After Naruto, It’s Time Fans Meet The Next Big Rival Of One Piece’s Monkey D. Luffy

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Few characters are as well-known as Monkey D. Luffy, the star of the popular anime One Piece. For years, Luffy has been a globally recognized face, even among people who don’t typically watch anime, alongside iconic characters like Goku, Naruto, and Sailor Moon’s Usagi. Now, Izuku Midoriya from My Hero Academia is quickly becoming just as popular and deserves to be mentioned among these anime legends.

In Season 8 of My Hero Academia, Midoriya, who goes by Deku, delivered his most impressive performance yet. This breakout moment solidifies his place as a hugely popular anime character, potentially rivaling even Luffy as a leading hero.

My Hero Academia’s Deku Has Proven To Be A Rival To One Piece’s Luffy

Image by Studio Bones

One Piece is the world’s best-selling manga, making its main character, Monkey D. Luffy, incredibly popular globally. For a long time, Naruto was considered One Piece’s biggest competitor, but that series finished over ten years ago. Now, My Hero Academia and its hero, Izuku Midoriya, have become the main contenders.

Deku, the main character from My Hero Academia, is now famous worldwide, especially with the success of season 8. Interestingly, years ago, Eiichiro Oda – the creator of One Piece – had his daughter express concern about One Piece’s popularity after noticing how popular My Hero Academia had become.

During a school field trip, my daughter overheard a song from the anime My Hero Academia being played on the bus, which seemed to upset her. When she got home, she worriedly asked me, “Dad, will this affect your manga?”—Eiichiro Oda, as told to Horikoshi in an interview.

Horikoshi Reveals That He Wanted To Shape Deku To Be Just Like Luffy At First

It’s surprising that despite being so popular and successful, One Piece isn’t often mentioned as an inspiration by other manga artists. However, Horikoshi is a notable exception.

Kohei Horikoshi, the creator of My Hero Academia, has often cited One Piece as a major influence. He once shared that his initial plan for the character Izuku Midoriya was to make him very similar to Luffy, but he ultimately wasn’t able to achieve that.

Creating a character similar to Luffy proved difficult, so he decided to develop a character that better suited his own creative style. This ultimately led to the creation of My Hero Academia.

I began considering this project right after my second series, Barrage, finished being published. Before that, I was a huge fan of Luffy from One Piece and really hoped I could create a character with a similar spirit.

After finishing my previous manga, which spanned two volumes, I realized I hadn’t created a character I truly connected with – someone like Luffy from One Piece. I started looking for a new main character who would be simpler to draw and resilient enough to bounce back from setbacks. I eventually revisited a character I’d designed for a short story I’d done before, and it felt like a good fit. I figured if I started with a character I could draw comfortably, I could try making another manga, and that’s how My Hero Academia came to be. – Horikoshi

Izuku Midoriya And Luffy Both Stand As Two Of Weekly Shonen Jump’s Most Iconic Characters

Image by Toei Animation

Izuku is a hugely popular anime character globally, but he still isn’t as well-known as Luffy from One Piece. Overall, even with its success, My Hero Academia hasn’t reached the same level of popularity as One Piece.

Despite its success, My Hero Academia hasn’t surpassed One Piece in sales, and likely won’t. One Piece, with Luffy as its central figure, remains the defining series of Weekly Shonen Jump.

I’ve noticed Luffy and Izuku are consistently two of the biggest stars in the magazine, and they both bring something new and exciting to readers. Now that My Hero Academia has finished, it’s pretty clear Weekly Shonen Jump is looking for the next big thing – a series that can stand alongside One Piece for years to come.

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2025-12-11 15:36