Although it begins in a very calm way and little by little, ‘One Piece’ was showing us increasingly extravagant characters and crazy designs that live for free in the brain of more than one fan.
‘One Piece’ characters, whether they be heroes or villains (or just a jinx who got stuck in a chest) are full of personality and easily recognizable… and Eiichiro Oda has shot real celebrities more than once to inspire their designs.
I Understood That Reference!
If we are seeingone piece‘ and sometimes we’re like “wait a minute…”, it’s very likely not, it’s not our imagination. Oda has admitted that she is often inspired by personalities from the world of music, actors, characters she likes, or even historical figures.
Some of the easiest references to recognize are in the Navy Admiralswhich are inspired by Japanese actors as a tribute: Aokiji is based on Yusaku MatsudaKizaru in kunie tanakaAkainu in bunta sugawara and Fujitora in shintaro katsu.
In the world of music we have Eminem like the God Enel, Steven Tyler like Jango, Joely Jordison like Basil Hawkins, michael jackson like Hody Jones, Lenny Kravitz inspired Mr.5, stevie ray vaughan to Ace, Twiggy to Miss Valentine and daft punk to Killer.
There are also several actors who have ended up in ‘One Piece’, and several times if we count that Jim Carrey may have been one of the inspirations for both Mr. 2 BonClay and Franky. They are not the only ones and over the years manga fans have taken it upon themselves to collect references, such as this painting by SATOart.
More actors who ended up inspired by other characters in the series were Danny DeVito like the Penguin from ‘Batman Returns’, who suspiciously resembles Dr. Hogback, Glenn Close how Cruella from ‘101 Dalmatians’ inspired Inazuma’s aesthetic, or Tim Curry as Dr. Frank N. Furter from ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show,’ who is nailed to Emporio Ivankov.
In this case, what is certain is that to create Sanji Oda was inspired by Steve Buscemi as Mr. Pink in ‘Reservoir Dogs’, as the mangaka confirmed it in the past.
If we want to continue looking for references, some of the most curious are hulk hogan serving as inspiration for Whitebeard, valentino rossi for Trafalgar Law (with yellow t-shirt and sideburns included)… And of course, Al Capone himself, who is the main inspiration for Capone Bege in more ways than one.
With the number of characters we’ve met in ‘One Piece’Surely there are a thousand lost references… So we can always try to find them all during the reviews, which surely make for an encyclopedia.