Over decades, Eiichiro Oda has numerous times proven One Piece as a cinematic masterpiece, captivating several viewers with Luffy’s journey to become the Pirate King. Not to forget that One Piece earned the title of the best-selling manga series for eleven consecutive years from 2008 until 2018. This highlights One Piece‘s immense popularity among the readers earning its spot in the Big Three of shonen anime.
Despite the long list of 1100 episodes, the anime never left a feeling of boredom among the fandom. Surprisingly, there’s one creator who even mesmerized Genius Oda with their splendid manga artwork and it’s neither Naruto nor Bleach.
One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda Was Blown Away by the Genius of a Fellow Manga Artist
Over 25 years of beautiful story-telling, One Piece has become the most recognized anime in the community. Certainly keeping viewers engaged over 1000 episodes without letting fear of boredom take over isn’t an easy task for any manga artist. However, Oda overcame such challenges by leaving a long-lasting impression on the audience, highlighting the mangaka’s notable gift of storytelling.
Eiichiro Oda never hesitated to find inspiration from fellow manga artists while struggling with creating One Piece. Interestingly, the mangaka once admitted his envy for a fellow manga artist whose work even awestruck Genuis Oda.
Your Lie in April might not be as popular as Oda’s One Piece, but it definitely left the mangaka mesmerized with its artwork. Naoshi Arakawa’s manga captured the hearts of many fans by conveying the power of music through its splendid panels.
Naturally, captivating music enthusiasts through manga panels is a formidable challenge; regardless, Arakawa created Your Lie in April as a remarkable blend of music and emotion through expressive artwork and dynamic compositions.
Eiichiro Oda came across Your Lie in April while struggling with the submission deadline for One Piece. For a fresh perspective, Oda explored Arakawa’s manga and was utterly captivated by the creator’s breathtaking artwork. The One Piece creator was so mesmerized by Arakawa’s art style that he requested all the staff members to purchase Your Lie in April manga to show support towards Arakawa’s hard work.
One Piece Hits the Pinnacle of Its Legendary Status with Chapter 1122
With the release of manga chapter 1122, One Piece has again taken the entire internet by storm. Oda finally foreshadows the most awaited character, Joyboy, after a long journey of 1000 manga chapters. In Chapter 1122, Luffy and his crew at last escape Egghead Island thanks to Joyboy.
After the terrific showdown between Five Elders and Luffy, Emet took the spotlight with a surprising twist. After noticing Luffy’s resemblance to Joyboy, the Iron Giant recalls his friend’s last wish and unleashes the strongest Conqueror Haki, sending the Four Elders flying back to Mary Geoise. Oda portrayed Joyboy’s Haki so immensely powerful that only its mere presence made Imu bend a knee and curse Joyboy for again interfering with his plans, like 800 years ago.
With Emet’s flashback, readers discover Joyboy’s last wish, suggesting him being aware of Luffy’s existence. Joyboy was the previous owner of the Human-Human: model Nika devil fruit, a mythical Zoan-type. Oda has already revealed that Zoan Devil Fruits choose people based on their personalities and Emet’s flashback showcased a lot of resemblance between the two. Thanks to these revelations, fans believe Luffy to fulfill Joyboy’s dream that he failed to achieve back in the Void Century.
You can read One Piece on Viz Media and watch the anime on Crunchyroll.
