We’re a few days out from the debut of Netflix’s live-action One Piece adaptation, but as non-anime fans become acquainted with the Japanese manga scene, there’s one specific question circulating the internet. Who created One Piece?
And no, it wasn’t Netflix. Before it became one of history’s most famous anime and a big-time Netflix hit (we’re calling it), One Piece originated as a manga series, which began serialization in 1997 and has been ongoing ever since. The series spans over 1000 chapters and, as of July 2023, has 106 tankōbon volumes.
And the man behind this global phenomenon is none other than Eiichiro Oda, a 48-year-old mangaka from Kumamoto, Japan. With more than 516.6 million tankōbon copies in circulation worldwide, One Piece is not only the best-selling manga in history, but also the best-selling comic series printed in volume.
In late 1996, One Piece started out as two pirate-themed one-shot stories called “Romance Dawn” published in Akamaru Jump and Weekly Shōnen Jump. These one-shots featured Monkey D. Luffy as the protagonist, who would later become the central focus of One Piece.
Oda aspired to become a manga artist from as early as four years old, hoping to avoid having to get a “real job.” He has cited his biggest inspiration as Akira Toriyama – creator of the Dragon Ball franchise.
Netflix’s One Piece premieres on August 31, whereas new manga chapters and anime episodes are dropping weekly. You can read the manga on Viz Media and stream the anime on Crunchyroll.
