One Piece Cast Was Terrified to Meet Creator Eiichiro Oda

The cast of the highly anticipated One Piece live-action TV series recently shared their exhilarating experience of meeting the legendary manga creator, Eiichiro Oda.

During a promotional event for the One Piece live-action series, Iñaki Godoy and Emily Rudd, who portray the characters Luffy and Nami respectively, were joined by their fellow cast members. As they discussed their roles, Godoy disclosed that they had the privilege of meeting Oda. "I had the incredible opportunity to meet Mr. Oda. Although I can't delve into specifics, I did have a chance to interact with him," Godoy revealed. Rudd chimed in, saying, "I also had the honor of meeting Oda-sensei, and it was genuinely the most awe-inspiring moment of my entire life [laughs]. He's an amazing person, but there's this aura of godliness around him, you know?"

Eiichiro Oda remains an enigmatic figure to fans. Like many manga creators, or mangaka, he seldom makes public appearances, but his influence as the mastermind behind the One Piece franchise is undeniable. Serving as the executive producer of the live-action adaptation, Oda has emphasized that the show will only proceed once he is completely satisfied with its direction. Oda, who both wrote and illustrated the One Piece manga, embarked on this epic pirate adventure in 1997. The manga has since spanned an astonishing 105 volumes, setting a Guinness World Record in 2015 for the highest number of copies published for a single series, with over 320 million copies sold. With the series now surpassing half a billion copies sold worldwide, fans have lofty expectations for this beloved pirate saga, which recently teased its first glimpse at Netflix Tudum.

One Piece Creator Eiichiro Oda is Revered by the Fandom

Prior to the release of the teaser, fans had been in the dark about the details of the cast for the One Piece live-action series. The online response to the cast announcement has been predominantly positive, albeit with some cautious optimism. Fans eagerly discussed the intriguing redesign of Buggy D. Clown and were treated to glimpses of the cast's chemistry through reenactments of iconic moments from the One Piece manga.

Eiichiro Oda, affectionately nicknamed "Goda" for his revered status within the fandom, is known to be both kind and eccentric, but also quite intimidating. Interestingly, Oda tied the knot with a cosplayer who portrays the character Nami, further adding to his connection with the series. It has been revealed that he even relies on fan sites to recall specific details about his own characters. This was before he openly admitted to being surprised by the death of a character within the One Piece narrative, despite being the one who wrote it. Fans can look forward to streaming One Piece on Netflix starting from August 31, 2023.

Via Collider