Is Wanted! Eiichiro Oda Before One Piece Worth Reading? Review & Where to Read
Quick Answer
If you're a One Piece fan curious where it all started, this slim collection of Oda's early one-shots is a worthwhile curiosity, even though it's not meant to stand on its own as a narrative.
Quick Verdict
“This collection is less a story in its own right than a direct look at Oda's formative sketches, and that's exactly what makes it worth a read for the right audience.”
Best for: One Piece fans curious to see Eiichiro Oda's earliest work, including the literal prototype of the series.
Not for: Readers who want a single cohesive story rather than five unrelated early-career one-shots of varying quality.
- Type
- Manga
- Genres
- Action, Comedy
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Eiichiro Oda
- Publisher
- Shueisha
- Platform
- VIZ Media
| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Format | Manga (shōnen), 5 chapters, 1 volumes |
| Run | 1998 · completed |
| Community score | AniList 7.0 |
Overview
Wanted! Eiichiro Oda Before One Piece collects five short stories Oda drew between 1992 and 1996, years before One Piece began its decades-long run: a Western-style bounty hunter tale, a sci-fi fantasy about a gift from the gods, a ghost-samurai adventure, a dark monster story later folded into official One Piece canon, and finally 'Romance Dawn,' the direct pilot one-shot that became One Piece.
What it does well
For One Piece fans, the real draw here is watching Oda's ideas take shape in real time. 'Monsters' and 'Romance Dawn' in particular are fascinating as direct ancestors of the series everyone knows, featuring an early, rougher version of a rubber-powered pirate protagonist who isn't quite Luffy yet but is unmistakably headed there. The five stories also span a genuinely wide range of genres and tones, from Western bounty-hunting to ghost-samurai fantasy, which keeps the collection from feeling monotonous even at its short length, and a couple of the entries carry real pedigree — one a Tezuka Award runner-up, another a Hop Step Award winner.
Where it falls short
This is explicitly a collection of early-career practice pieces, not a crafted single story, and it shows: quality swings noticeably between entries, with some reading more like sketches than fully realized narratives. At one volume, it's also a lot to ask of anyone who isn't already invested in One Piece specifically — without that context, the collection's central appeal (watching a legendary series take shape) mostly evaporates, leaving a handful of competent but unremarkable shonen one-shots.
Verdict
Wanted! Eiichiro Oda Before One Piece isn't trying to be a great story on its own terms — it's a direct look at where one of the best-selling manga of all time actually came from, and on that basis it delivers exactly what it promises. Recommended for curious One Piece fans; skippable for everyone else.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- 'Romance Dawn' and 'Monsters' give genuine, direct insight into One Piece's origins, including an early rubber-powered pirate protagonist well before Luffy was fully formed.
- Five different genres — Western bounty-hunting, ghost-samurai adventure, sci-fi fantasy, and more — keep the slim volume from feeling repetitive.
- Award-winning entries (a Tezuka Award runner-up and a Hop Step Award winner) show real promise even in Oda's rougher early art.
- Short and self-contained, so it's an easy, low-commitment read for curious fans.
Weaknesses
- Quality is uneven across the five stories, with some reading more like practice pieces than fully realized narratives.
- At just one volume, it's a steep price for completionists rather than a satisfying read for anyone without existing One Piece investment.
- Without One Piece context, the collection's biggest selling point — seeing the series' direct prototype — loses most of its appeal.
Similar Titles
The direct, massively expanded descendant of this collection's 'Romance Dawn' and 'Monsters' one-shots.
Comparable in spirit — a legendary shonen creator's early one-shots and prototype work, useful for seeing a series' formative roots.
Akira Toriyama's own early one-shot collections hold a similar curiosity-and-origin appeal for fans of his later work.
Prefer to watch? There's an anime
ONE PIECE: see where to stream it legally, plus episode guides and trailers, on Watchanimee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Wanted! Eiichiro Oda Before One Piece finished?
Yes, it's a complete, self-contained one-volume collection of five one-shots, not an ongoing series.
How long is Wanted! Eiichiro Oda Before One Piece?
It's a single volume collecting five short stories, making it a quick read you can finish in one sitting.
Does this collection include an early version of One Piece?
Yes, the final story, 'Romance Dawn' (Version 2), is the direct prototype one-shot that led to One Piece, and 'Monsters' was later folded into official One Piece lore.
Where can I read Wanted! Eiichiro Oda Before One Piece in English?
VIZ Media has published an official English edition under its Shonen Jump imprint.
