Summary
Eiichiro Oda is the genius mangaka who has written one of the greatest works of fiction inOne Piece.The manga began serializing in 1997, and since then, it has gone on to shatter numerous records, even becoming the best-selling manga series of all time.One Piececrossed the 500 million mark a while back, and it is not showing any signs of stopping. While there is no denying Oda’s Magnum Opus isOne Piece, the author worked on other projects before starting work on the bestseller. One of Oda’s most notable projects is MONSTERS, which received an anime adaptation only recently. However, there is a big reason why it took so long.
Why Oda Delayed The Anime Adaptation
In an interview, Oda was asked what was going through his mind when he received the offer to turn Monsters into anime. The author answered that he thought it was okay to do it now. He expanded on his answer and revealed that there had been another offer to animateMONSTERS. This occurred over ten years ago, and it was during an anime tour or at Jump Festa. The mangaka wasn’t quite sure which one it was. Oda continued to explain that when the offer came in, he rejected it. He stated that fans might not be interested in the one-shot, and their main focus would be onOne Piece.
I guess it’s okay to do it now.
Oda also said that he went on Akira Toriyama’s anime tour, where he saw one of the latter’s one-shot stories being animated. Back then, he couldn’t imagine thatOne Piecewould be excited to see MONSTERS getting an anime adaptation. However, when another offer came in after theend of the Wano Country arc,he accepted. Oda praised MONSTERS and said it was a goodOne Piecesubstory. Oda gave them the thumbs up, but he did not explain the substory’s connection toOne Piece. However, they sent him the storyboard, which stated that Zoro appeared at the end. Oda thought that it was perfect.
When Did Oda Write MONSTERS
Oda publishedMONSTERSone-shot back in 1994, and it was later reprinted as a part ofWanted!in 1998. The anime adaptation for the one-shot was titledMonsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation. What’s interesting about the name is that 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation is the finishing move used by Roronoa Zoro against King. Adding the name to the title made it even simpler to draw a connection between the Sword God and Zoro. It was produced by E&H Production, a studio founded by Sunghoo Park,a former MAPPA employee. Despite the studio being new, it delivered a fantastic adaptation, which was released on Jul 01, 2025. The anime received a lot of positive acclaim from the audience, and they were so intrigued that they decided to check Oda’s other works that he had done beforeOne Piece. Monsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnationalso added the scene where Ryuma’s zombie gave Zoro the Shusui, making it even more clear for the fans.
Will There Be More Projects Like Monsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation
Keeping in mind the reception thatMonsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnationreceived, it is plausible to assume that there might be other adaptations of other stories from Oda or that are linked toOne Piececharacters. In the last few years, many novels have been released that focus on certain characters, Portgas D. Ace being one of them. The novelcovers Ace’s journey beforehe formed the Spade Pirates and obtained the Mera Mera no Mi. If the two novels were to be adapted into an anime, it would help fans to learn exciting Super Rookie.Plus, it would clear many doubts about his powers. Many readers believe that Ace could not use Haki properly, which is untrue. Aside from Ace, it will showcase the other members of the Spade Pirates and what kind of relationship they had with their captain.
Shokugeki no Sanjiis another worthy contender for receiving an anime adaptation. Drawn by Yūto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki, who wroteShokugeki no SomaorFood Wars, itfocuses on Sanji’s storywhen he was still a cook on Baratie. The artwork is different from whatOne Piecefans are accustomed to, but it is special in its own way. Both these novels have been well-received by the fans, so they wouldn’t mind seeing either being animated.
There are more one-shots, such asGod’s Gift for the FutureandIkki Yako, that Oda worked on prior toOne Piece. Given the popularity ofOne Piece, it would be unwise to rule them out of contention completely. With One Piece Day fast approaching, there might be updates regarding new and old projects. It will take place on August 10th and 11th, so make sure to mark the calendars.
One Piece
Cast
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
