Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece is a globally recognized individual who has a fanbase bigger than the majority of the creators because of his work. His magnum opus One Piece has captivated, inspired, and entertained the One Piece fanbase for almost 30 years. And he is still going strong with a much more interesting storyline.
While fans only know about the One Piece world and the life of the characters that are living inside the anime and manga series, not much is known about Oda’s world and his personal life. He just like many other manga creators prefers to keep his personal life a secret and avoid even talking about it.
Despite his hectic schedule and his workaholic environment, Oda does have a private life. He has a wife and two daughters. His wife’s name is Chiaki Inaba and she was a former cosplayer and a model. Many One Piece fans believe that she looks exactly like the navigator of the Straw Hat Pirates, Nami.
Who is Chiaki Inaba?
Short Biography has reported that Chiaki Inaba was a race queen, model, and cosplayer in the past. She attended the JUMP FESTA 2004, which took place in December 2003, and played Nami in the stage show ‘One Piece Spectacle Stage.’ It is where Inaba and Eiichiro Oda first met, and the two hit it off right away.
Vergewiki has stated that following a few years of dating, they got married in 2004. Considering that her husband was born in January 1975, she is supposedly three years younger than him. They remain together to this day. Even though Eiichiro Oda doesn’t live together due to his busy schedule creating the One Piece manga, they still see one other frequently.
According to @iammusashi456, they have two daughters, who were born in 2006 and 2009. Oda gets a visit from his family around once a week. Many One Piece fans believe that Oda’s wife resembles Nami and she is a real-life version of Nami. This has led to fans contemplating that Oda married a lookalike of one of his characters.
Eiichiro Oda and Chiaki Inaba’s Relationship
Not much is known about the relationship between manga creator Oda and his wife Inaba. They do not have any official social media accounts and they choose to stay away from the limelight. Their lives are private and they have kept it like that since the beginning. Although Oda does sometimes interact with his fans through the SBS Volumes, Inaba doesn’t share anything much about her life.
However, as the couple married in 2004 and are still together, it can only be hoped that they have a great life and despite his busy schedule, Oda manages to give time and importance to his daughters and his wife. They haven’t made any global appearance and might not do something like this in the future.
Eiichiro Oda Married Real-Life Version of Nami
As soon as the story of Oda and Inaba surfaced, fans pointed out that the mangaka had wed a character who looked exactly like Navigator Nami in real life. Indeed, Nami is a popular cosplay character, but Inaba stands out above the others. She bears a striking resemblance to Nami, particularly the pre-time-skip avatar.
When Eiichiro Oda met his future wife in 2002, the latter cosplayed as Nami and it was unclear at that time what Nami’s overarching story arc would be like. Since then, both of them have kept their lives private and choose not to interact much with fans. So much so, that no one even knows their daughters’ names.
Nami has become one of the most important characters in the series. She has developed a decent fanbase and fans have huge expectations from her as a character from One Piece. Nami dreams of creating a map of the entire world and is working towards achieving her dream along with the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates.
You can watch One Piece on Crunchyroll.
