July 19th has just started in Japan, meaning it is now One Piece’s 22nd anniversary! One Piece first appeared on Shonen Jump on July 19th 1997 (an early release due to holiday, hence why you might see the date different in some media, but it has decisively been proven that the issue published on July 19th) and has continued to serialize all this time later. With over 460,000,000 copies sold, One Piece is the most successful and one of the most beloved manga of all time. For 22 years, Eiichiro Oda’s great adventure has brought joy, tears and excitement to people all around the world!

The upcoming chapter of One Piece will be celebrating the anniversary with a color cover and leading cover for Shonen Jump from Oda, as well as a special one-shot on Zoro done by the artist of Dr. Stone, Boichi. Furthemore, One Piece will soon debut its fourth big theatrical release with One Piece: Stampede on August 9th in Japanese theatres, with the movie coming to other countries worldwide in the coming months. With the movie acting as a celebration of the many characters in the series, it’s sure to be an important moment for the franchise as a whole!

There’s also a promotion between One Piece and the Pokémon Company to celebrate its birthday: from July 22nd to July 29th, Straw-hatted Pikachus will appear in Pokémon GO, as well as Straw Hats for the trainers to wear, with the statue of Luffy that was erected in Oda’s hometown of Kumamoto acting as a special Pokéstop! This is one of the many ways that One Piece’s influence has spread well beyond just its story!

With more chapters, episodes, books, movies, games and media in the coming years, One Piece is sure to prosper for a good while longer! Here’s to all the upcoming adventures for One Piece in the years ahead!