"Believe in your dreams, they may come true" said Martin Luther King. These words resonate strongly withEiichiro Oda, who from the age of 4 was already dreaming of becoming a mangaka. From his first steps into the world of manga to his record sales, his career embodies a rare perseverance. Cartoon Toi Let us help you discover the story of the mysterious creator of One Piecefrom simple enthusiast to manga legend.
The rise ofEiichiro Oda
A promising debut with Wanted !
Eiichiro Oda was born on January 1, 1975 in Kumamoto, Japan. His father introduced him to manga at a very early age, with The Monster Kid (Kaibutsu-kun) and Vic the Viking, which undoubtedly led to his passion for pirates. But it was when he discovered the world ofAkira Toriyama with the manga Dragon Ball that the young Eiichiro found his vocation: he wanted to write manga.
At just 17, Oda won the 44th Tezuka Prize with Wanted !, a short story set during the conquest of the West, featuring Gill Bastar, a legendary cowboy with a price on his head. Even though it's a Western, we can already see the beginnings of the famouswanted posters in One Piece.
His years at Weekly Shonen Jump
In 1994, Eiichiro decided to abandon his architecture studies and join the Weekly Shōnen Jump team. He became assistant to several mangakas, including Shinobu Kaitani and Nobuhiro Watsuki. This was a key moment in his career, as in addition to learning alongside the best. He published two new titles there: Monsters in the Autumn Special 1994 and Romance Dawn in the Summer Special 1996.
This latest book follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, a boy who dreams of becoming king of the pirates. After eating a demon fruit, his body becomes elastic and he embarks on a quest to find treasure. A year later, in 1997, Oda published the second part of Romance Dawn, under the name One Piece. Despite several initial rejections, the manga was eventually published in Weekly Shōnen Jump, and enjoyed immediate success.
The success of the One Piece phenomenon
Readers of Weekly Shōnen Jump fall under the spell of the adventures of theChapeau de Paille crew. Bound volumes of the manga are starting to be published by Shueisha and a solid fan base begins to build.
In 1999, the anime adaptation of One Piece was broadcast for the first time in Japan. Produced by Toei Animation, the anime played a crucial role in the franchise's international success. Oda reached an even wider audience, and his talent was widely recognized. The manga quickly became number 1 in manga sales and the worldwide reference for the shonen genre.
En 2006, pour célébrer les dix ans de One Piece, il publie le jour de Noël, le manga Cross Epoch, en collaboration avec son idole de toujours, Akira Toriyama. Il s'agit d'une fusion de l'univers One Piece avec celui de Dragon Ball dans une aventure crossover unique. Oda est désormais dans la cour des grands !
In 2011, he will collaborate again with the creator of the Toriko manga, Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro, proving that Oda is a true enthusiast and ready to innovate.
Luffy, Zoro, Ryuma... Who inspired the One Piece characters?
Oda appreciates subtle references and doesn't hesitate to integrate his inspirations into his stories. For example, Ryuma, the main character in Monsters, one of his earliest works, appears in One Piece. But most fascinating of all are the references he draws on to create his characters: historical figures, cinema personalities and even music.
To create Roronoa Zoro, for example, Oda drew inspiration from François l'Olonnais, a 17th-century French pirate. Although he was nicknamed "François le cruel" for his cruelty, it was his mastery of the sword that influenced Luffy's companion. To create Sanji, he drew inspiration from American actor Steve Buscemi. For Nami, Winona Ryder and for Coby, Leonardo DiCaprio.
Although he sees all his characters as his children, you'd think he'd be particularly fond of the heroes in his work. Yet, surprisingly,Eiichiro Oda's favorite character is none other than Gaimon. But he also has a particular affection for Baggy the Clown, his favorite villain in One Piece.
The records ofEiichiro Oda: The most famous mangaka in history
In a career spanning almost thirty years, Oda has set several impressive records thanks to the phenomenal success of One Piece. Here are the main records associated with him and his work:
One Piece adapted for Netflix series
Netflix couldn't pass up the One Piece phenomenon, and in 2020 they announced they were working on a live-action series. At first, fans were all dubious, thinking it would be yet another commercial series. But Eiichiro Oda reassured everyone by declaring that he was involved in the project as executive producer. He made a promise: the series will remain faithful to the spirit of the original work.
