Summary
Oda is quite easily one of the very best mangakain the business, if not the greatest. Fans absolutely adore the work that Oda has done over the years withOne Pieceand it is safe to say that this story has become a phenomenon, which is clearly backed by the incredible sales of this manga. The many arcs featured inOne Pieceare of the highest quality that fans absolutely love from start to finish.
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Oda spends quite a lot of time crafting his arcs, especially since he’s known to plan things way ahead in the future. Of course, craftingOne Piecearcs is more than just doing that and every writer has their own creative process. Oda happens to have one that he shared with the fans quite some time ago and it is safe to say that it is a very interesting approach to take while writing arcs.
The Many Arcs Of One Piece
One Piece is a story that is composed of quite a lot of arcs. It is a long-running series and certainly one of the very longest to have ever existed. As a result, fans are treated to a plethora of arcs, all of incredible quality. The vast majority of the arcs in One Piece are fan favorites. Speaking of the East Blue Saga, the arcs of Baratie and Arlong Park are ones that fans absolutely adore. In the Grand Line, the story gets more exciting than ever before, and the massive sagas of Arabasta and Skypiea are explored in great detail.
These arcs give Oda a chance to showcase just how much detail he can pack into his arcs. The worldbuilding in these arcs is absolutely phenomenal. Each place has its own culture, its own nature, its very own laws, and different functioning, which can all be explained by how ridiculous the Grand Line Is. Some of the best arcs in One Piece come later in the story whenthe likes of the Straw Hat Piratesface off against the World Government and their tyrannical regime. The story keeps on getting better with each passing arc and the fact that the Paramount War Saga exists is proof of that.
After the timeskip, quite a lot of the fans argue thatOne Pieceis not of the same quality, however, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Fishman Island has proven to be an incredible arc filled with great lore and some of the highest highs in the entire series. The same could be said for the following arcs and the likes of Whole Cake Island and Wano have proven to be absolutely phenomenal. Wano, in particular, is an arc that many fans believe to be the very best in the series as it sees Luffy ascend to the throne of the Yonko and, at the same time, become Joy Boy. Along with that, there are quite a lot of things that this arc does phenomenally well and it is clear to see the effort that Oda put in was pre-planned, to quite an extent.
How Oda Writes His Arcs
When it comes to the method of writing his arcs, Oda has a very interesting way. He doesn’t plan his major details before his arcs begin. Instead, Oda has several drawings in his head that he wants to draw. He then weaves his story around these drawings that he wants to draw and, when the right time comes, he incorporates these drawings in the right place. According to Oda, he just needs an excuse to put the drawings that are in his head in the manga. That is Oda’s method of creating the variousOne Piecearcs.
When looking at some incredible arcs, there are a few things that fans know Oda pre-planned. Speaking of Wano,the very beginning scene of the arc where the curtain lifts over the Flower Capital is one such scene. Oda also mentioned that it is his favorite moment ofOne Pieceever, at least up to the Wano country arc.
Similarly, the campfire in Skypiea is another one of Oda’s favorites and it can be assumed that this scene was a drawing in his head as well. Other things that fans know that Oda had planned include decisions such as Ace’s death. However, there are quite a lot of things about Marineford that Oda did not plan beforehand. Examples of this would be Ace being Roger’s son or Shanks coming to Marineford to stop the war.
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This gives fans a clear idea of how Oda bases his arcs. Major decisions and drawings are things that he already plans in his head and the rest of the things come to him as he continues writing. He then incorporates them into the story, creating a beautiful arc in the process.
When looking at Wano, which concluded very recently, there are quite a lot of things that Oda had said in his mind before the arc even began. One can assume the return of Joyboy is one such thing. The concept of Joyboy is something that Oda introduced very early in the story. At the same time, there are things such as the existence of the Sun God that were touched upon decades beforeLuffy awoke as Nika in Wano.Other things, such as the Raid on Onigashima, the fall of Kaido, and the Fire Festival itself, along with many other details could also be attributed to the same thing. These are things that Oda most likely had a drawing of years before the story even got to Wano, however, the rest of the things that happen in the arc were likely planned by him on the go. This is yet another indication of the fact that Oda has some drawings in his head that he then weaves a story around.
The Final Saga
Now, One Pieceis in its Final Sagaand it is time for Oda to go all out. Oda has previously mentioned that this is the saga that he has always wanted to draw the most. The end ofOne Pieceis going to be the biggest part of the story and that is something that Oda has emphasized on several occasions. According to Oda, the final battle will be so big that Marineford will look like a side quest in comparison. At the same time, Oda has mentioned his desire to draw the Final Saga in several instances. This means that Oda already has several drawings in his head that he wants to draw. Recently, Oda drew the fight between Luffy and Kizaru. This fight showcased Luffy turning into a giant and grabbing Kizaru in his palm. This also ended up awakening the ancient Iron Giant on the island. This seems like one of the decisions that Oda had taken long before the arc began and then later incorporated into his story.
Speaking of the end ofOne Piece, Oda has already mentioned that he has the final panel of the story already in his mind. This means the ending ofOne Pieceis already planned and Oda only needs to weave a story around it to get to the particular point. What exactly it is going to be is something that fans do not know at the moment, however, they will most likely find out in the coming years.One Piecedoes not have as much time left. That said, fans can still expect the story to run for about 5 years or so. Until then, fans will be treated with several amazing drawings that Oda has in his head that he wants to incorporate into the story.
One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and theManga Plusapp. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1093, is set to be July 27, 2025.
