One Piece: From 'niche within a niche' to global phenomenon

In the mid-1990s, manga (a term used for a range of Japanese comic books and graphic novels) was at its peak, with 1.34 billion manga collections sold in 1995. Popular titles of the time included Dragon Ball (about a martial artist on the search for magical orbs), Slam Dunk (about a basketball team) and Doraemon (about a time-travelling robotic cat). For Nakono, however, the One Piece comic series changed the industry. "Instead of relying on a haphazard, week-by-week method," he says, "it carefully built up characters, creating a story structure that leads to an emotional climax at the end." "There was a strong emphasis on cliffhangers in manga before One Piece," he continues.