The captain of One Piece, Eiichiro Oda, reveals his secrets for dealing with the pressures of having one of the most successful manga of all time! Plus, find out what music he listens to and his thoughts on digital manga! It’s a treasure chest of exclusive information about the man behind One Piece!

Q:  It’s no secret your manga sells like gangbusters and has even set records in Japan. Yet your manga hasn’t strayed far from its roots. It’s still as pure and honest as it was in the beginning. What is your secret for dealing with success?

Eiichiro Oda: To this day, I’ve never truly felt pressure about becoming successful. I always try to stay focused on making manga for just a single audience, because in most circumstances, you read manga by yourself. So whenever I draw manga, I have only one reader in my mind—myself as a 15-year-old. I have no idea how other people would feel, so I turn back to the 15-year-old me to make a judgment on what is awesome or not. I always try to stay true to myself, and somehow it resonates with the kids who read my manga.

To read the rest of this interview in this week's SJ Alpha (March 26 2012 issue)! For more members-only exclusives, become an SJ Alpha member today!

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Interview by Misaki C. Kido (@Onnabancho_J)