One Piece author stuns Smash Ultimate fans with touching tribute in latest chapter

mario monkey d luffy one piece smashNintendo/Viz Media

One Piece creator and illustrator Eiichiro Oda put an amazing tribute to Smash Ultimate in issue 1028 of the long-running manga.

Smash Ultimate announced its final DLC character as Sora from Kingdom Hearts on October 5, bringing the roster to a whopping 82.

The announcement made fans of Smash more appreciative than ever of the game and its director, Masahiro Sakurai. One Piece’s creator, Eiichiro Oda, decided to pen an incredible tribute to the game and its iconic characters with a manga crossover.

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one pieceToei Animation / Funimation
One Piece has now reached over 1,000 chapters, making it one of the longest-running manga of all time.

Smash Ultimate One Piece crossover

Oda’s tribute came at the back end of One Piece chapter 1028. In the illustration, the main cast of the manga is dressed up as various Smash Ultimate characters including Donkey Kong, Ken, Inkling, Mario, and Link.

Fan-favorites Usopp and Nami can be seen at the forefront, gaming their hearts out. Nami’s outfit is especially slick, wearing a cat-eared headset while sitting in a bright pink gaming chair.

Jinbei might have the best Smash-inspired outfit of them all, sporting his own version of Mario’s denim overalls, swapping the “M” out for a “J.”

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one piece smashEiichiro Oda
Oda’s incredible Smash Ultimate tribute illustration.

Eiichiro Oda’s appreciation for Smash Ultimate comes through in the drawing beautifully.

Both he and Sakurai have a lot in common as each are known for their unrelenting dedication to their work, and being visionaries in their respective fields.