One Piece
One Piece (ワンピース, Wan Pīsu?) is a Japanese
shōnen manga series written and illustrated by
Eiichiro Oda, that has been serialized in
Weekly Shōnen Jump since August 4, 1997. The individual chapters are being published in
tankōbon volumes by
Shueisha, with the first released on December 24, 1997, and the 60th volume released as of November 2010. In 2010, Shueisha announced that they sold over 200 million volumes of
One Piece manga so far; volume 60 set a new record for the highest initial print run of any book in Japan in history with 3.4 million copies, being also the first book to sell over two million copies in its opening week on Japan's
Oricon book rankings.
[1] One Piece follows the adventures of
Monkey D. Luffy, a 17-year-old boy who gains elastic abilities after inadvertently eating a mystical fruit, and his diverse crew of pirates, named the
Straw Hats. Luffy explores the ocean in search of the world's ultimate treasure known as the One Piece and to become the next Pirate King. On his journey, Luffy battles a wide variety of villains and makes several friends.
The series has been adapted into an
original video animation (OVA) produced by
Production I.G in 1998, and an
anime series produced by
Toei Animation, which premiered in Japan in 1999. Since then, the still ongoing series has aired more than four hundred episodes. Additionally, Toei has developed ten animated feature films, an OVA, and five television specials. Several companies have developed various types of merchandising such as a trading card game, and a
large number of video games.
The manga series was licensed for an English language release in North America by
Viz Media, in the United Kingdom by
Gollancz Manga, and in Australia and New Zealand by
Madman Entertainment. The anime series was licensed by
Funimation Entertainment for an English language release worldwide, although the series has been dubbed previously by
4Kids Entertainment. Since its release,
One Piece has become one of the most popular manga series of its time in both Japan and North America. It enjoys a high readership, with over 200 million volumes of the series sold by 2010. Reviewers have praised the art, characterization, and humor of the story.
| One Piece as |
First volume of One Piece, released in Japan by Shueisha on December 24, 1997 |
ONE PIECE（ワンピース）
(Wan Pīsu) |
| Genre | Action, Adventure, Comedy-drama |
| Manga |
| Written by | Eiichiro Oda |
| Published by | Shueisha |
| English publisher | Viz Media (USA, CAN, GBR)
Gollancz Manga (GBR)
Madman Entertainment (AUS, NZL) |
| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Magazine | Weekly Shōnen Jump |
| English magazine | Shonen Jump (USA, CAN) |
| Original run | August 4, 1997 – ongoing |
| Volumes | 60 (List of volumes) |
| TV anime |
| Directed by | Kōnosuke Uda (1999–2006)
Munehisa Sakai (2006–2008)
Hiroaki Miyamoto (2008–present) |
| Produced by | Yoshihiro Suzuki |
| Written by | Hirohiko Uesaka
Tatsuya Hamazaki |
| Studio | Toei Animation |
| Licensed by | Madman Entertainment (AUS, NZL)
4Kids Entertainment (USA , CAN)(2004–2007)
Funimation Entertainment (USA, CAN)(2007–present) |
| Network | Animax, Fuji TV |
| English network | Toonami (GBR)
CN Too (GBR)
YTV (CAN)
Cartoon Network (USA, 2005–2007)
Toonami (USA, 2005–2008)
Fox Broadcasting Company (USA, 2003–2005)
Cartoon Network (AUS, NZL)
Network Ten (AUS, NZL) |
| Original run | October 20, 1999 – ongoing |
| Episodes | 481 (List of episodes) |
| Related works |
|
| Anime and Manga Portal |
Plot
The series begins with a boy named Monkey D. Luffy, inspired by his childhood hero the
"Red-Haired" Shanks, going on a journey to find the One Piece. Along the way, he organizes and leads a crew named the Straw Hat Pirates. The crew consists of a swordsman named
Roronoa Zoro; the navigator and thief
Nami; the sharpshooter
Usopp; the chef
Sanji; the doctor
Tony Tony Chopper; the archaeologist
Nico Robin; the shipwright
Franky; and a musician named
Brook.
The crew faces diverse villains such as
Baroque Works,
Eneru, the
Seven Warlords of the Sea and the
Marines. The marines are the subordinates of the
World Government, who seek justice by ending the
Golden Age of Pirates. Many background story elements involve the delicate balance of power between the World Government and the world's most powerful pirate crews, especially the Four Emperors, the four most powerful pirates in the world.
After the death of Luffy's adopted brother
Portgas D. Ace and one of the Four Emperors named
Whitebeard, the Straw Hat Crew undergoes rigorous training regiments. Two years later, the crew regroups at Sabaody Archipelago and they set out on a journey to the New World.