Naruto editor makes controversial statement about One Piece’s popularity

An old interview by Naruto’s editor Kosuke Yahagi recently resurfaced, where he made a controversial comment about Naruto’s popularity over One Piece overseas.

Naruto and One Piece and two of the biggest names in the manga industry. Created by Masashi Kishimoto and Eiichiro Oda respectively, these two manga have dominated the market for over two decades, forming the ‘Big Three’ alongside Tite Kubo’s Bleach.

As contemporaries and rivals, both Naruto and One Piece have seen some ups and downs. While One Piece is reigning as one of the top manga and anime series, Naruto took over the whole American market while it was still running before Naruto Shippuden ended in 2017.

In 2019, Yahagi appeared on radio show Izakaya: Denfaminicogamer with Matsuyama Hiroshi, another manga editor. On the show, he was asked about Naruto’s better appeal in foreign countries than One Piece and the reason behind it. The host asked, “Why is Naruto more popular than One Piece overseas?”

To this, Yahagi responded, “It looks cool even to people overseas.” He further clarified: “The drama of One Piece is very interesting. On the other hand, Naruto is easier to understand because of the action and other aspects rather than the drama.

“I have children and when I show it to them, the thing they don’t understand the most is the drama.”

Objectively, this comment makes sense. One Piece has a very deep and detailed lore with an expanding world whereas the story of Naruto is more straightforward and universal, and thus, easy to understand for casual or younger viewers.

However, One Piece fans are less than happy with the editor’s comment. Many are blaming One Piece’s American 4kids version, which botched a lot of original dialogues and censored multiple crucial scenes.

“The obvious reason OP wasn’t that popular then was because of its 4kids dub and in fact entire adaptation,” one X user commented.

Another user pointed out, “Well, everyone loves ninjas from overseas. Naruto brings Japanese culture overseas. One Piece brings overseas culture to Japan.”

A third wrote, “Well, I loved Naruto and the depth of the characterization of the main characters, but at the level of plot and lore One Piece is unsurpassed.”

“He is right. While Naruto shows a lot of its complexity up front, One piece usually leaves a lot of its details in the background of the main story, allowing for it to build upon for later arcs,” added a fourth.

Despite the difference in popularity between Naruto and One Piece in different parts of the world, one thing is undeniable: both are iconic and have unsurpassed legacies. 

If you’re a fan of shonen anime, check out our guides to Naruto filler, Boruto episodes, and One Piece filler. And if you want something new, find out more about Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 and Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle movie trilogy.