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The life of a manga artist is an endless cycle of nonstop work, painful failures, and cutthroat competition. Both newcomers and veterans struggle with the same issues, but it is their passion and unshakable mentality that help them get through them. To give a deeper idea, Masashi Kishimoto, the creator ofNaruto,voiced his opinion.
The mangaka acknowledged that merely wanting to draw a work like Eiichiro Oda’sOne Piecewas not going to establish him as a prominent name in the industry. Hence, it was his mindset that made Kishimoto-San come up with gripping narratives that would keep the viewers following his work and grow as he made further progress in the story.
This relentless drive did help him, as he not only became one of the biggest and most recognized faces in the industry but also his magnum opus,Naruto, becoming a part of a bigger picture that we know as The Big Three.
Masashi Kishimoto Gets Candid on What It Took Him To MakeNarutoa Part of The Big Three
Masashi Kishimoto’sNarutois one of the biggest names in the anime and manga industry and has been often compared toEiichiro Oda’sOne Piece,primarily in terms of popularity and story development. These two titles have dominated the anime and manga industries for years, and it is quite difficult when you are told to choose one of the two titles.
Despite the fact that the series ended in 2017, fans adore it; it has become an evergreen series that they would love to revisit and binge-watch the memorable fights and scenes that still give them goosebumps. The process was not easy, but the manga gives an insight into what went inside his head when he was working on his stellar work.
“‘Naruto’ came from this failed story attempt”: Masashi Kishimoto Never Planned Naruto to be about Ninjas – Original Idea Would’ve Never Made it a $11 billion Empire
During an exclusive interview with Da Vinci magazine viaThe One Piece podcast, Kishimoto-San shared that“feeling is really important,”but he did not just limit himself to that.
He emphasized that he drew manga with the sole aim of taking down the wall, which isOne Piece.He said,
Definitely, that feeling is really important. I believe it’s not thinking “I want to draw a manga like One Piece” or ” I want to draw a manga like Naruto,” but thinking “I want to beat them” that’s important. And even more than just draw manga, you have to draw while trying to clear the wall that is One Piece, which is a pretty big wall to clear.
He continued that, despite having such a resilient mindset, it did not help him overcomeOPbecause the greatness is too big to overcome.
I was also drawing along while thinking that, but the size of that wall… it was quite something (laughs). When I think about how you’ll be challenging that wall yourself from now on, I get excited. Next time I meet Oda, I’ll tell him that “I want you to continue on, trying to defeat Horikoshi!”
This statement showcased how dedicated Kishimoto-San has been towards his craft. Hence, the long hours or the rejections were not stopping him because the ultimate goal was much bigger and more personal to him.
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Kohei Horikoshi, who was also present there, called this drive“scary”and was extremely impressed by it.
Masashi Kishimoto Talks About the Horrors of Being a Manga Artist
It feels extremely rewarding when the manga and the anime series do extremely well. However, with great success comes immense fatigue and stress, as week in and week out, the manga artists have to come up with a convincing plot while working within strict deadlines that will take a heavy toll on their bodies over time.
In the same interview, Kishimoto-San stated that every author is“mentally on edge”when working on such strict deadlines; even Oda-Sensei is afraid of this aspect of the manga industry. He said,
If I’m being honest, every manga author is mentally on edge while they’re serialized. I was talking about this the other day with Eiichiro Oda, the author of One Piece, as well and… well, everyone’s always on pins and needles, I mean, they’re always scared. They’re afraid of not being able to draw anything good, which means they won’t gain any popularity, and the series may be dropped.
He further added,
I believe everyone’s working to the point of breaking mentally, including me. During my serialization I was breaking out in cold sweats to the point that if I’d wring my T-shirt out there’d be sweat pouring out. I probably shouldn’t be talking about this too much.
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This statement from the veteran manga author madeMy Hero Academia’screator feel relieved because he felt that it was probably he who had been overworking. On the other hand, it will get the fans thinking about how passionate one has to be to work in such conditions.
NarutoandOne Piececan be streamed on Crunchyroll.
Tushar Auddy
Senior Writer
Articles Published :1784
Tushar Auddy is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, primarily covering WWE. He has contributed to anime, MCU, DCU, animation, and TV Series, giving sharp insights and coming up with his own unique theories, which take the fandom by storm.
