Ask John: Why is Naruto More Famous Than One Piece in North America?

Question:
According to manga sales reports, One Piece is still the #1 bestselling manga in Japan. Both One Piece and Naruto manga are introduced almost at the same time in North America; however, Naruto seems to be a much more popular series. If you go to anime conventions in North America, you’ll see more people cosplaying as Naruto characters. If you visit some anime/manga-related message boards, you’ll see more posts about Naruto. You can even find a lot more Naruto fan sites on the net than One Piece fan sites. Why is it so different than in Japan?

Answer:
My impression is that Naruto is slightly better liked than One Piece among American anime fans for two different reasons: the characterizations, and the style of the two shows. I also think the reasons for the varying popularity of these two shows in America and Japan is based more heavily in the opposing reason. In other words, I think One Piece is more popular than Naruto in Japan because of its style, and I think Naruto is more popular than One Piece in America because of its characters.

Naruto has a relatively large cast of young characters who all have defined and distinct personalities. The characterizations in Naruto are all subtly strong, and even exaggerated. Naruto is driven by his desire to prove himself. Sasuke and Neiji are cold and determined. Kakashi is more calm and relaxed than virtually any real person could be. Hinata is more timid and gentle than any real person could be. Evil characters are ruthlessly sinister and scheming. The heroes are hot blooded and energetic. As a result, the characters of Naruto are easy to appreciate and empathize with. It’s easy for viewers to pick favorite characters, root for heroes and hiss at villains. The strong and varied characterizations allow for an unusual degree of vicarious involvement. On the other hand, the characterizations in One Piece are far more mild. It’s easy to enjoy the personalities in One Piece, but difficult to personally identify with the characters. The characters of One Piece are drawn broadly, making them appealing to a wide audience, but not pointedly relevant to individual viewers.

The style of the characterizations in these two shows is reflective of the different tones of these two shows. Naruto appeals to a broad audience, but seemingly does so in spite of the fact that it’s primarily an adventure show for young Japanese boys. The show periodically moves into the type of mature and violent territory that American viewers seem to love. On the other hand, even at its darkest, most bloody and most tense moments, One Piece remains brightly colored and somewhat unreal. One Piece never seems to advance a sense of threat or a palpable atmosphere of danger the way Naruto sometimes does. It may be that the omnipresent sense of fun, adventure and humor present in One Piece is what makes it slightly more attractive and appealing to Japanese viewers.

The small differences in tone between Naruto and One Piece are very difficult to verbally express. But the difference should feel relatively obvious to any astute viewer that’s watched several episodes of both shows. While both Naruto and One Piece have their fair share of action, drama and comedy, One Piece feels lighter and more whimsical than Naruto. The consistent Japanese success of programs like Kochikame, Sazae-san, Crayon Shin-chan and Pokemon attest to Japanese culture’s affection for humorous and lighthearted anime. The popularity of anime titles like Akira, Jubei Ninpucho, Tenchi Muyo and Cowboy Bebop in America signifies the appeal of anime with bite, such as Naruto, among American fans.

The scales are nearly equally balanced, but I think that Japanese viewers marginally prefer the entertaining and fun atmosphere of One Piece over the more character personality oriented drama of Naruto. The exact opposite is true in America. American fans like to identify with the characters of Naruto and their conflicts and adventures slightly more so than just passively enjoy the humorous exploits of the One Piece crew. If this is indeed true, it would explain why there are commonly more Naruto costumes, and especially Naruto headbands, than One Piece costumes at American anime conventions. American fans may like the One Piece characters and their story, but they identify with and empathize with the Naruto characters.