Masashi Kishimoto created Naruto, one of the most popular and best-selling manga. Thus, Shonen fans hail him as one of the best authors. There is no doubt that Kishimoto has created the most heartwrenching background stories for characters and beautifully choreographed fight scenes, but calling him the epitome of an author would be a stretch.
After all, even the creator of Naruto is human, and a single fictional work cannot please every manga fan on Earth. Naturally, fans have pointed out some flaws in Naruto, which, if solved, could have made the series even greater.
Fans Claim Masashi Kishimoto Missed Out on Worldbuilding in Naruto
Naruto majorly takes place in Konoha, beginning from Naruto’s appearance, all the way to Boruto. While characters do venture out of the village, other places are not given nearly as much exposure as Konoha. This has made fans point out that maybe Naruto would have been more enjoyable had Masashi Kishimoto expanded the world a bit more.
Fans also claim that a lot of time was spent on Sasuke when ultimately, he returned to his senses, and the arc could have been shorter. Despite Naruto’s effort to win back Sasuke for hundreds of episodes, his interaction with Konohais still too less.
The major shinobis in the story are all from Konoha, so fans were anticipating great ninjas from other villages as well. But the Konoha crew always received more importance. Masashi Kishimoto had himself addressed this issue, and explained that he actually had to change the plot of Naruto.
In an interview, Kishimoto stated that initially he had planned that the 4-man cells would not only be from noha but from different villages. The teachers of the squads would be Kakashi’s rivals and Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura would battle the teams by visiting different villages. However, he was almost forced to make a tournament out of his idea, despite choosing death over changing the story.
How Eiichiro Oda Avoided Kishimoto’s Mistake in One Piece
Another long-running manga in the Shonen world is One Piece. Naruto debuted just two years after One Piece but the latter is still ongoing while the former ended in 2014. One of the best characteristics of One Piece is, in fact, its splendid worldbuilding.
One Piece does not shy away from exploring the world, and discovering new islands is basically 90% of its plot. But no one will be able to complain that One Piece‘s vast world is useless, because literally every arc has its place in history, and prepares readers for the upcoming finale.
Eiichiro Oda has cleverly introduced crucial characters in various arcs, who were later discovered to be extremely important to the plot. Luffy and the Strawhats also help the people of an island, if they are in distress, and thus face stronger and stronger enemies. This way, Luffy naturally gains the experience to later become the King of the Pirates.
One Piece and Naruto are available to read on Viz Media and the anime are currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
