Latest One Piece spoilers all but confirm Naruto and Kishimoto's influence on Oda

One Piece chapter 1149 spoilers recently came out and there are a lot of speculations about what could happen now in the Elbaph arc, although some have pointed out how author Eiichiro Oda could be influenced by the legendary manga penned by Masashi Kishimoto, Naruto. That was highlighted by the X user named @OpVoyager, comparing Imu's possession of Gunko with the way Obito Uchiha used the Rinnegan to control the Jinchuriki.

In the latest One Piece chapter, Gunko is shown with eyes like Imu’s when she is possessed. This is similar to how Obito controlled the Jinchuriki in Naruto, giving them Rinnegan eyes. It may be Oda’s way of paying tribute to a fellow manga creator.

Disclaimer: This article is a speculative theory and reflects the writer's opinion.

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Explaining how Imu and Gunko's eyes in One Piece could be influenced by Kishimoto's Naruto series and the Rinnegan

The leaks of chapter 1149 of the manga recently came out and revealed that Imu has the power to take over people's bodies, or at least that seems to be the case with the Holy Knight Gunko, who is the victim of said power. In that regard, a person on X named @OpVoyager mentioned how it seems that Oda took inspiration from Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto series.

As mentioned earlier, during the events of the Naruto manga, Obito Uchiha uses the Rinnegan to control the Jinchuriki, they end up having those eyes themselves, which is something similar to what happened to Gunko. The moment she is controlled by Imu, her eyes get the same design as the latter, which indicates to the reader that the possession is in full motion.

Naturally, it is difficult to confirm where Oda got this inspiration from without a statement, but there is no denying that there are similarities. Furthermore, both mangaka are friends and have thrown little nods to each other's series throughout the years, so this isn't something that wouldn't be possible.

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What this event could mean for the story

Imu possessed Gunko in the latest chapter (Image via Toei Animation and Shueisha).

The idea that Imu has the power to possess people in One Piece is something that could have a lot of ramifications in the story, especially looking back at the plot of the series. This could raise the question of what the leader of the World Government could have done prior to the story with this ability, although the mechanics of how it works are yet to be fully explained.

The twist itself also leads to a lot more questions regarding Gunko's character, who is already established as someone with a troubled past and a lot more human than the other Holy Knights. Therefore, this presents the question of why Imu would choose her as someone to possess, although it is very likely that Oda is going to explain it at some point in this arc.

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Final thoughts

It is difficult to confirm whether Oda was influenced by Naruto and Kishimoto for this plot twist, although it can't be denied that there are strong similarities, especially with the physical similarities of the Rinnegan and Imu's eyes. However, it is still early stages of this ability in One Piece, so fans are going to have to wait and see.

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