One piece almost had a character named Naruto (and no one can guess who)

Naruto and One Piece are undoubtedly some of the best shounen anime series that this genre has to offer. These series hold a special place in the hearts of mainstream anime fans, being among the pioneering series of modern anime.

The authors of such legendary series, Eiichiro Oda and Masashi Kishimoto, have openly appreciated each other's words. They have even paid homage to each other's series in their projects, showcasing mutual respect between them.

Interestingly, Oda once considered giving the name of Kishimoto's protagonist to the cook of the Straw Hat Pirates from his series. However, this idea was halted just in time, coinciding with the commencement of Masashi Kishimoto's most prolific work in Shounen Jump.

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The time when Eiichiro Oda almost named one of the characters of One Piece Naruto

Naruto as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

One Piece is a shounen manga series that began its serialization in July 1997, written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. After two years of its serialization, it was adapted into an anime by Toei Animation. The series later got crowned the Guinness World Record for the most copies published for the same comic book series by a single author.

Naruto is a shounen manga series that began its serialization in September 1999, written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. After almost three years of its serialization, it received an anime adaptation from Studio Pierrot. The series concluded in November 2014, and its sequel series, Boruto, began two years after its conclusion.

Since the inception of these series, both authors have shown mutual respect and drawn inspiration from each other's works. While the popularity of both series has varied across different regions worldwide, Eiichiro Oda once stated that Kishimoto's series was more popular overseas as compared to One Piece.

Oda and Kishimoto referencing each other's work (Image via X/@MehdiAdeLee)

Kishimoto, on the other hand, has praised Oda's work as a series he wanted to surpass but couldn't because it was too high for him. Both authors have also paid homage to each other's best works in their series, with Oda referring to Akatsuki, a group of antagonists from Kishimoto's series, in one of the covers of his manga series.

Kishimoto also followed suit and paid homage to his friend's most prolific series in his manga. In the last of the final chapter of his work, the Jolly Roger of the Straw Hat Pirates, a pirate crew in One Piece, was drawn on one of the Hokage stone faces as a reference to One Piece.

In 2015, Eiichiro Oda shared a very interesting spectacle from the past when Sanji was about to be introduced in One Piece. He revealed that Sanji was supposed to be named Naruto, considering how his curly eyebrows showcased Narutomaki (a common topping on Japanese ramen).

Kishimoto published his idea of his series as a one-shot in the 1997 issue of Akamaru Jump. Oda had already envisioned the success of Kishimoto's story, so a year later, in chapter 43 of One Piece, he introduced his character as Sanji instead. This could be out of respect for this fellow mangaka.

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Final thoughts

Sanji as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

It is to no one's surprise that talent always recognizes talent, and Masashi Kishimoto and Eiichiro Oda are prime examples of this. Although introducing Sanji with Kishimoto's protagonist's name couldn't have made much of a difference, Oda understood that this name should be original to his fellow mangaka's series.

This shows the level of respect every mangaka holds against the other and is one of the reasons why the manga industry is so prolific to this day. Just like Kishimoto and Oda, other mangakas also respect each other's works and are never shy about expressing their love for other works.

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