Naruto and One Piece are two of their generation’s most celebrated manga, so it’s no surprise that both series’ creators would be friends. Though Masashi Kishimoto and Eiichiro Oda have each done numerous shout-outs to the work of the other, Kishimoto saved his most touching tribute to Oda for the end of Naruto.
After 15 years, Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto came to an end with the series’ 700th chapter. Released on November 10th, 2014, Naruto‘s last chapter serves as an epilogue to the series.
Chapter 700 sees Naruto years after the series’ previous chapter. As the Seventh Hokage, Naruto has his hands full governing Konoha. Unfortunately for him, he’s also preoccupied with keeping his rebellious son, Boruto, in line. In a perfect echo of his father, the younger Uzumaki is acting out in an attempt to gain attention.
Notably, he paints graffiti all over Hokage Rock. On Naruto’s edifice, Boruto notably painted the Straw Hat Jolly Roger from One Piece.
One of Naruto’s Last Panels is Dedicated to the Straw Hat Jolly Roger
Though the tribute to Oda’s manga is small, it is a bigger deal than it might initially appear.
The Jolly Roger is placed directly on Naruto’s headband, calling attention to itself. What really sets this over the edge, however, is the fact that this is one of the series’ last panels. To dedicate such an important space to pay homage to a fellow master of the craft is a huge honor.
Far from just one-sided, it seems the feeling of respect is mutual. While Naruto only included a symbol to denote the connection to One Piece, the latter went much further.
One Piece’s Naruto Tribute Brings The Seventh Hokage and the Future King of Pirates Together
To celebrate Naruto’s conclusion, Eiichiro Oda dedicated the cover of One Piece chapter #766 to Kishimoto’s series. The cover sees Luffy sitting across from a character clearly meant to be Naruto. The two swap favorite foods, as Luffy eats Ramen and Naruto chows down on a meat-bone.
Unfortunately, the future Seventh Hokage is blocked by Nami, who’s wearing a dress decorated with Konoha symbols.
While both tributes could be professional courtesy, their prominence gives them an added sense of depth. Kishimoto and Oda appear to share a kinship, as the duo referenced each other in their respective tributes to Akira Toriyama.
Unfortunately, despite its moving nature, the One Piece Straw Hat Jolly Roger never made an appearance in Naruto’s anime. Part of that is undoubtedly because Naruto’s anime never fully adapted the manga’s final chapter. Not helping matters is that Naruto is animated by Pierrot and One Piece by Toei.
Still, true fans of One Piece and Naruto know just how deeply intertwined the two series are. The fact that these two titans of manga have such respect for each other is certainly heartwarming and should put to rest any rivalries between the two fandoms.
- Release Date
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2002 – 2007-00-00
- Showrunner
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Masashi Kishimoto
- Directors
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Hayato Date
