LEGO One Piece 75638 Battle at Arlong Park review

LEGO One Piece 75638 Battle at Arlong Park may have exclusive minifigures, but its build struggles to impress as much as the rest of the range.

In a wave of builds as staggeringly impressive as LEGO One Piece's debut collection, there has to be a low point, and 75638 Battle at Arlong Park unfortunately takes that title. Thanks to an average overall build, play features that are merely satisfactory and some minifigures that, while exclusive, don't quite measure up to those of the four other sets, this model is one that you won't need to prioritise on launch day.

75638 Battle at Arlong Park

Release: Aug 1, 2025

Retiring: Jul 31, 2026

Price: £74.99 / $79.99 / €79.99

Pieces: 926

Minifigures: 5

75638 Battle at Arlong Park is based on the final episode of the first season of the live-action One Piece adaptation, launching as the third-most expensive LEGO One Piece build. That position is perfect for this set in terms of value and budget necessary to depict the location. It doesn't need to be any bigger to realise the scale and presence of the main structure in Arlong Park. Unfortunately, the focus of its smaller builds is split too far to represent the surrounding area in the most meaningful way possible.

There's nothing wrong with the main build in 75638 Battle at Arlong Park. The large pagoda that frames the backdrop has a decent number of details to admire, all accurately based on the final episode, and it pairs well with some specific minifigures in the set. The LEGO Pirates reference on the wall is a fantastic touch as well. This is also where the £74.99 / $79.99 / €79.99 set's main play feature lies.

By applying pressure to the uppermost section of the pagoda structure, a dramatic crack will start to appear, splitting the structure in two as it topples over before you. On its own, it works great, but this pagoda doesn't just collapse on its own in the show. Without delving too far into spoiler territory, it's Luffy's stretched limbs that cause this building to crumble, and this set just so happens to be home to the only Luffy minifigure with stretched limbs.

As promising as it sounds, there's no way to link Luffy's stretched limbs to this play feature, and such an integration would have been a wonderful touch. Even if it was as simple as a limb bursting through the crack as the pagoda starts to fall, something to connect Luffy to this memorable moment in LEGO form would have been ideal. On its own, the function works fine, and the pagoda goes back together easily enough.

That's where the build in 75638 Battle at Arlong Park stops being so notable, though. The other four parts of the model concentrate on building up the park aspect of Arlong Park, but the focus is split too widely, resulting in several mediocre models rather than one or two impactful builds.

The two stalls have some great graphics, but comparing them to the structures seen in the finale reveals just how lacklustre they are. That's not just in comparison to their counterparts but to play with, too – there's not enough substance to them, using what is left of the set's piece count after the pagoda to try to cover as much ground as possible.

That latter point is especially noticeable when you look at the small forest scene and table, each using a handful of pieces. It consequently means that there's little to nothing to note about these four creations, when it would have been better for the set's budget to combine them into something more intrinsically fun.

Arlong Park in the live-action adaptation is not just home to stalls and seating, but also a pool for the fish-like pirates to swim in, and a couple of slides. It's an area that could have been easily adapted for this set and would have provided more options for play than a chair.

You can argue that focusing so much on the pool wouldn't make sense without including Zoro and Sanji, who do battle exclusively in that area in the episode. However, they heavily interact with the stalls during this battle, and these parts are represented in the set. Switching them out for something more interesting, or focusing on one more impressive stall rather than two smaller ones, would have been better for the set's overall impression.

Admittedly, the small forest diorama is justified to make sense of Chu and Usopp's minifigures, and the ketchup bottle is another great touch that demonstrates the attention to detail across the entire One Piece wave. Unfortunately, the numerous other side builds still take the budget and focus away from the main building, leaving no aspect of the build able to live up to its full potential.

The minifigures in 75638 Battle at Arlong Park are thankfully not affected by this split focus, with five highly appealing characters, all of which are exclusive in some way to this set. The star of the show is Luffy with his stretched limbs, showcasing his elastic abilities in only this LEGO One Piece set. This torso is not a new element, but one that would be perfect for other characters currently represented as minifigures.

Both Nami and Usopp have exclusive outfits, and the bandage and crying face on Nami's minifigure are surprising details to see here, calling back to a scene in which she removes her own tattoo. While the graphic design is relatively neutered, the implication is pretty clear for fans of the series. Arlong and Chu round out the minifigures as the only members of Arlong's crew to be represented, and both make sense as the first two choices on that list.

LEGO One Piece 75638 Battle at Arlong Park pagoda comparison

LEGO NINJAGO 71795 Temple of the Dragon Energy Cores has only 103 more elements than 75638 Battle at Arlong Park, yet is much larger thanks to dedicating its entire budget to just the temple without any extraneous side builds. It goes to show what the One Piece set could have been had its focus been more refined. That said, it's still less expensive than its NINJAGO contemporary, with a more unique minifigure selection to boot.

75638 Battle at Arlong Park shouldn't be your number one priority in LEGO One Piece, or maybe even your second. While you catch up on everything else in the new theme, you can safely wait for a sale on this set to avoid missing out on those great and unique minifigures. It's something for One Piece fans to eventually add to their collections, but otherwise, those here for just a pirate-adjacent theme can overlook this model.

Our honest opinion: There's nothing wrong with most of 75638 Battle at Arlong Park, but your LEGO One Piece budget will be better spent elsewhere to begin with.

This LEGO set was provided by the LEGO Group for review purposes.

Support the work that Brick Fanatics does by purchasing your LEGO via one of our affiliate links – thank you.

How long does it take to build LEGO One Piece 75638 Battle at Arlong Park?

We spent a total of 85 minutes putting together everything in 75638 Battle at Arlong Park. Just watch out for accidentally destroying the pagoda while you're building...

How many pieces are in LEGO One Piece 75638 Battle at Arlong Park?

There are 926 pieces in 75638 Battle at Arlong Park, featuring five minifigures, a large pagoda model, and four side builds.

How big is LEGO One Piece 75638 Battle at Arlong Park?

The pagoda is the biggest structure in 75638 Battle at Arlong Park, standing at 29cm tall, 16cm wide and 10cm deep. The four side builds aren't big at all, and you won't have any trouble finding a place for them in your collection.

How much does LEGO One Piece 75638 Battle at Arlong Park cost?

You can pick up 75638 Battle at Arlong Park for £74.99 / $79.99 / €79.99 from August 1, alongside the other six LEGO One Piece sets at a varied range of prices.