When you talk about the big dogs of the anime industry, the go-to example given by fans is the legendary Big Three: One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach. However, since Bleach concluded its original run way back in early 2012, the debate among fans as to which anime reigns supreme has actually been between the remaining two titles – One Piece vs Naruto. Which is better?
Both One Piece and Naruto have built themselves over time, and have their own strengths and weaknesses. While One Piece is renowned for its world-building, Naruto is acclaimed for its storyline. However, if we have to break it down, the scale tips more towards the One Piece side. So, in this article, we will break down some points that show why One Piece is a better series than Naruto.
Table of Contents
5. Fewer Filler Episodes in the Anime
Like most anime, Naruto has filler episodes, too, but instead of filler content, it is a whole arc. The quantity of filler is so much that it takes over 40.97% of anime. The anime has over 295 filler episodes in a total of 720 episodes. The original series contains 220 episodes, of which 91 are fillers, while the remaining 204 contribute to Naruto Shippuden.
Also Read:
- Naruto and Naruto Shippuden Filler List – All Episodes You Can Skip
- Bleach Filler List: All Episodes You Can Skip and Why
On the other hand, One Piece’s filler episodes percentage is roughly around 8.45%. As of April 5, 2025, the anime has over 1123 episodes, and the number of filler episodes is around 95. So, this doesn’t make the viewer experience feel dragged out or disconnected from the main storyline.
This isn’t the fault of Naruto’s mangaka, Masashi Kishimoto, but the studio that was animating it, Pierrot. Pierrot Studio is known for adding excessive filler episodes in anime to avoid keeping up with its manga. Fans have shown criticism over the years toward the studio for this practice, which is only done to make hefty profits from the anime.
4. Worldbuilding That Feels Alive
One thing that One Piece does better than most anime out there is its world-building. Eiichiro Oda’s imagination has no bounds in this regard. Whether it is an Island built in the sky or a kingdom beneath the sea, each place feels alive and magnificent.
In every arc, Oda loves to take a new approach to introducing new tribes, cultures, species, etc., that makes it feel like an entirely new world. In Fishman Island, we had the tribe of Fishmen and Merfolk who lived 10,000 meters below sea level, while Wano was inspired by feudal Japan, home to powerful warriors known as samurai.
Also Read:
- Top 8 Supernatural Romance Anime Like Fruits Basket to Watch This Valentine’s Day
- Top 6 Must-Watch Anime Like Shangri-La Frontier
- Top 5 Anime to Watch if You Love Solo Leveling
Naruto does have world-building, but not as good as One Piece. The story mostly surrounds the Five Great Nations and a few surrounding areas. The mangaka, Masashi Kishimoto, kept the world more focused and consistent, while Oda always tries to expand it further in every arc.
3. Well-Planned Foreshadowing
The second key specialty of Oda is his foreshadowing skills. In One Piece, things get teased hundreds of episodes earlier before their big reveal. Like the true nature of Luffy’s Devil Fruit and why the Holy Land of Mary Geoise is built on top of the Red Line.
Luffy’s Devil Fruit was first teased as a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit called the Gomu Gomu no Mi, which made his entire body like Rubber after mistakenly eating it. However, later in the story, it was revealed that the fruit’s true name is Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit. This also explained why Shanks went to such an extent to secure that Devil Fruit from the World Government.
Naruto also has great foreshadowing, but many times it feels more reactive than planned. Like the reveal of Obito and Itachi was planned so well in the story, but at the same time, the reveal of Kaguya and Ōtsutsuki felt so out of the blue. It felt like it was planned at the last moment to create a shocking moment, in which they failed miserably.
2. No “Talk no Jutsu”
Most of the time in the Naruto anime series, Naruto prefers to talk things out with his enemies rather than fight them till the end. This resulted in the birth of the famous Jutsu by the fans, Talk no Jutsu. Whether it’s his fight with Gaara in the early story or his fight with Obito at the end of the series, both times he used Talk no Jutsu to settle things.
Also Read:
- 5 Reasons Why Solo Leveling is Better Than One Piece
- One Piece: Oda Unveils Movie Plans and Series Comeback Date
- 10 Anime That Put the Protagonist Through Hell Right From the Start
Unlike in One Piece, Luffy doesn’t like to talk things out with his enemies. If the enemy has caused any harm to his friends or family, he makes sure to make them pay for it. His fight with Kaido, Doflamingo, Arlong, Crocodile, etc, explains it all. This makes the fight more interesting to watch, as it becomes a fight to the death.
1. Better Character Development and Writing
One Piece doesn’t let any character fall out of the story. Even if a character stays for a limited time in the storyline, they get a detailed backstory and character development. Eiichiro Oda makes sure to make full use of his characters. That’s why side characters like Coby, Vivi, Crocodile, etc., are still remembered.
While in Naruto, some characters feel left out of the story. Characters like Sakura, Neji, Sai, TenTen, etc., were sidelined or underused heavily. These characters had so much potential but got undermined.
Also, Kishimoto went a little too far while introducing aliens like Ōtsutsuki at the end. Also, let’s not forget that fans didn’t get to see their most hyped up battle of the series, Ten-tails Madara Uchiha vs. Naruto and Sasuke.
Naruto vs One Piece
While both Naruto and One Piece are standalone in presenting their story, some parts of One Piece make it even more remarkable, especially in its planned narrative and world-building. That doesn’t mean Naruto is not a great anime. It is still excellent in terms of power scaling, hand-to-hand combat, and a focused narrative.
