One Piece - Author - Eiichiro Oda
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As a child, Oda was inspired by Akira Toriyama's works and aspired to become a manga artist himself. He recalls that his interest in pirates was probably sparked by the popular TV animation series titled "Vicky the Viking". At the age of 17, he submitted his work "Wanted!" and won several awards, including second place in the coveted "Tezuka Award". That got him into a job at the "Weekly Shonen Jump" magazine. During this time, he drew two pirate-themed stories, called "Romance Dawn", which would debut in "Monthly and Weekly Jump" in late '96 - early '97. "Romance Dawn" featured Monkey D. Luffy as the protagonist, who then became the protagonist of One Piece.
In '97, One Piece appeared for the first time in "Weekly Shonen Jump" and promptly became one of the most popular manga in Japan. His biggest influence is Akira Toriyama, who is the creator of Dragonball and Dr. Slump.
In '97, One Piece appeared for the first time in "Weekly Shonen Jump" and promptly became one of the most popular manga in Japan. His biggest influence is Akira Toriyama, who is the creator of Dragonball and Dr. Slump.