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One Piece
Genre
Manga
Written by Eiichiro Oda
Published by Shueisha
English publisher
Madman Entertainment
Imprint Jump Comics
Magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump
English magazine
  • Shonen Jump
  • Weekly Shonen Jump
Original run July 22, 1997 – ongoing
Volumes 113 (List of volumes)
Anime television series
  • One Piece (1999–present)
Media franchise
  • List of One Piece media
    • List of One Piece films
    • One Piece live action series
    • List of One Piece video games
    • Music of One Piece

One Piece (written in all capital letters) is a popular Japanese manga series. It was created by Eiichiro Oda, who wrote and drew the entire story. The series tells the exciting adventures of a young man named Monkey D. Luffy. He has a special power that makes his body like rubber.

Luffy gathers a group of friends, known as the Straw Hat Pirates. Together, they explore a dangerous ocean called the Grand Line. Their main goal is to find a legendary treasure known as the "One Piece." Luffy dreams of becoming the next King of the Pirates.

The One Piece manga has been published in Japan in a magazine called Weekly Shōnen Jump since July 1997. Its chapters have been collected into 113 books called tankōbon volumes as of November 2025. Companies like Viz Media and Madman Entertainment publish the manga in English for different parts of the world.

One Piece is more than just a manga. It has become a huge media franchise. This means it includes an anime series that started in October 1999. There are also 14 animated movies and special video animations. Many companies have made toys, a trading card game, and video games based on the series. In 2023, Netflix even released a live-action TV show based on the manga.

People love One Piece for its amazing stories, detailed world, unique art, and funny characters. Many critics and readers consider it one of the best manga series ever made. By August 2022, over 516.6 million copies were sold worldwide. This makes it the best-selling manga series and the best-selling comic series in book format.

The series holds several publishing records. This includes having the highest number of initial copies printed for any book in Japan. In 2015 and 2022, it earned a Guinness World Records title. This was for "most copies published for the same comic book series by a single author." One Piece was the top-selling manga for 11 years in a row (2008–2018). It is also the only series where every one of its more than 100 published volumes has sold over 1 million copies. Since 2008, it has always been number one on Japan's weekly comic charts.

The World of One Piece

Where the Story Takes Place

The Blue Planet where One Piece is set.
The flag of the World Government.

The story of One Piece happens on a planet called the Blue Planet. This world is home to humans and many other interesting races. These include tiny dwarves, huge giants, merfolk (half-human, half-fish), and fish-men. There are also tribes with long limbs, people with long necks called the Snakeneck Tribe, and animal-like people known as "Minks."

A powerful global organization called the World Government rules the Blue Planet. It includes many different countries. The Navy is the military part of the World Government. They work to protect the seas from pirates and other lawbreakers. The Cipher Pol acts as the World Government's special agents.

While pirates are often seen as enemies of the Government, there are also groups like the List of One Piece characters#Revolutionary Army. They want to change the way the World Government rules. The main conflict in the series is often between the World Government and pirates. The story shows that not all pirates are bad, and not all government actions are good.

The One Piece world also has mysterious objects called Devil Fruits. These fruits give people amazing powers when eaten. However, there's a big drawback: anyone who eats a Devil Fruit loses the ability to swim. Another special power is Haki. This ability lets users have stronger observation and fighting skills based on their willpower. Haki is one of the few ways to hurt certain Devil Fruit users.

The Blue Planet's surface is mostly covered by the Blue Sea. This vast ocean is split into two by a giant mountain range called the Red Line. There's also another global sea current called the Grand Line. It runs across the Red Line and is surrounded by the Calm Belt. The Calm Belt is a calm part of the ocean filled with huge, ship-eating monsters called Sea Kings.

These natural barriers divide the world into four main seas: North Blue, East Blue, West Blue, and South Blue. It's very hard to travel between these seas and the Grand Line. Special features allow travel, like government ships using Sea Prism Stone to hide from Sea Kings in the Calm Belt. There's also Reverse Mountain, where water from all four seas flows uphill before joining a fast and dangerous canal into the Grand Line. The Grand Line itself is divided into two halves by the Red Line: Paradise and the New World.

Luffy's Grand Adventure


The story follows Monkey D. Luffy, a young man whose body became like rubber after he accidentally ate a Devil Fruit called the Gum-Gum Fruit. Luffy starts his journey from the East Blue Sea. He wants to find the ultimate treasure, the "One Piece," left behind by the late King of the Pirates, Gol D. Roger. Luffy's dream is to become the next King of the Pirates.

Luffy sets sail as the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates. His first crew members include Roronoa Zoro, a skilled swordsman; Nami, a clever navigator who loves money; Usopp, a great sniper and storyteller; and Sanji, a kind and chivalrous cook. They get their first ship, the Going Merry, which is later replaced by the Thousand Sunny. Along the way, they face many famous pirates.

As their adventure continues, more friends join the crew. These include Tony Tony Chopper, an adorable reindeer doctor; Nico Robin, a smart archaeologist; Franky, a cyborg shipbuilder; Brook, a skeleton musician and swordsman; and Jimbei, a whale shark fish-man who becomes their helmsman. Together, they meet other pirates, bounty hunters, special agents, scientists, and soldiers from the World Government. They also make many friends and enemies as they chase their dreams across the seas.

