When Masashi Kishimoto wrote Naruto, it became insanely popular. The story and its characters were different, complex, and intense; and offering new forms of anime battles in the way of ninja combat and ninjutsu was intriguing to watch. As a result, Kishimoto’s creation was considered to be fresh and innovative and it continued to grow popular among manga readers, and adding new factors only increased the interest in the series.
As a result, Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto has always been compared to another masterpiece of the same generation, that is, Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece. Both series are something that fans are extremely familiar with, as these two series are titans in the global anime industry that started hitting shelves all the way back in the 1990s. However, Kishimoto acknowledges that he was envious of Eiichiro Oda and his magnum opus.
Masashi Kishimoto Wanted To Surpass Eiichiro Oda
During the 2015 Comic Con held in New York, Masashi Kishimoto opened up about his relationship with Eiichiro Oda, and how his rival managed to publish One Piece two years before Kishimoto’s Naruto ever hit shelves. As a result, he found a competitor in Eiichiro Oda and was jealous of beating his competitor in terms of manga sales. However, Masashi Kishimoto believes that the immense success of Naruto is due to the success of One Piece.
“I was very envious in the beginning and yet, at the same time, I wanted to not only be like him, but I wanted to surpass him. In some ways I feel like the reason ‘Naruto’ was able to be published and was able to succeed was because of ‘One Piece.’ Perhaps we both kind of supported and bolstered each other over the years and led to both of our successes because we had that rivalry.”
While both series are immensely popular, anime fans are not afraid to showcase their opinions, as Naruto has apparently numerous fights such as Rock Lee vs Gaara, Might Guy vs Madara Uchiha, and Naruto Uzumaki vs Sasuke Uchiha which has broken the internet, whereas One Piece does not have fights which have broken the internet like its competitor.
Why Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto Is An Iconic Anime
The world of Japanese anime is getting even bigger and bigger, where numerous anime series such as Attack on Titan, Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, and many more series have been released in recent years. Fans can debate all day about the single best anime series, but Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto is possibly the most popular anime of all time.
The first and most important reason that Naruto is one of the most popular anime/ manga is that Naruto has a real and achievable goal that can be achieved by its protagonist. This goal is needed to drive the anime arc forward, Naruto Uzumaki’s goal of becoming the Hokage of Hidden Leaf Village is difficult to achieve but it is possible. Moreover, it will inspire the readers/ viewers to make an active effort to achieve their dreams.
Another reason, that makes Naruto an interesting read is the chakra system which makes everything more interesting. As it is needed to launch devastating ninjutsu techniques, genjutsu, and summoning Jutsu, as well as walking on water. The chakra system is divided into elemental types, which balances the fights and makes the viewer/ reader difficult to guess the outcome of the fight.
Another reason Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto is a great manga is due to the meaningful time skip known as Naruto Shippuden, the skip fast-forwards the events of the series, where the characters grow up not only physically but mentally as well. Both Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno act like adults, and none of them behave like frightened kids struggling to survive in the ninja world.
But most importantly, the themes presented in the series are extremely relevant and thought-provoking themes that can be seen in the real world. As in the real world, people are out for blood and create a cycle of hatred and violence where people do not remember who threw the first punch. Hence, it makes Madara Uchiha, and The Six Paths of Pain relevant characters.
While villains represent hatred and violence, Naruto Uzumaki tries to end the cycle of hatred by taking on the dream of his teacher Jiraiya, while it was not easy, he was able to achieve it in the end, hence making the story a complete circle.
Naruto can be streamed on Netflix
Source: Anime News Network
