In their quest to create a unique character, mangakas often build an overpowered or ‘stronger than the rest’ protagonist, who has plot armor from the get-go. Whether it is Dragon Ball or One Piece, the heroes are always a class apart. So, how come Naruto turned out to be such a goofy loser?
For Masashi Kishimoto, off-screen character development is not a viable option, which is why he built Naruto from scratch. For a major part of the anime, the protagonist is seen losing, suffering, training, and getting defeated until he learns from all his mistakes.
Consequently, watching Naruto’s journey helped readers and watchers develop a close bond with him.
How is Naruto ‘Different’?
Masashi Kishimoto took inspiration from himself while creating Naruto. He was a poor student, who gave up very easily. He created Naruto to resemble what he always wanted to be: resilient. In an interview published in 2015, he explained that he never thought of Naruto as perfect. As the character is a reflection of himself, he never thinks of himself as special.
This mindset is probably what sets Naruto apart. In every anime, the protagonist is special and it is always set at the beginning of the series. However, Naruto only had his resilience and determination working for him.
“I personally never thought of him as being special or really different. In fact, Naruto is a reflection of myself, and I don’t think of myself as special. If I had to put my finger on something, it’s that he might be bogged down with all sorts of issues or difficulties or hardships but he always remains cheerful. I think that’s what’s special about him.”
In order to create a contrast, Masashi Kishimoto created Sasuke, a character who did not give a damn about anybody at first, and was consumed with the past.
Why is Naruto More Relatable than One Piece Luffy?
When Masashi Kishimoto constructed (or birthed) Naruto, he wanted to create a character who had flaws and imperfections, much like a human. He avoided a perfect hero like a plague, and eventually, it paid off. In the case of One Piece, Luffy ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi (Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika) and acquired powers that set him apart from other individuals from the very beginning.
Luffy always knew what he wanted to become due to the strong characters in his life, and he took on Alvida quite easily when he began his journey. Naruto on the other hand? He suffered numerous defeats at the hands of his friends, and other adults before he could achieve anything.
Luffy has had his fair share of defeats. He has lost some of the most important people in his life and was unable to protect who he wanted to. However, he still never doubted his goal to become the pirate king and defeated one villain after another.
Naruto was almost forced to taste defeat by Kishimoto from the very beginning. He was the ultimate underdog, defeated by children of his same age. No one, but himself, cheered him up to keep going. He trained till he could fight on par with his comrades, and then he trained till he could surpass them.
After countless trials and tribulations, the imperfect hero finally rose to become the Seventh Hokage. Fans of the series recognized his struggle. Masashi Kishimoto made sure that by making fans overlook Naruto’s journey in every episode, they would form an unbreakable bond with the character.
You can watch Naruto and One Piece on Crunchyroll.
