SBS Volume 13
The KATANA-RANKINGS volume — Oda canonizes the four-tier sword hierarchy (Saijo-O-Wazamono, O-Wazamono, Ryo-Wazamono, Wazamono), confirms “12 Saijo-O-Wazamono exist in the world”, classifies Wado Ichimonji as O-Wazamono / straight-edge / white-painted scabbard, and explains Usopp’s sniper goggles from North Blue. Also debuts Tashigi’s slight nearsightedness mechanic.
Q&A
Chapter 109, Page 26
Q1 — Anti-Hijacking Team
O: Before I start the SBS, I’d like to introduce a letter that has come in to save me from a certain group that has been ruining this corner. D: I’m taking a stand to protect Odacchi from the “SBS Hijacking Group”!!! I call myself Team Captain Richard of the “Advancement of the Destruction of the SBS Hijacking Group Team”. To celebrate our first day: Ready, set, go!! Start the SBS! O: Great, now you started it!!
Q2 — Pants never tear in battle manga
D: I’ve been thinking on a worthy topic for five years now. And that topic is, “Why is it that in battle manga, the bottom half of people’s clothes never get ruined?!” O: If they fought naked, wouldn’t it kind of change the emphasis of the manga?
Q3 — Tashigi’s glasses (slight nearsightedness)
D: In regards to Tashigi-san, who appears in Volume 11 — On page 119, she acts quite near-sighted, but when she’s looking at the katana on page 132, she put her glasses up on purpose, and on page 161, when she runs up late, she isn’t wearing them at all. Are they just for show? O: It’s not really for show; it’s because she’s slightly short-sighted. She can see things close up, but when they get farther away, they start to get blurry.
Chapter 111, Page 64
Q4 — Oda as Pandaman voice actor
D: We’ve gotten a nomination for Oda-kun to be the voice actor for Pandaman. O: Oooh, good idea. Okay, I’ll go talk to Toei Animation about doing that… Wait, Pandaman doesn’t have any lines.
Q5 — Forgot the question (cat-Arlong gag)
D: You said the SBS Corner stands for “(S)hitsumon o (B)oshuu (S)uru” Corner. Huh? I forgot my question. Shahahahahahahaha… O: What?!! Arlong?!!
Q6 — Why did Oda make SBS
D: To Oda-sensei — Why did you make the “SBS Corner”? (cat) O: A cat… that’s a cat…? When I read manga graphic novels years ago, a lot of authors used to put this sort of thing in their books. Because I enjoyed them so much, I decided that if I was a manga artist, I would put them in my books. You know… if that’s supposed to be a cat…
Q7 — Hatchan takoyaki champion
D: IS HATCHAN A TAKOYAKI CHAMPION? O: That can’t possibly be a cat… An octopus, maybe… Is it an octopus?
Chapter 112, Page 84 — KATANA HIERARCHY CANON
Q8 — 21 O-Wazamono / Wazamono ranking explained
D: What are the “21 O-Wazamono” and “Wazamono” and all that stuff? Also, what does Yubashiri’s “unravelled edge with a small T” mean?! O: Ahh, well. You don’t really need to understand it, mainly it was just supposed to sound really cool. But for the curious:
This is Wado-Ichimonji (1), which Zoro carries as a memento of Kuina. For this katana:
- Level: O-Wazamono
- Make: White-Painted Scabbard Long Sword (the scabbard is painted white)
- Blade: straight edge
For swords, the levels go down from Saijo-O-Wazamono, O-Wazamono, Ryo-Wazamono, Wazamono, and then normal swords. A Wazamono means it’s an excellent blade. When they say “12 Saijo-O-Wazamono”, it means there are 12 blades in the world that are considered the very best.
There are two types of blade edges: suguha or “straight edge” (2), and midareba or “unravelled edge” (3). These are types of patterns you can make when you forge them. But since unravelled edges come in various forms, they turn into an “unravelled edge with a ___”.
Chapter 113, Page 104
Q9 — Usopp’s sniper goggles (North Blue model)
D: Are those glasses that Usopp wears when he fights? O: Those are goggles. “Sniper goggles”. At first he only wore them for looks, but in Loguetown he got the brand new model from “North Blue”. The scene on the right was supposed to be the first page of Chapter 98 in Volume 11. The number of pages went over the limit, so we scrapped it. The goggles have sunglasses on them to eliminate glare when aiming, and they can flip up and turn around and stuff like that, so Usopp really likes them.
(Scrapped-page snippet)
- Usopp: Hmmmm? Damn! I like these goggles!!
- Lady: You got an eye for the good stuff. That’s the newest model from “North Blue”. It came with the Marines when their annual import ship came by.
- Usopp: I also want this watch, and this magnet! Oh, don’t you have any raw eggs?!
- Lady: Go to the market for that!
Q10 — Sanji’s chin: BEARD (definitive)
D: Is the stuff that you draw on Sanji-san’s chin a BEARD? Or is it just a SHADOW? If it’s a beard, please make him shave it off. O: IT IS A BEARD! I WILL NOT MAKE HIM SHAVE IT !! THE SBS IS OVER!!
Notable canon leaks
- WORLD-SWORD-HIERARCHY CANON — Saijo-O-Wazamono / O-Wazamono / Ryo-Wazamono / Wazamono / normal; only 12 Saijo-O-Wazamono exist worldwide → Worlds Greatest Swordsman / Famous Swords Cry Doctrine Tashigi
- Wado Ichimonji classification: O-Wazamono grade, white-painted scabbard, straight-edge blade → Zoro / Wado Ichimonji Named On-Page
- Yubashiri classification mentioned (“unravelled edge with a small T”)
- Usopp’s sniper goggles come from North Blue — first explicit North-Blue-import naming for Loguetown trade infrastructure → Usopp / Loguetown
- Tashigi is slightly nearsighted (not for-show glasses) → Tashigi
- Sanji’s chin is a BEARD (definitive Oda statement, refuses to remove) → Sanji