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July 22nd marks the 25th year that One Piece has been a part of our lives. The incredible masterpiece created by Eiichiro Oda is known all around the world, with millions of fans accompanying Luffy on his adventures.
Because of the popularity of this franchise, most pieces of trivia about it are already public knowledge. However, there are still some facts about the franchise that only the most ardent fans have knowledge of. So, in this list, we will talk about five of those tidbits of information that all fans know about and five that only the most loyal followers remember.
Disclaimer: This article reflects the author’s opinion and will contain spoilers.
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The original length of the series and 4 other commonly known facts about One Piece
1) It holds a world record
As mentioned before, One Piece has been a part of our lives for 25 years. Few anime have been around for as long as Oda’s creation has, making the fact that he largely created the entire story by himself all the more remarkable.
This last reason is why One Piece holds the Guinness World Record for Most Printed Comic Series by one author. Oda's dedication and those who assisted him in creating such an inspiring series should always be recognised, and fans know that all of them more than deserve this record.
2) Dragon Ball was a major inspiration
Although both communities have clashed against each other for a while now, Oda himself has talked about how much of an inspiration Dragon Ball was for One Piece on more than one occasion. Oda grew up reading about Goku’s adventures in the weekly Shonen Jump Magazine.
Oda is not shy about the influence Dragon Ball has on his life and his work, constantly praising Toriyama for his art and story. For Oda, working with Toriyama was a childhood dream that he has been able to achieve several times, which never fails to make him happy.
3) It was only supposed to last 5 years
Luffy’s quest to become the Pirate King has spanned over almost three decades at this point. While fans have always been ecstatic because of the never-ending deluge of content they have, this is far from the original plans Oda had for the series.
When he started working on One Piece, Oda wanted the story to last only 5 years, ending in 2002. Nonetheless, the more he worked on new characters, fights, and locations, the more he wanted the manga to keep going.
4) Real pirate inspiration
In a series about pirates, taking inspiration from real high sea criminals seems almost inevitable. The most prominent example of a real-life pirate being portrayed inside One Piece’s world is Gold D. Roger.
This great character and his backstory were designed with the French pirate Olivier Levasseur in mind. Olivier also hid his treasure in a secluded location that only those who solved his puzzles could get the coordinates for.
Another great example of this phenomenon is the famed pirate Blackbeard, Edward Teach. The most famous pirate in the world inspired not one but two of the best characters inside the series, the evil Marshall D Teach and the late Edward Newgate.
5) Sanji’s original name was Naruto
Sanji is one of the most iconic characters in the series and it is hard to imagine him with any other name. Despite this, before Sanji's first appearance in the manga, Oda was planning on naming the Strawhat cook Naruto.
It was only because Masashi Kishimoto’s world famous series had a protagonist of the same name that he decided to go with Sanji. Kishimoto and Oda have been considered “rivals” ever since, even though in reality they are great friends.
Oda’s favorite Devil Fruit and 4 other obscure pieces of trivia about One Piece
1) The series was published after Dragon Ball’s manga ended
While fans have to thank Dragon Ball for the creation of Oda’s series, it could also have been the reason for its failure. While Oda was trying to publish One Piece in Shonen Jump’s weekly issue, the publishers of said magazine were searching for a replacement for Dragon Ball.
Every aspiring mangaka in the industry was fighting over that spot, meaning Oda had many competitors who could have taken his place. In the end, Oda was the winner and the rest is history.
2) Oda slept 3 hours while working on the series
The manga industry is one of the most demanding ones in the entire world. Those who create manga have a difficult time balancing their work and personal lives. Oda is no exception to this rule, considering the scarce three hours of sleep he usually gets while working on the series.
Oda has talked plenty of times about how he would normally go to sleep at around 2 am after working the whole day, only for him to wake up at 5 am to continue. He would also not take vacations or holidays off in order to keep working. We can only hope he gets enough rest now that the series is almost over.
3) Oda revealed the finale of the series to another person
Fans have been wondering for years about the ending Oda has planned for Luffy and his friends. We are getting closer to knowing exactly what will happen when the series is over, considering we are already in the final saga.
Still, many years ago, a fan of the series who was battling against terminal cancer wanted to know how One Piece would end before he died. Oda himself told the fan of his plans for the end of the franchise, making him the only other person in the world who knew about it.
4) Oda's favorite Devil's Fruit
Every mother has a favorite child, even when they try not to have a bias towards them. This happens to Oda as well, although instead of children he has a preference for the powers granted by the Devil Fruits.
Oda has said before that he wishes he could get his hands on the Hana-Hana no Mi, Nico Robin’s Devil Fruit. With this power, he would be able to work faster in the series and have more time to rest each day.
5) Marine Admirals are inspired by famous actors
Besides working for the Marines and holding the same title inside the organization, all the Admirals in One Piece have something else in common: they are all modelled after well-known actors.
It is normal that most people outside of Japan do not know about this fact, considering the actors that inspired the Admirals are all Japanese. Even the newly revealed Admiral Greenbull is speculated to be inspired by one of Japan’s most beloved actors.
