One Pieceisthe best-selling manga in historyand one of the most successful literary works of all time. With such numbers to boast about, it’s obvious that Eiichiro Oda’s masterpiece was a big hit outside of its native Japan too. In a recent Q&A, the author revealed that he is well aware of the international audience for his manga, to the point thathe made a significant change to it to cater to readers outside of Japan.
The SBS is a column published in the collected volumes ofOne Piecewhere Oda answers questions from fans. These range from silly, comedic bits to important lore drops, and there is occasionally some behind-the-scenes info on the author’s work too. With the recent publication of volume #111 in Japan, many fans have translated the SBS and posted it online, including@newworldarturon X. One of Oda’s answers in particular stands out.
Eiichiro Oda Changed One Piece’s Text Bubbles for International Audiences
A Significant Difference from Other Manga
One reader pointed out in a question that inOne Piece, there are not many vertical speech bubbles as in most other Japanese manga. Instead, long dialogue text is often broken into several lines or speech bubbles. Oda’s answer revealed that he made that change after he noticed that the international translations of his manga, especially the English one, were trying to cram horizontally written speech into speech bubbles designed for Japanese vertical writing, sohe changed the design of his speech bubblesto accommodate for international languages.
While this may seem no more than a curiosity, Oda’s statement reveals something really important aboutOne Piece. Many manga reach global popularity, but they often remain a purely Japanese product in terms of conception and delivery. After all, the primary audience is Japanese, and before being published overseas a manga has to become a hit in Japan first. However,One Piecealways had a different appeal that allowed it to resonate with international audiences perhaps more than any other manga before, except forDragon BallandNaruto(both of whichOne Piecesurpassed in terms of sales).
One Piece Is Truly an International Phenomenon, and Oda Knows It
It’s hard to pinpoint what makesOne Piecehave such a global appeal. Surely, part of the reason is the themes of freedom and adventure and the fact that the story is structured as a long voyage, which allowsOne Pieceto show and explore different world cultures. However, we now have confirmation that the author is keenly aware of the importance of the international audience for his work, and he has been taking measures to make sure that fans outside of Japan can enjoyOne Pieceas much as possible.
Source:@newworldartur(X)
One Piece
Created by Eiichiro Oda, One Piece is a multimedia franchise that began as a manga series and follows the adventures of the Straw Hat Pirates as led by Monkey D. Luffy. Luffy, an enthusiastic pirate with a thirst for adventure, is afflicted by a mysterious curse that gives him various powers he uses to protect himself and his friends. The manga eventually gave way to the anime series, with the two being some of history’s longest-running anime and manga series. Along with over fifty video games made over the years, the series entered the live-action world with Netflix’s 2023 adaptation.
