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SBS Vol 12 header

The SBS (質問を募集する, Shitsumon o Boshū Suru?, "I'm Taking Questions") is a special column featured in most tankoban collections of the manga, beginning with Volume 4. It is generally formatted as a straightforward question-and-answer column, with Eiichiro Oda replying to fan letters on a wide variety of subjects. Depending on the specific question, Oda's answer(s) may be short and flippant, or long and detailed.

It is here that the ages of the Straw Hat Pirates were first revealed, as well as various facts about the story that are not immediately apparent (but nevertheless present) in the chapters themselves. Sometimes the information on the characters is just suggested in this section by the fans, which Oda just agrees with and makes it official; for example, Tashigi's, Chopper's and Robin's birthdays which were all fan suggestions. The SBS was also where the author revealed the existence of the hidden characters Pandaman and Tomato Gang, who appear hidden in the background at many points during the series. Because of the nature of the SBS and the appeal of One Piece, Oda will get questions of all kinds of nature from the serious to silly and the 'mature'.

Overview

SBS Navigation
04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35
36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43
44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51
52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59
60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67
68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75
76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83
84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91
92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99
100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107
108 109 110

A standard SBS column is split into several one-page installments. Each installment is placed between two chapters of the corresponding volume, serving as chapter breaks as well as maintaining the pages' recto and verso alignments so double-page spreads will stay intact.

(Note that several alternate features may break chapters instead, most often the Usopp Gallery Pirates or a Storyboard Presentation. In rarer cases, two chapters may run back-to-back without any break.)

Each column has a header, depicting one or more characters spelling out "SBS" in some creative manner. Prior to Volume 50, these were all drawn by Oda himself, and differed by volume. However, per a reader's request in Volume 49's column, all subsequent headers use fan-submitted art, and differ with every individual installment.

Posting Address

Currently, Shueisha accepts new SBS submissions at the following address (also used for the Usopp Gallery Pirates):

"SBS!! Usopp Gallery Pirates" Staff
SHUEISHA, Inc. JC ONE PIECE
P.O. Box 66
Kanda Post Office, Tokyo
119-0163, JAPAN
〒119-0163
東京都神田郵便局私書箱第66号
集英社 JC ONE PIECE
『SBS!!ウソップギャラリー海賊団』係

While return addresses are not strictly mandatory, SBS messages are generally expected to be written in Japanese. Similarly, header illustrations are expected to be 14×5.5 cm images drawn on the back of a postcard, per the following:

SBS Vol 49 06

Apart from the above, Viz Media maintains its own mailing address for American fans (though it remains unknown whether any of the materials posted here—Japanese or otherwise—are ever relayed to Shueisha):

Shonen Jump c/o Viz, LLC
P.O. Box 77010
San Francisco, CA 94107

Non-Conventional SBS

SBS Vol 26 header

Volume 26 special header

On some volumes Oda did not use the traditional Question/Answer format but chose a topic:

  • Volume 11 was a special Going Merry SBS which depicts the ship's design.
  • Volume 16 where Oda made a correction about a typo.
  • Volume 26 International investigation Committee was a special about One Piece issues in the different countries it is published in.
  • Volume 46 was a special Thousand Sunny SBS which depicts the ship's design.
  • Volume 59 and Volume 60 had M.K.K. corners (Matomete Kakatte Koi; Come all at once) where Oda made quick decisions on characters' birthdays based on fan letters as long as he liked the reasoning behind the date.
  • Voice Actors SBS
    • Volume 61 had an HDK corner (Hai, Domo, Konnichiwa; Yes, Greetings, How are you)
    • Volume 61 had a 3D2Y corner, full of different sketches of what Oda was thinking of making the Straw Hats look like after 2 years.
    • Volume 64 had an HDO (Hai, Domo, Ohayogozaimas; Yes, Greetings, Good morning)

Extra Birthdays

From SBS 87 to SBS 98, most issues included extra reveals of birthdays outside the standard SBS segment. These were published to the One Piece website, including the asker's P.N. and the origin of the birthday, if applicable. The release of these birthdays also included any birthdays revealed in the primary SBS.

The concept began with SBS 87, releasing birthdays that Oda approved but that couldn't fit into the SBS.[1] With the release of SBS 88, it was officialized into a specific feature, and a specific page on the website was designated to permanently hold birthdays revealed through the program.[2] The release of SBS 89 to 91 also included an article calling attention to the page's update, though this was not replicated for later volumes.[3]

The feature has not been updated since the release of SBS 98, likely due to Vivre Card - One Piece Visual Dictionary assigning birthdays to any major new characters.

