The acclaimed manga artist Tite Kubo, known for creating the popular series Bleach and Burn the Witch, once publicly stated his distaste for fellow manga legend Eiichiro Oda’s work.
Specifically, Kubo announced “I hate Oda” on a Japanese radio program several years back. This candid remark was recently highlighted in a 2021 Twitter post by user @sandman_AP.
Interestingly, Oda himself discussed Kubo’s past comment during an interview this year.
Showing no hard feelings, Oda complimented Kubo’s talents as an artist and seemed to interpret the “hate” statement lightheartedly rather than as a personal attack.
In fact, there is evidence the two creators have mutual respect – despite Kubo’s professed dislike of the One Piece series, and he contributed an illustration of the main character Monkey D. Luffy to a 10th-anniversary book released in 2007 celebrating Oda’s acclaimed pirate epic.
So, while Kubo was willing to openly declare his distaste for a peer’s iconic manga, his participation in honoring One Piece’s legacy hints that his candid criticism may have been overstated or in jest.
Ultimately, these two giant creative talents clearly recognize one another’s iconic contributions and influence over the art form of manga.
Contextualizing Tite Kubo’s ‘I Hate Oda’ Remark
Additional insight into Tite Kubo’s past statement of hatred towards Eiichiro Oda was recently offered on Twitter by user @Craftsdwarf.
As explained in the tweet, Kubo’s hyperbolic declaration stemmed from creative frustration with his editors. Specifically, when Kubo’s own editors essentially instructed him to make his manga more like Oda’s widely successful One Piece series, the artist reacted strongly against any comparisons by jokingly announcing his distaste for Oda’s work.
Given the context, Kubo’s statement came across as an exaggerated, humorous response to editorial feedback rather than genuine malice towards his peer.
The radio show hosts’ reaction of laughter hints they perceived Kubo’s “I hate Oda” statement as comical venting rather than a serious insult.
As @Craftsdwarf points out, even the legendary Oda has aired grievances about the editing process – he once shared an early editor’s critique that his female characters were not “cute enough.”
This revelation shows that behind-the-scenes clashes between editors and visionary manga creators like Kubo and Oda are not uncommon.
While Kubo’s method of exaggeration and humor may have been too bold for some fans’ tastes, his participation in celebrating One Piece’s legacy despite editors pushing him to emulate that style shows Kubo still recognizes Oda’s talents.
Ultimately, these creative giants surely understand one another’s frustrations with the publishing machine.
Oda and Tite Delivering Climactic Moments
Eiichiro Oda and Tite Kubo find their iconic manga epics at differing stages currently. Oda is gearing up for the climactic final storyline of his long-running pirate saga One Piece after over 25 years of serializing the adventure series.
Meanwhile, Kubo actually wrapped up his popular dark fantasy Bleach way back in 2016 after a 15-year run.
However, while Kubo gave manga fans a conclusion, the Bleach anime adaptation by Studio Pierrot had stopped in 2012 prior to adapting the finale.
For 10 long years, anime-viewing Bleach fans were left without closure, as the show’s original TV run failed to capture Kubo’s epic last narrative arc, setting up a bloody thousand-year war.
Finally ending the drought, 2022 welcomed the arrival of an exciting separate series – Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War. This new late-coming animated installment promises to deliver Kleach followers the thrilling, conclusive storyline they were so cruelly denied previously.
Between Oda marching towards One Piece’s endgame and the triumphant return of Kubo’s Bleach universe, followers of both artists’ fantastic worlds are getting major payoffs after years of patient anticipation.
Even with past exaggerated comments thrown around, the creative masterminds clearly still have immense respect for one another’s abilities to immerse millions of fans in their vivid imagination for decades on end through various mediums.
Animator Claims One Piece Will Outshine Bleach’s Return
An interesting, friendly rivalry involving legends Eiichiro Oda and Tite Kubo has sparked up again.
Despite tremendous excitement surrounding the new Bleach anime series Thousand-Year Blood War finally adapting Kubo’s climactic finale, an animator on Oda’s ongoing hit adaptation One Piece made a bold declaration.
The artist claimed Oda’s seafaring epic will, in fact, provide even more sensational storytelling and animation than Kubo’s long-awaited continuation or any other anime airing in 2022.
This hyperbolic statement echoes the playful trash talk Kubo once aimed at Oda’s work.
And Oda is certainly no stranger to high-profile mangaka peers poking fun through exaggeration.
During his era ruling Shonen Jump alongside series like Naruto, Oda engaged in similar theatrical digs and competition with colleague Masashi Kishimoto.
So, while this latest bit of bombastic praise for One Piece and shades towards Bleach may seem over the top, it actually fits right in with the long tradition of these artistic icons ribbing one another.
Whether it’s Oda, Kubo, Kishimoto, or others, the reality is these creative captains have guided millions aboard their epic imaginary voyages for decades.
