In recent years, Eiichiro Oda and his magnum opus, One Piece, have been making waves all over the world. The mangaka has done everything in his mortal capacity to keep his audience hooked on the series since 1999, filling it to the brim with countless possibilities. From a gripping narrative to a creative world featuring tons of action.
As a result, anime has massively aided in providing worldwide recognition to the manga and anime industries. Despite becoming a global phenomenon, Oda-Sensei has fallen short in front of Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto in terms of character creation.
Both series have a ton of lovable main characters, but there’s something special about some of the side characters featured in Kishimoto-San’s Shonen series, where even a character with minimal screen time has a massive fan following in the otaku community.
Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto Overshadows Eiichiro Oda’s Magnum Opus Over Character Designing
Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto, a member of The Big Three, is one of the most well-known anime series, having been one of the first to be adored by countless weebs worldwide. However, the mangaka is somewhat different from Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece.
Instead of focusing on battles and power-ups, the Shonen series believes in the power of giving someone a second chance. Throughout the series, there have been several characters who have found an immense fan following.
In r/Naruto, a fan uploaded a post with the caption “Actual Naruto characters with no haters,” featuring some of the most loved side characters from the series. The list included names like Shisui, Temari, Teuchi (The Ramen man), his daughter Ayame, and many more.
These characters have barely received any screen time in the show, but everyone in the community loves these characters because the mangaka is obsessed with creating characters and would not make them do anything that is against their moral compass.
For instance, Teuchi is immensely loved by the fan community because he was one of the first characters in the entire series who treated Naruto Uzumaki as a normal kid. He would often feed him until his stomach was full, even when he had no money to pay for his meal.
Even though the characters are limited, there are even more names, such as Jiraiya-sama, Might Guy, Rock Lee, and many more, who have an equally massive, if not bigger, fanbase than the main character himself.
Why Do Some Fans Hate Eiichiro Oda’s Characters?
Eiichiro Oda’s fantasy adventure is set in an imaginative and creative world on the Blue Sea, separated by the Red Line. The amazing tale of Pirates, featuring Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate Crew, is about finding the greatest treasure ever to become the King of Pirates.
However, that’s not all; it also tells the struggle against a corrupt system, and it does not shy away from showcasing disturbing themes like racism, discrimination, slavery, and many more. Hence, it compelled Eiichiro Oda to create characters that are either infectiously popular or ardently hated by the entire fandom.
Admiral Akainu, for example, executed Ace, one of the most adored characters from the Marineford Arc. The anti-hero took his last breath around the arms of his brother Luffy, bringing his fans to tears.
Consequently, a ton of fans despise Akainu for killing one of their favorite characters. However, Masashi Kishimoto built his Shonen series on characters who have been wronged, which goes very well with the tragic backstory that the manga artist comes up with.
Nevertheless, it is an urge to the fans of both communities to not spread hate because both shows are a treat to the eyes, which has immensely aided in making anime so popular.
Naruto and One Piece can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
