Naruto’s author expressed how One Piece’s writing helped shape the series’ more emotional moments, showing how each series improved the other.

Although the Naruto and One Piece mangas were technically rivals, the authors respected each other so much that each story helped push the other to greater heights in storytelling, resulting in Naruto‘s saddest moments being a direct consequence of One Piece‘s light-hearted tone. Masashi Kishimoto concluded the Naruto storyline with the manga’s final chapter in 2014. The manga series was released weekly simultaneously with Eichiro Oda’s One Piece, and a translated interview revealed that Luffy’s light-hearted adventures helped make Naruto’s darker.

One Piece‘s high sea adventure has been described as a goofy pirate manga by some and a fantasy epic by others. However, Naruto‘s author Masashi Kishimoto has directly stated that One Piece‘s “light-hearted story” pushed his ninja epic to be more violent and dramatic than initially intended.

Kishimoto (2013): One Piece is basically a light-hearted story, so I always think of Naruto as going the opposite way. I try to make Naruto a more serious battle by killing characters, since Oda said he doesn’t kill many characters. Otherwise, Naruto wouldn’t be popular enough.

— sandman (@sandman_AP) December 5, 2023

A post from X user sandman_AP translated a section of a past Shonen Jump interview on the LOGPIECE blog with Naruto author Masashi Kishimoto. The interview features the beloved author’s thoughts on story structure and character writing. Kishimoto said, “Ninjas tend to be dark. Because we have to give the characters depth. It gets a little dark sometimes, but OP is generally bright, so I always think that Naruto should be the opposite. The same goes for the story.” Without One Piece‘s adventurous tone, Naruto‘s storyline filled with child soldiers and powerful ninjutsu would have likely been a more light-hearted affair.

The Brightness Of One Piece‘s Story Increased Naruto‘s Darkness

Although Naruto himself only killed one ninja in the entire series, many characters in its storyline suffered loss and heartbreak that helped them grow and left a mark on audiences for years to come. According to the 2013 interview, Kishimoto believed “Oda said that he doesn’t kill many [characters], so in Naruto, there are characters who die, and the battles are more severe… otherwise it won’t stand out.” And it’s difficult to argue with the writer when certain moments in the story, involving characters like Itachi and Jiraiya, still moisten fans’ eyes. Many of those heartbreaking events helped the Naruto storyline’s moments of triumph feel even more satisfying. It is a tactic that One Piece has emulated and improved upon, especially in its later arcs.

Oda has addressed why he doesn’t kill off characters in One Piece. If beloved characters die, the end of a manga’s arc would often be filled with sorrow instead of the celebrations Luffy’s creator loves to draw. However, One Piece has dark moments, too, especially in some of its later arcs that feature heavy topics around slavery, racism, and genocide. Naruto’s journey is punctuated by several emotional moments of grief. Still, Oda’s story can also be a far cry from the wacky adventure of a stretching boy wanting to be a pirate that some people assume One Piece is about. Kishimoto’s writing could have pushed Oda’s in the same way One Piece helped shape what Naruto eventually became.

Like Two Anime Rivals, Kishimoto And Oda Learned From Each Other

If Naruto and One Piece had not been released along with one another, each story would have been different. The events of each beloved story and how they affected readers inspired one another. The two authors pushed each other to grow into more effective storytellers; not unlike an epic anime character rivalry, each author has mastered the art of storytelling. Instead of debating which story is better, fans should celebrate each series and how they inspired one another to be more than they could have been alone. Luffy’s quest to become One Piece‘s King of the Pirates may be approaching its end. Still, it inspired Naruto‘s storyline and countless fans worldwide and will continue to do so for many years.