As a child, Oda was inspired by Akira Toriyama's books and aspired to become a manga artist. He recalls that his interest in pirates was probably sparked by the popular Tv animation series titled Vicky the Viking. He submitted a character called Pandaman for Yudetamago's classic wrestling manga Kinnikuman. Pandaman was not only used in a chapter of the manga but would later return as a recurring cameo character in Oda's own books.
(Eiichiro Oda photo #2)
At the age of 17, he submitted his work Wanted! and won several prizes, including second place in the coveted Tezuka Prize. That got him into a job at the Weekly Sh
Eiichiro Oda
