One Piece Manga Goes on Four-Week Hiatus as Eiichiro Oda Takes Break for Eye Surgery

One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has announced that he will be temporarily stepping away from drawing the series to undergo eye surgery.

The official Twitter account of the One Piece franchise shared the news, revealing that the manga series will be on hiatus for the next four issues of Weekly Shonen Jump, starting from issue 29. The manga will return on July 18 with issue 33.

“Thank you for reading One Piece,” a notice on the One Piece website reads. “Due to Mr. Oda’s eye surgery, One Piece will be on hiatus from issue 29 (on sale Monday 19 June) to issue 32 (on sale Monday 10 July) of Weekly Shonen Jump…

“We are very sorry for the delay to our readers who have been looking forward to the series. The serialisation is scheduled to resume in issue 33, on sale Tuesday 18 July.”

Oda also shared a heartfelt message with fans, where he opened up about his condition and the decision to undergo surgery. He revealed in a handwritten note that he has been discussing his vision issues with his editor since last year, and after careful consideration, he has been granted permission to proceed with the necessary eye surgery. In a light-hearted remark, Oda jokingly stated that after the surgery, he would be able to shoot laser beams from his eyes.

Astigmatism is a common eye condition that affects how we see things clearly. The eyes’ clear surface, called the cornea, becomes curved in one direction than the other instead of staying round like a ball. This can make objects look blurry or distorted, whether they’re close by or far away, and cause eye strain and headaches. The demanding and rigorous work involved in creating manga can be a contributor to astigmatism.

【読者の皆様へ】
「週刊少年ジャンプ」29号～32号までの『ONE PIECE』休載のお知らせと尾田栄一郎先生の直筆メッセージ#ONEPIECE

▼詳細はこちらhttps://t.co/7QIAOhjFxm pic.twitter.com/o9z4g8DvXC

— ONE PIECE.com(ワンピース) (@OPcom_info) June 6, 2023