One Piece: Oda Reveals How He Surpassed Toriyama’s Dragon Ball

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This article contains spoilers for One Piece’s Final Saga.

Readers of One Piece are well-aware that Eiichiro Oda holds significant acclaim among global authors in the field. Indeed, he stands out as one of the most prominent mangaka to ever create a story, and the widespread popularity of his work serves as testament to this.

It’s clear that “One Piece” has grown significantly and is expected to continue doing so. Yet, it’s important to note that the size “One Piece” has achieved can be attributed in part to Dragon Ball. The creator of Dragon Ball, Akira Toriyama, served as a significant inspiration for Eiichiro Oda. However, over time, Oda managed to outshine Toriyama and all his predecessors.

Eiichiro Oda Considers Toriyama A God

  • Toriyama Inspired Oda And Many Others
  • One Piece Wouldn’t Exist Without Dragon Ball

As an ardent fan of anime and manga, I can confidently say that Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball stands as the undisputed titan among Shonen stories. His groundbreaking work not only revolutionized the genre but also established a blueprint that continues to influence storytelling in the Shonen realm even today. It’s nothing short of extraordinary!

For me, Toriyama is a God! — Eiichiro Oda

It’s not surprising at all that many renowned mangaka admire Akira Toriyama. Whether it’s the creators of Naruto, Hunter X Hunter, or One Piece, or even newer series like My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen; they all recognize the immense influence of Toriyama. As Oda puts it, when it comes to manga, Toriyama is a deity, a belief he firmly holds onto. In fact, without Toriyama, One Piece as we know it wouldn’t have been created.

Oda Wanted One Piece To Be Different From Dragon Ball

Oda’s Approach To Storytelling Is Very Unique

It’s accurate to say that Oda greatly admires Toriyama and acknowledges his influence, as well as the inspiration he provided for many other authors. However, it should also be noted that several authors have gone on to excel beyond Toriyama’s achievements. For instance, Oda has crafted a narrative in One Piece that is more intricate than Dragon Ball and is often hailed as a groundbreaking masterpiece of its generation. While Dragon Ball might be superior when it comes to fights, One Piece provides a singularly immersive storytelling experience, something that Oda himself acknowledges.

To create an engaging narrative for my fight scenes, I’ve put in a lot of effort. If I were to draw just a straightforward battle manga, it might have been overshadowed by Dragon Ball due to its immense popularity. Instead, I aimed to steer clear of directly competing with Dragon Ball, which was so captivating that even I found myself hooked on it. – Eiichiro Oda, 2007 [Paraphrased]

One Piece Has Far Surpassed Dragon Ball

Oda had no intention of creating a manga solely focused on battles, and it’s not just the reason for One Piece’s success. Instead, One Piece is much more than that, and its readers are fully aware that Eiichiro Oda’s masterpiece has outshone Akira Toriyama’s work. The global sales of the series and its popularity in Japan demonstrate beyond doubt that One Piece has far surpassed Dragon Ball in terms of both sales and influence.

Two weeks from now, I’ll be counting down the hours until the next thrilling installment of One Piece! As always, we’ll find ourselves on the edge of our seats this coming Sunday, but in Japan, the excitement begins at midnight on Monday. For most of us international readers, though, we can look forward to diving into One Piece Chapter 1157 on August 16th, 2025! Best part? You can read it for free on Manga Plus – happy reading, fellow fans!

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2025-08-08 03:15