The war of One Piece and Naruto has been going on for a long time but there is one main thing where One Piece stands above Naruto.

SUMMARY

One Piece and Naruto have been rivals of each other for a long time.
Fans have not been able to determine which of the two is a better series.
However, when it comes to portrayal of women, One Piece is much better than Naruto.

The competition between Naruto and One Piece has been going on for almost 30 years now, and fans still have not been able to figure out which series is the ultimate champion of the anime and manga world. The two masterpieces have been compared on multiple aspects, and the results have been inconclusive, as both of them have their own plus points.

One Piece | Credit: Toei Animation

However, the one aspect where One Piece beats Naruto is the portrayal of the female characters within the narrative. The development of female characters within the anime and manga industry has been a sensitive topic since the beginning, and Naruto is one of the biggest stories that has been criticized for unconventionally portraying them.

But that’s not the case for One Piece. Although One Piece has also received some hate for its female characters, the series has always made sure that it provides them with the best kind of development and helps them grow with the story. They have a proper background, and their actions have more complex reasons behind them.

The female characters in One Piece

One of the main traits of One Piece as a story is that almost every character has a backstory that provides an explanation of their motives, actions, and personality. This is also the case for the female characters who, just like the male characters, have a significant role to play in the progression of the One Piece central narrative.

Eiichiro Oda has always made sure that he does not discriminate against the female characters and portrays them in a similar manner as the male characters. From their strength levels to their involvement in an antagonistic role, almost every aspect of the One Piece storyline makes sure that it does not leave any kind of character behind, and each of them gets a proper ending.

Nami and Robin from One Piece | Credit: Toei Animation

The only thing that Oda has gotten criticism for in terms of female characters is the way that he draws them in an overly s*xualized manner. The major female characters like Nami and Robin have unrealistic physical features that, according to many fans, give a wrong impression about the One Piece characters.

One Piece is better than Naruto because of its female characters

When compared with Naruto in terms of the portrayal of the female characters, One Piece stands at the top for two reasons. The first is that most of the female characters in Naruto revolve around the main male characters, with Sakura being the biggest example of this. Masashi Kishimoto had a chance to give Sakura a proper development, but she loomed in the shadows of Naruto and Sasuke till the end.

The second reason was that most of the female characters in Naruto didn’t have any kind of specific goal that they needed to pursue.

However, in One Piece, almost every female character that has been introduced has a goal or ambition that stems from their individual storyline and helps in their character development in the story.

While fans might never be able to conclude which of the two series is better, the one thing that can be said for certain is that One Piece has a better array of female characters than Naruto. It was one of the major weaknesses of Kishimoto’s series, and it has been used by Oda to his advantage.