Who is cooler, Pirates or Ninjas? This is a debate that none of the faction lovers has won hands down. This is especially true in case of anime and manga published in the US. ‘Naruto‘ represents ninjas in the anime and manga world. ‘Naruto’ is a 300-ton gorilla who takes much credence every time new releases are made.

It is no surprise that ‘Naruto’ has drawn much promotional love shown by Viz over the last few years. This brings the multivolume release of the US and the Japanese versions closer. Another very prominent initiative is the Internet broadcast of the recent anime episodes.

There is much difference not just in the Japanese and American versions, but also in the way they were received. In Japan, ‘One Piece’ pirates are supreme. Period. So whether it is Monkey D. Luffy or his fellow crew members, they all have contributed in making the Shonen Jump series the second highest selling. But in America the ‘One Piece’ story was much different, at least the beginning. The English version of the anime was very much edited resulting in loss of some fans. This happened when the show was with 4Kids, but luckily it was picked up by Funimation and then the tide turned.

However, manga is not doing as well as the ‘Naruto’. Also, looks like some focus is shifting from ‘Naruto’. Some reports also suggest that now US ‘One Piece’ anime and manga will release along side Japanese ones. Also the anime catch-up can now be done with subtitled episodes. It starts with episode 391 and all following ones will lead up to episode 403. these can be caught on www.onepieceofficial.com. All the episodes will be posted weekly to keep all the fans abreast even on the online version.

Meanwhile, future plans for manga also seem to be underway. Looks like the latest chapters will run in Shonen Jump (US) in the coming fall. But one thing that remains to be seen is how the huge gap of about 33 to 34 volumes will be bridges? Chapter 195 was the last one in volume 21, which is where it was in the US. While the latest chapter running in Japan is chapter 542. This is a huge gap to be covered for one season and the task doesn’t look menial by any chance.

So what will be Viz’s promotion code for this one? Will it be similar to ‘Naruto’ where huge volumes make head way at the same time or will something new be found to surprise fans and critics alike?

It is highly unlikely that ‘One Piece‘ will be as successful as ‘Naruto’. But Viz’s key shot is the two pronged strategy that it has adopted. With two high-profile series running, it will be rather unexpected if this doesn’t help Viz in the wider context.