One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda is known for meticulously planning his story, and a recently unearthed 1998 interview shows how far ahead he thinks.
Eiichiro Oda has proven yet again just how thoroughly he planned out One Piece.
A 1998 interview with the mangaka has resurfaced on Twitter, as Oda’s claims over 25 years later are just now proving true. The One Piece creator stated that fans would know his series had entered its final arc when Shanks begins to appear frequently, and given his numerous cameos in recent chapters, that time seems to have come. Shanks was one of the first characters to appear in the series, making his debut in Chapter 4 of the manga, but readers have seen very little of the red-haired captain over the years despite his popularity among the fan base. However, with Shanks now officially gunning for the One Piece, his mentor Gol D. Roger’s treasure, Shanks is on a crash course with Luffy that will bring the series right up to its end.
Oda (1998): When Shanks appears frequently in manga, you can assume that One Piece has entered the final saga. 😍
[source : Oda’s talk show at Nakano Sun Plaza in December, 1998] pic.twitter.com/2jzAwvKUW3— sandman (@sandman_AP) April 29, 2023
Although Eiichiro Oda is well known for planning One Piece story turns years in advance, like this latest development with Shanks, other recently unearthed interviews have shown there’s also a lot he’s made up on the fly. In one quote Oda claimed to have retconned numerous plot lines integral to the story, like Law becoming an important character after the time skip, or the appearance of the Seven Warlords. According to a 2006 interview, Oda has also utilized fan sites to remember details about his characters, like Luffy’s signature moves, proving that the world of One Piece has become so big even its creator can’t keep track of everything. That said, Oda does claim to have known how his series would end since its creation, right down to the manga’s last panel, which may come up sooner rather than later based on Shanks’ recent actions.
Shanks, Uta, and One Piece Film: Red
In addition to serving as a harbinger of One Piece’s end, Shanks was also featured in the anime’s latest movie, One Piece Film: Red, although he didn’t receive quite as much screen time as fans expected given the title. The movie largely focused on his teenage daughter, Uta, who was inserted into Luffy’s backstory as a childhood friend, in what some fans felt was another retcon. Despite whatever complaints fans had about Uta’s character, Film: Red was an undeniable success for the franchise, breaking into the all-time top ten at the Japanese box office and recently earning a special Blu-ray release that includes three additional episodes.
The One Piece anime is available to stream on Crunchyroll. The manga is available in North America from VIZ Media.
Src: cbr.com
