VERY INTERESTING: ONE PIECE

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Things You Didn't Know About One Piece

Join the crew of The Straw Hat Pirates as we journey to discover the little-known trivia and facts about the anime One Piece.

In the world of anime, some series have become known as “the essentials” over the years. Although these lists usually include franchise favorites like Dragon Ball, Naruto, and Bleach, the series One Piece has been slowly amassing a huge following of dedicated fans in the anime community. Written by author Eiichiro Oda, the series has spanned over 20 years since its launch in 1997.

Covering the epic journey of Monkey D. Luffy and the crew of the Straw Hat Pirates, Oda has taken his fans on an unforgettable journey that is far from ending. To date, the manga series has over 80 volumes (and nearly 1040 chapters). As for the anime, which has kept up with the lengthy span of the manga, is now at almost 1000 episodes, eight TV specials and 13 theatrical films. Once you become truly invested in this series, there is no turning back.

We have collected some of the little-known facts about Oda, the series and its impact on the world of anime. Please be warned that there are major spoilers in this article. If you want to watch the series spoiler-free, we definitely advise that you stop reading now.

One Piece Holds A Guinness Book of World Records Title

Fans of the anime One Piece are well aware that this story is far from over. Beginning back in 1997, each manga volume takes viewers on new epic adventures with the Straw Hat Crew. Employing epic battles, rich character development, and ever-changing locations, author Eiichiro Oda has created an addictive series for fans all around the world. In fact, the manga has been so successful that it has become the best-selling manga of all time.

The Guinness Book of World Records recognized Oda for “most copies published for the same comic book series by a single author” in 2014. At the time of the recognition, One Piece had sold 320,866,000 units between December 1997 to December 2014. To date, manga sales now exceed over 416 million copies worldwide.

Originally Supposed to Last Only 5 Years

The journey of the Straw Hat Pirates has been author Eiichiro Oda’s lifework. His commitment to creating most of the art himself has led to a very demanding schedule. According to Kotaku, Oda stated that "…Mornings... I get up at 5am, and I work until 2am. It's normal for me to sleep from 2am to 5am." He also does not take off for holidays or vacations. That is insane!

It’s quite a change from Oda’s initial plans for the manga. In the past, he had stated that the manga was going to conclude after five years in 2002. He even has an ending already planned out! However, as he continued to develop more characters, battles, and adventures, the story has taken on a life of his own. In fact, this year marks the 20th anniversary of the One Piece manga. Moreover, with Oda stating the current story was around maybe 70% completed back in 2015, we definitely have a long way to go to the end.

Oda Started as an Artist to Avoid Getting a "Real Job"

Many comic book and manga artists started their careers because of their passion for drawing and storytelling. Though their careers may not start in their preferred field, they eventually find their way to the occupation that they love. For author Eiichiro Oda, however, being a manga artist was his only choice in life.

According to an interview in the One Piece Blue: Grand Data File, Oda claimed to have wanted to become a manga artist at the age of 4 to avoid having to get a "real job". That’s what we call excellent life goals!

Sticking to his dream, Oda developed his skills over the years and created various series in his late teens. His first series, Wanted!, garnered several awards and placed second in the semi-annual Tezuka Award for manga. Following this recognition, Oda landed his first job at Weekly Shōnen Jump.

Dragon Ball was a Major Inspiration for One Piece

Growing up, Oda found inspiration in many of his childhood cartoons and manga. Among his favorites was Vicky the Viking, a 1970s animated television series that piqued his interest in pirate stories. However, in terms of manga, Oda was a big fan of author Akira Toriyama and his work including Dr. Slump and the hugely popular series Dragon Ball.

Often cited as an influence for many well-known manga writers including Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto and Bleach creator Tite Kubo, Toriyama’s Dragon Ball character Goku became an inspiration for Oda as well. Since debuting One Piece back in 1997, Oda became good friends with his idol Toriyama and even collaborated on projects together. The 2007 manga Cross Epoch became the first crossover for One Piece and portrayed the characters from its world combined with the Dragon Ball universe.

The Series Originated From Two One-Shot Stories

One Piece Romance Dawn Version 1, Verison 2, and First Official Manga

As Oda continued to work at Weekly Shōnen Jump, he began to further develop his skills as a manga artist. He worked as an assistant on Suizan Police Gang, Jungle King Tar-chan, and Mizu no Tomodachi Kappaman. He was also noted as a big influence while working on Rurouni Kenshin with artist Nobuhiro Watsuki.

After working on such noted projects and artists, Oda finally created the "Romance Dawn" one-shot story series. A storyline that Oda originally worked on in junior high school, the 1996 series depicted the character Monkey D. Luffy as the lead, with his signature straw hat and boisterous personality.

When Oda fully developed and published One Piece in 1997, he kept the name “Romance Dawn” an homage to the story’s roots. It serves as the title for the first chapter of the series and the first manga volume. "Romance Dawn" is also a running theme in the anime as well.

And as always have a chilled day from the Viking