In a promotional video released by Netflix, we witness a moving encounter between Iñaki Godoy, the actor playing Monkey D. Luffy in the series, and Oda. Known for his discretion and the few interviews he grants, Oda has his face hidden throughout the video. We see a strong complicity between the two men, and Oda tells Iñaki Godoy that he couldn't think of anyone else to play Luffy.
This speaks volumes about his involvement in the production of the Netflix series, due for release in 2023, which has finally been well received by the public. The video ends with a symbolic gesture of Oda knighting Godoy with Luffy's straw hat... A nice wink!
What does the future hold for One Piece and Eiichiro Oda?
What if we told you that this 2023 series was just the beginning of his collaboration with Netflix? In fact, for 2024, a remake of the One Piece anime, renamed THE ONE PIECE, is due to land on the streaming platform, and the good news is thatOda will once again be at the helm. Production, meanwhile, will be handled by Wit Studio, who produced the first One Piece episodes.Attack on Titans. According to Oda, the aim of the remake is to modernize One Piece, with a release date in a few years' time.
At the last Jump Festa, Oda revealed that a special project was being prepared to celebrate the 25ththanniversary of One Piece in 2024. We're all curious and wonder what the sequel to theEgghead Arc will be like. And to get fans even more excited, Oda teased a major confrontation between two main characters... To be continued!
All books byEiichiro Oda
| Title | Output | Theme | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Wanted !  |
1992 | Western | Short story featuring Gill Bastar, a reluctant outlaw in the Wild West. |
|
A divine gift  |
1993 | Fantastic | Bran, a young pickpocket, gets a chance at redemption when he has to stop a meteorite from destroying a department store. |
|
The lonely demon  |
1994 | Monster | Guko, a monk, must face a monster to save a village, putting his courage to the test. |
|
Monsters  |
1994 | Samurai | Ryuma, a samurai, finds himself fighting a dragon manipulated by criminals. |
|
Romance Dawn
|
1996 | Pirate | Early versions of One Piece where Monkey D. Luffy faces various challenges on his way to becoming a pirate. |
|
One Piece  |
1997 - present | Pirate | Monkey D. Luffy aspires to become king of the pirates. After eating a demon fruit, he recruits a crew to search for the One Piece. |
|
Cross Epoch  |
2007 | Cross-over / Fantasy | Collaboration between Oda and Toriyama, blending the worlds of One Piece and Dragon Ball. |
|
Jisshoku! Akuma no Mi!!  |
2011 | Cross-over / Culinary | Cross-over with Toriko, where characters from both series interact around the concept of demon fruit. |
Eiichiro Oda's Awards
- 1992: 44thTezuka Prize with Wanted!
- 1993: Hop☆Step Award for Ikki Yakō
- 2000: Finalist for the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize with One Piece (and also finalist in 2001 and 2002)
- 2005: Sondermann Award in the International Manga category for One Piece
- 2006: One Piece selected as one of the 100 Mangas at the Japanese Media Arts Festival
- 2008 & 2009Sondermann Award in the Manga International category for volumes 44 and 48 of One Piecerespectively
- 2011: Peng Prize for best East Asian manga with One Piece
- 2012: Grand Prix at the 41st Japan Cartoonists Association Award for One Piece
- 2015: Guinness World Record for the highest number of copies published for the same comic book series by a single author, with 320,866,000 copies of One Piece printed worldwide up to December 2014
- 2018: Kumamoto Prefecture Honor Award
- 2019: Most searched author at the Yahoo! Japan Search Awards
- 2019: Included in Newsweek Japan's list of 100 respected Japanese worldwide
- 2022: Special lifetime achievement award at Napoli Comicon 2022 in Italy
- 2022: Guinness World Record for the highest number of copies published for the same comic book series by a single author, with 516,566,000 copies of One Piece printed worldwide up to July 2022.
- 2023: Shin Watanabe Award, for his contribution to the development of pop culture, notably for his work on the film One Piece Film Red
Eiichiro Oda's influence on the world of manga
His relationship with other mangakas
Eiichiro Oda a souvent mis en concurrence avec Masashi Kishimoto, le créateur de Naruto. Et pour cause, ce sont les deux animes les plus regardés de ces 20 dernières années. En 2015, ils se sont rencontrés à l'occasion d'une interview commune pour Anime News Network et on en apprend plus sur leur relation.
