One of the biggest manga hits of the past 15 years is most certainly One Piece. You can talk about ninjas or titans, but the perennial favorite for top manga has been about those pirates of the Grand Line. Of the many treasures they have encountered during their journey, they have now uncovered something that is truly one of a kind, a Guinness World Record. The official One Piece website was happy to announce that author Eiichiro Oda and the manga One Piece are going in the record books as the comic book with the most issues published by a single author.
Back in 1997, Shonen Jump published a brand new manga about a stretchy boy and his quest to become the “King of Pirates”. As of December 2014, One Piece can firmly plant its flag as the “King of Comics”. On Monday June 15, a ceremony was held in Tokyo to celebrate the record.
Image: Comic Natalie
Between August 1997 and December 2014 One Piece has been printed 320,866,000 times worldwide in over 30 countries. That number was officially recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as “the comic book with the most issues published by a single author”.
Image: ©Oda Eiichirio/Shueisha
The author of One Piece was unable to attend the ceremony. However, the editor of Weekly Shonen Jump, Yoshihisa Heishi, accepted the award on his behalf. He read a statement from Oda saying, “I feel like this record number has the possibility to unite the same number of people together. I will not forget my predecessors in the world of manga, the colleagues that I work with, and my readers. I want to continue to draw a comic that will do this record proud.”
Image: Comic Natalie
To commemorate this Guinness World Record, the official free One Piece serialization app (One Piece 無料連載公式アプリ) is releasing full-color editions of chapters for free every day at 1 p.m. You can get the app on the Japanese iOS or Google Play store. Also on the Shonen Jump+ app, you can get a free digital re-mastered version of the 34th edition from 1997, which features the first appearance of One Piece. That digital copy is only available until 11:59 p.m. JST on June 29.
Oda continues to work on his epic pirate manga but is incredibly humble about the world record. He believes that manga is an amusing way to pass the time, but he is always very happy when he hears about people who made friends or found their sweethearts through One Piece. Congratulations again to Eiichiro Oda on a wonderful accomplishment!
Source: Comic Natalie
Top Image: ©RocketNews24
Is One Piece’s end in sight? Editor reveals final arc is mapped out, speculates on timetable
One Piece manga creator’s joke about World War II soldier prompts official apology from publisher
One Piece author claims a certain seven villains extended the series far longer than he intended
You have One Piece creator’s official permission to have sexy fantasies about his characters
One Piece’s creator refusing to write about his struggles could be a reason for its huge success
Japanese airlines set to cut fuel surcharges for international flights in September and October
The Japanese city where ordering grilled chicken doesn’t guarantee you’ll actually get chicken
Delta Airlines adds first nonstop flight between Japan’s Narita Airport and U.S. in seven years
Study finds hundreds of people in Indonesia legally named after Naruto, Inuyasha, other anime stars
Train continues to stop at rural station for lone schoolgirl until she graduates in March
Studio Ghibli adds new Jiji’s baby plush toy to its anime merchandise range in Japan
Beautiful off-the-beaten-path spot near samurai castle in rural Japan looks like a Monet painting
Tokyo sweets store has a “350% Pudding Soft Serve”, and people are going wild for it
Hello Kitty x Godzilla Happy Meals are coming to McDonald’s, but not in Japan [Video]
Japanese figure skating star Yuzuru Hanyu and Winne-the-Pooh announce crossover merch line [Pics]
Japanese toilet aims to attract foreign tourists but not everybody is happy about it
New Japanese vending machine at Shinkansen station sells cups of ice on platform
Anime fan in Japan arrested for ordering and cancelling over 4.3 billion yen in anime merch
Starbucks Japan teams up with Traveler’s Company for new stationery and goods collection
Japan’s new beer glass is designed to force you to drink…water [Video]
Beautiful Totoro bonsai figure needs no watering, makes soothing rain showers whenever you want
End of a manga era as Weekly Shonen Jump’s circulation drops under one million
This beautiful rural Japan river is a great alternative to touristy summer retreats [Photos]
Studio Ghibli releases new Kiki’s Delivery Service Jiji music box for anime fans
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japan now has human refrigerators inspired by Japanese vending machines
Hatsune Miku collaborates with Hokusai’s art in new Vocaloid ukiyo-e illustration series [Pics]
New Shinkansen luggage drop-off system begins in Japan, making train travel even easier
Studio Ghibli releases anime T-shirts that pay homage to one of Hayao Miyazaki’s most personal films
Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat
Japanese Shinkansen becomes an overnight hotel for three nights this summer
Cup Noodle unveils first-ever cold-water instant ramen in Japan
Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy
99-year-old woman rescued while attempting to climb Mt. Fuji
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
One Piece anime/manga creator says when he wants the series to end, promises it’ll be “amazing”
One Piece creator purposely wanted the manga/anime’s artwork to look “strange”
One Piece manga is going on hiatus as creator takes time to tighten up series’ final story arc
One Piece creator to undergo surgery, manga to go on hiatus
One Piece anime/manga creator promises that the series will, in fact, have an ending one day
One Piece creator has hidden secret of anime treasure’s identity in chest at bottom of real-world ocean
One Piece creator reveals timetable for when he’d like the mega-hit manga to end
Netflix is making a live-action, U.S.-made One Piece series with original creator as producer
One Piece manga extends free-to-read online period, creator posts series update, message of hope
There’s a touching reason it took so long for samurai and ninja to show up in One Piece
Over 20 years’ worth of One Piece manga is free to read right now
Track the stylistic evolution of Eiichiro Oda’s most famous One Piece characters
Cardcaptor Sakura Fan in Peru Gets Guinness World Record For Largest Collection
Anime One Piece to become live-action TV series…produced in the U.S.?!?
One Piece manga artist draws touching tribute to late creator of Chibi Maruko anime
16 years’ worth of One Piece manga now free-to-read online to celebrate series 1,000th chapter