SUMMARY

There has been an ongoing discussion in the entertainment sector between Western superheroes and Japanese manga and anime characters.
In the interview, Hiroshi Kitadani, the artist of One Piece’s opening theme music, was asked a similar question.
In his response, he undoubtedly ranked Japanese characters like Luffy and Goku higher than Hollywood icons like Superman and Batman.

There has been an ongoing debate in the entertainment world between the Superheroes of the West and Japanese manga and anime characters who have been given unlimited powers and abilities like One Piece’s Luffy and Dragon Ball’s Goku. The debate is usually strength-based to find out who would win in a battle against each other.

Goku and Luffy
However, there are many other fans who don’t necessarily rely on the strengths and abilities of the characters to make a comparison but rather focus on the ability of the characters to resonate with people. Nowadays, the character’s development and his journey to the top is what fans like more than him directly being introduced as the strongest.

One Piece’s opening theme song artist Hiroshi Kitadani was asked a similar thing in an interview about why One Piece is so popular worldwide, and his response certainly put characters like Luffy and Goku from the Japanese industry above characters such as Superman and Batman from Hollywood.

Hiroshi Kitadani Explains Why Luffy and Goku Are Famous Worldwide

In an interview with Billboard, Kitadani was asked about his experience as he performed the One Piece theme songs at the Bandai Card Games Fest 23-24 World Tour in Los Angeles. He was also asked about why he thinks One Piece and anime series in general have built up a worldwide audience.

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Kitadani stated:

“Talking with people overseas, I often hear that “In Japanese anime and manga, the main characters and their friends always get completely thrashed by their enemies, but they usually come back stronger, which really gets you in the feels.” That’s true of Luffy, and also of Goku from Dragon Ball.”

Hiroshi Kitadani (Credits: Avex Pictures @Youtube)
According to the singer, when he talked to people overseas, he learned that Japanese anime and manga give the protagonists a chance to come back stronger after being defeated by the enemy. This element of any manga or anime series brings a sense of excitement and power to the fans thus, these series are loved all over the world.

Hiroshi Kitadani Thinks Luffy and Goku are Superior to Batman and Superman

Kitadani also explained how overseas heroes like Batman and Superman who although are big names all over the world, usually enter the story with inherited strength, thus fans are already aware of their powers making the story less exciting compared to Japanese manga and anime series. While many other overseas heroes undergo training or some kind of enhancement to get stronger, their process is not as good as characters like Luffy and Goku.
DC’s iconic superheroes, Batman and Superman
Kitadani stated:

“Overseas heroes like Batman or Superman are incredibly strong right from the start, so I think Japanese anime and comics resonate with audiences because of how the characters turn their frustration into power.”

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Kitadani explains that Japanese anime and comics like Dragon Ball, Naruto, and One Piece resonate with the audiences as they can convert their frustration or anger into strength and use it against their enemies, thus bringing a sense of satisfaction to the anime and manga fans.