Biography
About Eiichirô
As a child, Oda was fascinated by Vikings and dreamed of becoming a manga artist. Early in his career, he submitted a character named **Pandaman** to Yudetamago’s classic wrestling series *Kinnikuman*. The character not only appeared in the manga but later became a recurring cameo in Oda’s own works. At **17**, Oda created *Wanted!* (1992), which won multiple awards, including **second place in the prestigious Tezuka Manga Awards**. By **19**, he was working as an assistant to Nobuhiro Watsuki on *Rurouni Kenshin*, during which he also won the **Hop Step Award** for new artists. Around this time, he produced two pirate-themed one-shots titled **Romance Dawn**, which would eventually evolve into *One Piece*. In **1997**, *One Piece* debuted in *Weekly Shonen Jump* issue #34 and quickly became one of Japan’s most popular manga series, following the legacy of *Dragon Ball*. Oda cites **Akira Toriyama**, the creator of *Dragon Ball* and *Dr. Slump*, as his greatest influence. The two even collaborated on a special crossover one-shot, **Cross Epoch**, featuring characters from both universes.
