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NarutoandOne Pieceare generational, and their impact on the overall anime and manga industry has helped it boom over the last decade. They both are a part of the Big Three of anime and even though their fanbase is often seen getting into arguments, their creators are the complete opposite. Masashi Kishimoto and Eiichiro Oda are the best of friends and take inspiration from each other.
Both of their protagonists are goofy-minded and set on a journey to fulfill their dreams. Throughout their journey, they made several friends and struggled quite a bit as well. Even though Masashi Kishimoto and Eiichiro Oda are friends, they always maintain their rivalry, with their work and public appearances. There was one area where Kishimoto was ahead but later accepted his defeat to Oda.
Masashi Kishimoto and Eiichiro Oda Had the Best Rivalry
One Piecebegan its Shonen Jump serialization in 1997, andNaruto’s serialization began in 1999. Both began at the same time, but their popularity reached different areas of the world. While Masashi Kishimoto’s magnum opus became popular worldwide,One Piecereached its peak in Japan. The Western countries were more familiar with Naruto instead ofOne Piece.
Oda: Considering my life expectancy, the Netflix TV drama series is One Piece’s last chance to go global.🥺Oda (2015): Naruto is more popular than OP in the world, but I appreciate that it makes me jealous.Kishimoto (2016): I wanted to surpass OP in manga, but I could not.pic.twitter.com/nUGJyrmtCJ
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This led Kishimoto to believe that he would one-up Oda in the popularity category. But with the boom in the anime and manga industry,One Piecesoon got its global access and surpassedNaruto’s popularity. Naruto ended in 2017, butOne Pieceis still going on, even though it is in its Final Saga. Kishimoto mentioned that he tried hard to reach theOne Piecelevel, but the bar was set too high.
During an interview withEiichiro Oda, Masashi Kishimoto said,“I wanted to surpass One Piece in manga, but the ceiling called One Piece was too high for me.”The Naruto creator did pretty well to maintain its popularity overseas, but in the long run,One Piecehad surpassed it. But it was all due to Kishimoto’s magnum opus who paved the way for overseas popularity.
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One PieceSurpassingNarutoDoes Not Mean the Latter’s Loss
Most people may thinkOne PiecesurpassingNarutohas made it the ultimate anime. But that is not the case. They both are a part of the Big Three of anime. One’s win is also another win because, often the creators get inspired by each other. Absalom from the Thriller Bark arc fromOne Piecewas inspired by the invisible shinobi from Iwaigakure who kidnapped Rin during the Third Great Ninja War inNaruto.
Eiichiro Oda accepted that he was pretty amused by Kishimoto’s creativity and used it in his magnum opus. In the same way, Oda wanted to use the name ‘Naruto’ inOne Piece, but after learning about Kishimoto’s work, he changed it to Sanji. There are several instances of them being there for each other. So, it is never one anime’s win rather it is a win for the entire industry.
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It is fair to sayNarutois pretty popular overseas, even after ending in 2017. The new anime fans always look to start their journey with the Big Three of anime, and most of the time chooseNaruto. Even though Oda has one-uppedMasashi Kishimoto, it is the latter who gets the credit for reaching the peak of global popularity.
Priyanko Chakraborty
Anime Content Writer
Articles Published :883
Priyanko is an aspiring economists who is a secret member of the anime world. Unfortunately, he is a Manchester United fan. He has watched multiple anime only to leave them halfway between. His day goes by playing video games, scrolling through reels, watching anime, and rarely opening his books.
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Eiichiro OdaMasashi KishimotoNarutoOne Piece
