In a grand tribute, Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece, felt that it was finally time to pay due tribute to his fellow mangaka, Kohei Horikoshi, the creator behind My Hero Academia. This is already the fourth exaltation that Eiichiro Oda will be doing for a colleague mangaka, following a similar celebration for the end of Kochikame, Naruto, and Dragon Ball.
One detail said to be very pleasing to the fans is a sketch of Smoker, a character much loved by One Piece‘s readers, standing next to the cover of the leaked spoiler for Chapter 1162, further emphasizing the great respect for and admiration of the other iconic creator between them.
Eiichiro Oda’s remembrance of Horikoshi
The tribute by Oda to Horikoshi is that one sketch of Smoker by Horikoshi himself. He submitted this sketch of Smoker back in 2002 when he was 15 years old. Later, the Usopp Gallery Pirate segment featured this artwork in the 23rd volume. All this has been leaked as a spoiler by an X (former Twitter) user @pewpiece.
Before this in a different post in X (formerly Twitter) by @pewpiece again the glimpse of My Hero Academia and Horkoshi’s artwork of Smoker, claiming that it’s going to be the poster of One Piece‘s next weekly release.
Probably this is a legit spoiler as there is no chance to negate this on any terms. On the other hand, the same artwork by Horikoshi reappeared in volume 77 of One Piece. In SBS corner, Oda confirmed that this was a fan tribute by Horikoshi.
This tribute reveals how Oda respects other mangakas. Before this Akira Toriyama, Masashi Kishimoto, and Osamu Akimoto had been referenced by him.
A moment worth remembering for My Hero Academia before it ends
Horikoshi is set to end the journey of My Hero Academia on August 5th, with 430 chapters. Before that, the tribute by Oda gave a royal farewell to Horikoshi. Once the fanart he submitted to Oda returns as bidding goodbye to him from Oda himself.
This must be a proud moment for Horikoshi, being considered and recognized by legendary Eiichiro Oda. My Hero Academia had a good long run and no other farewell could be better than this for its Mangaka at this moment.
Fans are going ballyhoo over this new leak, everyone’s praising Eiichiro Oda for being incredibly good to other mangakas. Horikoshi’s version of Smoker is set to be the cover for One Piece‘s next chapters. This is a perfect and warm end to Kohei Horikoshi’s legacy.
The tribute to Kohei Horikoshi by Eiichiro Oda as My Hero Academia approaches its final volume. With this fan art of Smoker, Oda expresses his respect not only to another mangaka but also shows what continuous bonds within the manga industry look like. Fans of the series are rejoicing at the heartfelt tribute, underscoring the effect and legacy My Hero Academia is leaving behind while it inches toward its close.
One Piece and My Hero Academia both are available on Crunchyroll to be streamed.
