The rivalry between Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece and Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto is something that every anime and manga fan is aware of. Both series have earned legendary status, but fans have always wondered which is the better series between the two. While one faction of the anime and manga fans is rooting for One Piece, others have been loyal to Naruto since day one.
This has led to multiple debates all over the internet with Naruto and One Piece fans trying to prove that their favorite series is superior. A similar discussion took place on Reddit, where almost every Naruto fan came together to point out why Naruto is better than One Piece. These fans made some interesting points that cannot be ignored.
While some pointed out the long storyline of One Piece, others questioned the foreshadowing element of Oda. In hindsight, Naruto’s admirers, in a way, revealed the five areas where Kishimoto excelled in terms of creating a manga and proved himself as a better mangaka than Oda.
1. Watching One Piece Feels Like Work
One Piece is a complex story revolving around the world of pirates and their adventures. Every new island introduces a new kind of adventure and also points out a secret aspect that is connected to the main story.
Comment
byu/Lastassassin11 from discussion
inNaruto
Although this makes the story interesting, it is also sometimes hard to figure out these details and other important aspects of the narrative.
Naruto, on the other hand, is exciting from the beginning and follows a simple story of a kid who dreams of being the Hokage of his village. Along the way, he meets trouble, but he manages to get through it with training and dedication.
2. Naruto has a Better Depiction and Gets Much Darker Than One Piece
Although Naruto is shorter than One Piece in terms of episodes and chapters, it did a better job of portraying different elements of the storyline.
Comment
byu/Lastassassin11 from discussion
inNaruto
The biggest example of this is Naruto’s training, his connection with his family, his relationship with his mentors, etc. One Piece, on the other hand, majorly focuses on the problems of everyone except Luffy.
Additionally, Naruto gets way darker than One Piece in some critical moments. This is primarily because Eiichiro Oda does not like killing his character.
However, Kishimoto doesn’t mind crossing that line. In fact, he used these killings as a way to make the story more dark and interesting for the fans.
3. Naruto Was More Personal
Naruto fans believe that the storyline portrayed by Kishimoto feels more personal and connecting than One Piece.
Comment
byu/Lastassassin11 from discussion
inNaruto
Naruto’s struggles are something that fans can relate to, while Luffy wants to achieve a dream that is fantastical in itself. Thus, Naruto feels more personal than One Piece.
Although One Piece excels in terms of character development, Naruto managed to make a better connection with its viewers and readers. This was something that helped the series create such a big fanbase.
4. Luffy’s Goals Are Unrelatable
Initially, when One Piece started, fans believed that Luffy’s goal was to find the One Piece treasure and become the King of the Pirates.
Comment
byu/Lastassassin11 from discussion
inNaruto
However, as the series progressed, it was revealed that Luffy has some other goal that is unknown to the fans, and even after 1100+ episodes, his goal has not been revealed.
Fans always try to find something that they can relate to within the character of the protagonist. However, as Luffy’s true goal is unknown, fans cannot relate to him.
This is one of the main reasons why Naruto fans feel that Masashi Kishimoto’s series is better than One Piece.
5. One Piece’s Foreshadowing Hurts The Story
Oda’s foreshadowing in One Piece is one of the main things that One Piece fans feel proud of. The way that Oda manages to hint at something and reveal it hundreds of chapters later is truly commendable.
Comment
byu/Lastassassin11 from discussion
inNaruto
However, when looking at it from a broader perspective, it can be seen that this hurts the central story. Naruto fans even went on to explain that it feels like lazy writing.
Naruto’s story is straightforward, and while there are some suspense and shocking moments, they do not hurt the story.
This is one of the reasons why Naruto fans feel that Kishimoto is a better writer than Oda, and his manga excels when compared to One Piece.
As of 16th August 2024, Naruto is available on Hulu and One Piece is available on Crunchyroll.
