One Piece Creator’s Manga ‘Monster’ Gets English Publication on Viz Media

Summary

• Viz Media’s Shonen Jump website published Eiichiro Oda’s one-shot manga ‘Monsters ’in English.
• ‘Monsters’ follows Ryuma, a swordsman from Wano Country who is on a quest to defeat the legendary dragon. 
• The manga has a voice comic and an anime adaptation.

We all know about the legendary mangaka Eiichiro Oda, the creator of the fan-favorite One Piece series. However, did you know that it wasn’t his first work? His first manga was titled ‘Monster,’ and is connected to the One Piece universe. 

Recently, the manga-inspired an anime that was released on Netflix, which caused excitement among the fandom. Now, the excitement has reached new heights as the manga has finally been published in English.

Viz Media’s Shonen Jump website published Eiichiro Oda’s ‘Monsters: Ippaku Sanjō Hiryū Jigoku’ one-shot manga in English titled ‘Monsters.’

‘Monsters’ follows Ryuma, a swordsman from Wano Country who is on a quest to defeat the legendary dragon. It was initially a one-off story that Oda wrote when he was starting in the mid-90s, but the author decided to include it in the One-Piece canon during the Thriller Bark arc. 

In that arc, Ryuma was a legendary swordsman from Wano who had lived many centuries ago. Ryuma also became more prominent because of his connection to one of the main characters, Roronoa Zoro. 

Oda revealed in 2023 that they are related, and their connections go beyond family as they are both swordsmen, have similar designs and aim to become the best at their work.

The one-shot was featured in Oda’s Wanted! – a collection of Manga one-shots. In 2021, the manga was adapted into a voice comic as part of the One Piece 100 We Are ONE celebration. 

Additionally, the manga was adapted into an anime special titled ‘Monsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation’ by E&H Productions on January 21, 2024.

The English version of the ‘Monster’ manga has been released, enabling a broader fan base to access it. With it, fans can now explore Oda’s earlier works and see how they relate to the vast universe of One Piece.

About Monsters

Monsters is a one-shot manga by Eiichiro Oda, originally published in the 1994 Shonen Jump Autumn Special. It was later reprinted in 1998 as part of Wanted!, a compilation of Oda’s pre-One Piece stories.

The plot of “Monsters” centres around Ryuma, a warrior with extraordinary strength and swordsmanship abilities. He is a travelling swordsman who becomes a local hero after fighting a dragon that was terrorising the residents.

The surprise is that Ryuma invited the dragon to town in the first place as part of a plan to gain the townspeople’s confidence and goodwill. Despite this, Ryuma is not totally wicked, and he ends up saving the community from a serious threat.

Source: Viz Media’s Shonen Jump website