LIKE many otakus out there, my childhood identity was influenced by a series of anime and manga shows. I remember vividly, as a child, that I desperately wanted to be like the characters of my favourite anime and manga programmes.
Whether it was Pokemon, Fate/stay night or One Piece, each of the universes gave me a sense of fulfilment and security. It didn’t matter that the shows were in Japanese, fans around the world had no problem being entertained thanks to a thriving scanlation community.
Hence, works by mangakas such as Eiichiro Oda have influenced generations of fans.
Oda, the legendary creator behind the massively popular One Piece has positively impacted millions with his epic story of a boy named Monkey D. Luffy and his quest to become the Pirate King.
Along the way, Luffy recruits strong ‘nakamas’ (comrades) for his crew, each with their own unique background story.
Oda’s style of storytelling is able to draw the reader in and make them truly care for the characters he puts into his pages, not only touching the lives of fans but also revolutionising the anime and manga industry as a whole.
One Piece birthed numerous comic book editions, films, video games and even a theme park dedicated to the show called Tokyo One Piece Tower. And a Netflix live-adaptation series has also been in the making since last November.
Therefore, in conjunction with the series’s upcoming 25th anniversary, we at BUZZ have decided to pay tribute to the legend, and his journey to becoming the person whom we have all come to know and love.
