In Chapter 1122 of the manga One Piece, three characters appear who were drawn by the mangaka Eiichiro Oda 27 years ago. The characters are based on three mangakas with whom Oda has a good relationship.
Who are these characters? The three individuals appear only in one image and are otherwise not important to the story of One Piece. In the chapter itself, they shout that they want to set out to search for the One Piece.
In the tweet from sandman_AP, it can be seen that the three characters were drawn by Oda many years ago. However, they now look slightly more mature, as their body proportions and facial expressions have changed:
Who were they inspired by? Oda explained that the three individuals are three mangakas:
- One character is based on himself
- The second is inspired by Nobuhiro Watsuki, known for his samurai manga Rurouni Kenshin
- The third is modeled after Hiroyuki Takei, who is known by most for Shaman King
Oda studied under Watsuki for four months in the past. The mangaka revealed that their relationship resembled more of a friendship and that the apprenticeship under him was the best time of his life (via X).
He also met Takei during his apprenticeship under Watsuki. The two worked together as assistants for Watsuki and formed a deep friendship during that time.
However, many voices in the comments under the tweet express disappointment in Oda. The mangaka should better end the friendship with Watsuki.
In One Piece, there are many ships sailing the oceans:
One of the mangakas is a convicted criminal
What happened to Watsuki? The mangaka is a convicted criminal. In November 2017, he was arrested for possession of child pornography. 100 DVDs were seized from his home. He pleaded guilty and confessed to pedophilia.
His conviction included a fine of 200,000 yen (approximately 1,500 euros at that time) and a six-month suspension from Shueisha, the publisher of his manga. After that, he immediately continued his work (via CBR).
Given Watsuki’s criminal record, it is understandable that fans of One Piece find Eiichiro Oda’s praise uncomfortable. However, at least it is nice to see that he also acknowledges his other colleague Hiroyuki Takei by including him in One Piece.
In One Piece, there are many other characters that we see far too rarely. MeinMMO has mentioned five characters that we painfully miss in the manga and anime: There are many cool characters in One Piece, but we see these 5 far too rarely
