As an anime fan, I’m sure everyone has heard of Naruto as well as The Dragon ball series. Both of these anime belong to the shounen genre. There is a variety of anime in the Shounen genre. Ranging From Hunter x Hunter to One piece. Most stories give us several unique points of view and plots. But Some anime seem to be rip-offs of each other. The first thing that comes to mind is Naruto and Dragon Ball series. Now, Even though both series have different plots. There are many similarities between Naruto and Dragon Ball.
Starting from having a female voice actress for the main protagonist to having a similar character design. There are tons of commonalities between the two series. This is mainly due to the similarities between the protagonists. So today, we’ll be focusing on these similarities. However, This doesn’t reflect which anime is better. Since they both are the most successful piece of work seen so far.
1) Cliche Heros
Dragon Ball series is Produced by Toei Animation. It is often regarded as one of the greatest anime series of all time. The plot relays the story of Goku, the main protagonist of the Dragon ball series. Naruto, on the other hand, ranks third in the list of best-seller manga. It comes right after Dragon Ball Z. Although it’s just a matter of time before it’s listed as an equivalent of the Dragon ball series. In this case, the plot depicts the story of a Young Ninja known as Naruto Uzumaki.
Now, In both series, you can observe how similar the protagonists are. Both Naruto and Goku are the perfect definition of a cliche anime protagonist. They are the main protagonists. And the entire show revolves around them. This reflects how the whole plot is based on the struggle and development of the protagonist. Instead of the protagonists being a secondary element of the plot.
During a time of crisis, the main villains are always defeated by Goku in the dragon ball series and Naruto in the Naruto series. While other characters are always responsible for the side characters, who play the antagonists in the series. They HAVE to be at the center of everything at all times, preaching goodness to everyone.
2) Similar tendencies of protagonists
Another similarity between the two protagonists is that neither Naruto nor Goku think before making a move. They mostly rely on their instincts. They act on them instead of making a full-fledged plan. What they do need is a plan that’d probably work out. Their overall battle intelligence is known to be low due to the lack of strategies. However, they still prove to be the most impressive fighters in the respective series. Even though there are several side characters in both the series that show better battle tendencies and better brainpower. But Japan is well known to Over-glorify its heroes, so the side characters aren’t acknowledged as they should be.
Other than having similar battle tendencies, Both Goku and Naruto are well known for being heavy eaters. In the case of Goku, it’s funny how much he is capable of eating. He is often seen eating massive meals, which are usually made for many people by himself. On the other hand, Naruto is a big foodie too. Only when it comes to Ramen. His eating habits aren’t as bizarre as Goku’s, it’s still worth mentioning, though. Since his capacity for Ramen is above average.
3) Both Main Protagonist are voiced by female voice actors
This might come as a shock for most people. Both Naruto as well as Goku are voiced by female voice actresses. Naruto is voiced by Junko Takeuchi and Goku is voiced by Masako Nozawa. They both are remarkable women who made their good name in the field of voice acting. And hence they are often considered to be two legends for all the work that they have done so far.
4) Outfit
This might be a coincidence and not too similar, but still, Naruto and Goku both have similar outfits. They both are a mix of orange and black color. However, Goku used to wear a red outfit when he was younger. This changed over time as later on, he switched to an orange-colored outfit.
5) Mentors of both the protagonists
In Naruto, His mentor was Jiraiya, and in the Dragon Ball series, Goku’s Mentor was Master Roshi. Coincidentally both of their mentors have similar personalities. They both are seen continuously pursuing women. They both have been the most perverted character in their respective series. Other than that, they’ve proved themselves to be excellent during combats. Of course, their mentorship has made the protagonists grow. Eventually helping them in becoming better fighters. Other than their similar personalities, they were always accompanied by an amphibian. In their childhood, They both also grew up with their rivals, Jiraiya with Orochimaru and Master Roshi with Master Tsuru.
6) Elimination of details
The mangaka of both the series made some changes. Mainly in the character’s look. Just because drawing it was too annoying, in the Dragon Ball series, Akira Toriyama (mangaka) admitted that Goku was supposed to be a character with a tail. However, his tail was removed. Because Toriyama found it irritating to draw it in every panel.
Similarly, Naruto used to wear a pair of Goggles. In the early episodes of Naruto. However, Masashi Kishimoto (mangaka) decided to eliminate this detail of the main character.
7) Similar inspiration
Toriyama, as well as Kishimoto, had western inspirations. Toriyama wanted to set a similar standard as 101 Dalmations. So he decided to take it as his inspiration for Dragon ball. Kishimoto, on the other hand, was inspired by Quentin Tarantino. Even some scenes in Naruto were inspired by Tarantino’s works.
8) Sacrifices of Their Parents
Both Naruto as well as Goku lost their parents at a young age. Goku’s Parents, Bardock and Gine, ended up sacrificing their own lives. To give Goku a chance for survival. Similarly, in Naruto, Kushina and Minato sacrificed themselves to protect their Village as well as Naruto. While Naruto was about to get attacked by Kurama. Minato and Kushina stopped in front of Naruto to protect him from the attack. Along with this, they sealed the Nine-tailed beast (Kurama) inside Naruto.
9) Similar Fights
Fights have been an important element of Shounen anime. It has been so, For a very long time. As their target audience is mainly teen boys. Both Naruto and Dragon Ball series is filled with action and remarkable battles. The only trouble is the length of the fights. This is an annoying factor about both the anime as some fights even last for more than 5-10 episodes.
While everybody enjoys a good fight between the main antagonist and the main protagonist. It’s annoying to see the protagonists having a long battle with side characters (antagonists). Even though they can defeat their opponent in a few minutes. They stretch the fight for as long as possible.
All the characters in both the series scream out the name of their attacks for some unknown reason. This might take a short time in Naruto. But In Dragon ball, the name of the attack itself takes 5 minutes.
10) Storyline
Initially, In the Dragon Ball series, Goku was sent to Earth. This was done by the extraterrestrial Saiyan race. Their main goal was to conquer Earth. However, due to a brain injury, he ends up forgetting about his mission of taking over the Earth. Not just this, he even sides for the Earth and goes out of his way to defend it. Through the passing time, Goku gains some companions. Along With these companions, he faces several Fights and battles where they eventually defeat all the villains. This includes androids, space fighters, magical creatures, and Conquerors. The story goes on, showing Goku’s journey.
Naruto is a story about the Ninja world. It covers the story of a young boy Naruto. He is hated by his fellow villagers. This is so because he has a Nine-tailed beast sealed within his body. This Nine-tailed beast once destroyed the whole Village. But Naruto doesn’t hold grudges against the villagers. Naruto chose to be the one to protect it instead.
Now, Essentially Naruto’s storyline is quite similar to Dragon Ball. It depicts the lives of Both the protagonists. They are often seen fighting a variety of aliens, demons, and monsters. Leading to the Growth and development of the main protagonist. However, unlike Goku, Naruto has better character development. Goku has been regarded as a strong individual from the start, while Naruto has been weak. Naruto establishes his dreams from the very beginning, while Goku seems to have no original ambitions of his own. Either way, both anime’s differences, and similarities made both the series worth watching.
Also Read: Strongest Otsutsuki Members From Naruto Franchise – Ranked
