Naruto and One Piece fans are always at odds, fighting to determine the better one between the two insanely popular series. Meanwhile, their creators, Masashi Kishimoto and Eiichiro Oda, are close friends. When Naruto ended, Oda paid his tribute with a special cover page with Luffy eating Ramen. There have been many such instances where the mangaka shared their fondness for one another.
Oda once shared how a technique from Naruto influenced the creation of a One Piece character. This character is Shiryu of the Blackbeard Pirates. With how the story is progressing, Shiryu will face Zoro later down the line which makes him a subject of intrigue for fans. So, here’s what Oda said about Shiryu and how Kishimoto inspired his powers.
This Naruto technique was the inspiration behind Shiryu for Eiichiro Oda
Shiryu was imprisoned at the Impel Down before the time skip in One Piece and has since become a key member of the Blackbeard Pirates. Eiichiro Oda once shared how a particular instance from Naruto inspired the creation of Shiryu (translations via X).
Oda (2015): The one that surprised me the most was when one of Kishimoto-san’s bad guys turned invisible and went underwater. All you saw was this silhouette, and I thought that was really well done. I used that as inspiration for my own invisible character (Shiryu)💪. pic.twitter.com/cEryjlGYCW
— sandman (@sandman_AP) July 16, 2023
The particular technique that Oda is referring to has briefly appeared a few times in the series. It’s the Dustless Bewildering Cover technique which grants its user the ability to become invisible. Considering how this technique was used so briefly, it speaks volumes about how closely the two mangaka follow each other.
Mu, the second Tsuchikage, was a masterful user of this technique and even used it during the Fourth Great Ninja War. Similarly, Shiryu can become invisible as a result of his devil fruit power. His role in his crew is a clear indicator of his potential fight with Zoro.
Zoro and Shiryu’s match-up is all but confirmed
The moment Blackbeard laid hands on Ace in One Piece, it was all but confirmed that he had secured a top rank on Luffy’s hitlist. Moreover, he also threatened Garp’s life besides capturing Boa Hancock and Koby. All these characters are extremely important to Luffy. So, a face-off between Blackbeard’s crew and the Straw Hats is highly anticipated by fans.
Most fans believe that Shiryu will be Zoro’s opponent. Given his devil fruit, there is a slight possibility that Sanji challenges Shiryu but Oda probably won’t repeat the same joke/plotline twice. Although, we might get a reaction from Sanji, at the least. In every way, Zoro is more likely to face Shiryu than Sanji.
The reason why this is such a popular opinion is because Shiryu is Blackbeard’s right hand man and a swordsman. Zoro is a swordsman with strong ideals, whereas the Blackbeard Pirates are twisted and immoral. It’s fair to assume that Shiryu will use cheap tricks, but that’s part of the reason why it would be exciting to see Zoro crushing him brutally.
One Piece is available to read on the MangaPlus app and website.
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