The portrayal of female characters in prominent anime series like Naruto and One Piece has always been a subject of discussion among anime fans. The mangas, being a part of the Shonen genre, have always been blamed for either overly sexualizing the female characters in the series or not giving them enough background or storyline to highlight their importance.
Both One Piece and Naruto have faced these allegations, but according to the overall narrative, One Piece might triumph over Naruto in terms of giving their female characters enough screen time that they leave an impact on the fans. This was proved when Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto, talked about the portrayal of Sakura in the series.
The manga revealed that because Sakura was a normal girl, she didn’t have any additional storyline to add gravitas to her character, which would have marked her importance as one of the primary characters in the series.
Masashi Kishimoto Had Nothing Planned For Sakura in Naruto
In 2009, Kishimoto interviewed for Shonen Jump: Naruto Shippuden Collector, and this interview was later translated and shared by Lipstick Alley. During the interview, the Naruto creator was asked whether Sakura had a background story or some kind of dark secret, similar to other characters like Naruto, Gaara, Itachi, etc.
Kishimoto replied:
She’s a normal girl, so I haven’t given it much thought.
The manga creator stated that Sakura, being a normal girl, has no such darkness imbued in her character. Although this would feel like a good thing, it took away the character’s presence from the storyline.
Given the fact that Sakura was one of the most important characters in the series, she also deserved some kind of background that could have either explained her excellent ability to learn medical ninjutsu or the inherent strength that she used while fighting the villains of the series. While her character went through a lot of development, it lacked the impact of a background story.
Eiichiro Oda is Better at Potraying Female Characters Than Masashi Kishimoto
Sakura not having a background story despite being a primary character makes it look bad for Masashi Kishimoto. However, this is where Oda triumphs. While both manga creators have faced allegations about overly sexualizing female characters, Oda makes sure that each and every character, irrespective of their gender, has a decent storyline.
Every female character in Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece has a foundational understanding that allows fans to relate to them. For example, the Arlong Park arc concentrated on Nami’s tale; the Amazon Lily arc put light on Boa Hancock; the Enies Lobby arc, which was devoted to Nico Robin; Yamato’s story in the Wano arc; and so on.
Even the female characters, who are not so important in the story, have had a significant part of the narrative focused on them to help them create their presence. Every arc has had female characters who stand equal to the male characters and prove their worth (Rebecca, Bonney, Tama, etc.). One Piece even has a separate novel dedicated to the female characters in the series.
You can watch Naruto on Hulu and One Piece on Crunchyroll.
