Naruto
In 1995, Shueisha published Karakuri, a one-shot manga by Masashi Kishimoto. This early work earned an honorable mention in the 1996 Hop Step Award. Dissatisfied with subsequent draft proposals, Kishimoto began developing a new project. An early concept featured Naruto as a chef, but this version was never published. Kishimoto then developed a one-shot for the summer 1997 issue of Akamaru Jump. The story centered on a boy who could transform into a fox. Despite positive reader feedback, Kishimoto revised the concept into a ninja-themed story due to dissatisfaction with the art and narrative. The first eight chapters were planned prior to serialization in Weekly Shōnen Jump. Initial drafts featured detailed illustrations of Konoha village, but by the debut, the art emphasized characters over backgrounds. Although Kishimoto was concerned that the use of chakra might make the series overly Japanese, he believed it remained engaging. Inspired by Godzilla, Kishimoto incorporated the tailed beasts mythology to include monster designs. The central theme of Part I is mutual acceptance, exemplified through Naruto's character development.
A powerful fox known as the Nine-Tails attacks Konoha, the hidden leaf village in the Land of Fire. In response, the leader of Konoha and the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, seals the fox inside the body of his newborn son, Naruto Uzumaki. The Third Hokage returns from retirement to become the leader of Konoha again. Naruto is often scorned by Konoha's villagers for being the host of the Nine-Tails. Due to a decree by the Third Hokage forbidding any mention of these events, Naruto learns nothing about the Nine-Tails until 12 years later. Mizuki, a renegade ninja, reveals the truth to him. Naruto defeats Mizuki in combat, earning the respect of his teacher, Iruka Umino. Shortly afterward, Naruto becomes a ninja and joins with Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno to form Team 7. They operate under an experienced elite ninja named Kakashi Hatake. Like all the ninja teams from every village, Team 7 completes missions requested by the villagers. These tasks range from doing chores and being bodyguards to performing assassinations. After several missions, including a major one in the Land of Waves, Kakashi allows Team 7 to take a ninja exam. This enables them to advance to a higher rank and take on more difficult missions known as the Chunin Exams.
During the exams, Orochimaru, a wanted criminal, invades Konoha and kills the Third Hokage for revenge. Jiraiya, one of the three legendary ninjas, declines the title of Fifth Hokage and searches with Naruto for Tsunade. During the search, it is revealed that Orochimaru wishes to train Sasuke because of his powerful genetic heritage, the Sharingan. After Sasuke attempts and fails to kill his older brother Itachi, he joins Orochimaru. He hopes to gain strength needed to kill Itachi. The story takes a turn when Sasuke leaves the village. Tsunade sends a group of ninja, including Naruto, to retrieve Sasuke. Naruto is unable to persuade or force him to come back. Naruto and Sakura do not give up on Sasuke. Naruto leaves Konoha to receive training from Jiraiya to prepare himself for the next time he encounters Sasuke. Meanwhile, Sakura becomes Tsunade's apprentice. Two and a half years later, Naruto returns from his training with Jiraiya. Just then, the Akatsuki start kidnapping the hosts of the powerful Tailed Beasts. Team 7 and other Leaf ninja fight against them and search for their teammate Sasuke.
Kishimoto incorporated the Chinese zodiac tradition, which has a significant history in Japan. The hand signs used in the series derive from this. Amy Plumb argues that Kishimoto's use of references to Japanese mythology in Naruto is intended to add further layers to the story. One example is Itachi, who has three ninja techniques named after Shinto deities: Tsukiyomi, Amaterasu, and Susano-o. Foxes are tricksters in Japanese mythology, and in some stories, they take over human bodies. Plumb comments on the obvious similarities to the Nine-Tail sealed in Naruto. Christopher A. Born notes that the Naruto storyline contains traditional Confucian values. He suggests that students who analyze manga such as Naruto will learn more about Confucianism than they would from studying its abstract ideas. Norman Melchor Robles Jr. evaluated the portrayal of both positive and negative ideas in Naruto by counting words in the script associated with either violence or positive values. He found that a small majority of tagged words were violent. However, he commented that the portrayal of violence seemed organized to show how positive strategies on the part of the protagonists could overcome the violence. Sheuo Hui Gan considers the series to have a set of traditional ethical values.
