Highlights
- The opening scene of the Wano arc is one of Eiichiro Oda's favorite scenes in the entire One Piece series, showcasing his excitement to draw this arc that fans have been anticipating for over a decade.
- Oda's second favorite scene is a small interaction between Robin and Usopp at Sabaody Archipelago, highlighting the depth and realism of the world of One Piece through humorous character dynamics.
- The campfire moment in Skypiea, where the Straw Hat Pirates celebrate and foreshadow Luffy as the Sun God, is Oda's third favorite scene, illustrating the joy and motivation it brought to the mangaka while also showcasing his long-term foreshadowing abilities.
Eiichiro Oda is the legendary manga behind the magnificent One Piece series. This story has captivated readers like no other in history and it is certainly one of the very best pieces of fiction out there. Oda has put over two decades worth of effort into the story and all that hard work certainly shows for itself, given that the story just keeps getting better with each passing arc.
One Piece is currently in its Final Saga and as much as fans love it, it is now slowly coming to an end. Over the many arcs that this series has delivered so far, fans have a catalog of incredible moments to choose from. The same goes for the author of the story, Oda himself. Oda has quite a lot of favorite One Piece moments, however, his top three, which were revealed to the fans quite a long time ago, might shock some.
Wano's Opening Scene
Oda has always wanted to draw Wano a lot. This arc was teased even before the timeskip of the series when Ryuma, a famous samurai from the land of Wano, appeared in the Thriller Bark arc. The Land of Samurai immediately sparked intrigue in fans and it was heavily theorized upon for over a decade, until fans finally reached this arc around 5 years ago. Oda himself had wanted to draw Wano for quite a long time and that is evident from the way he planned this arc out. According to him, the opening scene of Wano, where the first act begins and the curtains are raised on the beautiful flower capital, is one of his three favorite scenes in the entire series.
One may be confused by Oda's choice here, but it is a personal opinion and, at the end of the day, something that he was truly very excited to draw for over a decade. It is quite understandable why Oda would choose this as one of his favorite moments to draw in the entire series. This moment was not special just for Oda but also for the fans, who were waiting in anticipation for Wano as well. The Wano arc went down as one of the very best arcs of One Piece and, for quite a lot of fans, the very best that the story has ever produced. Delivering the highest of highs in the entire series, Wano is an arc that only a few can compete with.
Robin And Usopp's Interaction
Another interesting moment that Oda chose as his favorite in the entire series came at Sabaody Archipelago. When thinking of Sabaody, one might think that Oda would choose the moment of Straw Hats' separation or when Luffy punched a Celestial Dragon. However, none of those moments make it into Oda's top three favorite scenes in One Piece. In chapter 496, when the Straw Hat Pirates arrive on the island of Sabaody, there is a small interaction between Usopp and Robin. While exploring the island, Robin touches the ground beneath her and realizes that it produces a resin.
She then goes on to wipe this sticky resin on Usopp's pants, calling it gross. Naturally, Usopp gets mad at her doing this and the interaction simply becomes very hilarious. This exact moment is Oda's second favorite One Piece scene of all time. According to Oda, he chose this moment because it conveys to the fans that the world of One Piece has real depth to it and a certain sense of realism as well. It is quite clear to see what Oda means by this. Small interactions certainly add a tremendous amount of depth to any story. When these characters behave in such a manner, it tells the reader that they are, in fact, no different from the people they see in their real lives and share similar relations as well. It is certainly a very funny moment and, given that Oda is a very goofy mangaka himself, one can understand why he chose this as his second favorite One Piece moment of all time.
Campfire In Skypiea
Oda's third favorite moment in One Piece is the campfire that the Straw Hat Pirates enjoy in Skypiea. This moment came in chapter 253 of One Piece and, here, the Straw Hat Pirates met on the Upper Yard, regrouping before the war finally began on this Sky Island. During this night, the Straw Hat Pirates had a massive banquet under the moon, lighting a big campfire and dancing and celebrating around it. This moment gave Oda quite a lot of joy and, according to him, envisioning this exact moment is why he drew the Skypiea arc itself. It motivated him greatly and, it is safe to say that Oda executed it perfectly, giving fans a sense of enjoyment as well.
This scene also holds more significance as it foreshadows Luffy as Sun God Nika for the very first time. While dancing around the fire, Luffy takes a silhouette that resembles the exact same figure of Nika. In fact, the entirety of the Skypiea arc foreshadows the resurgence of the Sun God in many ways, making it doubly special. In the Wano arc, Luffy takes this stance once again right after awakening his Devil Fruit powers. Fans were surprised to know that Oda foreshadowed this long ago in his story and that only adds to the allure of this incredible moment. It is clearly very understandable why Oda chose this as one of his favorite moments in the entirety of the series.
The Final Saga Of One Piece
While these certainly are Oda's top three favorite moments in One Piece right up to the beginning of Wano, there is quite a lot still to come that could end up becoming his favorite. For instance, Oda has been the most excited to draw the Final Saga of One Piece. This means there are quite a lot of moments in the Final Saga that he must have been itching to draw. Now, Oda has the opportunity to illustrate those fantastic moments. Come the end of the series, his top three moments could end up looking very different, all thanks to the Final Saga.
This saga is heavily going to feature the many mysteries of the One Piece world, strong characters whom fans have been waiting to see in action, such as Shanks, the truth of the Void Century and, at the center of it all, Luffy. In fact, Oda has already teased that the Great War that will come in the Final Saga is going to dwarf Marineford in comparison. There's quite a lot to be excited about and many more fantastic moments for the fans to enjoy. While One Piece might be in the Final Saga, every chapter that Oda writes delivers fantastic moments that fans will remember for years. Thankfully, there are still many more years before One Piece concludes and fans can only be excited about what is to come as the Straw Hats journey towards Laugh Tale.
One Piece is available to read via Viz Media.