One Piece (ワンピース Wan Pīsu?) is a Japanese shōnen manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda, that has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine since August 4th, 1997. The individual chapters are being published in tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, with the first released on December 24, 1997 and 50 volumes released as of July 2008. One Piece follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, a 17 year old boy, who gained supernatural abilities by eating a magical Fruit, and his ragtag crew of heroic pirates, named the Straw Hats. Luffy's greatest ambition is to obtain the world's ultimate treasure, One Piece and thereby become the next Pirate King. When creating the series, Oda was heavily influenced by the manga Dragon Ball.
One Piece is licensed for an English language release in North America by Viz Media. The individual chapters are being serialized in Viz's Shonen Jump manga anthology and being published in tankōbon volumes. In the United Kingdom, the series is being released by Gollancz Manga. Madman Entertainment is releasing the series in Australia and New Zealand.
The series was adapted into an original video animation produced in 1998 by Production I.G. It was later adapted into a full anime series by Toei Animation that premiered in Japan on Fuji Television on October 20, 1999. As of July 2008, 361 episodes of the series have aired. The anime series was licensed for a heavily edited English dubbed broadcast in North America by 4Kids Entertainment. It has since been licensed for a full Region 1 DVD release and broadcast by Funimation Entertainment. In addition to the anime series and OVA, One Piece has been adapted into nine feature films by Toei, and multiple video game based on the series have been released.
With over 140 million copies sold, One Piece is the third highest selling manga in the history of Weekly Shōnen Jump, and it is considered their most acclaimed and all-time third-best-selling title in Japan.
