“My brother called me and told me”: Eiichiro Oda Hid a Special Message in an Honorable Illustration Especially for Masashi Kishimoto to Commemorate Naruto’s End
Naruto and One Piece are the two most incredible animes that fans have grown up watching. Although the two fandoms seem to engage in a fight to establish which anime is better, the creators Eiichiro Oda and Masashi Kishimoto are actually good friends.
Both Naruto and One Piece are among the very best, and millions of people around the globe have grown up shaped and influenced by their stories. When it comes to Naruto, it is an influential series that has been incredibly popular, even among overseas fans.
Similarly, One Piece has motivated millions of people all over the world. It is widely considered to be one of the very best stories ever written, if not the best. One Piece is far more popular in Japan itself, however, in recent years, the show has been booming in popularity overseas as well, which is quite apparent.
Eiichiro Oda Prepared a Special Message For Masashi Kishimoto
In a special preview interview with Eiichiro Oda and Masashi Kishimoto, the two talked in detail about Naruto‘s ending. When the interviewer asked Oda how he felt when Naruto came to an end, he said that it made him feel lonely. Although he knew it beforehand, he didn’t hope to see it end.
Then they talked about the message Kishimoto sent to Oda. Kishimoto mentioned that since they both kept in touch, it wasn’t anything special. Next, they discussed Oda’s message to Kishimoto on One Piece‘s cover. According to Oda, after the serialization, Kishimoto’s media editor was Oda’s editor before, so when Naruto ended, they had an idea of doing something for it, except the editor didn’t bring anything!
The interviewer explained that on the cover of Chapter 766, within volume 77 of the pirate series, if we put all the first (second) letters of the menu together, we can get the message “ナルとおつカレ三でした”, which means “Thank you for your hard work, Naruto!”
Oda joked that he wanted to draw a ramen shop and hide the message there, and if no one found it, he would tell Kishimoto himself, but as it turned out, the message was discovered soon. Kishimoto replied:
I didn’t notice when first saw it. My brother called me and told me to read that menu carefully. And I did, wow. (laugh)
Oda then claimed that he thought he hid it well and he was surprised when everyone found it. He also commented that he looked for food that contained ‘ru’ (Lu in Luffy), but it’s not common to see that in a small restaurant.
Eiichiro Oda’s Cover Page Held More Secret Symbols Dedicated To Naruto
On the cover page of Chapter 766, Nami is portrayed in a dress with a Konoha leaf symbol printed on it. Given that it appears on the headbands of every shinobi in the Hidden Leaf village, this is one of Naruto‘s most identifiable symbols.
Furthermore, the small fox in the foreground is carrying the kamaboko (fish cake), which is normally utilized in Naruto’s ramen. This fox, despite it only having one tail, is another nod to Naruto, symbolizing the fox demon of the main character.
The main characters of Naruto and One Piece both enjoy food. Thus, it seems that food is the focal point of this cover page. The two major protagonists are actually seen in this picture, consuming each other’s favorite cuisine.
Luffy, the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, is eating a bowl of ramen, which appears to be from Naruto’s favorite ramen stand, Ichiraku, since the bowl shares the same pattern as the ones Naruto is seen eating. Meanwhile, Naruto is sitting across from Luffy, concealed behind Nami. You can see glimpses of his attire underneath the chair, along with his distinct shoes. Naruto is eating meat on the bone, which is Luffy’s favorite food.
