Eiichiro Oda
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese manga artist
, best known as the creator of One Piece
.
's works and aspired to become a manga
artist
. He recalls that his interest in pirates was probably sparked by the popular TV animation series titled Vicky the Viking
. He submitted a character named Pandaman for Yudetamago
's classic wrestling manga Kinnikuman
. Pandaman was not only used in a chapter of the manga but would later return as a recurring cameo character in Oda's own works.
. That got him into a job at the Weekly Shōnen Jump
magazine, where he originally worked as assistant to Shinobu Kaitani
's series Suizan Police Gang before moving to Masaya Tokuhiro
on Jungle King Tar-chan
and Mizu no Tomodachi Kappaman, which gave him an unexpected influence on his artistic style. At the age of 19, he worked as an assistant to Nobuhiro Watsuki
on Rurouni Kenshin
, before winning the Hop Step Award for new artists. Watsuki also credits Oda for the creation of the character Honjō Kamatari who appears in Rurouni Kenshin. During this time, he drew two pirate-themed one-shot stories, called "Romance Dawn", which would debut in Monthly and Weekly Jump in late 1996-early 1997. "Romance Dawn" featured Monkey D. Luffy as the protagonist, who then became the protagonist of One Piece. While Oda was an assistant of Watsuki, his colleague was Hiroyuki Takei
, and the three of them are good friends.
In 1997, One Piece appeared for the first time in Weekly Shōnen Jump
and promptly became one of the most popular manga in Japan. His biggest influence is Akira Toriyama
, who is the creator of Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump
.
In an interview with Shonen Jump
, when asked what his three favorite manga by other authors were, he stated 'everything by Akira Toriyama
'. Oda and Toriyama have made a one shot called "Cross Epoch" containing characters from Toriyama's Dragon Ball and Oda's One Piece.
, Oda was elected fifth most favorite manga artists of Japan. He shared the place with Yoshihiro Togashi
, creator of YuYu Hakusho
and Hunter × Hunter
.
Mangaka
is the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese...
, best known as the creator of One Piece
One Piece
is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since August 4, 1997; the individual chapters are being published in tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, with the first released on December 24, 1997, and the 64th volume released as...
.
Early life
As a child, Oda was inspired by Akira ToriyamaAkira Toriyama
is a Japanese manga artist and game artist known mostly for his creation of Dragon Ball in 1984. Toriyama admires Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy and was impressed by Walt Disney's One Hundred and One Dalmatians, which he remembers for the great art...
's works and aspired to become a manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
. He recalls that his interest in pirates was probably sparked by the popular TV animation series titled Vicky the Viking
Vicky the Viking
Vicky the Viking, known as in Germany and Austria and in Japan, is an Austrian-German-Japanese cartoon series which tells the adventures of Vicky, a young Viking boy who uses his wits to help his Viking fellows...
. He submitted a character named Pandaman for Yudetamago
Yudetamago
is the pen name of the Japanese manga artists duo consisting of story writer Takashi Shimada and artist Yoshinori Nakai. They are best known for the popular manga Kinnikuman, Ultimate Muscle , and Tatakae!! Ramenman...
's classic wrestling manga Kinnikuman
Kinnikuman
is a manga created by the duo of Yudetamago , which is composed of Yoshinori Nakai and Takashi Shimada. The manga was published in Shueisha's Weekly Jump, and received the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen manga in 1985...
. Pandaman was not only used in a chapter of the manga but would later return as a recurring cameo character in Oda's own works.
Career
At the age of 17, he submitted his work Wanted! and won several awards, including second place in the coveted Tezuka AwardTezuka Award
The is a semi-annual manga award offered by the Japanese publisher Shueisha , under the auspices of its Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. It awards new comic artists in the Story Manga category. Its counterpart award, Akatsuka Award, awards new comic artists in the Comedic Manga category...
. That got him into a job at the Weekly Shōnen Jump
Weekly Shonen Jump
is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.8 million copies...
magazine, where he originally worked as assistant to Shinobu Kaitani
Shinobu Kaitani
is a manga artist from Kagoshima, Japan and a recipient of the 1991 Tezuka Award.His most notable works are One Outs and Liar Game. He has mentioned in an interview that he was inspired to write Liar Game after visiting a local bar in Kagoshima....
