'One Piece' Creator Opens Up About Its Unprecedented Sales

When it comes to One Piece, it is hard to keep track of its impressive sales. Over the years, the franchise has sold an insane amount, and its creator has become the world's top-selling manga creator because of it. Still, Eiichiro Oda has a hard time wrapping his head round his accomplishments.

Recently, Viz Media did an interview with Oda, and the artist commented on his lofty sales. The publisher asked Oda what he would tell his younger self now that he has made the best-selling manga of all-time, and Oda had this to say:

"Things are going exactly as I planned."

Of course, the creator laughed after making the joke, but Oda has commented on One Piece's record-breaking sales before. As of right now, the manga has sold more than 430 million units since it debuted in 1997. That number is nearly double the second best-selling manga as Dragon Ball has sold just 240 million units while Naruto comes in third at 220 million. When it comes to overall comics, One Piece is slated to outsell Batman as it is gaining ground against the DC Comics series. So, it isn't a surprise to hear that Oda wants to continue his streak.

Last year, the artist spoke at length about One Piece's sales milestones, and he admitted he was very honored by it all.

I'm honored to hear that One Piece is the best selling manga for 10 consecutive years!! Thank you for tallying the numbers every year. I keep in my that I should obtain as many readers as possible. I've experienced that people can make friends via talking manga ever since I was a kid."

Continuing, Oda said, "I love being number one. I won't forget the feeling of gratitude. I'll make every effort to make One Piece the best manga in terms of both records and people's memory!! Thank you so much!!"

In order to keep One Piece competitive, Oda spoke with Viz Media about how he gets inspired for new stories and chapters. The creator admitted it is hard to stay creative when he's so busy, but he uses anything and everything around him to drum up new ideas.

"Having to create manga ever week really cuts down on the time you have to think about the story. And I believe that the more time you have to think, the better your creation. However, I can't really separate my personal life and my manga-creating life. Everything I do can be connected to my manga," he explained. "So it's kind of difficult for me to answer the question. If I run into someone like you in town, I immediately think about how I can use it in my manga. That's just how I work."

Are you impressed by the kind of sales One Piece has brought in? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!