This article contains spoilers for One Piece and My Hero Academia

While My Hero Academia may feel completely different from One Piece when it comes to its style, world, and characters, there are still several aspects which author Kohei Horikoshi clearly borrowed from when writing his own immensely popular shonen series. Horikoshi has made it no secret that he was a big fan of One Piece while growing up, and though he would come to form his own unique art style over time, which has gone a long way in helping his series stand out from the competition, the talented author has still admitted the ways in which One Piece ended up influencing his own series, especially when it comes to the story.

Anyone who has read or watched One Piece will know that it contains a plethora of intriguing story arcs, and while every fan will have their own personal favorite, Horikoshi has long had a particular one in mind which he regards as the most impactful of them all. With that being said, it's time to take a closer look at which One Piece story arc Horikoshi loves the most, and how exactly it influenced him when he decided to start writing My Hero Academia.

Horikoshi Loves Arlong Park

An Intense Story Arc Packed Full Of Emotional Moments

During a sit-down interview with Horikoshi and Oda, the two authors were asked to speak a little about what they admire about each other's series. In many ways, the conversation feels like a wise old mentor sharing his wisdom with a young student, as much of the conversation focuses on how much Horikoshi looked up to Oda, and how desperately he wanted to live up to his expectations by pushing himself as far as he could go as a manga author. When Horikoshi is asked how One Piece has actually influenced him as an artist, while he does make a small comment about Oda's art style, especially the way he draws eyes, he then digs a little deeper into the story itself, and one arc in particular.

Horikoshi wastes no time saying that Arlong Park is his personal favorite, and even goes on to say that it encouraged him to initially make a protagonist who was as Luffy-like as possible. Considering Arlong Park is the first story arc in One Piece where the stakes feel genuinely important, it results in this portion of the story feeling very intense and memorable as a result, so it makes sense that Horikoshi would be inspired by the arc, especially since he would have been reading it at a fairly young age.

It's not uncommon to hear One Piece fans admit that it was Arlong Park that really hooked them into the story, since this is the arc where the heroes are truly tested by a powerful enemy who initially seems unstoppable. It goes without saying, but there are a plethora of iconic moments from this arc that stand out, but Horikoshi specifically mentions one interaction that he always kept in the back of his mind when working on My Hero Academia.

"Help Me..."

Nami's Emotional Plea Had A Big Impact On Horikoshi

No One Piece fan will ever be able to forget the tear-jerking moment when Nami breaks down in tears after learning that Arlong had gone back on their deal to free her village. Despite stealing her crew's treasure and seemingly abandoning them for good, Nami reached a breaking point and decided to ask for help from Luffy, since he was the only one who she could still call on in her time of need. Horikoshi himself actually points out this moment specifically as a portion of the Arlong arc that really stood out to him, and it's pretty clear to see why.

I love the Arlong arc. Especially the exchange between Luffy and Nami. I thought that part was especially cool" - Kohei Horikoshi

While Luffy is far from a pushover, he is also willing to go to extreme lengths to protect those that he considers his nakama, even if they turned their back on him in the past. Seeing Luffy give his precious Straw Hat to Nami before gearing up to take on Arlong himself demonstrated just how passionate this quirky pirate is about delivering justice to those who have been treating others unfairly for their own selfish deeds; with this being just one of many moments where Luffy showed his true worth as a pirate captain.

By the time this interview between Horikoshi and Oda took place, One Piece would have already spanned hundreds of chapters and episodes, so the fact Horikoshi thought of this moment specifically, which takes place very early on in the story, proves that it is a sequence that has stuck in his mind for a very long time. When taking this into account, it's actually fairly easy to see how this moment, and the Arlong Park arc in general, influenced certain events and characters within the My Hero Academia story.

Arlong's Influence On My Hero Academia

Horikoshi Took A Few Notes From Oda's Early Story Arc

One story arc in My Hero Academia which seems heavily inspired by Arlong is the Overhaul arc. Though Eri and Nami are very different characters, they do both fall into a similar position of being abused and mistreated by an insidious villain who, at first, seems more or less unbeatable. While Luffy is eager to bring down Arlong for the crimes he committed against Nami and her village, Deku feels the exact same way with Overhaul, to the point where he even channels a hundred percent of his underlying power to defeat the villain who had been forcibly using Eri's Rewind Quirk as part of his evil schemes.

Just like Nami, Eri was completely defenseless at this point of the story, and had also reached her emotional breaking point, which is what encourages Deku to go above and beyond to not only rescue her, but also give her the chance to live a life of freedom and happiness once the battle was over.

"Eri, you're the one who saved me" - Deku

Another subtle way that Horikoshi seemed to integrate the moment between Luffy and Nami into his own story is through the complex bond shared between Deku and Bakugo. While the two have known each other since they were kids, in the main story, Bakugo enjoys nothing more than bullying Deku at any chance he gets, but despite that, Deku still considers him to be somewhat of a friend.

This mirrors what happens to Luffy and Nami in One Piece, since while it would have been easy for Luffy to abandon Nami in her time of need after she turned her back on the crew, he instead persevered and eventually saw who she was beneath the surface. While this admittedly took much longer for Deku to achieve in My Hero Academia, eventually, Bakugo's persona begins to crack, and he reveals that he has secretly admired Deku for much of his life, but didn't know how to express it. Horikoshi has done an amazing job creating a series which feels unique and different from every shonen manga out there, but when looking closely, it's evident that One Piece, and specifically the Arlong era of the story, provided a great source of inspiration for the author while he was still working on his own story.

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Release Date: 2016 - 2025-00-00
Network: TBS, MBS, Nippon TV
Directors: Shouji Ikeno, Tsuyoshi Tobita, Ikuro Sato, Takudai Kakuchi, Masashi Abe, Tetsuya Miyanishi, Kazuma Komatsu, Yoshifumi Sasahara, Masayuki Otsuki, Daisuke Tsukushi, Takayuki Yamamoto, Yohei Fukui, Takuro Tsukada, Masatoyo Takada, Naomi Nakayama, Sayaka Morikawa, Takanori Yano