's series Suizan Police Gang before moving to Masaya Tokuhiro
Masaya Tokuhiro
is a Japanese manga artist working for various magazines within the Shueisha lines, including Weekly Shōnen Jump and Super Jump. Born in Ōtoyo in the prefecture of Kōchi on March 1, 1959, he originally got notice from a placing entry in the 17th Akatsuka Award for his story in 1982...
on Jungle King Tar-chan
Jungle King Tar-chan
is a manga and anime by Masaya Tokuhiro. Midway through serialization, its name was changed to '.- Overview :The series ran in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1988 to 1990 as Jungle King Tar-chan, and then from 1990 to 1995 as New Jungle King Tar-chan...
and Mizu no Tomodachi Kappaman, which gave him an unexpected influence on his artistic style. At the age of 19, he worked as an assistant to Nobuhiro Watsuki
Nobuhiro Watsuki
is a Japanese manga artist, best known for his samurai-themed series Rurouni Kenshin. He once worked as an assistant for his favorite author Takeshi Obata.-Biography:...
on Rurouni Kenshin
Rurouni Kenshin
, also known as Rurouni Kenshin and Samurai X, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The fictional setting takes place during the early Meiji period in Japan. The story is about a fictional assassin named Himura Kenshin, from the Bakumatsu who becomes a wanderer to...
, before winning the Hop Step Award for new artists. Watsuki also credits Oda for the creation of the character Honjō Kamatari who appears in Rurouni Kenshin. During this time, he drew two pirate-themed one-shot stories, called "Romance Dawn", which would debut in Monthly and Weekly Jump in late 1996-early 1997. "Romance Dawn" featured Monkey D. Luffy as the protagonist, who then became the protagonist of One Piece. While Oda was an assistant of Watsuki, his colleague was Hiroyuki Takei
Hiroyuki Takei
is a Japanese manga artist, best known as the creator of the manga and anime Shaman King.-Career:Hiroyuki Takei started drawing manga with writer EXIAD on SD Département Store Series which they created for a fanzine. Early in his career, he became the assistant to Tamakichi Sakura on as in 1992...
, and the three of them are good friends.
In 1997, One Piece appeared for the first time in Weekly Shōnen Jump
Weekly Shonen Jump
is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.8 million copies...
and promptly became one of the most popular manga in Japan. His biggest influence is Akira Toriyama
Akira Toriyama
is a Japanese manga artist and game artist known mostly for his creation of Dragon Ball in 1984. Toriyama admires Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy and was impressed by Walt Disney's One Hundred and One Dalmatians, which he remembers for the great art...
, who is the creator of Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump
Dr. Slump
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was serialized in Shueisha's anthology comic Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1980 to 1984 which were collected into 18 tankōbon volumes...
.
In an interview with Shonen Jump
Shonen Jump (magazine)
Shonen Jump, officially stylized SHONEN JUMP and abbreviated SJ, is a shōnen manga anthology published in North America by Viz Media. It debuted in November 2002 with the first issue having a January 2003 cover date...
, when asked what his three favorite manga by other authors were, he stated 'everything by Akira Toriyama
Akira Toriyama
is a Japanese manga artist and game artist known mostly for his creation of Dragon Ball in 1984. Toriyama admires Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy and was impressed by Walt Disney's One Hundred and One Dalmatians, which he remembers for the great art...
'. Oda and Toriyama have made a one shot called "Cross Epoch" containing characters from Toriyama's Dragon Ball and Oda's One Piece.
Works
- One PieceOne Pieceis a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since August 4, 1997; the individual chapters are being published in tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, with the first released on December 24, 1997, and the 64th volume released as...
(since 1997) - Wanted! (1998, Collection of the short stories below)
- Wanted! (1992)
- God's Present for the Future (1993)
- Ikki Yakou (1993)
- Monsters (1994)
- Romance Dawn (Version 2, 1996)
- Dragon Ball x One Piece: Cross Epoch (2007)
- One Piece x Toriko (2011)
Popularity
In a 2008 poll, conducted by marketing research firm OriconOricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
, Oda was elected fifth most favorite manga artists of Japan. He shared the place with Yoshihiro Togashi
Yoshihiro Togashi
is a Japanese manga artist. He began drawing manga at an early age; while he attended college, the publisher Shueisha recognized his talent. Togashi has authored numerous manga series in different genres during the past three decades...
, creator of YuYu Hakusho
YuYu Hakusho
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. The name of the series is spelled YuYu Hakusho in the Viz Media manga and Yu Yu Hakusho in other English distributions of the franchise. The series tells the story of Yusuke Urameshi, a teenage delinquent who is struck and...
and Hunter × Hunter
Hunter × Hunter
, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. The story focuses on a young boy named Gon, who discovers that his father, whom he was told was dead, is actually alive and well...
.
External links
- Eiichiro Oda's Profile at Destination Paradise, contains his profile and interview translations.
- Tell Me! Oda Sensei!! - A translation of an interview with Eiichiro Oda from One Piece: Blue – Grand Data File.