A guide to the overall organization of the One Piece manga. For specific, numbered chapter and volume listings, see the Volumes tab.
Contents
Overview[edit | edit source]
The One Piece manga is initially published as a serial in the anthology magazine, Weekly Shonen Jump. As the magazine's name suggests, a new issue of Jump (and thus a new chapter of One Piece) is released on a weekly basis. Factoring in double issues of the magazine and personal hiatuses taken by Eiichiro Oda, however, approximately 45-48 chapters are published per year.
Roughly three to four months after appearing in Jump, chapters are compiled into collected volumes, or tankōbon, which contain between 9 to 11 chapters each and run to approximately 208 pages. These volumes also include new cover artwork, storyboard-phase sketches, a question-and-answer column by the author, a section where the character Usopp comments on reader-submitted fan art, and other bonus features. However, due to the economical limitations of the tankōbon format, any art originally printed in color (other than on the dust jacket) is reproduced in grayscale.
Chapters and Volumes by Sagas and Arcs[edit | edit source]
A quick overview on the Chapters and Volumes by sagas and arcs.
Main Story Arcs[edit | edit source]
- Further information: Story Arcs
Mini-Series[edit | edit source]
Short-Term Focused Cover Page Serials[edit | edit source]
- Further information: Short-Term Focused Cover Page Serials
- Buggy's Crew Adventure Chronicles, Chapters 35 to 75, Volumes 4 to 9.
- Diary of Koby-Meppo, Chapters 83 to 119, Volumes 10 to 14.
- Jango's Dance Paradise, Chapters 126 to 172, Volumes 14 to 19.
- Hatchan's Sea-Floor Stroll, Chapters 182 to 228, Volumes 20 to 25.
- Wapol's Omnivorous Hurrah, Chapters 236 to 262, Volumes 25 to 28.
- Ace's Great Blackbeard Search, Chapters 272 to 305 , Volumes 29 to 32.
- Gedatsu's Accidental Blue-Sea Life, Chapters 314 to 348, Volumes 33 to 37.
- Miss Goldenweek's Operation: Meet Baroque Works, Chapters 359 to 413, Volumes 38 to 43.
- Enel's Great Space Operations, Chapters 428 to 474, Volumes 44 to 49.
- CP9's Independent Report, Chapters 491 to 528, Volumes 50 to 54.
- Sanji's "Resisting in Kamabakka", Chapters 543 to 544, Volume 56.
- Robin's "How Terrible You People Are", Chapters 545 to 546, Volume 56.
- Franky's "This Week Is No Good", Chapters 548 to 549, Volume 56.
- Usopp's "I'll-Die-If-I'm-On-My-Own Disease", Chapters 550 to 551, Volume 56.
- Chopper's "I'm Not Food You Assholes", Chapters 552 to 554, Volume 57.
- Nami's "Weather Report", Chapters 555 to 556, Volume 57.
- Brook's "Lodgings and Panties Repayment", Chapters 557 to 558, Volume 57.
- Zoro's "Where the Hell Are They? What a Pain in the Ass", Chapters 559 to 560, Volume 57.
- From the Decks of the World, Chapters 613 to 668, Volumes 62 to 68.
- Caribou's Kehihihihi in the New World, Chapters 674 to 731, Volumes 68 to 73.
- Solo Journey of Jinbe, Knight of the Sea, Chapters 751 to 785, Volumes 75 to 78.
- From the Decks of the World: The 500,000,000 Man Arc Chapters 805 to 838, Volumes 80 to 83.
- The Stories of the Self-Proclaimed Straw Hat Grand Fleet Chapters 864 to 919, Volumes 86 to 91
- "Gang" Bege's Oh My Family Chapters 948 to current, Volumes 94 to current
Where They Are Now[edit | edit source]
- Further information: Where They Are Now
Other Features[edit | edit source]
Volume Covers[edit | edit source]
Dust Jacket[edit | edit source]
Volume 1 Dust Jacket.
Each volume is released with a dust jacket, featuring the volume's "main" cover-art, spine, Author's Notes, and publishing information. The cover-art - different for each volume - is always colored, and headed by the series logo, the volume's title, and the overall volume number. The bottom of each cover depicts Eiichiro Oda's name, in both kanji and romaji.
Volume 50 has a different format of cover changes from the standard title, then picture synopsis, to a picture (of Nami), the title (that is surrounded in flames), and is then followed up with the pictures of Zoro, Luffy, and Brook. This change was likely done to commemorate the fiftieth volume of One Piece.
Inside covers[edit | edit source]
- See also the associated category: Volume Inside Covers.
The cover of the physically-bound volume inside the dust jacket - commonly called the "Inside Cover" or "Secret Cover" - is usually a sepia reproduction of the dust jacket's cover-art. However, there are some exceptions:
- Volumes 15, 19, 38, and 52 feature original drawings of Pandaman (the latter, in particular, features nearly all of Oda's recurring Easter Egg characters).
- Volumes 21, 28, 71, 75, and 77 parody their dust-jacket art by replacing various characters (or items) with Pandaman's head.
- Volumes 69, 72, 73, 74, and 76 follow this to a lesser extent, placing Pandaman in once-clear spaces.
- Volume 56 features an uninked sketch of Luffy in his Strong World suit, as an advertisement for the film.
- Volume 63, uniquely, is a straightforward variant of its dust-jacket art; while the background images of Otohime and Fisher Tiger are unchanged, the central image features Luffy hiding Shirahoshi in Megalo's mouth, with Otohime's grave standing overhead.
