With the first chapter released on July 22, 1997, the One Piece story has come a long way, continuing in 2026 with both the manga and the anime series. While it is one of the longest-running shonen series in history, did you know that Eiichiro Oda made several changes to the original script from what we see today?
If you are a very committed fan of the series, you already know a few of these to begin with. But if you are relatively new to the franchise, this is a good place to refresh your FAQs for the next friendly debate you have with your friends. Without further ado, here are 5 genuine changes the mangaka made to the original plan that drastically changed the story both visually and narratively.
| TITLE | One Piece |
| CREATORS | Eiichiro Oda |
| RELEASE DATE | October 20, 1999 |
| IMDb RATINGS (as of July 25, 2026) | 9/10 |
| WHERE TO WATCH | Crunchyroll |
1. Oda Originally Wanted the Whole Series to Wrap in Just Five Years
Back in 2017, Oda admitted that when One Piece kicked off in 1997, he pictured wrapping the whole saga in about five years. Then he casually tossed in the Seven Warlords of the Sea as a plot device, figuring it would just add some texture to the world, and the story ballooned way past his own timeline as a result. He quoted in the interview:
I never thought “One Piece” would last this long: When I began, I imagined it might run for five years. But it was my first time doing something serialized, and I found that as I kept writing, the characters took on lives of their own. Before I knew it, they were writing the story for me, and it just kept going.
He’s since said he regrets not capping that group at two or three members, and it’s basically why we’re still reading nearly thirty years later.
2. Zoro Started as Nothing More Than a Bodyguard Working for Buggy
Before Roronoa Zoro became Luffy’s right hand, Oda’s early notes had him working security detail for Buggy the Clown of all people (via Fandom Wiki), a far cry from the ambitious, world-class swordsman fans know today. The idea got scrapped fast, but the swordsman’s DNA actually traces back further, to a samurai named Ryuma from Oda’s one-shot titled Monsters.
That Ryuma prototype was built specifically to be a scene-stealing secondary lead who could rival the main hero, and Oda basically ported that entire energy straight into Zoro once One Piece got greenlit for serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump.
3. Nami Was Sketched First with a Metal Gauntlet and a Massive War Axe
It’s wild to think about now, but early Nami concept art shows a completely different character: pigtails, ripped jeans with a single striped legging, visible battle scars, a single metal-armored boot, a matching metal gauntlet, and a war axe considerably bigger than she is. Fans nicknamed this version “Fullmetal Nami” thanks to the cyborg-like metal armor plating, which drew comparisons to Fullmetal Alchemist (via Reddit):
Early Nami concept art by Oda – Holy Shit
by u/ZoroCrushesLuffy in OnePiece
Oda eventually dropped the rougher, battle-worn look entirely, swapping that oversized axe for the lightweight collapsible staff Nami still fights with today, while keeping the thief’s sharp, streetwise attitude fully intact.
4. Chopper Almost Debuted as a Grizzled Chain-Smoking Reindeer Burglar
Tony Tony Chopper‘s original design sketches are almost unrecognizable compared to the character fans adore today, a tall, lanky reindeer with striped fur, dark, tired eyes, and a lit cigarette hanging from his mouth, which earned him the fan nickname “smoking reindeer burglar” (via r/OnePiece):
If We’re Showing Early Concept Art of Strawhats, then Here’s Chopper
by u/Numbuh24insane in OnePiece
Reportedly, hearing voice actress Ikue Otani’s warm, childlike delivery for the character convinced Oda that the rougher, grizzled look just didn’t fit anymore. So he shrank Chopper down considerably and rounded him out, turning what was once a gritty side character into the cotton-candy-loving mascot fans genuinely can’t get enough of.
5. Nami Was Meant to Be the First Person Luffy Ever Recruited
In Oda’s earliest surviving draft, titled Forward, the Luffy stand-in recruits a thief character who’s clearly meant to become Nami well before any Zoro-type figure ever shows up in the story, and she’s even pictured standing alone beside him on that early draft’s original cover art.
Once One Piece, properly began serialization in 1997, Oda quietly flipped that order around so Zoro ended up joining the crew first instead. It’s a small tweak on paper, but it completely rewrote which relationship anchors the crew’s earliest chapters and shapes those first impressions.
What are your thoughts on these original changes made to the One Piece story by Oda? We’d love to hear your opinions in the comments below.
The One Piece anime series is currently available to watch on Crunchyroll.
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