# Monsters (manga)
**Monsters** (MONSTERS) is a one-shot manga by [Eiichiro Oda](https://www.edgepedia.org/eiichiro-oda), the creator of *One Piece*, about a wandering samurai named Ryuma who confronts a dragon. It was published in 1994 in the special edited supplement of *Weekly Shonen Jump* titled *Weekly Shonen Jump Special Edited Supplement 1994 Autumn Special*, three years before *[One Piece](https://www.edgepedia.org/one-piece)* began serialization.[1](https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Monsters) • [2](https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2287850/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | One-shot (single-chapter) manga, 45 pages[2](https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2287850/) |
| First publication | *Weekly Shonen Jump Special Edited Supplement 1994 Autumn Special*[1](https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Monsters) |
| Collected in | *WANTED! Eiichiro Oda Short Stories* (Jump Comics), released November 4, 1998[3](https://www.shonenjump.com/j/sp_monsters/) |
| Protagonist | Ryuma, a samurai swordsman; in the story he slays a dragon[4](https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2023/7/22/eiichiro-oda-one-shot-monsters-gets-anime-from-jujutsu-kaisen-0-director) • [5](https://www.animeexplained.com/explained/eiichiro-odas-monsters-manga-is-it-canon-to-one-piece/) |
| Anime adaptation | *MONSTERS: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation* (一百三情飛龍侍極), directed by Sunghoo Park, produced by E&H production; worldwide streaming from January 22, 2024[2](https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2287850/) • [3](https://www.shonenjump.com/j/sp_monsters/) |
| Connection to One Piece | Oda confirmed in an SBS question column to Volume 47 that the zombie Ryuma of *One Piece* chapter 450 is the same character[5](https://www.animeexplained.com/explained/eiichiro-odas-monsters-manga-is-it-canon-to-one-piece/) |
## Publication history
Oda drew *Monsters* while he was 19 years old, before he began serializing *One Piece* in 1997.[3](https://www.shonenjump.com/j/sp_monsters/) The story first appeared in the *1994 Autumn Special*, a special edited supplement to *Weekly Shonen Jump*, and ran 45 pages as a single complete story.[1](https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Monsters) • [2](https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2287850/) On November 4, 1998 it was collected in the Jump Comics volume *WANTED! Eiichiro Oda Short Stories*, which gathers Oda's pre-*One Piece* short works.[3](https://www.shonenjump.com/j/sp_monsters/)
A former *Weekly Shonen Jump* editor, writing for Shueisha's blog for aspiring manga artists, analyzed the one-shot as a model of story construction, arguing that although it looks like a simple "defeat the dragon" tale, it was deliberately built around a clear victim, a turn from negative to positive through the hero's actions, and points that exceed reader expectations.[6](https://www.shonenjump.com/p/sp/2019/saito_blog/blog/005.html)
## Story and character
The story follows Ryuma, a powerful samurai searching for ever-stronger opponents to refine his sword technique.[7](https://www.wired.it/article/one-piece-monsters-netflix-spin-off/) A stolen Dragon Horn complicates his situation, and in the story he cuts down a dragon with his sword.[4](https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2023/7/22/eiichiro-oda-one-shot-monsters-gets-anime-from-jujutsu-kaisen-0-director) • [5](https://www.animeexplained.com/explained/eiichiro-odas-monsters-manga-is-it-canon-to-one-piece/) The narrative is framed as a sword-swinging action tale in which a "terror" that disturbs the peaceful era appears in the sky, taking the form of the dragon's arrival.[3](https://www.shonenjump.com/j/sp_monsters/)
In the anime's trailer, Ryuma is shown wielding Shusui, the black blade associated with the character in *One Piece*.[7](https://www.wired.it/article/one-piece-monsters-netflix-spin-off/)
## Relationship to One Piece
For years readers treated *Monsters* as a standalone story, like the other shorts in *WANTED!*, until the *One Piece* Thriller Bark saga connected the two.[7](https://www.wired.it/article/one-piece-monsters-netflix-spin-off/) In *One Piece*, the samurai Ryuma appears as a zombie created by Gecko Moria, and Oda confirmed in the SBS question column for Volume 47 that this zombie is indeed the Ryuma who starred in *Monsters*, now remembered in the *One Piece* world as a legendary swordsman who died of sickness.[5](https://www.animeexplained.com/explained/eiichiro-odas-monsters-manga-is-it-canon-to-one-piece/) Oda wrote that he was happy so many readers noticed the connection.[5](https://www.animeexplained.com/explained/eiichiro-odas-monsters-manga-is-it-canon-to-one-piece/)
