Even Eiichiro Oda lost his composure due to a popular manga.

“I was really desperate”: Eiichiro Oda Fought Tooth and Nail for One Piece to Somehow Surpass the Manga He Truly Thought of as a Rival

SUMMARY

One Piece is one of the most popular anime ever and it is ranked number one on Shueisha’s Manga Plus with more than several hundred thousand readers per month.
Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece has held the first position for quite some time but initially, the mangaka was frustrated with the success of another popular manga.
The One Piece creator became desperate to dethrone the rival manga and even considered the mangaka to be his enemy.

One Piece has been trending since the beginning of Monkey D. Luffy vs. Rob Lucci on the Egghead Island. Even though there are several anime that are pretty good and competing for first place, One Piece has made the first position its stronghold. Thousands of readers prefer One Piece over other manga, and Eiichiro Oda has worked hard to achieve that level of popularity.

But it was not always like this. Before the rivalry of the Big Three of anime, Eiichiro Oda was hell-bent on surpassing a certain manga on the Weekly Shounen Jump. It always used to come up on top, and at one point, Oda sensei became desperate. The manga that challenged One Piece was none other than Detective Conan, which is still going on.

Eiichiro Oda Was Determined To Dethrone Detective Conan

One Piece (Credit: Toei Animation)
Detective Conan is one of the most popular anime ever. It is about a young detective who transformed into a kid due to some medication and has been solving cases in disguise. The manga serialization began in 1994 and is still going on. One Piece began serializing in 1997, and Eiichiro Oda saw Detective Conan as his enemy. Whenever he saw it, it was always on the top, making him desperate to dethrone it.

During an interview, Detective Conan creator Gosho Aoyama said to Eiichiro Oda that the latter pretty soon surpassed Detective Conan. Oda sensei answered, “At that time, I was really desperate. I don’t know about what happened. When the serialization started I was doing the best I can, which made me stop looking at my surroundings.” Even though Detective Conan started three years earlier, Oda sensei’s determination paid off.
Detective Conan (Credit: TMS Entertainment)
In one way, the One Piece fandom should be thanking Gosho Aoyama sensei for creating Detective Conan. It helped Eiichiro Oda to drive himself wild and work harder to grab the top spot. Initially, Aoyama sensei was the driving force behind One Piece’s successful reign as the most-read manga on Manga Plus. Even after 25 years, Monkey D. Luffy and company are still ruling supreme over the new generation of anime.

One Piece and Detective Conan Are Two Of the Longest Running Series

One Piece and Detective Conan are two of the longest-running series ever. The former has 108 volumes in total, and the latter has 104 volumes in total. Both of them have crossed 1100 episodes and have a fandom that can make any other fandom jealous. While One Piece is about Monkey D. Luffy gathering a pirate crew and fulfilling his dream of becoming the pirate king, Detective Conan is about an excellent kid detective.
Monkey D. Luffy (Credit: Toei Animation)
Gosho Aoyama’s seniority did not stop him from becoming great friends with Eiichiro Oda. Eiichiro Oda also saw Gosho Aoyama as his enemy and was frustrated to see how good he was with his writing. Even though Oda sensei became frustrated, it somehow motivated him to surpass his rival. One Piece follows a linear plot while Detective Conan brings up new cases.

One Piece: Luffy Becomes the Pirate King With Boa Hancock as His Wife in Viral Fanmade Video That Will Blow Your Mind

Monkey D. Luffy’s journey will soon end as One Piece has entered its final saga. After the Egghead Island arc, the biggest war is going to take place, and the winner will get one step closer to the ultimate treasure. After so many years, both the series are going strong with their mangaka forgetting all about their rivalry.