One Piece breaks are too few, and Oda's 3 decades of history shows it

Modified Nov 01, 2024 07:31 GMT

One Piece breaks are too few, and Oda's 3 decades of history shows it (Image via Toei Animation)

A major reason why One Piece mangaka Eiichiro Oda is so widely respected in the industry is not just for his series itself, but the work and dedication he puts into it. It was accurately reported many years ago that Oda will work 20-hour days, seven days a week, and rarely take days off. This news was most recently confirmed in October 2016 and is presumed to still be accurate to the effort he spends on the series contemporarily.

Yet despite this, some in the larger One Piece community will lament a break week to the point of criticizing Oda for taking one and publisher Shueisha for allowing it. Although this is a very small sect of the fandom, it nevertheless exists, and even goes as far as to say Oda’s breaks are too frequent. If anything, Oda’s breaks have been too few in the manga’s nearly three decades of serialization, and a look back on that history shows it.

Oda’s startlingly low number of breaks in 27 years shows that the One Piece mangaka needs more time off

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Despite the unbelievable work schedule outlined above, Oda has taken just 179 breaks in 27 years across 1,130 chapters of publication for the One Piece manga series. In other words, Oda averages less than one break taken every six chapters in the manga’s serialization history. From a time perspective which accounts for the full calendar length of every break, only three years and five months of rest have come in 27-plus years of serialization.

While this is a personal choice by Oda which seems to work for him, this wouldn’t be considered a healthy lifestyle when going by the textbook definitions. Many fans are aware of this and are likewise incredibly vocal about both their gratitude for the series’ continued existence and encouragement for Oda to take more breaks. Clearly, an injustice is being done unto Oda for maintaining such a laborious work schedule, even if it's his own doing.

Nevertheless, what’s most important about these statistics is how they highlight the inherent flaw in the claim that Oda’s breaks are too frequent. The legendary mangaka truly works himself to the point of, from a physiological health standpoint, being at significant risk of injury and/or illness. Yet despite this, some fans seemingly cannot connect with the human behind the art, and instead ridicule any moment of respite he takes.

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This is especially true for extended hiatuses, which are certainly few and far between for the series but nevertheless exist. Two of the most recent came about as a result of Oda needing eye surgery, and mourning the death of his friend and mentor, Dragon Ball mangaka and creator Akira Toriyama.

Yet despite the significance of both these from a physical and emotional standpoint respectively, that same sect of fans nevertheless complained about being manga-less for a month-plus. It’s a truly saddening critique that shows a total lack of value of the person behind the art these fans champion and hold dear to their hearts.

Final thoughts

If any mangaka earns their breaks, it's surely One Piece's Eiichiro Oda (Image via Toei Animation)

Even though these criticisms only come from a small portion of the One Piece fanbase, it’s nevertheless important to highlight how factually incorrect they are. Moreover, they’re also insensitive to and dismissive of Oda’s personal health, and the sacrifices he makes to produce such a legendary series period, let alone at the pace he does so.