One Piece author, Eiichiro Oda, planned to end Luffy’s story more than 25 years ago.
This information came to light in an interview from November 1999 published in the Asahi Shimbun, a popular Japanese newspaper. One Twitter user, Sandman (or @Sandman_AP), shared an excerpt from this interview in which Oda said, “I’ve decided what the final and final panel should look like. I will not only focus on the Straw Hats, but also on the events happening in the world. The question is how many years it will take to begin the final story.”
Oda explains the importance of ‘the whole world’ to the story
In this interview, Oda discussed many topics, including when he decided to become a manga author, the creation of Luffy, and his vision for the future of the series. When it comes to One Piece’s ending, Oda said that he wanted it to include not only Luffy but the entire world and how the main characters impacted it. “The story shouldn’t be limited to a small story centered around the main character,” says Oda, “but the whole world should start moving.”
When discussing his chosen art style, Oda explained that he wanted to draw using goofy, recognizable expressions to emphasize the “classic manga nature” of the series. However, he also admits that the story, especially the fight scenes, will eventually get more serious. “As the series gets longer, the battles will inevitably become more intense, and the blood output will also increase,” said Oda. “If you want to directly meet the needs of your readers, you have no choice but to move in that direction. However, I think I have to show more interesting things than just escalating.”
First published in July 1997, One Piece now has over 1000 chapters and is currently the best-selling manga series of all time, with over 516 million copies sold worldwide. Oda is currently working on the series’ final main storyline, despite constant sleep deprivation due to the artist’s hectic work schedule. Although Oda’s physical health is very weak, he believes that One Piece will succeed even if he has to stop working on it. The artist addressed this in a 2017 interview, where he said, “A lot of employees are involved in the One Piece industry… It wouldn’t have had a big impact even if the OP abruptly ended it. due to my health. .”
Anime One Piece is available in its entirety on Crunchyroll. The comic is available in English from VIZ Media.
Source: Asahi Shimbun, via Twitter
