One Piece fan articles
Among the gigantic crowd of pirates, there was one who was said to have achieved everything: Gold Roger! 20 years before the beginning of the story, the man to whom the world had given the title of "Pirate King" was executed. Shortly before his public execution, he announced to everyone present that he had hidden his treasure somewhere in the world. And whoever wants it should go and look for it. People gave this treasure the name " One Piece ".
It was the year 1997 when the Japanese manga artist "Eiichirō Oda" started his now world-famous manga series One Piece . Since its inception, the manga has been published weekly in the Japanese manga magazine "Shōnen Jump" by the Japanese publisher "Shueisha".
To this day, One Piece is the most successful manga in the world. And with a lifespan of over 24 years, it is definitely one of the longest - especially since, according to Oda, it will continue for at least a few more years (as of July 2021). Over 1,000 chapters of the series have now been published in almost 100 volumes. Over 460 million copies of these have now been delivered worldwide (390 million of them in Japan alone).
You could almost speak of a Japanese tradition when an anime series is created for (successful) manga. And that is exactly what happened in the case of One Piece . One year after the manga was released, the anime was broadcast on Japanese television for the first time in 1998. Since the target audience for anime is much larger than that for manga comics worldwide, the television series has contributed significantly to the popularity of manga around the world. One Piece is produced by the Japanese studio "Tōei Animation" and is one of the most successful anime series in the world - and with over 900 episodes (as of July 2021), also one of the longest. And as long as Eiichirō Oda does not stop working on his manga, the anime series will continue to be popular around the world.
The story of One Piece begins with a brief flashback. 20 years ago, Gold Roger, the Pirate King, was executed. The words he spoke to the world shortly before his death marked the start of a great pirate era. Since then, numerous pirates from all over the world have set out to sea on the most dangerous seafaring route of all - the so-called "Grand Line". Legend has it that the Pirate King hid his treasure somewhere on this route. Whoever finds this treasure, it is said, will become the new Pirate King!
The protagonist of One Piece is the (initially) 17-year-old Monkey D. Luffy. He is a friendly, fun-loving boy. His big dream is to find the greatest treasure in the world and become the new Pirate King. At the beginning of the series, he sets sail to put together a crew for his journey to the Grand Line. As the story progresses, he finds other comrades who join his pirate gang. This is called the "Straw Hat Pirates" because of Luffy's straw hat, which he wears on his head or has with him at all times. He got it ten years before the start of his journey from his friend and role model, the red-haired Shanks.
Over time, the Straw Hat Gang gains one capable comrade after another. The first member that Luffy is able to recruit for his team is the "pirate hunter" Lorenor Zorro - a swordsman. Originally a bounty hunter who goes into battle with the "three swords style". His big goal is to become the best swordsman in the world. Next, "Nami" joins the pirate gang as a navigator and cartographer. The gang soon expands to include the marksman "Lysop" and the ship's cook "Sanji", whose big dream is to find a legendary sea, the "All Blue".
With this crew, Luffy reaches the infamous seafaring route where Gold Roger is said to have hidden his treasure - the Grand Line - quite early in the course of One Piece 's story. In principle, you could say that the real adventure only really begins from here. Because there, not only a whole lot of adventures and breathtaking experiences await the Straw Hat Gang, but possibly also one or two additional crew members to complete the pirate gang.
All members of Luffy's gang have one thing in common - each of them had a dramatic experience in his or her past. At the beginning of the story, 7-year-old Luffy is threatened by a bandit who had previously taken on Luffy's adult pirate friend, the red-haired Shanks. At sea, this bandit throws the boy into the water to drown him, as Luffy cannot swim. Shortly afterwards, he is attacked by a sea monster, only to be rescued in time by Shanks. During this rescue operation, however, Shanks loses his right arm. He had sacrificed it to save young Luffy's life. Shortly before Shanks and his crew leave Luffy's home village, the pirate gives his young friend his straw hat. It has always meant a lot to Shanks. Luffy and Shanks then made a promise that Luffy would give him the straw hat back one day, once he has become a great pirate.
Have you just finished reading the latest manga chapter, or are you eagerly waiting for the next One Piece episode? Then why not take a look at our Yvolve Shop. A true paradise for geeks, nerds and all Japan fans (also known as "otaku") who can't get enough of manga and anime. For One Piece fans, one of the highlights of our shop is the straw hat, which is made exactly like the straw hat of the protagonist Luffy. We also have the profiles of all the members of the Straw Hat Gang as posters in our range - designed exactly like the profiles in the series.
In addition, we offer a lot more One Piece merchandise and fan articles that are themed after the popular pirate series. The merchandise also features T-shirts with the symbol of the Straw Hat Gang. Our range also includes thematically appropriate caps, mugs, figures, notebooks, lamps, bags and accessories. But you can also easily find and order items that are suitable as decorations or gifts, as well as various types of clothing, in our online yvolve shop.
