If you’re an avid reader of Shonen Jump, then, you probably are aware of both Naruto(Kishimoto), and One Piece (Eiichiro Oda). These two are arguably the greatest anime of time, with One Piece slightly edging Naruto on popularity basis. Nonetheless, both One Piece, and Naruto are considered anime greats. In fact, they are held in a completely different light when it comes to anime, and manga.
Behind these two Legendary anime, are two legendary artists, Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto), and Eiichiro Oda (One Piece). These two mangaka have shared a friendly rivalry with each other over the years, and Masashi Kishimoto has revealed what he thought of One Piece, and it’s author Oda.
Kishimoto respects Oda, and revealed his thoughts on the mangaka, and the friendly rivalry they share.
He said, “One Piece debuted about a year earlier than Naruto did, even though we’re the same age. He beat me to it. I was very envious in the beginning and yet, at the same time, I wanted to not only be like him, but I wanted to surpass him. In some ways I feel like the reason Naruto was able to be published and was able to succeed was because of One Piece.”
It is pretty obvious from the above statement that Kishimoto has great respect for Oda. Even though the started as rivals, when Naruto ended, Oda made sure to pay a great tribute to the series.
In return, Kishimoto also illustrated the Jolly Roger of the Strawhat Pirates on Naruto chapter 700, to pay tribute to the series.
The Naruto Creator had many things to say about Eiichiro Oda and One Piece. He continued by saying, “Perhaps we both kind of supported and bolstered each other over the years and lead to both of our successes because we had that rivalry.
When one of us did something, the other one had to out do the other, and that kept both series going.”
I’m sure everyone has their favourite series, but these two clearly outdid the rest in recent years.
Which one do you prefer? Naruto or One Piece? Let me know in the comments section below. I’ll see you guys soon!
