Culture news The author of One Piece was influenced by these two masterpieces of Quentin Tarantino: inspiration is everywhere
For more than two decades, One Piece has been one of the top 3 most famous manga of all time, alongside Naruto and Dragon Ball. And in his early days, the author was inspired by numerous works, including that of a certain Quentin Tarantino.
From the start of his career, and even before writing One PieceEiichiro Oda had many inspirations. From Japanese cinema, to American westerns and science fiction, many works have enabled the best-selling manga of all time to exist.. And here are a few that may surprise you.
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It’s a bit like Oda who makes Tarantino
Indeed, to make himself known, and like all mangakas in their beginnings, Eiichiro Oda published short stories which were all referenced in a collection called Wanted!. It was while he was writing these stories that he saw many cinematic classics, he explains in an interview given to Comickers.
I love movies. I love westerns, and there’s a movie called “Young Guns” (directed by Christopher Cain) and it was already at the top of my list. That’s why I immediately drew “WANTED! The other inspirations were those of Tarantino. I love “Pulp Fiction”. And then walking around in the costumes from “Reservoir Dogs” is super cool too, no? – Eiichiro Oda
Indeed, if we pay close attention, we can find these inspirations throughout the work One Piece. The underworld and the hitmen of Pulp Fiction helped create the mafia and the Supernova Capone Bege gang, and the character of Mr. Pink greatly inspired our favorite chef, Sanji the Black Leg. But Tarantino is not the only person who influenced Oda in his manga, far from it.
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In a galaxy far, far away
Indeed, Eiichiro has always admitted to being a big fan of George Lucas and his Star Wars. However, it is difficult to see Lucas’ works in the One Piece manga. How can you reconcile a manga that deals with pirates and naval battles with a space opera filled with Jedi and space warfare? Well that’s what Oda (a little) did. People who follow the anime may not know it, but at the beginning of each chapter of the manga, the author often gives us short stories that tell the adventures of a character that we have not seen since a long time. It is in the mini-adventure of Enel that we see this character taking himself for God traveling to… the moon. There he discovers a new people, as well as traces of an ancient civilization. It is in this passage that we most clearly see the impact of Star Wars on the life and work of Eiichiro Oda.
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