10 Best Shonen Anime Ever

10 Akainu destroys half of Whitebeard's face

captain whitebeard standing in front of the mast

In chapter 575 of the manga, known as part of the major arc at Marineford, Whitebeard arrives in all his glory to help rescue Ace. That is all well and good, until Akainu, one of the Navy's greatest Admirals, uses his Magu Magu no Mi ability to burn off essentially half of Whitebeard's face.

This moment is nowhere near as grim in the anime, however. Instead, Akainu claims half of Whitebeard's mustache. That being said, the anime does follow that up with a rather severe abdomen injury.

9 Bellamy makes a point

The life of piracy often involves the usage of knives and swords. This is not surprising in the manga. Take, for example, chapter 222 of the One Piece manga. Bellamy, engaged in a game of cards with Roshio, accuses him of cheating.

In the anime, this moment is punctuated by Bellamy simply grabbing the arm of Roshio. In the manga, however, Bellamy stabs Roshio in the hand!

8 Bon Kurei's Okama Kempo

Mr. Number 2, Bon Kurei is a fan favorite One Piece character. The flamboyant pirate becomes a steadfast and loyal ally to Monkey D. Luffy, even after originating as a villain. Censorship between the anime and the manga, however, played out with Bon Kurei. In the manga, Bon Kurei's kempo is explicitly referred to as "Okama Kempo." The Okama, in One Piece, is a group of men who have adopted feminine characteristics.

RELATED: One Piece: The 10 Most Powerful Devil Fruits, Ranked

Problematic, however, is that Okama, in Japanese, is a sort of shorthand slur for (interchangeably) "homosexual" or "transvestite." The anime, however, goes around this whole issue by referring to Bon Kurei's martial arts as "ballerina style."

7 Vivi's wardrobe change

princess vivi in one piece

In the manga, around chapter 111, Vivi wears a shirt that highlights some ample assets. The spiral pattern of the clothing ends up putting a lot of emphasis on Vivi's breasts, which makes for a fun gag.

Naturally, though, in the anime, the pattern is changed to more of a wavy line pattern to emphasize Vivi's breasts far less.

6 Zoro the Dog Killer

Zoro's swords tend not to discriminate in the world of One Piece, and we see a great example of this in chapter 3 on the manga. Roronoa Zoro, one of One Piece's most popular characters, is imprisoned by Helmeppo, and Rika, a local girl, recounts the events leading up to this to Luffy and Koby.

It turns out that Zoro actually kills Helmeppo's pet wolf that was terrorizing the town. In the anime, Zoro simply throws a chair at the beast.

5 Zeff the Pragmatic Chef

sanji and chef zeff in a flashback

Sanji's origin story alongside Zeff, as revealed during the "Baratie" arc tugs on many heartstrings and is all about survival in dire situations. Nothing emphasizes this more than in chapter 58 where young Sanji, in the flashback, comes to learn how Zeff's right leg went missing.

RELATED: One Piece: 10 Things About Marco Fans Never Knew

It turns out the old man ate his own leg! In the anime, this scene never happened. Instead, Zeff's left was caught on some ship debris and was severed.

4 Sanji takes up smoking

Sanji Vinsmoke angry in One Piece.

Sanji's iconic look of the suit jacket and slacks is most often punctuated by a cigarette lazily dangling from between his lips. It's almost a signature to the character with how often he lights up during and after the various trials of the crew.

RELATED: One Piece: 10 Facts About Roronoa Zoro That Only The Most Diehard Fans Know

Sanji took up smoking, initially, to be more mature, as revealed in chapter 68 of the manga. This happens shortly after Zeff and Sanji start the Baratie. Naturally, this was censored in the anime.

3 Bell-mère's death was far darker

Nami's adopted mother, Bell-mère, the former Marine-turned-Tangerine-farmer, gives Nami a necessary tragic origin that befits all members of Luffy's crew. When Arlong, the fish-man pirate, invades Cocoyashi village to menace and exploit the population, he is stood up to by Bell-mère.

The lone, former Marine is punished for her actions in a flashback in chapter 78 by being shot in the head by Arlong. In the anime, she still dies by gunshot, but it is instead in the chest.

2 The One-finger Salute

Trafalgar Law in the One Piece anime

A recurring gag in the One Piece manga features the traditional extended middle finger as a sign of disrespect or mocking. While instances of it can be found all over the manga and removed in the anime, one particular key example comes from chapter 500.

The simple gesture characterizes Trafalgar D. Water Law in the auction house at Sabaody Archipelago when he busts out the one-finger salute to Eustass Kid. Like all instances of this in the anime, the middle-finger was censored. In the anime, Law merely smirks at Kid.

1 Luffy stabs himself in the face

Monkey D. Luffy is not the smartest pirate around, but fans still love him for that.

A particularly shining example of Luffy trying to prove a point in the dumbest way imaginable happens in the very first chapter of One Piece, during the introductory "Romance Dawn" arc. Luffy wants to show that he is brave enough to be a pirate, so naturally, he opts to grab a knife and carve into his own face, giving himself his distinctive crescent scar below his left eye. The anime does not show this at all.

NEXT: 10 Anime To Watch If You Love One Piece