Summary
Eiichiro Oda recently announced a three-week hiatus for theOne Piecemanga, which is about to conclude the opening segment ofits Final Saga with the Egghead Arc. Breaks like this are not a new phenomenon, although their frequency has gradually risen of late. This news also comes after the death of a true titan of manga, Akira Toriyama, the creator ofDragon Balland one of Oda’s childhood heroes. It stands to reason that Oda must still be reeling from this tragedy, and he even referenced its impact on him in his message.
Some fans might have a problem with these delays, especially in the middle of a tense conflict whose resolution is expected to rock theOne Pieceworld to its core. Oda has been authoringOne Piecefor almost three decades now, and his workload is only increasing with new adaptations of the franchise. Looking at these concerns, coupled with the pressure of giving the series the send-off it deserves, there is good cause to embrace more breaks, for the sake of Oda’s well-being,and the quality of the Final Saga.
Oda’s Message About The Hiatus
In a handwritten letter, Eiichiro Oda explained his choice to take a break, citing recent news about thepassing of his idol Akira Toriyama, at the age of 68. Noting how this news had led him to worry about his own health, Oda went on to reassure fans by saying that although he was not dealing with any illness, the break would allow him to take time off for “self-maintenance.”
Citing his busy schedule, Oda also added that he wanted to use this time tothink about the One Piece treasurein greater depth. Beyond this, he made a few promotional announcements. These ranged from a statement about how fans could revisit the backstories of characters in the Egghead Arc for a limited time in the previous volume, to his request for fans to check out the Netflix adaptation of his one-shot manga titledMonsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation, as well as the ongoing free YouTube streams of theOne Pieceanime.
The Intense Work Schedule Of A Manga Artist
Considering thatOne Piecehas beenin serialization for nearly 27 years, it is safe to say that Eiichiro Oda must be starting to feel age catching up with him, having dealt with the pressure of being a manga artist for the majority of his life so far. Oda is around 49 years old at the moment, and there have been fears about his health due to how he seldom took breaks for the majority ofOne Piece’spublication.
Hence, it is good to see him choosing to prioritize his health, especially when looking at how damagingthe schedule of a manga artistcan be to an individual’s physical and mental well-being. Japan has a relatively high male life expectancy of 84 years, but recent data regarding manga artists has produced some terrifying insight into the long-term health ramifications of pursuing this career path. According to the reports, the average life expectancy for manga artists who passed away from natural causes was significantly lower, at around 63 years.
Given that it is not uncommon for manga artists to work more than 14–15 hours a day and endure sleepless nights to meet the strict deadlines set by publishers, this disparity begins to make more sense. Incredibly celebrated artists such as Ozamu Tezuka and Kentaro Miura both passed away well before the average life expectancy for their profession, which speaks volumes of the harsh working conditions they endured in service of their craft. Even Akira Toriyama was only 68 at the time of his demise, which is still 16 years below the expected lifespan of a Japanese male. All these factors make the notion ofOda worrying about his healthall the more reasonable, especially with the new projects he is overseeing.
Planning Out The Final Saga
Another thing that Oda brought up in the letter is his busy schedule, which will continue to become more packed every successive year with the influx of many newOne Pieceprojects. The recent success of Netflix’s live-actionOne Pieceadaptation has greenlit additional seasons, and there is no doubt that Oda will be just as involved as he was with the first season. His closesupervision of the scriptand production on Season 1 was undoubtedly crucial to the positive reception it received, and it is hard to imagine him stepping away from it anytime soon.
Next, the upcoming WIT Studio anime adaptation titledThe One Piece, is another project that Oda will likely have a hand in. With these new ventures, there is a risk that he may be spread out too thin, especially with the manga at such a critical juncture.Since the Final Saga ofOne Pieceofficially kicked off in 2022, there is a lot of expectation riding on how it will tie up all the remaining loose ends which have been scattered across the series' 1100+ chapters.
Obviously, there is not too much room left to improvise with the story approaching its climax in the next few story arcs.Looking at the massive cast of characters, much-awaited lore drops, and earth-shattering battles that will need to be crammed into the Final Saga, the idea of Oda taking more breaks seems to be the only way for the series to proceed at a reasonable pace, without sacrificing the high standards its creator has set for himself.
How Will More Breaks Help One Piece’s Finale?
As the most commercially successful manga in history, the ending ofOne Piecehas been highly anticipated for years, and it is certain to be a global event on a scale never seen before inthe anime and manga industries. The pressure of catering to such expectations while still meeting Shonen Jump’s stringent deadlines cannot be easy for any one person to handle, and these breaks may be ideal for Oda to recharge his creative battery and iron out his plan for the Final Saga at each stage.
For someone who has devoted so much of his life toOne Piece, it is only fitting for Eiichiro Oda to be able to end the series on his own terms,doing justice to his talentsand fan expectations. Even if more breaks mean fewer chapters per year, Oda will have more time to realize his vision in the best possible way and also allowOne Pieceto stick around for a little longer, and very few fans would have any complaints about that.
One Pieceis available to stream onCrunchyroll.
One Piece
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