Joke Devil Fruits

The following is a list of Devil Fruits or Devil Fruit ideas brought up as jokes in the SBS by Oda, the readers or guests. They are not considered legitimate Devil Fruits (neither canon nor non-canon) due to their facetious and out-of-universe nature.

Name Etymology SBS Information
Gero Gero no Mi (ゲロゲロの実?, Official English: "Icky-Icky Fruit") Gero (ゲロ?) Means "vomit" in Japanese. Vol. 6 In an SBS question, the reader said that they think the fruit, and the fruit's usage, is that no one would come near because the reader was so disgusting. Oda answered the question by saying they should be the first one to eat it.
Samu Samu no Mi (サムサムの実?, Official English: "Samu-Samu Fruit") "Samu" is derived from samui (寒い?) which means "cold" in Japanese, but also "dull" or "corny" in the context of humor. Vol. 7 In a SBS question, a reader said their friend gave them a fruit, they ate it, and from that point on, they could only tell stupid, bad, and flat jokes. Oda answered the question by saying it was the Samu Samu no Mi.
Ero Ero no Mi (エロエロの実?, Official English: "Sexy-Sexy Fruit"; "Perv-Perv Fruit") Ero ( エロ?) means "erotic" or "perverted" in Japanese. Vol. 35
Vol. 69
Vol. 77
The fruit was first brought up by Oda in response to a reader question about whether he ever considered other abilities for Luffy instead of the Gomu Gomu no Mi. Oda jokingly stated that he had thought of the "Ero Ero no Mi" about 13 times after starting the series. In a later SBS, a reader proclaimed that they had eaten the Ero Ero no Mi, to which Oda replied "stop pretending to me". Lastly, in a third instance, a reader asked Oda whether the reason Nami and Robin's breasts increase in size is because Oda ate the Ero Ero no Mi. Oda replied by "recalling" how he ate a gross-tasting fruit before snapping at the reader's rudeness.
Muzu Muzu no Mi, Model: Kokan (ムズムズの実 モデル“股間”, Muzu Muzu no Mi Moderu "Kokan"?, Official English: "Itch-Itch Fruit, Model Crotch") Muzumuzu ( ムズムズ ?) means "itchy". Kokan (股間?) is a Japanese word referring to the crotch area, literally meaning "between legs". Vol. 97 In an SBS question, the reader said that they ate the fruit and that their crotch got itchy. Oda simply moved on to the next question without addressing the statement. While the fruit's "ability" would be that of a Paramecia, its naming resembles that of Zoan fruits which are the only class to have "models" of fruits of the same name.
Koki Koki no Mi (コキコキの実?, Official English: "Toot-Toot Fruit") "Koki" is derived from hekoki (屁放き?), which means "farting" in Japanese. Vol. 98 In an SBS question, a reader asked whether their mother had eaten the "Koki Koki no Mi" because she is flatulent all the time, but Oda replied that it is simply due to her internal organs being in good health.
Pu Pu no Mi (プープーの実, Pū Pū no Mi?, Official English: "Toot-Toot Fruit") (プー?) is the Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound of a fart. Vol. 102 In a SBS question, a reader asks Katsuhisa Hōki, the voice actor of Jinbe, if he has Devil Fruit powers, and he replies that he has Pu Pu no Mi abilities. Thanks to his farts, he can knock unconscious anyone, and people call him Pooh Taro.
Bai Bai no Mi (バイバイの実?) Bai (?) means "twice; double" in Japanese. Vol. 108 In an SBS question, a reader proposed the fruit, with the ability to double anything. As their pen name credited them with scoring 5 points on a test, Oda made a joke about them eating it and doubling their test points.

Answers By Topic

Character Profiles

  • Name order: Vol. 6, Chapter 47.
  • The initial "D": Vol. 8, Chapter 70.
  • Characters named after birds: Vol. 16, Chapter 137;: Vol. 32, Chapter 302; Vol. 39, Chapter 371.
  • Why so many characters have unknown or deceased mothers: Vol. 78, Chapter 777.
  • Why there are so many strong old folks: Vol. 82, Chapter 819.

