Masashi Kishimoto Feels Gratified Upon Being Acknowledged by Eiichiro Oda as His Rival

SUMMARY

Masashi Kishimoto feels extremely gratified as Eiichiro Oda, the greatest mangaka calls him his rival.
Kishimoto and Eiichiro Oda are great friends as the two would often meet and talk about how long their series are going to continue.
Masashi Kishimoto shares how Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball helped him learn a valuable lesson.

Eiichiro Oda, the author of the long-running manga, One Piece, is considered to be the most accomplished author in the history of the art form. As a result, even after 27 years, the series has sold over 578 million copies around the world, which is way more than any other manga in history, and it shows no signs of slowing down. However, even after so much success and accomplishments, Oda-san remains attached to his roots and stays humble.
A still from One Piece
This was evident when Oda-sensei considered Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of the immensely popular shonen manga and anime, Naruto as his rival. This statement humbled Kishimoto as he was extremely pleased with how the greatest mangaka artist believed him to be his eternal rival.

Masashi Kishimoto Feels Grateful To Be Considered as Eiichiro Oda’s Rival

Of course, both series are generational and have a significant impact on the overall anime and manga industry, as they have led to the industry’s growth in the last decade. Eiichiro Oda and Masashi Kishimoto’s works are part of the Big Three of anime and while their fan base would often get into debates on which show is the best, their creators are polar opposites. Both artists would often take inspiration from each others’ works.
Monkey D. Luffy vs. Donquixote Doflamingo
During an exclusive appearance at the New York Comic Con, the artist was present in an official panel discussion where he shared his feelings about being considered Eiichiro Oda’s rival. Via Anime News Network, the artist shared how he used to call Oda-sensei his rival but it “felt so gratifying” for the greatest mangaka to see him as a rival as well.

He said,

“Yes, indeed, I would say my rival is One Piece’s creator, Eiichiro Oda. Honestly, it’s interesting because I was just saying that on my own in the beginning, and then finally in the back of Naruto Volume 72, Oda-sensei acknowledged the fact that he considers me his rival as well. That felt so gratifying.”

Kishimoto-san added that whenever they would meet, they would joke about how long the other’s manga would continue and how Naruto’s ending gave him some sort of awareness.

“Of course, both One Piece and Naruto ran together for so long and ran, even in Japan, in Shonen Jump together, that sometimes we’d meet up and be like, “I wonder how long our manga series is going to go on.” And then, One Piece kept going and going. So when I finally said, ‘Well, actually Naruto’s going to be concluding soon,” it kind of gave him the awareness, like ‘Ohhh, I guess One Piece may conclude sometime in the future too. It gave him awareness of an ending.”

Both series started within a few years of each other, and have captured both the anime and manga industries. The two series are notably known for their lovable main characters, with complex themes finely woven into relatable themes like struggle, growth, and triumph. As a result, both works have continued to remain popular for a long time.

Masashi Kishimoto Learned Something Valuable From Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball

Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto was heavily influenced by Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball while creating his immensely popular shonen manga. The artist’s work is loved for featuring strong themes of friendship, willpower, overcoming unconquerable hindrances and so much more. However, initially, Kishimoto did not think writing such a narrative would pique the interest of both youngsters and adults. 
Son Goku in Dragon Ball Super
In a separate interview with Anime News Network, Kishimoto-san shared how Dragon Ball served as the main inspiration for his manga’s inspiration and he used to read the manga each week, which helped him understand “what entertainment is and how to keep an audience captivated.” He said,

“What ‘Dragon Ball’ taught me is what was fun about manga, what makes a fun story in manga, In fact, I was reading it as it was coming out in weekly installments in Weekly Shonen Jump, so it really taught me what entertainment is and how to keep an audience captivated, and of course, the art influenced me as well.”

And the rest, they say is history, as Kishimoto-san created a manga and anime series that has continued to rule the hearts of the fans. Even in 2024, the series competes with the new generation of anime in terms of popularity and a dedicated fan base.