How One Piece Was Made

The Idea Behind the Story

Eiichiro Oda became interested in pirates when he was a child. He watched an animated show called Vicky the Viking. This show made him want to create his own pirate manga series. Oda read about real-life pirates, and he used their traits for many of his characters. For example, the character Marshall D. Teach is based on the famous pirate Edward "Blackbeard" Teach. Besides pirate history, Oda's biggest inspiration was Akira Toriyama and his series Dragon Ball.

Oda started writing One Piece in 1996 while working as an assistant to another manga artist. It began as two short stories called Romance Dawn. These stories featured Luffy and had ideas that would appear in the main series. The first short story was published in August 1996. The second was published in September 1996.

Takanori Asada, the first editor of One Piece, shared that the manga was turned down three times by Weekly Shōnen Jump before they agreed to publish it. The magazine's editor-in-chief, Kazuhiko Torishima, said they debated for two hours. He thought it had potential but felt it was "incomplete." He finally approved it because Asada was so determined.

Developing the World and Characters

Oda got the idea for Devil Fruits from Doraemon. The powers and uses of the fruits reflect Oda's daily life and imagination, much like Doraemon's gadgets. For instance, the Gum-Gum Fruit was inspired by Oda's own laziness. When designing Devil Fruits, Oda wanted them to look appealing, like something you'd want to eat.

Many special attack names in the manga use a type of wordplay. Japanese characters (kanji) are paired with unique readings. Some character techniques mix different languages. Several of Zoro's sword techniques are jokes. They sound scary when read but like food when spoken aloud. For example, Zoro's move Onigiri means "demon cut" but sounds like "rice ball" in Japanese.

Oda is very careful about how his work is translated. He draws all the moving characters himself to keep the art style consistent. His staff then draws the backgrounds based on his sketches. This means he works very long hours, often from early morning until late at night, with only short breaks.

When a reader asked if Nami was in love with anyone, Oda explained that there would be almost no romantic relationships within Luffy's crew. He avoids them because One Piece is a shōnen manga, which is for boys who are usually not interested in love stories.

The Story's Journey to its End

In 2006, Oda said he originally planned One Piece to last five years and had already thought of the ending. However, he realized he loved the story too much to finish it so quickly. In 2016, nineteen years after it started, he mentioned that the manga had reached 65% of the story he wanted to tell. By July 2018, he said it was 80% complete.

In a TV special in January 2019, Oda confirmed that One Piece was heading towards its conclusion. He also said it would go beyond 100 volumes. He joked that he might change the ending if fans guessed it. Oda confirmed that the "One Piece" treasure is a real, physical object. He doesn't want the ending to be a cliché, like in The Wizard of Oz, where the journey itself is the reward.

In August 2019, Oda predicted the manga would end in five years. However, he stated that the core ending idea remained the same from the beginning. In August 2020, Shueisha announced that One Piece was "headed toward the upcoming final saga." On January 4, 2021, One Piece reached its thousandth chapter. In June 2022, Oda announced a one-month break to prepare for the manga's 25th anniversary and its final saga, which began with chapter 1054.

One Piece in Other Media

Manga Publications

One Piece, written and drawn by Eiichiro Oda, has been published in the Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine since July 22, 1997. Shueisha has collected these chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on December 24, 1997. As of November 2025, 113 volumes have been released.

Viz Media began publishing the manga in English in North America in November 2002. They started releasing the collected volumes on June 30, 2003. To catch up with Japan, Viz released five volumes per month in early 2010. After the print Shonen Jump magazine stopped, Viz started releasing One Piece chapters digitally in Weekly Shonen Jump on January 30, 2012. Since January 2019, Viz Media and Shueisha's Manga Plus service have published One Piece chapters at the same time as Japan.

In the United Kingdom, Gollancz Manga published the volumes starting in March 2006. Later, Viz Media took over after the fourteenth volume. In Australia and New Zealand, Madman Entertainment has distributed the English volumes since November 2008.

Special Manga Stories

Oda worked with Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball, to create a crossover story. This one-shot, called Cross Epoch, was published in December 2006. Oda also teamed up with Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro, author of Toriko, for another crossover. Titled Taste of the Devil Fruit (実食! 悪魔の実!!, Jitsushoku! Akuma no Mi!!, lit. The True Food! Devil Fruit!!), it was published in April 2011.

A spin-off series called One Piece Party (ワンピースパーティー, Wan Pīsu Pātī) began in December 2011. It was drawn by Ei Andō in a cute, chibi art style. Its final chapter was published in February 2021.

Anime Adaptations

Movies and Special Videos

One Piece: Defeat Him! The Pirate Ganzack! was a special film made in 1998. It showed Luffy, Nami, and Zoro fighting the pirate Ganzack to save villagers.

A second film, One Piece: Romance Dawn Story, was made in July 2008. It was based on an early version of the One Piece story. This film featured the Straw Hat Pirates, including Brook and their ship, the Thousand Sunny. Luffy helps a girl named Silk protect her town from pirates.

