In 2017, the time when the Bleach manga ended for a while. At that time, Bleach creator and mangaka Tite Kubo was on a radio talk show. When asked about his relationship with One Piece author Eiichiro Oda, Tite Kubo candidly shared: “I hate Oda”.
The reason for the above statement is said to be because the two works of Tite Kubo were defeated by One Piece. In 1999, Tite Kubo’s first manga, Zombiepowder, was released, which was considered to be quite promising, but it almost always lost to One Piece. After Zombiepowber was “dead”, Tite Kubo had a hard time when his manuscript of Bleach was rejected for release. Thanks to the unexpected encouragement from Akira Toriyama – the father of Dragon Ball, Tite Kubo invested in Bleach and successfully put the story on Weekly Shonen Jump. As we all know, Bleach has become a legend of Japanese manga but still can’t win against One Piece.
At the time Tite Kubo said “I hate Oda”, One Piece author almost did not have any reaction. Until recently, on the occasion of Bleach’s 20th anniversary, author Eiichiro Oda shared the following:
Paintings dedicated to author Kubo on the occasion of Bleach’s 20th anniversary of release
“A few years ago, Kubo-san said on the radio ‘I hate Oda’. Some people asked me if I remember that. Yes! But the content of what he said didn’t mean as bad as usual. But most of all, Kubo-san dares to speak publicly so I can’t hate him. I still clearly remember when Kubo-san debuted since we’re almost the same age. Wow, he’s good at drawing. The visuals are good and the concept is interesting. I can feel his confidence overflowing just by looking at him. I got the same comment so I made it clear that he works so hard. I’m sure you’re the type of person who hates to lose. You must be embarrassed, Kubo? (laughs) You really are a hard worker. Happy 20th birthday Bleach. Let’s go to work someday. Please!”
Thus, Oda’s answer completely dispels all suspicions of enmity between Kubo and Oda. We can see that the people involved are not bitter or teasing each other at all. “I hate Oda” is just a frank sharing of Kubo to his colleague and rival because at that time and now, there are many mangakas who are jealous of his success. One Piece and looking forward to surpassing this series.
It’s true that the mangaka of a legendary series has a really different personality, isn’t it? Once again, Oda has shown her difference and heart not only to One Piece readers but also to other manga and manga artists. What do you think about Oda’s very sincere and sympathetic response on the occasion of Bleach manga in 20 years of publication? Please leave your comments!
