Eiichiro Oda has always been one to take inspiration from other sources and inspire others at the same time. Starting One Piece decades ago, he has seen the advantage of witnessing eras change and evolve with time. There are many famous mangakas who are openly giddy about the ideas that have come to fruition because of Oda’s contributions to the anime and manga industry.
Many of those include Gege Akutami (Jujutsu Kaisen), Yuki Tabata (Black Clover), and Kohei Horikoshi (My Hero Academia). In this widespread range, there was one particular comment made by Takehiko Inoue that struck Oda in the best way possible. So much so that it became an inspiring moment in return, making him want to write and draw more of One Piece.
Eiichiro Oda’s Had a Fanboy’s Dreams Come True
Eiichiro Oda, during a talk with Takehiko Inoue in 2009 to discuss the former’s exhibition in Kumamoto, opened up about the first time Inoue came across One PPiece.While engaging in conversation, Oda shared an anecdote about how the Slam Dunk writer’s comments changed a lot for him.
“Around the time One Piece had just begun serialization, I saw a survey in a magazine asking famous people what comics interested them. In that survey, you had chosen One Piece and commented, ‘The creator really believes in his work.’ I almost literally jumped for joy, I was so happy. I had a copy of that page pinned up at my work place for the longest time.”
Oda stated that it was during the early days of One Piece when he received a survey magazine regarding its response. Being as new as it was, each criticism was important to the author. It was Inoue’s comment that took him aback in the best way possible.
He loved the appreciation so much that the copy of the page made it onto his wall where he worked. It became a driving force he would often look back to.
Eiichiro Oda Impressed Takehiko Inoue
During the talk, Takehiko Inoue also confirmed that One Piece was the one manga that offered him a change of pace he had so desperately been hoping for. This allowed him a sense of eagerness, wanting to know more about the story.
“I was in Los Angeles around the time One Piece started and I was having Shonen Jump sent out to me. When I read One Piece chapter one, I remember thinking, ‘Wow, this is the start of a really good comic.’ I thought it was a can’t miss piece of work. I hadn’t felt that way about a comic in a while so I made sure to follow it.”
Inoue noticed the path in which Eiichiro Oda’s work was going in and knew immediately that the work was one that needed great appreciation. As such, he began following it chapter by chapter.
As a result, One Piece found an admirable fan in the form of Slam Dunk and Vagabond writer Takehiko Inoue.
One Piece is available to watch on Crunchyroll and can be read on Viz Media.