Straw Hat Pirates

Monkey D. Luffy
Roronoa Zoro
  • Age: Vol. 4, Chapter 27; Vol. 69, Chapter 681.
  • Height: Vol. 10, Chapter 83; Vol. 69, Chapter 681.
  • Birthday: Vol. 15, Chapter 130.
  • Surname origin: Vol. 4, Chapter 28.
  • Talking with sword in mouth: Vol. 5, Chapter 43.
  • Swords on the right side: Vol. 25, Chapter 232.
  • Pound Cannon meaning: Vol. 31, Chapter 287.
  • Calling Sanji "Darts": Vol. 36, Chapter 340.
  • Getting stuck in a chimney: Vol. 39, Chapter 374.
  • Puns in attack names: Vol. 41, Chapter 394; Vol. 44, Chapter 424.
  • Reading books: Vol. 55, Chapter 537.
  • Eating razors and poison: Vol. 67, Chapter 661.
  • Cutting the dragon: Vol. 69, Chapter 680.
  • Referring to Sanji: Vol. 73, Chapter 729.
  • Zoro with a buzzcut: Vol. 81, Chapter 807.
  • Zoro's future at age 40/60: Vol. 91, Chapter 917.
  • Zoro's swords personified: Vol. 92, Chapter 925.
  • Teeth hurt from biting swords: Vol. 95, Chapter 955.
Nami
Usopp
Sanji
Tony Tony Chopper
  • Age: Vol. 19, Chapter 167; Vol. 69, Chapter 681.
  • Height: Vol. 69, Chapter 681.
  • Birthday: Vol. 16, Chapter 140.
  • Name spelling: Vol. 17, Chapter 147.
  • X on Chopper's hat: Vol. 19, Chapter 168.
  • Chopper's antlers flying: Vol. 31, Chapter 289.
  • How Chopper holds objects: Vol. 37, Chapter 348.
  • Playing rock-paper-scissors: Vol. 40, Chapter 384.
  • Not interested in human women: Vol. 47, Chapter 452.
  • Chopper without cuteness: Vol. 61, Chapter 596.
  • Chopper's hat post-timeskip: Vol. 63, Chapter 616.
  • Love for Milky: Vol. 90, Chapter 902.
  • Chopper's future at age 40/60: Vol. 97, Chapter 983.
Nico Robin
Franky
Brook
Jinbe
Going Merry
  • Ship design and appearance: Vol. 11.
Thousand Sunny
  • Ship design and appearance: Vol. 46.
Nefertari Vivi

Red Hair Pirates

East Blue

Buggy Pirates

Black Cat Pirates

Baratie

Arlong Pirates

Marines

Seven Warlords of the Sea

Baroque Works

Giant Warrior Pirates

Sakura Kingdom

Arabasta Kingdom

Jaya

Skypiea

Cipher Pol

Water 7

Thriller Bark

Whitebeard Pirates

Roger Pirates

Blackbeard Pirates

Worst Generation

Sabaody Archipelago

Amazon Lily

Impel Down

Revolutionary Army

Fish-Man Island

Donquixote Pirates

Dressrosa

Straw Hat Grand Fleet

Zou

Wano Country

Germa Kingdom

  • Reiju's tattoos: Vol. 84, Chapter 845.
  • Reiju's age, Vinsmoke siblings' heights and blood types: Vol. 84, Chapter 846.
  • Sora's birthday: Vol. 85, Chapter 855.
  • Vinsmoke hair colors: Vol. 87, Chapter 872.

Big Mom Pirates

Beasts Pirates

Egghead

Others

SBS Characters

One Piece World

Devil Fruits

Gomu Gomu no Mi
  • How far Luffy can stretch: Vol. 4, Chapter 30.
  • Why Nami can hurt Luffy: Vol. 43, Chapter 411.
  • Spikes hurting Luffy: Vol. 60, Chapter 589.
  • Why Garp's punches hurt Luffy: Vol. 62, Chapter 610.
  • Why Oda gave Luffy rubber powers: Vol. 65, Chapter 638.
  • Improved Gear 2 and 3: Vol. 68, Chapter 671.
  • Gear 4 Nio statue inspiration: Vol. 79, Chapter 793.
  • Gear 4 limit: Vol. 89, Chapter 891.
Bara Bara no Mi
Hito Hito no Mi
Hana Hana no Mi
  • If someone with hairy arms ate the fruit: Vol. 35, Chapter 335.
  • Sprouting breasts: Vol. 45, Chapter 433.
  • Feeling what her bodyparts touch: Vol. 47, Chapter 455.
  • Sprouting face concept: Vol. 58, Chapter 564.
  • Flower blossoms: Vol. 80, Chapter 798.
SBS Devil Fruits

Races

Animal Species

Den Den Mushi
  • Classification and types: Vol. 19, Chapter 173.
  • Wild Den Den Mushi: Vol. 41, Chapter 391.
  • Visual Den Den Mushi: Vol. 76, Chapter 756.
  • Training Den Den Mushi: Vol. 86, Chapter 865.
  • Changing appearance: Vol. 95, Chapter 959.