The One Piece Film Strong World: Episode 0 special video (OVA) tells events from before and after Gol D. Roger's death. It was released in a limited number of DVDs.

The 1999 TV Series

An anime television series, created by Toei Animation, first aired on Fuji Television on October 20, 1999. This series reached its 1,000th episode in November 2021.

One Piece Movies

Fourteen animated One Piece movies have been released by Toei Animation. These movies usually come out in March, during Japan's spring school break. They often tell new, original stories or retell parts of the anime with better animation. The first three movies were shorter and shown with other anime films. These movies sometimes have small differences in their timelines or designs compared to the main story.

New Animated Series for Netflix

In December 2023, at the Jump Festa '24 event, it was announced that Wit Studio is producing a new animated series for Netflix. This remake, titled The One Piece, starts from the East Blue story arc. It celebrates the 25th anniversary of the original anime series. Masashi Koizuka is directing it, with Hideaki Abe as assistant director. Kyoji Asano and Takatoshi Honda are the character designers.

Live-Action TV Series

On July 21, 2017, it was announced that Tomorrow Studios and Shueisha would create an American live-action TV show based on the One Piece manga. This was part of the series' 20th-anniversary celebrations. Oda himself served as an executive producer. The show was planned to begin with the East Blue arc.

In January 2020, Oda shared that Netflix ordered a first season with ten episodes. Filming was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In November 2021, the main cast was announced. Iñaki Godoy plays Monkey D. Luffy, Mackenyu is Roronoa Zoro, Emily Rudd is Nami, Jacob Romero Gibson is Usopp, and Taz Skylar is Sanji. More cast members were added in March 2022, including Morgan Davies as Koby and Vincent Regan as Garp.

The series premiered on August 31, 2023. It was well-received by both fans and critics. In September 2023, Netflix announced a second season. Titled One Piece Into the Grand Line, it is set to premiere in 2026. A third season was announced in August 2025.

Video Games

The One Piece story has been turned into many video games. These games are published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. They are available on various consoles, handheld devices, and mobile devices. The games include role-playing games and fighting games, like the Grand Battle! series. The first game, From TV Animation – One Piece: Become the Pirate King!, came out on July 19, 2000. Over forty games have been made based on One Piece. Characters from One Piece also appear in other Shonen Jump crossover games, such as Jump Force.

Music from the Series

Music soundtracks have been released, featuring songs from the series. Kohei Tanaka and Shiro Hamaguchi composed the music for One Piece. Many theme songs and character songs have been released as singles. There are also eight compilation albums and seventeen soundtrack CDs with music from the series. In August 2019, the musical group Sakuramen began working with Kohei Tanaka to compose music for the anime's "Wano Country" story arc.

Light Novels

A series of light novels has been published. These books are based on the first festival film, certain anime episodes, and almost all the feature films. They feature artwork by Oda and are written by Tatsuya Hamasaki. The first novel, One Piece: Defeat The Pirate Ganzak!, was released on June 3, 1999. Other novels adapt anime arcs like "Logue Town" and movies like Clockwork Island Adventure.

Art and Guidebooks

Five art books and five guidebooks for the One Piece series have been released. The first art book, One Piece: Color Walk 1, came out in June 2001 and was also released in English. Other art books include Color Walk 2, Color Walk 3 – Lion, Eagle, and Shark.

The first guidebook, One Piece: Red – Grand Characters, was released in March 2002. Other guidebooks like Blue – Grand Data File, Yellow – Grand Elements, and Green – Secret Pieces followed. An anime guidebook, One Piece: Rainbow!, was released in May 2007.

Other Fun One Piece Media

Other One Piece items include a trading card game by Bandai called One Piece CCG. A drama CD about the character Nefertari Vivi was released in December 2002. In July 2022, Bandai released a new trading card game in Japan, One Piece Card Game, which later had a global release. A special Hello Kitty-inspired Chopper was used for various products as a collaboration between One Piece and Hello Kitty. A kabuki play, Super Kabuki II: One Piece, was performed in Tokyo in October and November 2015.

An event called "One Piece Premier Show" started at Universal Studios Japan in 2007. It has been held there every year since 2010 (except in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). By 2018, over 1 million people had visited the event. The Baratie restaurant, just like the one in the manga, opened in June 2013 at the Fuji Television headquarters. The Tokyo One Piece Tower, an indoor theme park with attractions, shops, and restaurants, opened in the Tokyo Tower on March 13, 2015. From April 25 to May 18, 2025, Universal Studios Hollywood hosted the One Piece: Grand Pirate Gathering attraction.

One Piece was the first manga series to have a "Dome Tour." Events were held at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka in March 2011 and at the Tokyo Dome in April–May 2011. In 2014, the first One Piece exhibition in South Korea took place. In 2015, a One Piece trompe-l'œil exhibition was held at the Hong Kong 3D Museum.

One Piece on Ice: Episode of Alabaster premiered on August 11, 2023, in Yokohama. It starred two-time world champion Shoma Uno as Monkey D. Luffy and junior world champion Marin Honda as Princess Vivi.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: One Piece para niños

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