The Unmatched Popularity of Eiichiro Oda’s “One Piece”
Eiichiro Oda’s “One Piece” is one of the most popular shonen series in anime history. It’s about Monkey D. Luffy and his journey to fulfill his dream of becoming the Pirate King. The series joins the Big 3 Shonen manga, with Naruto and Bleach, but has set itself as the crowd favorite.
The series has grown so popular that it has topped the charts across Anime News Network reports and set the Guinness Book world record with nearly 500 million copies published, 417 in Japan, and over 100 million over 60 territories worldwide (1).
“One Piece” is different thanks to its “extensive length, emotional moments, surprising twists, and well-developed side characters,” says Xandalee Joseph in a 2022 feature for Comic Book Resources (2).
The “One Piece” world is highly intricate, and Oda created so many intriguing characters that endeared themselves to fans. Characters who don’t get their backstories often feel more real than one-off characters in other manga, as explained by Ben Sokol in a 2024 article for Screen Rant (3). Other series would have had you rooting for just the leading man, but “One Piece” also expands affection for the peripheral characters.
Why Does “One Piece” Have So Many Chapters?
The “One Piece” episodes have over 1,100 chapters. That’s 1,100 plot twists and stories of character development that fans deeply invest in and love.
The series also runs for 25 years, building up an incredibly interconnected story that wouldn’t be possible to tell if the series had fewer chapters, explains Sokol.
Fans, too, can’t get enough of “One Piece” — whether the manga or the anime series. Netflix has made the series even more accessible. Whether fans love the manga more or enjoy the cinematic anime, they can rest assured that the story is appropriately paced, says Louis Kenner in a 2024 feature for the Screen Rant (4). No matter the length, it will feel like a brisk adventure.
#19 “Is This a Lion?”