In fact, the two mangakas, who met at a Shonen Jump New Year's party, have been friends for a long time. Oda even reveals that he considered integrating elements of Naruto into One Piece to pay tribute to the end of Kishimoto's series. Despite the competition between their series, Oda and Kishimoto have always supported each other.
Eiichiro Oda also expressed his admiration for Gege Akutami, the author of Jujutsu Kaisen. At the 105th Tezuka Manga Awards ceremony, he called him a reliable person and praised his kindness.
How Oda contributed to the international popularity of manga
Today, manga is one of the most widely read literary genres in the world, and Eiichiro Oda has a lot to do with it. With over 100 volumes of One Piece to his credit, he is one of the most prolific mangaka of the 21stcentury. Given the number of sales, it's safe to say that many readers discovered manga with One Piece.
Through record sales, anime adaptations, series, films and merchandising, he has promoted the manga genre internationally. He has influenced the entire industry and inspired other creators who dream of the same destiny.
The private life ofEiichiro Oda
Why doesn't Eiichiro Oda show his face?
Oda is known for his discretion when it comes to his private life. His public appearances are rare, and he never shows his face in the media. This allows him to concentrate on his work without the pressure that can accompany celebrity. But above all it helps to give him a more mysterious image, ensuring that fans' attention stays on One Piece and not on him.
In his rare interviews or official communications, he appears with a fish avatar, so as not to have his face blurred. This fish image has now become emblematic... it's a bit like his signature. Proof that Oda doesn't take himself too seriously...
Who is Chiaki Inaba, Oda's wife?
Behind every great man, there's a woman, and Eiichiro Oda is no exception to the rule. Since November 7, 2004, he has been married to Chiaki Inabaa former Japanese model. Chiaki Inaba was successively "Gravure Idol", "Race Queen", "Campaign Girl" and "Tarento" during her appearances at Japanese TV.
They met at Jump Festa in 2002, when Chiaki Inaba played the role of Nami in a live performance. Chiaki Inaba gave birth to their first daughter in 2006, followed by their second daughter in 2009. This family life brings balance to Oda's hectic daily routine. Chiaki Inaba, too, chose to stay out of the spotlight, ending her modeling career shortly after their meeting.
Her life in Nerima, Japan
After leaving to study at Tokyo University, Oda never left the Japanese capital. In fact, he fulfilled one of his childhood dreams by buying a mansion in Nerima, the Tokyo district known as the cradle of anime. We can imagine that the mangaka needs some peace and quiet to write the sequel to One Piece, and what better place to do so than a large mansion?
Who is the richest mangaka? Eiichiro Oda's fortune
As the creator of the best-selling manga in history, you'd expect Oda to be one of the richest mangaka around. His fortune is estimated at between 200 and 230 million euros. By comparison, the fortune of his idol, Toriyama, is estimated at around 55 million euros. So yes, Oda is indeed the world's richest mangaka... by far!
Eiichiro Oda's humanitarian actions
But that doesn't mean Oda has forgotten where he comes from... quite the contrary. When his hometown of Kumamato was hit by violent earthquakes in 2016, the mangaka donated 800 million yen (5M euros) to rebuild the town. This earned him the title of Honorary Citizen of Kumamato Prefecture in 2018.
To mark the occasion, the town even built him a bronze statue in the effigy of Luffy, the hero of his flagship work One Piece. Other statues of the Straw Hat crew will soon be built in Kumamato to pay tribute to him.
Some quotes fromEiichiro Oda
"Remember to smile in every situation. As long as you're alive, there will be better later, and there will be a lot of it."
"It's not a question of whether I can! I'm doing this because I want to.... If I have to die fighting for it, then I'll die."
"But don't forget that when it comes to friendship, it's not how much time you spend with them, but how you spend it!"
"Surpass the best to be the best."
2 commentaires
Lb
La photo que vous avez utilisé de “lui” c’est pas lui. C’est une photo de eiji aonuma, le directeur de Zelda, pas de eiichiro oda.
Mk
That's Eiichiro Oda in the photo. That's Zelda's dad, not One Piece's dad.
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