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The success and acclaim garnered by Masashi Kishimoto withNarutois an unattainable standard for many, and only a few artists from the industry have been able to achieve that. Eiichiro Oda has created a similar, indelible mark with the prominence ofOne Piece.
As a result of beginning the serialization around the same time, both these works are constantly pitted against one another. WhileOne Piecehas commercially and literally outlastedNaruto, there’s one aspect whereNarutomanga reigns supreme and there’s no doubt about it.
Narutofights are leagues ahead ofOne Piece
BothNarutoandOne Pieceare battle shonen series, and fights are an important part of them. ThroughoutOne Piece, Luffy faces many formidable villains who threaten his life. In almost every fight, he gets beaten up badly before he returns the favor with twice the damage. Most of the fights in the series follow a similar pattern where Luffy nearly loses and then strikes back.
As a result of following the same pattern,One Piecefights get redundant after a point. Compared to that,Masashi Kishimotopairs up different characters and abilities to give us interesting fights. From coming up with interesting strategies to fighting a battle of life and death, every fight offers a different and memorable experience. For instance, the fight between Kakashi and Obito is extremely different from Sasuke vs. Deidara, and both don’t even involve the main character.
Naruto Fans Are Still 50-50 on if He’d Have Killed Sasuke Had Masashi Kishimoto Made the Uchiha Prodigy Kill a Core Character
Beyond the strategizing and the actual power-ups,Kishimoto’s presentation deserves praisefor conveying the tension and movements clearly through his illustrations. Kishimoto has an extremely detailed art style that captures the emotional and physical position of the characters. This makes it easier for fans to grasp the overall impact of the fight without undermining the gravity of the physical brawl.
Eiichiro Oda’s art style is undoubtedly stunning; however, it can be a bit too jumbled at times with too many things going on in one single panel. Moreover, Oda doesn’t shy away from using unrealistic or cartoonish movements to depict the movements of his characters, especially when it comes to Luffy.
Kishimoto seemingly uses a conscious approach to ensure that he doesn’t go overboard with the physicalities. It helps the mangaka in adding a grounded feel to the fights in the series.
Masashi Kishimoto explains what makesNarutofights so great
Not justOne Piece, many fans consider Naruto fights to be better than most shonen anime. Kishimoto shared duringan interview with the Los Angeles Timesthat he watches a lot of movies. CitingQuentin Tarantinoand Takeshi Kitano as his inspiration, the mangaka shared that he adds an element of realism to his fights. He said:
Exaggeration can lend action scenes more force, but I like to stick to more realistic figures: They help keep the cool in the action scenes, although they may be not as forceful as the exaggerated ones.
In mostNarutofights, Kishimoto balances the fluidity of swift movements with tension, making every attack feel human. This becomes especially evident during the hand-to-hand combat scenes as the characters use their physical strength to combat their opponents. The mangaka incorporated his influences inNarutoin the best way possible, making the fight sequences definitive of his genius.
NarutoandOne Pieceare available to read on the MangaPlus app and website.
Laveena Joshi
Anime Writer
Articles Published :925
Laveena is an anime content writer at FandomWire. Having written more than 800 articles, she’s an expert in mainstream shonen series, ranging from the bizarre world of JoJo’s to the expansive worldbuilding of One Piece.With her formal education in Journalism and Mass Communication, she explores entertainment journalism through the lens of anime and manga, from mainstream and classic titles to niche and obscure ones.
