Within the animated realm, certain shows have been referred to as “the essentials” throughout the years. Though these lists generally contain franchises like Dragon Ball, Naruto, and Bleach, The series One Piece has been slowly growing a large number of fans who are dedicated to the community of anime. Written by the author Eiichiro Oda. The show has been in existence for over 20 years after its debut in 1997. Explore amazing one piece facts below!
The manga chronicles the epic adventures that took Monkey D. Luffy and his crew of Straw Hat Pirates, Oda has taken his readers on a thrilling journey that’s far from over. As of today, the manga has more than 80 volumes (and more than 800 chapters). The anime, that has kept up with the manga series’ length, is currently at over 800 episodes, including eight specials on TV and 13 theatrical movies. Once you’ve become completely committed to this show it is impossible to go back.
We’ve gathered some of the lesser-known facts about Oda the show, its creators and its influence in the field of animation. Beware that there are spoilers of a major nature in this Piece. If you’re looking to watch the show without spoilers, we strongly recommend stopping reading right now.
If not, we hope that you’ll enjoy this list of 15 Facts You Don’t Know about One-Piece.
15 One Piece holds a Guinness Book Of World Records Title
The fans of the anime One Piece are very aware of the fact that the story isn’t over yet. The story began in 1997 and every manga volume takes readers on epic adventures through one of the characters, Straw Hat Crew. With epic battles, deep storylines, and constantly changing places, the creator Eiichiro Oda created a captivating series that will appeal to fans across the globe. The manga has proven so popular that it’s become the most popular manga ever.
The Guinness Book of World Records has recognized Oda for “most copies printed in this same book by a single author” in 2014. In the award year, One Piece had sold 320,866,000 copies between December 1997 and December 2014. The manga’s sales now surpass 416 million copies in the world.
Also, read How Many People Watch Anime?
14 Originally Supposed to Last Just 5 Years
The adventure through The Straw Hat Pirates has been the work of author Eiichiro Oda’s passion. His determination to create most of the artwork himself has created the most demanding schedule. Based on Kotaku, Oda said the following: “…Mornings… I wake up at 5amand do my work up to 2 am. It’s typical for me to fall asleep between 2 am and 5 am.” Also, he doesn’t leave for holidays or on vacations. It’s crazy!
It’s quite a departure from the initial plans of Oda to publish the comic. The previous time, Oda declared that the manga was set to end within five years in 2002. The ending is set in stone! As he developed new characters, battles, and adventures, the tale took on a life that is his own. In actuality this year is twenty years since the One Piece manga. In addition, Oda declared that the story was about 70 percent finished in the year 2015 there is much to do to get there.
13Oda Started As An Artist To Avoid Getting A “Real Job.”
Many manga and comic book artists began their careers due to their passion for drawing and telling stories. Although their careers might not begin in their desired profession, they arrive at their passions in the field they enjoy. For manga artist Eiichiro Oda, the manga art was his sole choice in life.
In an interview published in The One Piece Blue: Grand Data File, Oda stated that she had was interested in becoming manga artist before age 4 to avoid getting “real work”. These is what we would call great life goals!
In pursuit of his goal, Oda developed his skills and created several series during his teens. The first of his series, Wanted! was awarded numerous awards and was a finalist at the annual Semi-annual Tezuka Award for manga. After this award, Oda landed his first position at Weekly Shonen Jump.
12 Dragon Ball was a major inspiration For One Piece
Growing up, Oda found inspiration in most of his childhood cartoons and manga. One of his favorite shows was Vicky The Viking, a 1970s animated TV show that ignited his interest in stories about pirates. In terms of manga, Oda is a big admirer of the creator Akira Toriyama and his work, including Dr. Slump and the massively loved Dragon Ball. Dragon Ball.
Oft cited as a source of inspiration for a variety of well-known manga authors such as Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto and Bleach creator Tite Kubo, Toriyama’s Dragon Ball character Goku was a source of inspiration for Oda too. After the debut of One Piece back in 1997, Oda became good friends with his idol Toriyama and even worked on projects with him. The manga of the 2007 Epoch Epoch was the first crossover to One Piece and featured characters from its world, paired to The DragonBall universe.
11 The Series was born from two One-Shot Stories
While Oda worked for the Weekly Shonen Jump, he developed his abilities as manga artist. He was an artist’s assistant in Suizan Police Gang, Jungle KingTar-chan, and Mizu Tomodachi Kappaman. He also was acknowledged as having a significant influence in Rurouni Kenshin alongside the artist Nobuhiro Watsuki.
After being involved in such notable artwork and projects, Oda was able to create”Romance Dawn,” a “Romance Dawn” single-shot story series. A storyline Oda first worked on in senior high school. The storyline featured Monkey D. Luffy as the main character. Monkey D. Luffy as the protagonist, wearing his straw hat, signature straw, and lively personality.
