Comparing Naruto and One Piece makes sense because they are two of the Big 3 and have amassed large international fan bases over time. One might be drawn to the tale of a rubber-bodied protagonist who dreams of freedom and achieving the infamous One Piece while gathering a crew of misfits, even though it is plausible to enjoy the story of a blond ninja struggling to become the Hokage as he navigates personal hardships and emotional turmoil.
It’s also important to note that the mangakas and authors of both stories are actual buddies or friendly rivals. The argument over whether One Piece is superior to Naruto or vice versa is endless, but fans can all agree that each story has its high and poor aspects.
How do the ninjas triumph over the pirates
5. Fighting choreography
While the fights in One Piece are epic and outrageous, it is the spectators’ adrenaline surge that makes them the most memorable. Naruto does that and more because Kishimoto has special power systems and genetically based jutsus, and because the fight’s mechanics frequently suggest that a weaker opponent can outwit a stronger one.
4. Reception in the West
Naruto was benefited from a Funimation dub, after which it was also made available on Toonami, a platform recognised for providing the best anime action to Western viewers. In contrast to One Piece, which is growing in popularity after its competitor has concluded its long run. Additionally, its serious style and punk rock sensibility made it more appealing to Western audiences, making it the ideal anime for fans who were tired of cutesy cartoons and Dragon Ball‘s idealistic clichés.
3. Emotional goodbyes
The mangaka’s reluctance to write off any of his characters except those who were in the past has continually irritated One Piece fans. The story is full with characters who appear to die but then come back, with certain exceptions; they are not the only fake-outs. Contrarily, Naruto is skilled at saying goodbye to beloved characters with sorrowful, passionate farewells. Jiraiya the sage suffered a horrible end, and Itachi passed away after telling his brother the truth about their bloodline. The narrative is full of characters who pass away and remain dead, yet they continue to have an impact on the living characters and advance the plot.
2. Gateway anime
Even while One Piece is a commercial behemoth, its enormous and ever-growing length poses a substantial obstacle to luring in new readers and viewers. The series’ huge body of work does more to intimidate potential followers than to entice them, because it appears to have no beginning and an overly deep beginning. Because of its shorter length and conclusive nature, Naruto provides readers with a considerably more manageable reward. It can also act as a better introduction to anime because of its Western appeal and concise storytelling.
1. Animating Style is less Cartoony
Naruto‘s small lack of artistic variation is more than made up for by the graphics’ actual action and speed. Despite the fact that One Piece is right away imaginative, its period with Toei Animation is characterised by a lot of poor backdrop and character graphics as well as a few unnecessarily dramatic pauses. Here, Naruto easily excels its competitors due to the excellent execution of the majority of combat and non-fighting moves.
Ways in which the pirates gain the upper hand over the ninjas
5. World building, expansion and history
The fact that Eichiro Oda is a brilliant storyteller is well known. One Piece takes more chances even if Kishimoto isn’t a slouch and uses the conflict between the Senju and the Uchiha to mirror racial issues in the real world. This plot, which entails journeying to various islands with their unique quirks, also lends itself well to the world. Some islands appear to float in the air, while others just take on a Halloween or Alice in Wonderland theme after being totally produced by the powers of the Devil Fruit. Not to add the many secrets of the planet, there is even an island on the back of a huge walking elephant!
4. Sales of manga
There are longer manga, but One Piece rose to the top of the sales charts in part due to its length. It is unquestionably a fantastic work of fiction that has outlasted its competitors, including the other members of the Big 3, in terms of sales. One Piece is not just one of the best-selling graphic novels of all time, with lifetime sales that are nearly twice as high as those of Naruto and Batman comics and are only marginally behind but quickly catching up to those of Batman and Superman comics.
3. Comical elements
Despite Naruto‘s many humorous moments, One Piece definitely does comedy better. However, the idea of a rubber child who has the ability to swell up and punch with a huge fist lends itself more readily to humour, and Oda also manages to keep the humour going during some of the more sombre parts without making the scenario lose its gravity. Some examples of Oda’s comic genius include Zoro using Usopp as a sword, the recurring jokes about Sanji’s nosebleeds, Usopp and Nami displaying their persistent timidity, and even the potential final foe Blackbeard displaying his comedic side right from the start.
2. Diversity in body shapes and races
When it comes to getting anime viewers to briefly recall it, One Piece excels. The different ethnicities, Devil Fruit talents, and mutations rapidly break the moulds of the typical anime, which can be seen in the variety of colours in the backgrounds and cartoony figures within a matter of seconds. But this doesn’t mean that Naruto lacks admirable individuals or fantastical settings. There are surely numerous personalities who fans adore just based on appearance. But looking at the succession of dark rocks, forests, and green clothes during the Great Ninja War, it’s clear that Kishimoto ran out of ideas at some point.
1. New and innovative ways of storytelling
One Piece does break the shonen model more frequently by presenting various and distinctive storytelling techniques that aren’t just centred on power-ups. Thriller Bark and Punk Hazard are two excellent examples of the same, where there was a tendency to try novel storytelling techniques rather than character pairings. Even after they are defeated, Buggy and Crocodile in Cross Guild, Doflamingo’s secrets and relationship with Celestial Dragons, Moria’s possible reappearance, Lucci and Kaku’s awakened Fruits, and even the fates of Big Mom and Kaido remain unclear.
