‘One Piece’s Creator Once Reimagined Luffy As A ‘Naruto’ Character

If you are a fan of shonen, then you have probably heard the phrase ‘Big Three’ before. The term is one used to reference the genre’s biggest three titles, and One Piece has headed up that list for some time. Naruto rounded up the list as well before Boruto had its follow-up release, but Eiichiro Oda has never hated on Masashi Kishimoto’s series.

In fact, Oda appears to be a big fan of the Leaf Village and its loudest ninja.

When Kishimoto brought Naruto‘s manga to an end, Weekly Shonen Jump pulled out all the stops to celebrate. Eiichiro did his own artwork of Naruto and shared a touching thanks with Kishimoto for all his work, but the One Piece creator had crossed over the franchises in the past.

Back in 2014, Oda tried his hand at inserting Monkey D. Luffy into the world of Naruto. The artist released a sketch in an issue of Weekly Shonen Jump for its ‘Dream Carnival’ campaign. Oda drew up Luffy as if he were part of the Naruto universe, and fans started buzzing about the ninja’s strange looks.

As you can see above, the image is a striking one. Luffy still has his straw hat on, but Oda put a Leaf Village headband atop the headgear. The reimagined ninja is also seen touting two swords and a massive shuriken on his back. The look completes itself with a jacket similar to the one Naruto wears, and Kishimoto’s hero seems a bit put-off by Luffy.

After all, Naruto is never too happy when someone else tries to encroach on his Ichiraku Ramen territory.

In the past, Kishimoto has said Oda paved the way for series like Naruto to succeed in Japan and around the world. The creators did plenty of parodies of each others’ work, and fans are glad there is no bad blood between the artists. So, if you ever wanted Boruto to crossover with One Piece, the possibility isn’t out of the question.

Do you think Oda should team up with Kishimoto for an official One Piece crossover? Hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to let me know and talk all things anime!