Eiichiro Oda’s beloved shonen masterpiece, One Piece, is renowned for its iconic characters and rich storytelling. Now, fans of Oda’s manga can delve into the creative origins of their favorite characters with the upcoming release of a “secret” notebook featuring early designs, including Monkey D. Luffy and Nami.
Recently unveiled through a post on One Piece’s official social media account, the notebook is part of Kaitai Shinroku, an official guidebook for the Monsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation anime. This 25-minute episode is based on Oda’s 1994 one-shot manga, Monsters, offering fans a glimpse into the series’ origins.
As a special pre-order bonus for the upcoming DVD release, Oda’s “secret notebook of ideas” contains numerous rough character sketches dating back to before One Piece’s debut in 1997. Among these sketches, one character bears a striking resemblance to the series’ protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy, while another design shares notable similarities with Nami, the renowned navigator of the Straw Hat Pirates.
With the purchase window for the official Monsters guidebook and DVD set to close on April 19, fans are eager to secure their copies and explore the early concepts that shaped the world of One Piece.