One Piece writer Eiichiro Oda and Naruto writer Masashi Kishimoto are rivals in the field of manga while otherwise being witty, wisecracking buddies. The two mangakas hold each other’s works with utmost respect and try to make them as different as possible. In fact, Oda had previously planned to name the sous chef in One Piece similar to the titular character of Kishimoto’s most famous work
Vinsmoke Sanji is the fourth member of the Straw Hat Crew in One Piece. Introduced as a chef of the floating restaurant named Baratie, he immediately attracted attention for his deadly combat style and ‘perverse chivalry.’ Luffy approached the yellow-haired man to join his crew when he offered free food to Don Krieg Pirates despite knowing that they might be up to no good.
Interestingly, Oda’s first idea to name the character of the ‘love cook’ was Naruto. He changed it to Sanji, meaning praise or commendation in Japanese, after careful thought.
Vinsmoke Sanji In One Piece Was Originally Supposed To Be Named Naruto
The characters of Naruto and Sanji have a few similar traits. They both have yellow hair and possess a calm exterior even in front of the most formidable challenges. Additionally, the two were entrusted with power at an early age: Sanji’s father modified his son’s genes and turned him into a weapon while Naruto’s mother trapped the Tailed Beast Kurama inside him before her death.
Yet another Sanji-Naruto link is that both were supposed to be named after the love for ramen. Eiichiro Oda initially wanted to name his sous chef character ‘Naruto’ and even made his eyebrows look similar to the ‘swirling’ toppings on Japanese noodles. He changed his decision once Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto was released two years after the debut of the One Piece manga.
Eiichiro Oda’s exact words are from a joint interview with Masashi Kishimoto in 2015. While talking about how One Piece is more focused on adventure and the Naruto writer wanted to be more focused on village creation, Oda stumbled on the subject of Sanji’s connection with Naruto. The transcription can be found at the ShonenGamez website.
“That reminds me of the one time I had to avoid something from Naruto. Sanji’s name was originally supposed to be Naruto. But the instant your [Kishimoto’s] manga came out, I knew it was going to be running for a long time, so I changed his name at the last moment.”
Masashi Kishimoto jokingly stated that he may have named his protagonist after ‘Menma’ or ‘Shinachiku’ – which are other forms of ramen – if Eiichiro Oda stayed with his plans of having a ‘Naruto’ in One Piece.
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Masashi Kishimoto and Eiichiro Oda Made Sure That Their Mangas Don’t ‘Overlap’
Both One Piece and Naruto cater to the Shonen audiences. Given that they compete for the same readers, Kishimoto and Oda made sure to use different colors to highlight their heroes. Monkey D. Luffy is synonymous with red while Naruto Uzumaki has more of a yellow-and-orange glow.
Oda revealed that it was Kishimoto’s idea to stop the colors from overlapping too much during the 2015 interview with JUMP magazine.
“Luffy uses a lot of red, so he [Kishimoto] went with a different color scheme for Naruto. He went out of his way to make sure they wouldn’t encroach on each other.”
In yet another example of the witty remarks by the two mangakas, Eiichiro Oda mentioned that he would’ve gone with red to symbolize Luffy even if Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto was published two years after One Piece, and not the other way around.
