The king of foreshadowing references, Eiichiro Oda, has been renowned in the anime industry not only because of his magnum Opus One Piece but also because of the mysteries and detailing he introduces in his story. Throughout the journey of almost 30 years, Oda has secretly introduced a lot of references that became a huge deal later on.
These references and details might go unnoticed by normal anime fans, but hardcore One Piece fans know how to find the treasure that Oda hides in his manga chapters, which later gets developed into anime episodes. Over the years, these references have become more hidden and harder to spot.
One such reference that many fans may not have been able to notice was when Oda introduced himself in the story with the help of the navigator of Straw Hat Pirates, Nami. He snuck himself into a chapter, and although it was subtle and had no importance to the story, it surely shed light on Oda’s talent for detailing.
Eiichiro Oda Snuck Himself Inside One Piece Anime
Even hardcore One Piece fans might not have noticed it when Eiichiro Oda referenced himself in the One Piece anime. He did this at the beginning of the story before the time skip. In one of the old episodes, Nami is seen searching for some kind of book on a bookshelf. The bookshelf had a lot of interesting books on it about the King of the Pirates and the One Piece.
But the most interesting one was a hidden reference to the manga creator himself. The book had the name “Eiichiro Oda” inscribed on it. This states that even in the reference he set for himself in the anime, Oda stated himself as a writer, or it could be a book about the manga creator himself.
Usually, Oda’s hidden puzzles are some random characters who suddenly sneak into the story, like the Pandaman. But introducing himself in the anime as a book was a great move that only someone as smart and talented as Oda san could have done.
Other Foreshadowing Moments in One Piece
Oda has demonstrated time and time again that he is among the greatest at it, and he just enjoys leaving subtle hints about what may happen in the future. Haki is one of the most prominent examples of this. Before it was officially introduced in One Piece, Oda hinted at the existence of the force known as haki.
While Shanks was rescuing Luffy, he was observed wielding Conqueror’s Haki to threaten the Sea King who had eaten his arm. Another instance of it was the presence of Sun God Nika. Though it may appear unexpected, this turn of events was anticipated back in Skypiea. When Luffy is shown dancing around a bonfire in the arc, his silhouette resembles the silhouette of Nika later displayed in the Wano arc.
These are just some of the major examples of Oda’s talent for foreshadowing and detailing. He has hidden an indefinite amount of callbacks in the 1000+ episodes that have held great importance in the future of the series.
You can watch One Piece on Crunchyroll.
