SUMMARY

Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece has become extremely popular among fans since 1997.
Chiaki Inaba’s cosplay of Nami at the Jump Festa 2002 made Eiichiro Oda fall in love with her.
Fans react to the adorable love story of Eiichiro Oda and Chiaki Inaba.

Over the years, Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece has become one of the greatest manga and anime series that has been entertaining its fans for 27 years. Throughout this period, several iconic arcs and characters have been introduced, and some of them are extremely close to the hearts of the fans.

A still from One Piece. Credits: Toei Animation

As a result, when fans are asked about anything about the Shonen series, they will answer it in a heartbeat. The viewers know almost everything about the series, but they can’t say the same about Eiichiro Oda’s life, as he tends to keep much of his personal life a secret.

Though it is public knowledge that Oda-Sensei is married to Chiaki Inaba, there’s a fascinating anecdote of the two meeting for the very first time and finding each other to be their soul mate.

The Alluring Tale of Eiichiro Oda Finding His Better Half

There’s no denying that for a long time, Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece has been reaching new heights with each passing day. The series has been infectiously popular in Japan because it has transcended borders and become a household name around the world.

Nami. Credits: Toei Animation

Fans would be often spotted cosplaying the characters from the show. One of the most prominent names in the series is Nami, the Navigator of the Straw Hat Pirates. Well, it turns out Chiaki Inaba is a massive fan of the Cat Burglar, and was cosplaying the character in Jump Festa via CBR.

Jump Festa is one of the events in Japan organized by Shueisha. Numerous fans of the show cosplayed at the event, portraying their favorite characters from their respective series. Inaba-San was a former cosplayer, model, and race queen who dressed up as Nami at the event.

A still from One Piece. Credits: Toei Animation

In the Jump Fest 2002 event, Chiaki Inaba ran into the mangaka and clicked instantly. The two decided to date for a couple of years before they came to a unified decision to take the sacred vows in 2004, welcoming their two daughters in 2006 and 2009; they continue to be in love even now.

The esteemed news publisher also reported that despite the mangaka living separately for his work, the couple finds time to see each other quite often. Once the tale of their relationship got famous around the One Piece community, it garnered immense love from the fans and became a topic of conversation that stood out from the rest.

Fans React to Oda-Sensei Meeting the Love of His Life

Eiichiro Oda and Chiaki Inaba’s story is not short of a fairytale, where two unknown people meet and continue to make each other’s life a happy place and balance each other to pursue their individual goals.

Emily Rudd as Nami in One Piece live-action. Credits: Toei Animation

However, when their story surfaced, fans were quick to point out that Oda-Sensei had married a character who looked like Nami in real life. While Emily Rudd’s portrayal of the character knocked the ball out of the park, Inaba-San’s cosplay was in a league of its own and had an uncanny resemblance to the pre-time-skip character.

As a result, in r/OnePiece, a post was uploaded stating Chiaki Inaba’s work as the “Best cosplay performance in history.” The users were blown away by the striking resemblance as they sang praises of the former cosplayer.

Nevertheless, it turns out Nami has not only become a crucial part of the anime and manga series but also in the life of Eiichiro Oda.