Series Information

Manga Creation

Anime, Movies and Specials

Real World Information

  • Female pirates: Vol. 6, Chapter 50.
  • Hourglasses on pirate flags: Vol. 8, Chapter 64.
  • Rum: Vol. 8, Chapter 70.
  • Flintlock pistols: Vol. 9, Chapter 74.
  • Sailing ceremony: Vol. 15, Chapter 129.
  • South Pole vs. North Pole: Vol. 18, Chapter 161.
  • Wokou: Vol. 22, Chapter 198.
  • Privateers: Vol. 28, Chapter 260.
  • Pink snow: Vol. 29, Chapter 266.
  • Artificial rain: Vol. 30, Chapter 276.
  • Drinking water via steam: Vol. 30, Chapter 282.
  • Quinine: Vol. 32, Chapter 302.
  • Brocken spectre: Vol. 33, Chapter 308.
  • Cutlass: Vol. 36, Chapter 338.
  • Hercules and Atlas beetles: Vol. 36, Chapter 338.
  • Curtain discharge: Vol. 36, Chapter 344.
  • Venice and Acqua Alta: Vol. 38, Chapter 359.
  • Longhorn cowfish: Vol. 38, Chapter 360.
  • Davy Jones: Vol. 38, Chapter 361.
  • Puffing Billy and the Rocket: Vol. 39, Chapter 370.
  • Klabautermann: Vol. 43, Chapter 418.
  • Blackbeard: Vol. 49, Chapter 474.
  • Ship toiletsVol. 50, Chapter 484.
  • Round rainbows: Vol. 51, Chapter 498.
  • Fata Morgana: Vol. 54, Chapter 529.
  • Bermuda Triangle: Vol. 61, Chapter 599.
  • Smokey Mountain: Vol. 62, Chapter 607.
  • Megalodon: Vol. 64, Chapter 628.
  • Blobfish: Vol. 66, Chapter 654.
  • Rabbit waves: Vol. 72, Chapter 713.
  • Sabaori: Vol. 75, Chapter 747.
  • Gimlet and Russian: Vol. 78, Chapter 777.
  • Semla: Vol. 89, Chapter 892.
  • Bathhouse handymen: Vol. 94, Chapter 947.

Eiichiro Oda's Profile

  • Liking animals: Vol. 4, Chapter 31.
  • Date of birth: Vol. 4, Chapter 33.
  • Why he became a mangaka: Vol. 4, Chapter 33.
  • Assistant days: Vol. 4, Chapter 33; Vol. 6, Chapter 50
  • Hometown: Vol. 6, Chapter 47.
  • Assistants: Vol. 7, Chapter 55; Vol. 52, Chapter 507.
  • Drawing with left hand: Vol. 19, Chapter 167; Vol. 21, Chapter 187.
  • Drawing with foot: Vol. 23, Chapter 213.
  • Drawing with mouth: Vol. 30, Chapter 284.
  • Drawing with eyes rolled back: Vol. 32, Chapter 300.
  • Watching Kamen Rider: Vol. 29, Chapter 271.
  • Older sister: Vol. 34, Chapter 320.
  • Marriage: Vol. 37, Chapter 347.
  • Onsen trip with mangaka: Vol. 37, Chapter 350.
  • Reading fan letters: Vol. 45, Chapter 436; Vol. 94, Chapter 952.
  • How Oda feels about fans lewding characters: Vol. 82, Chapter 822.

Voice Actor SBS

  • Mayumi Tanaka (Luffy): Vol. 52, Chapter 509-511.
  • Kazuya Nakai (Zoro): Vol. 53, Chapter 521-522.
  • Akemi Okamura (Nami): Vol. 54, Chapter 530-532.
  • Kappei Yamaguchi (Usopp): Vol. 55, Chapter 540-541.
  • Hiroaki Hirata (Sanji): Vol. 57, Chapter 561-562.
  • Ikue Otani (Chopper): Vol. 58, Chapter 572-573.
  • Yuriko Yamaguchi (Robin): Vol. 60, Chapter 593-594.
  • Kazuki Yao (Franky): Vol. 61, Chapter 602-603.
  • Chō (Brook): Vol. 64, Chapter 635-636.
  • Katsuhisa Hōki (Jinbe): Vol. 102, Chapter 1034-1035.

What does SBS stand for? By the Voice Actors

Translation and Dub Issues

While the VIZ manga has retained and translated most SBS materials, it has skipped a few answers like Usopp's age and columns dedicated to showing off fan-made games. To maintain proper recto and verso alignments, the skipped columns are usually replaced with a generic "filler" page reprinting some panel from the preceding chapter.

Trivia

  • In a 2007 interview, Oda stated that the SBS was inspired by "a certain manga" from his youth that ran - and eventually discontinued - its own Q&A column.[4] While never stated outright, many fans have assumed this manga to be Dragon Ball, which included such a feature in its first twelve tankōbon volumes.

References

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