When Oda was able to complete the creation and publication of One Piece in 1997, he chose to keep the title “Romance Dawn” as a tribute to the original story’s origins. It is the name for the opening chapter in the series and its first manga. “Romance Dawn” is a regular theme of the anime too.
10 Early Character Designs And Designs
As with all ,developing stories, character and plot developments are introduced in its initial phases. The case with One Piece is that various characters are drawn using styles that are very different from their final appearance. For instance, the adorable Tony Tony Chopper character Tony Tony Chopper was originally drawn with an authentic reindeer look and the sword!
Comicbook.com published that In an interview conducted with Shonen Jump, Oda revealed: “If I designed him in the way I originally intended it would have been covered by different characters (people didn’t recognize his distinctiveness) So I created him in a smaller size and made him more adorable.”
Other characters with different origins include a more mechanical Nami armed with a huge battle ax or “Pirate Hunter” Roronoa Zoro as a bodyguard for the Buggy Pirates. But one of his character plans was changed because of an upcoming rival comic.
Also, read What Anime Is Astolfo From?
9 Conflicts with the Naruto Manga Early On
After releasing “Romance Dawn”, Oda worked to create the full story that would follow Monkey D. Luffy and his team. While he did keep certain elements from this story from the beginning, Oda also developed new characters.
One of the characters was the cook who was known as “Black Leg” Sanji – and that’s the name he eventually got. At the time he was made, Sanji was called Naruto. However, Oda’s adversary, Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto, had made a comic book series with the same name and released the series in 1997. After hearing about its creation, Oda decided to change his character’s name to keep his name from being confused.
In spite of this supposed “rivalry” even though they were rivals, the two artists admired each other. When Kishimoto released the final Naruto Volume in the year 2000, he added an image of the Straw Hat Pirates’ symbol on Naruto’s headband Hokage Rock in the “Chapter 700” artwork. In response and as a final farewell, Oda added tons of Naruto references to the page cover “Chapter 766” of One Piece.
These symbols were for Konohagakure and the Uzumaki clan. Luffy had ramen for dinner, the favorite of Naruto – along with the (very strongly implied) Naruto figure. The final message he left to his opponent: “Both my friend and adversary Thank you for the 15 years of heartfelt serialization! Kishimoto-san, Otsukaresama! !”
8 Classical Inspirations from Literature
Oda’s initial inspirations stemmed from his early manga as well as cartoons, the artist also sought inspiration from classic literature from across the globe. The concept for Impel Down, the Marine Prison Impel Down strongly mirrors the Nine Circles of Hell depicted in the 14th century poem by Dante Alighieri Divine Comedy. Both structures portray various levels of punishment and torture depending on the seriousness of the crimes of its inmates.
The warlord and villain of the past Donquixote Doflamingo references The Ingenious Nobleman Mister Quinto of La Mancha written by Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. Oda has also derived the inspiration of Greek mythology through his inclusion to the story of Amazons in the story as well as The Gorgon sisters.
Additionally, Luffy and Ace’s childhood buddy/brother, Sabo, wore the famous top hat with the signature roll-up coat that was the Artful Dodger from Charles Dickens the classic Oliver Twist.
7 Historical Pirate Sources
The Straw Hat Pirates have encountered various pirate crews on their travels. While none of them have been able to wear the famous eye patch, many of them are inspired by popular mythologies and features we’ve learned about pirates. To further enhance the depth of these characters, a lot are based on real pirates from the past.
In particular, the story of One Piece began with the execution of notorious Pirate Gol. D. Rogers who demanded that anyone try to locate his treasured one Piece on the day of his execution. This statement and execution was based off French pirate Olivier Levasseur. In his final act, the necklace of cryptograms was tossed in the crowd and proclaimed that the person who could solve the puzzle would be rewarded with his prize.
Other historical references include Edward Teach, aka Blackbeard (the Blackbeard character is Marshall D. Teach and his rival Whitebeard is Edward Newgate), and Bartholomew Roberts (the character is Bartholomew Kuma). In addition, famous female pirates are often linked by Captain Alvida (5th-century pirate Alwilda) and Captain Jewelry Bonney (Irish pirate Anne Bonny).
6 Pop Culture Connections
In the past Oda’s inspiration comes from numerous sources that aren’t in manga’s world as well. Although influenced by historical characters and literary masterpieces, Oda has also been able to integrate elements of popular culture.
One of the most widely acknowledged homages to the film One Piece can be seen as the protagonist Emporio Ivankov. It is undisputed that the mannerisms and looks of Ivankov reflect the character of Tim Curry’s. Frank-N Furter character from the famous Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Also, read What Does BL Mean In Anime? The Best
Oda has identified Tim Burton and Quentin Tarantino as his top directors, as well as The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of his most cherished films. The darker features of Burton as well as his works can be observed throughout the Thriller Bark arc. Additionally, the use of zombies and “Thriller” within the subtitle are more likely to be a reference with the Michael Jackson video Thriller.
