Eiichiro Oda, author of the long-running manga One Piece, is one of the best and most accomplished authors in the history of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. His flagship series first began serialization in 1997, and over 25 years later, One Piece shows no signs of slowing down, having sold more units than any other manga in history. However, while Eiichiro Oda will always be most closely associated with the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, he's also written several other works during his time as an author.

Oda started his journey as a manga author when he was only 17 years old, so it comes as no surprise that One Piece isn't the only thing that he's ever worked on. In fact, Oda has six distinct works that most fans know little about, and with one of them now airing a brand-new anime adaptation his writing catalog is more relevant than ever before.

Updated on January 27, 2024 by Kennedy King: While Eiichiro Oda has been a prominent figure in the manga community since One Piece debuted in the late 1990s, the recent success of the series' anime and live-action adaptations have transformed the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy into a worldwide phenomenon. Now that another of the author's works has been adapted in the form of Netflix's Monsters anime, this list has been updated to contain even more information about his writing catalog.

6 Wanted! Represents Eiichiro Oda's Humble Beginnings

Eiichiro Oda began his journey as a mangaka with Wanted!, a one-shot manga that was written by the Japanese author back in 1992 when he was still in his senior year of high school. Interestingly, Oda wrote this one-shot under the pen name of Tsuki Himizu Kikondo, although he would soon give up the moniker in favor of his current title. After winning Secon Class at the 44th Tezuka Awards, Oda earned ¥500,000 and set himself up to make his entry into the manga industry later that year.

Despite it becoming his first published work in 1993, Wanted! possesses many of the same traits that would eventually transform One Piece into the best-selling manga of all time. It follows a bounty hunter named Wild Joe as he searches for Gill Bastar, a wanted criminal. Similar to the protagonist of the Trigun franchise, Gill Balstar's notoriety and huge bounty are a result of him defending himself rather than seeking trouble. When he is confronted by Wild Joe, Gill kills the bounty hunter in self-defense; however, Joe's spirit is unable to move on to the afterlife, leading him to declare that he will only pass onto the next life after he faces Gill again on the day that the outlaw dies.

5 God's Gift For The Future Features An Unusual Protagonist

Oda drew yet another one-shot manga, God's Gift For The Future, in 1993, the same year as Wanted! However, this manga was published in the October Issue of Monthly Shonen Jump Original, marking the author's debut in the iconic magazine. As expected, Oda's peculiar qualities also shine in this work, which led to the one-shot receiving a fair amount of praise throughout Japan upon its release.

Featuring a fantastic story that follows a pickpocket named Bran, God's Gift For The Future is still an enjoyable experience for readers thirty years after its initial release. The manga's narrative includes several characters but primarily centers around Bran's unsuccessful attempts to correct his kleptomaniacal habit. Even God deems his habit punishable, yet Bran's wits end up impressing God as well as many of his other doubters. Packed with a lot of wits, this remains one of the fans' favorites from Eiichiro Oda.

4 Ikki Yakō Alludes To Eiichiro Oda's Fondness For Traditional Japanese Storytelling

One of Eiichiro Oda's best pre-One Piece works, Ikki Yakō was published back in April 1994 in the Shonen Jump Spring Special. As expected of a writer of Oda's caliber, the one-shot ended up bagging the first-place trophy in that year's Hop Step awards for best manga. Just like Wanted!, Ikki Yakō was then compiled with the other one-shots written by Oda in 1998.

Oda's work in Ikki Yakō is nothing short of breathtaking. The story might just be the best piece of work that Oda has done pre-One Piece, and among its fans, the story holds a special place in their hearts. It follows the story of Guko, a monk who travels across a forest looking for a place to stay for the night. After being attacked by a monster, Guko makes his way to a village, only for them to ask that he slay the very same monster that he encountered earlier. With no place else to go, Guko ends up taking the task on and attempts to think of a way to get the job done.

3 Monsters Takes Place Many Years Before One Piece

A year after Eiichiro Oda published Ikki Yakō (Night Parade of One Demon), he came up with Monsters, yet another one-shot manga. However, in an SBS during Volume 47 of One Piece, Oda revealed that Monsters is actually a part of the One Piece universe, albeit many years before the events of the series.

The story features Ryuma Shimotsuki, a character who appears as a zombie in One Piece's Thriller Bark Arc. Monsters many years in the past, and it does an incredible job of fleshing out Ryuma's character a lot more and depicting why he was renowned not only throughout Wano Country but the entire world. Netflix recently started its own adaptation of the story, making it a must-watch for long-time fans of One Piece.

2 Romance Dawn, Version 1 Is Oda's First Notable Draft Of One Piece

Published by Eiichiro Oda in 1996, Romance Dawn was Oda's initial take on what ended up becoming One Piece later on. The one-shot was published in Shōnen Jump 1996 Summer Special, where the works on young and upcoming mangaka were displayed. A lot of the original One Piece manga is very similar to Romance Dawn, and as such, several of its scenes have been adapted into the anime.

Just like One Piece, Romance Dawn follows the adventures of a rubber-boy named Luffy who aspires to be more like Red-Hair Shanks, his idol. The story opens up with Crescent-Moon Gally attacking a nearby village and Luffy meeting Silk, an orphan from the village (likely Nami's prototype). Despite a few notable differences, this story is just as adventurous as One Piece and captures the humble beginnings of the record-breaking franchise.

1 Romance Dawn, Version 2 Bears Even More Similarities To One Piece Than Its Predecessor

Published way back in 1996's Weekly Jump issue #41, Romance Dawn, Version 2 was Oda's last work before he finally came up with One Piece. It was also recently adapted into an anime episode as well in the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the One Piece anime, demonstrating just how influential it was to the beloved franchise.

As expected of One Piece's predecessor, Romance Dawn, Version 2 follows the story of Luffy, a boy blessed by the powers of a Devil Fruit. However, unlike its previous incarnation, Luffy's grandfather plays a significant role in the story, taking the place of Red-Haired Shanks as Luffy's inspiration as a pirate. Interestingly, his grandfather (Garp's prototype character) was the one who gifted the Straw Hat to Luffy in this version of the story, which also pits Ann (Nami's prototype) against a villain named Spiel the Hexagon. Although the story is short, it's also incredibly satisfying, and altogether, it's a fun glimpse into the past that every One Piece fan should check out.