Manga
Why the fights in ‘One Piece’ are so different from those in ‘Naruto’
Two shining giants and a duel that is still going strong today.
‘Naruto’ and ‘One Piece’, two giants of the manga and anime industry that rivaled each other for years and caused a lot of debate. Now that Masashi Kishimoto’s main work is finished, that era seems far away, but there are more than a few who think one was better than the other and vice versa. As two shining mainstays, battles are a very important part of each, but which of the two had better fights? This opinion is subjective and everyone will have their favorite and clear reasons for their choice, but the reality is that both are very different in their fights.
In the last decades, both ‘One Piece’ and ‘Naruto’ have given us some of the best fights in the history of Shonen: Rock Lee vs. Gaara and the huge impact of Pain in ‘Naruto’; with Luffy vs. Lucci or recently Zoro vs. King in ‘One Piece’ are some examples of great fights. What is the difference between the two works, and why do they look and feel so different? The style of each author, with Kishimoto generally opting for much more stylish designs than Oda, who advocates the picturesque.
Battles for all tastes in ‘Naruto’ and ‘One Piece
The approach of ‘One Piece’ is different, presenting a world with many more variations and possibilities in their designs, but like Kishimoto, the authors end up adapting their work to the anime adaptation in one way or another to make the work of the animators easier. The pencil of the author of ‘Naruto’ varied over time, giving the feeling of losing some mastery, which we have seen again in some of the one-shots that were released after the end of the work, and in which we can see again the mastery of the mangaka when it comes to landscapes and backgrounds.
Kishimoto strives for maximum precision in the creation of human figures, seeking a realism that helps in the creation of action scenes. As the author himself pointed out in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, “Exaggeration can lend action scenes more force, but I like to stick to more realistic figures: They help keep the cool in the action scenes, although they may be not as forceful as the exaggerated ones.”
A reality in most of the fights of the manga, looking for a precision that in certain moments reminds of a choreography of the fighters. On the other hand, Oda tries to bring a more extravagant style to his fights and the variety they show depending on the character, which fits perfectly with the character of his protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy.
Which will you choose in the end? A debate for which the years do not pass, ‘Naruto’ and ‘One Piece’, each with its strengths and weaknesses, but two essential works of manga and entertainment culture in recent decades.