The manga has 250 million copies in circulation worldwide, making it one of the best-selling manga series in history. More than half of the total circulation is in Japan, with the remaining circulation being from 46 other countries and regions. It has become one of North American publisher Viz Media's best-selling manga series. Their translation of the series appeared on the USA Today and The New York Times bestseller lists several times. It was included in the fiction section of the Teacher Librarians recommended list for 2008. Volume 28 of the manga reached seventeenth place in the USA Today Booklist in its first week of release in March 2008. The volume had one of the biggest debut weeks of any manga in years. In 2010, Viz, the publisher, commented on the loyalty of readers who reliably continued to buy the manga as the volume count went over 40. The franchise has been licensed in 90 countries, and the manga serialized in 35 countries. Madman Entertainment began publishing Naruto volumes in Australia and New Zealand in March 2008 after reaching a distribution deal with Viz Media.
The first Naruto anime television series premiered on TV Tokyo in Japan on the 3rd of October 2002. It concluded on the 8th of February 2007, after 220 episodes. Tetsuya Nishio was the character designer for Naruto when the manga was adapted into an anime. Kishimoto had requested that Nishio be given this role. The second anime television series, titled Shippuden, debuted on TV Tokyo on the 15th of February 2007. It concluded on the 23rd of March 2017. A series of four brand-new episodes were originally scheduled to premiere on the 3rd of September 2023. However, in August of that same year, it was announced that the episodes would be postponed to a later date. The series was also adapted into 11 theatrical films and 12 original video animations. In July 2015, Lionsgate announced the development of a live action film with Avi Arad through his production company Arad Productions. On the 27th of November 2023, it was announced that Tasha Huo will work on the script for the film. On the 23rd of February 2024, Destin Daniel Cretton had been hired to direct and co-write the film.
Naruto won the Quill Award for graphic novel in 2006. In April 2007, volume 14 earned the Viz the Manga Trade Paperback of the Year Gem Award from Diamond Comic Distributors. The manga was nominated for Favorite Manga Series in Nickelodeon Magazines 2009 Comics Awards. It won the 16th Spanish Manga Barcelona award for the shonen category in 2010. In 2015, the manga was nominated for the 19th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. Kishimoto was the winner of Rookie of the Year for the series in the Japanese government's Agency for Cultural Affairs 2014 Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology Fine Arts Recommendation Awards. On TV Asahi's Manga Sōsenkyo 2021 poll, in which 150,000 people voted for their top 100 manga series, Naruto ranked seventh. Several reviewers commented on Naruto's balance between fight scenes and plot development. A. E. Sparrow of IGN and Casey Brienza of Anime News Network felt that the result was a strong storyline. Carl Kimlinger, also writing for the same website, suggested that there were too many fights, which slowed down the plot. Christel Hoolans, managing director of Kana and Le Lombard, called Naruto the first long-running series after Dragon Ball to become a classic in France.
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Common questions
When did Masashi Kishimoto publish the first Naruto one-shot manga?
Masashi Kishimoto published a one-shot for the summer 1997 issue of Akamaru Jump. This story centered on a boy who could transform into a fox before he revised it into a ninja-themed series.
Who sealed the Nine-Tails inside Naruto Uzumaki and when did this event occur?
The Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze sealed the Nine-Tails inside his newborn son Naruto Uzumaki during an attack on Konoha. The Third Hokage later returned from retirement to lead the village after the incident.
How many copies of the Naruto manga have been sold worldwide as of the latest report?
The Naruto manga has 250 million copies in circulation worldwide making it one of the best-selling manga series in history. More than half of these sales are located in Japan with the remaining distribution across 46 other countries and regions.
What dates mark the premiere and conclusion of the original Naruto anime television series?
The first Naruto anime television series premiered on TV Tokyo in Japan on the 3rd of October 2002. It concluded on the 8th of February 2007 after running for 220 episodes.
Which awards did Masashi Kishimoto win for the Naruto series between 2014 and 2021?
Kishimoto won Rookie of the Year for the series in the Japanese government's Agency for Cultural Affairs 2014 Minister of Education Culture Sports Science and Technology Fine Arts Recommendation Awards. On TV Asahi's Manga Sōsenkyo 2021 poll he ranked seventh out of 150,000 votes cast by readers.