The inside back cover usually shows a sea chart. Starting from Volume 25, Oda has started drawing a small ongoing story on the inside back cover of Volumes that can barely be spotted using his Easter Egg characters. here there are also some exceptions:
- Volume 17 has a very small image of Chopper peeking out (from the wrong side, as usual) the bottom corner on the left side.
- Volumes 36-38 being blank due to Pandaman being eaten by a large fish.
- Volume 56 instead has two drawings of Luffy in STRONG WORLD outfits, one on each side of the cover.
- Volumes 62-64 being covered by the message of encouragement and a cover page printed across the page.
Illustrations[edit | edit source]
- See also the associated category: Volume Illustrations.
Each volume's title page (which reiterates the volume's title and number, as well as Eiichiro Oda's name) features a bonus illustration of one or more characters. For the first two volumes, these were original pen-and-ink drawings; Volumes 3 and on, however, simply reuse images from prior publications, most often covers Oda drew for recent issues of Shonen Jump.
The Story of One Piece[edit | edit source]
In each volume (except the first), the title page is followed by several pages collectively titled The Story of One Piece. These contain an overview of the series premise, a synopsis of the current storyline, and short profiles of all significant characters and groups. Depending on the story's complexity, they may also include features such as maps.
(Select characters are always profiled here, regardless of whether they actually appear in the volume. This was once unique to Shanks, but after the time-skip was extended to all of the Straw Hat Pirates as well.)
SBS[edit | edit source]
From Volume 4 on, almost every volume has interspersed its chapters with a question-and-answer column called the SBS (質問を募集する Shitsumon o Boshū Suru?, "I'm Taking Questions"). The questions, submitted by readers throughout Japan (and, occasionally, other countries) are usually answered directly by Eiichiro Oda, and are thus considered a source of series canon.
Translation and Dub Issues[edit | edit source]
Viz Media's English-translated volumes, currently published under the Shonen Jump Manga line, retain most of the Japanese volumes' composition and formatting, differing in only a few aspects:
- Like most manga marketed in North America, they lack the Japanese volumes' dust jackets; the jackets' colored art are used as the only cover art, eliminating the "inside" covers.
- The Author's Notes are retained and faithfully translated, but moved to an interior page (which also contains a short profile of Eiichiro Oda).
- The volume number is moved to a semicircle in the lower right-hand corner of the front cover, while the volume title is removed entirely.
- The katakana rendering of "One Piece" (ワンピース?) is removed from the cover header, and replaced with the name of the volume's associated arc or saga.
- A brief synopsis of the volume's story is added to the back cover, along with a colored image (usually either the volume's title-page illustration or a miniaturized color spread).
(Prior to 2010, Viz volume covers featured slightly different composition, retaining the (translated) titles beneath the headers and replacing the katakana with a second One Piece logo written in more conventional font.)
Trivia[edit | edit source]
Covers[edit | edit source]
- The covers of Volumes 21, 42, 77, and 87 do not have Monkey D. Luffy on the cover as other volume covers, instead showing the antagonist group of a particular arc (Baroque Works, Cipher Pol 9, Donquixote Pirates, and Big Mom Pirates respectively) with the Straw Hats and their allies appearing on the following cover.
- There have been thirty three unnamed characters so far, who have been appeared on the cover of a volume.
- Volume 61's cover mirrors Volume 1's cover in that it displays Luffy, Nami, and Zoro, with the addition of the rest of the crew and Thousand Sunny following the timeskip, as they were on the cover of volume 1. They also share similar titles.
- While most volumes feature fully-original cover art, a few reuse covers from earlier publications:
- Volume 6 reuses the cover art to Chapter 45.
- Volume 11 reuses the cover art to Shonen Jump (1999) #24.
- Volume 45 reuses the cover art to Shonen Jump (2007) #17.
Content[edit | edit source]
- At eight chapters, Volume 1 contains the fewest; however, it should be noted that Chapter 1 is roughly three times the length of a standard chapter.
- At twelve chapters each, Volumes 63, 69, and 77 jointly contain the most.
- Only four story arcs (the Romance Dawn Arc, the Reverse Mountain Arc, the Return to Sabaody Arc, and the Levely Arc) have been published entirely within one volume (Volumes 1, 12, 61, and 90 respectfully).
- From the Little Garden Arc on, almost every story arc has featured at least one chapter title combining "Adventure on—" (—の冒険 —no boken?) with the arc's current setting.
- So far, the major exceptions have been the Jaya, Enies Lobby, Marineford, and Levely arcs, all of which put virtually no emphasis on exploration (and the latter excluding the Straw Hats entirely).
- In contrast, three arcs have each featured two chapters titled in this format: Thriller Bark (Chapters 442 and 444), Fish-Man Island (Chapters 606 and 609), and Dressrosa (Chapters 701 and 711)
- Most of the Straw Hat Pirates have been given a chapter title referencing the order they joined Luffy.
- Nami and Usopp had a chapter title after rejoining the crew, while still keeping the joining order (second and third respectively).
- Usopp and Franky shared a chapter title.
- Tony Tony Chopper, Nico Robin, and Jinbe are exceptions to that pattern.
See also[edit | edit source]
- Story Arcs
- One Piece Log Books
- Episode Guide
- SBS
- Short-Term Focused Cover Page Serials
- One Piece Databooks
- One Piece Novels
- One Piece Omake
- Author's Notes
References[edit | edit source]
External Links[edit | edit source]
- Shueisha's One Piece volume listing, with release dates (in Japanese)
- One Piece volume listing at VIZ Media's online store (in English)
- Confirmation of One Piece volume speed up by VIZ
- List of One Piece chapters at Wikipedia
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