Eiichiro Oda Reveals the “Correct” Way to Read One Piece, And You’re Probably Doing It Wrong

Legendary manga creator Eiichiro Oda has made a thoughtful recommendation for fans of his iconic series One Piece: the way you’re reading the manga might be affecting your experience. Many readers today consume the story on mobile devices in vertical screen mode. Oda, however, emphasises that he still designs One Piece for horizontal print reading, where two facing pages form a unified narrative canvas.

In the “SBS 113” section of the recent volume, a reader asked Oda why the panel-layout often features wide takes and what feels like two pages working as one. Oda responded that given the global readership and the transition to digital platforms, he remains committed to print format and horizontal orientation so the visual storytelling, especially expansive landscapes, dramatic double-page spreads and panel rhythm, functions as intended.

He explained that mobile readers may be missing the full impact of these layouts because vertical scrolling breaks the flow of panels and mis-aligns the intended pacing. For Oda, the print edition and its horizontal reading experience remain the ideal, although digital platforms increasingly dominate. The takeaway: if you’re reading One Piece only in vertical mode on your phone, you may be missing part of the artistic intent.

For fans of old-school manga, this serves as a reminder of the value of print editions and the importance of reading format in visual storytelling. As One Piece moves toward its final arcs, optimising how you consume it may matter more than you thought.