One Piece Statues
Also written: ワンピース像 · 海贼王雕像
Statues of characters from the popular manga and anime One Piece, created by a Kumamoto-born author, are installed throughout the prefecture and draw fans from around the world on pilgrimage.
An Illustrated Japan / Kumamoto / Townscape & Scenery
About this place
The One Piece Statues are ten bronze statues of the Straw Hat crew spread across nine municipalities hit by the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, initiated by Kumamoto-born manga artist Eiichiro Oda as the core of the ONE PIECE Kumamoto Revitalization Project. Right after the quake Oda sent a message of support and has continued donating over 800 million yen, funding statues, free exhibitions and educational programs. Each figure marks a disaster-affected town: Luffy at the prefectural office promenade in Kumamoto City, Chopper at the city Zoo and Botanical Garden, Zoro in Ozu, Nami in Nishihara, Usopp at Aso Station, Sanji in Mashiki, Franky welcoming visitors at Takamori Station of Minamiaso Railway – which fully resumed in 2023 – Robin in Minamiaso Village, Brook in Mifune, Jinbe in Uto. The clay maquettes based on Oda's handwritten instructions were first shown publicly in 2026 at the 10-year project exhibition at the Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art, which displayed about 600 panels linking manga scenes with recovery timelines, including panel trains like the Sunny-go Train. The route is designed so circling the statues shows the uneven recovery landscape, from Aso's caldera to urban Kumamoto. Foreign fans now form a clear pilgrimage: analytics show nine of the top ten foreign-visitor growth municipalities in Kumamoto host a statue, and travelers from France and Southeast Asia do statue rallies. Realistically ten in one day by car takes 6-8 hours; split into east Aso cluster 4 and central/west 6 over two days. Photography on pedestals is prohibited, queue respectfully, combine with Michi-no-Eki local produce and recovery exhibitions for deeper context.