In the Wano Country arc, the character is given the full name Shimotsuki Ryuma, an ancestor of [Roronoa Zoro](https://www.edgepedia.org/roronoa-zoro) venerated as a sword god, famed for killing a dragon in a single stroke.[7](https://www.wired.it/article/one-piece-monsters-netflix-spin-off/) The zombie Ryuma was defeated by Zoro at Thriller Bark, who then received his renowned sword, Shusui.[7](https://www.wired.it/article/one-piece-monsters-netflix-spin-off/) Whether the story's other characters, locations, and settings are canon to *One Piece* has not been confirmed; Oda's own confirmation concerned Ryuma the character, and some fans argue the dragon-slaying took place at a different location than the one later described in *One Piece*.[5](https://www.animeexplained.com/explained/eiichiro-odas-monsters-manga-is-it-canon-to-one-piece/)
## Anime adaptation
In July 2023, on the day of One Piece Day 2023, an anime adaptation of the one-shot was announced under the full title *MONSTERS: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation* (Japanese reading: Monsters Ippyakusanjo Hiryu Jigoku).[2](https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2287850/) • [4](https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2023/7/22/eiichiro-oda-one-shot-monsters-gets-anime-from-jujutsu-kaisen-0-director) The director and composer is Sunghoo Park, who directed the first season of the *Jujutsu Kaisen* television anime and the film *[Jujutsu Kaisen 0](https://www.edgepedia.org/jujutsu-kaisen-0-film)*, and the animation studio is E&H production.[3](https://www.shonenjump.com/j/sp_monsters/)
The anime began streaming worldwide simultaneously at midnight on January 22, 2024; in Japan it debuted fastest on Netflix and Prime Video.[3](https://www.shonenjump.com/j/sp_monsters/) The English title's subtitle refers to a special technique of Zoro's, used in the Wano arc to defeat King, one of the strongest subordinates of the Emperor Kaido.[7](https://www.wired.it/article/one-piece-monsters-netflix-spin-off/) Reviews of the finished adaptation describe it as a faithful rendering of the one-shot, strengthened by its animation and direction, and note that it adds a post-credit scene using footage from the *[One Piece](https://www.edgepedia.org/one-piece-1999-tv-series)* television series to tie the story to the main series.[8](https://wise-cafe.com/2024/08/01/one-piece-side-pieces-retrospective-monsters-103-mercies-dragon-damnation-2024-review/) • [9](https://mechanicalanimereviews.com/2024/02/23/monsters-103-mercies-dragon-damnation-an-eichiro-oda-short/) From July 23, 2024 the special also became available on other streaming services.[3](https://www.shonenjump.com/j/sp_monsters/)
## References
1. [Monsters | One Piece Wiki | Fandom](https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Monsters)
2. [尾田栄一郎氏の初期短編読切『MONSTERS』初のアニメ化決定 監督は『呪術廻戦』朴性厚氏 | オリコンニュース](https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2287850/)
3. [尾田栄一郎初期短編『MONSTERS』、初のアニメ制作決定!! | 少年ジャンプ公式](https://www.shonenjump.com/j/sp_monsters/)
4. [Eiichiro Oda's One-Shot 'MONSTERS' Gets Anime From JUJUTSU KAISEN 0 Director - Crunchyroll News](https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2023/7/22/eiichiro-oda-one-shot-monsters-gets-anime-from-jujutsu-kaisen-0-director)
5. [Eiichiro Oda's Monsters Manga: Is It Canon To One Piece? - Anime Explained](https://www.animeexplained.com/explained/eiichiro-odas-monsters-manga-is-it-canon-to-one-piece/)
6. [漫画編集者目線で、面白い読切漫画を分解してみる ～尾田栄一郎先生『MONSTERS』の場合～ | 少年ジャンプ](https://www.shonenjump.com/p/sp/2019/saito_blog/blog/005.html)
7. [One Piece, quali sono i legami con il nuovo anime Monsters? | Wired Italia](https://www.wired.it/article/one-piece-monsters-netflix-spin-off/)
8. [Monsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation (2024) Review – Wise Cafe](https://wise-cafe.com/2024/08/01/one-piece-side-pieces-retrospective-monsters-103-mercies-dragon-damnation-2024-review/)
9. [Monsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation – An Eichiro Oda Short – Mechanical Anime Reviews](https://mechanicalanimereviews.com/2024/02/23/monsters-103-mercies-dragon-damnation-an-eichiro-oda-short/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Literature and written works › Creative written works and worlds › Graphic, illustrated, and Asian-format fiction › Graphic novels › Individual graphic novels by title*
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