The protagonists of our favorite anime are the subject of endless debate since the adventures in which they are seen. Which protagonist is the strongest, smartest, or most exciting to follow?
These are questions that have been asked by most anime fans a good hundred times. And the answers? Well, they tend to be subjective more often than not; and that makes them mostly irrelevant. It is difficult to obtain an answer completely devoid of non-objective opinions about this or that work 🗯.
Luffy and Naruto, two of the most emblematic figures in the world of anime, benefit from a very special fate during these comparative debates. Both have serious arguments to make , but are not perfect. This list won't tell us who is the best and who isn't, but it will cover the aspects that make these two protagonists the monuments of the shonen world that they are 🏮.
10. Luffy: a pirate true to himself
Luffy certainly appears to many fans as a maverick compared to his counterpart's protagonists when it comes to shonen. It follows the conventional shonen formula, but it does so on its own terms.
What is unique about him is that he is true to himself. He's an outlaw, he knows it and he doesn't try to deny it. He even plays it from time to time. He never makes a secret of it 🏴☠️.
9. Naruto: the outsider
Naruto started with an unprecedented twist. The beginning was catchy, the plot was risky and the characters were colorful. Naruto himself 🐱👤, in particular, contributes a lot to the success of the series. It was his outsider status that drew the attention of many readers to the character.
But of course, this outsider status then faded following the character's unparalleled rise to power . But despite this, Naruto will forever remain an outsider in the hearts of some fans.
8. Luffy: his ideal
Being the pirate king is Luffy's big dream. What does it mean to be the pirate king? Well, it depends. Is the richest pirate who sails the seas the pirate king 💰? No. Is he the strongest pirate who dominates the masses with his fists 👊? Not necessarily.
The freest of all is the one true pirate king, at least according to Luffy . These are the ideals that Luffy follows. Detached from the world and its boring rules, and freed from its materialistic objects. It represents the most primal force of freedom.
7. Naruto: lessons from Sensei
Luffy may be impressive in his own right, but we can't really apply his ideals of "true freedom" to our real world. He and his ideals of greatness are confined in the imaginary world of Eiichiro Oda's mind.
Naruto, on the other hand, has taught many fans truly inspiring life lessons that are just as valid in the world around us. “There will always be a light at the end of the tunnel; you just have to persevere to reach it” is one of the lessons he preached during his adventures 📕.
6. Luffy: the charisma of the captain
One of Luffy's strong points is his charisma. Although he has a poor vocabulary 🗣 and is too blunt in his approach to things most of the time, he has a way of expressing himself that attracts the attention of the other party.
This is one of the aspects that separates Luffy from the average shonen protagonist. He is also full of faults, but he is rarely judged for his faults, because they are camouflaged in the background of his incredible charisma.
5. Naruto: identify with the character
As charismatic as Luffy is, the behavior he displays is in no way understandable. His thought process and notions differ greatly from those of the average viewer 🤔. And then there is Naruto in whom readers could certainly find themselves during the difficult phases of their lives for many years.
The fact that he was rejected for being different as well as the hardships he had to go through just to achieve that recognition may resonate powerfully with many fans.
4. Luffy: his own morality
Then again, Luffy has his own way of doing things. Rather than following established moral thinking, he is guided directly by his own instincts . No external force can make him deviate from his path; he is always confident in his every decision.
We love seeing Luffy follow his instincts and break the codes like during the famous scene where he hits the celestial dragon during the auction 🧜♀️. This is undoubtedly a challenging aspect in the fight against shonen morality ; Bravo to Oda.
3. Naruto: Character Development
One of the most interesting aspects that underlines the greatness of Naruto is the character development. Fans have seen him grow from a stubborn brat with only one goal in mind, to a mature Hokage .
It is Naruto's individual character journey that constitutes one of his greatest strengths. Only a few shonen characters can rival him in this regard.
2. Luffy: two personalities
At first glance, Luffy might seem like a carefree and childish young character with the brain of an unintelligent toddler 🧠. But that's not the case, Luffy is not an idiot, he is just extremely simple and straightforward .
He shows all his complexity in difficult times. The moments where the rest of the crew is rendered powerless are the same moments when Luffy chooses to intervene. His mature side, although elusive, actually exists. It’s this “2 in 1” side that also makes it so endearing.
1. Naruto: The hard worker
"Never give up" 🏳 is Naruto's motto. His entire journey was dictated by this motto; he never gave up despite the difficulties. It's not strange that fans would prefer a character with the level of perseverance shown by Naruto.
Although he is sometimes a jerk, Naruto is still very beloved by the fandom. It's his combined positive and negative aspects that make the Naruto we all love.
And there you have it, we have finished listing the main assets that make Monkey D. Luffy and Naruto Uzumaki two great Shonen heroes 🐱🏍, so we are waiting for your comment which explains to us which of the future king of pirates or the Hokage from Konoha is your favorite shonen hero and why he is so special to you!