DeviantArt user SATOart has even created an entire list of people which he believes Oda got his inspiration from. This is a large list of pop culture references from world leaders to musicians!
5 Easter Eggs
Oda is well-known for putting up Easter eggs throughout his One Piece manga and many of these references also appear in the anime. One of his best-known hidden gems is the placement of Pandaman in the story.
Oda first developed the characters while at the age of his teens, he submitted his idea to Yudetamago’s wrestler manga Kinnikuman. The character was luckily selected and incorporated into the manga. Since then, Oda has been slipping the character into his manga.
Additional Easter eggs include Pandawoman and Pandawoman, the Tomato Gang, and the Unforgivable Mask. He also created fictional brands, such as Criminal, Doskoi Panda, and Cyberpanda. The brands are frequently found in stores or the clothing worn by Straw Hat Pirates and other characters. Straw Hat Pirates and other characters.
As mentioned earlier, Oda enjoys a subtle “shout out” to other manga creators and the work they do on his work. But, he also likes to incorporate himself into his work too. Oda has also included his personal name as well as his research on libraries in this series. What are the most popular books you read?
4Real-Life One-Piece Character Memorials
One Piece is packed with heartbreaking moments as well as deaths throughout the entire series. Two of the most painful moments for fans took place in the Marineford Arc when beloved characters Whitebeard and “Fire Fist” Ace die during Ace’s rescue mission. Their deaths caused ripples across The world from the One Piece and its fans. The manga and the anime The “father” and the “son” pirates are interred next to one the other, with graves decorated with personal belongings.
The year 2013 saw Universal Studios Japan bring these iconic images to life in its One Piece Premier Show every year. The most memorable places and scenes are recreated real life for viewers to explore as part of the show. These graves were exact copies of the ones featured in the book and featured the audience area, where they could listen to the two main characters speak their most famous phrases.
3Armani Exchange Designed Outfits For The Characters
Although anime is an entertainment form that is merely a way of life in Western countries, it has become an integral part of the culture in Japan. Famous characters have been incorporated into advertisements, commercials and affixed to trains, subways and other public transports. The worldwide popularity of anime makes it the ideal place to sell your products in the world of fashion.
The characters from One Piece have been used as characters in A|X Armani Exchange. In 2009, the two groups teamed up to launch the 10th film of the series One Piece Film: Strong World. Luffy was the first character from manga to be featured in the front cover of Japanese style publication The Men’s Non No over its span of 24 years. It was the only cover Oda has created that wasn’t intended for manga.
The magazine featured real models appeared as manga’s characters dressed in nautical outfits. The collaboration was revived in 2012 to promote the release of One Piece Film Z. The characters were dressed in outfits from A|X Armani Exchange which was selected to be worn by Oda himself. To further enhance the cross-promotion these clothes were available to purchase!
2. Two dedicated One Piece Theme Parks, Exhibits, Restaurants, And Exhibits
One Piece fans will be thrilled to learn that they will be able to experience their most loved anime outside of manga and anime and countless films. If you’re willing to travel overseas and experience it, you can be completely immersed in the world of Straw Hat Pirates.
In Japan, you can go to The Universal Studios Japan’s “Universal Jump Summer” event, which will include attractions based in One Piece, Dragon Ball Z and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and Gintama starting on June 30. There will also be the live One Piece show and enjoy a ride on the real-sized version of Thousand Sunny at Laguna Ten Bosch One Piece area located in Gamagori, Japan. This park also features real-life memorials to Ace and Whitebeard in the exhibit.
If One Piece is the only thing you are interested in, go towards Minato-ku, Tokyo, and go to the indoor theme attraction Tokyo One Piece Tower. It is a park with themed restaurants, sculptures, and games that fans can play. There are also replicas of the interiors of their vessels, as well as full-size replicas of famous scenes from their travels as well as enjoy the One Piece live show!
1Luffy is an ambassador for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics
After the announcement video that was released that was aired at this year’s Rio Summer Olympics, Tokyo appears to be planning a grand plan for its sports in 2020. Tokyo’s Olympic Committee incorporated iconic characters from anime, TV, video games, and many other entertainment elements into their video. It was the ultimate nerd’s wish to come to life.
To increase the worldwide appeal of anime, one of the most lucrative “exports”, Tokyo announced that anime characters would act as their Olympic ambassadors. With its international popularity and loyal fan base, One Piece was a must to be part of this list of characters.
As as reported in Anime New Network, the official ambassadors include “Astro Boy,” Sailor Moon, Shin-chan, Luffy (One Piece), Naruto, Jibanyan (Yokai Watch), Goku (Dragon Ball Super), Cure Miracle and Cure Magical (Maho Girls Precure!)” They will be featured on promotional items and merchandise for the event.
