Naruto (manga)

AUTHOR: Kishimoto, Masashi

ARTIST: Masashi Kishimoto (illustrator)

PUBLISHER: Shueisha (Japanese); VIZ Media (English)

FIRST SERIAL PUBLICATION: 1999- (English translation, 2003- )

FIRST BOOK PUBLICATION: 2000- (English translation, 2003- )

Publication History

The Naruto series is based on a pilot that appeared in the August, 1997, issue of Akamaru Jump. In 1999, Naruto began to be serialized in one of the most popular manga magazines in Japan, Weekly Shonen Jump. Both of the magazines are published by Shueisha. Naruto’s creator, Masashi Kishimoto, has remained in Artistic control of Naruto by writing and illustrating the entire series throughout its long run. Naruto quickly became one of the most popular manga franchises in both Japan and the rest of the world. In the United States and Europe, the series has been published by VIZ Media in Shonen Jump magazine as well as in volumes since 2003.

Plot

Naruto is an action-comedy shonen manga set in a fictional land that is loosely based on Japanese feudal society. As the narrative commences, Naruto is a mischievous twelve-year-old boy attending the ninja academy in the village of Konoha. He pulls many pranks to get the attention of the villagers and his teachers. Unbeknownst to Naruto, the villagers shun contact with him because the fourth Hokage (an honorary title granted to the protector of the village) sealed a nine-tailed demon fox in Naruto’s body in a desperate attempt to save the village twelve years before.

When Naruto finishes his education at the ninja academy, he is teamed with Sakura, the girl he secretly loves, and his rival, Sasuke. Kakashi, the team captain, attempts to teach the young ninja that teamwork is the most important value for a ninja. As the team goes on its first missions, friendship evolves from the rivalry between Naruto and Sasuke.

The next step in Naruto’s coming-of-age as a ninja is an exam to gain the higher ninja rank of Chunin. However, during the exam, one of Konoha’s most dangerous enemies attacks the village and attempts to lure Sasuke to him with the promise of power. The fifth Hokage saves the village but dies in the process. While the village rebuilds, Sasuke and Naruto grow apart. Sasuke aims to kill his brother, who left the village after ostensibly killing his whole family. This quest for vengeance consumes Sasuke, and he decides to seek Orochimaru. Sakura, who is in love with Sasuke, asks Naruto to attempt to bring Sasuke back to Konoha. In a climactic battle, Naruto and Sasuke fight each other. During this fight, Naruto is overwhelmed by his inner demon and becomes much stronger. Sasuke, however, has grown as a ninja also and defeats Naruto.

Naruto returns to Konoha for a time before beginning to train with Jiraiya, an old ninja sage who has much sympathy for the young boy. After two years of training, Naruto has partially learned to use the powers of the demon within him. Once more, he sets out to find Sasuke, but his search is overshadowed by other important events.

A group of renegade ninja called the Akatsuki aims to extract all the tailed beasts, such as Naruto’s demon fox, from the humans in whom they are sealed. Most of the ninja villages have possession of one or two of the tailed beasts. The Akatsuki hunt Naruto and others and engage in fierce battles with the Konoha ninja. Pain, the alleged leader of the Akatsuki, kills Jiraiya and sets out to destroy Konoha. This time, however, Naruto succeeds in defending the village and is finally recognized as a hero by his fellow villagers.

As Pain is defeated, a new enemy appears. Madara Uchiha, one of the legendary founders of Konoha, is revealed to be the real leader of the Akatsuki. This manipulative new enemy, who has lured Sasuke into the Akatsuki, aims to use the power of the tailed beasts to destroy all the ninja villages and become the new ruler of the ninja world. In the meantime, Naruto trains to become even stronger, as he will be one of the most important factors in deciding the outcome of the coming ninja war.

Volumes

• Naruto: The Tests of the Ninja (2003). Collects chapters 1-7. Naruto attempts to graduate from the ninja academy.

• Naruto: The Worst Client (2003). Collects chapters 8-17. Naruto goes on his first important mission with his teammates, Sasuke and Sakura, and captain, Kakashi.

• Naruto: Bridge of Courage (2004). Collects chapters 18-27. The mission becomes difficult and dangerous after an encounter with the rogue ninja Zabuza.

• Naruto: The Next Level (2004). Collects chapters 28-36. The fight with Zabuza comes to a conclusion. Upon returning to Konoha, the team meets young ninja from the sand country.

• Naruto: Challengers (2004). Collects chapters 37-45. A new story arc in which Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura take an exam to become higher-ranked ninja begins.

• Naruto: The Forest of Death (2005). Collects chapters 46-54. The first phase of the exam begins.

• Naruto: Orochimaru’s Curse (2005). Collects chapters 55-63. During the exam, Sasuke is marked with a curse by one of Konoha’s archenemies, Orochimaru.

• Naruto: Life-and-Death Battles (2005). Collects chapters 63-72. The exam’s second phase begins. In a series of one-on-one battles, Sasuke is more and more affected by the curse mark.

• Naruto: Turning the Tables (2006). Collects chapters 73-81. The preliminary matches continue.

• Naruto: A Splendid Ninja (2006). Collects chapters 82-90. Gaara from the village of the sand brutally injures Konoha’s Lee in a preliminary match.

• Naruto: Impassioned Efforts (2006). Collects chapters 91-99. While Naruto trains for the final stage of the exam, the other villages in the world seem to scheme against Konoha.

• Naruto: The Great Fight (2006). Collects chapters 100-108. Naruto fights and defeats Neji.

• Naruto: The Chunin Exam, Concluded! (2007). Collects chapters 109-117. While Sasuke fights Gaara in the last matchup of the exam, it is revealed that Gaara harbors a demonic “tailed beast” just like Naruto.

• Naruto: Hokage vs. Hokage! (2007). Collects chapters 118-126. Orochimaru attempts to destroy Konoha.

• Naruto: Naruto’s Ninja Handbook (2007). Collects chapters 127-135. During the confusion of Orochimaru’s attack, Naruto faces off with Gaara.

• Naruto: Eulogy (2007). Collects chapters 136-144. While the village recuperates from the attack and mourns its deceased leader, new enemies encroach on the village.

• Naruto: Itachi’s Power (2007). Collects chapters 145-153. Sasuke’s older brother comes to Konoha to search for Naruto. Aspects of Konoha’s past and Naruto’s destiny are unveiled.

• Naruto: Tsunade’s Choice (2007). Collects chapters 154-162. Naruto trains with Jiraiya and meets Tsunade, Jiraiya’s old teammate.

• Naruto: Successor (2007). Collects chapters 163-171. Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Naruto battle Orochimaru. When the battle concludes, Tsunade decides to accept the invitation to become Konoha’s new leader.

• Naruto: Naruto vs. Sasuke (2007). Collects chapters 172-180. Naruto and Sasuke grow apart.

• Naruto: Pursuit (2007). Collects chapters 181-190. As Sasuke seeks Orochimaru in his pursuit of power, Naruto attempts to stop him.

• Naruto: Comrades (2007). Collects chapters 191-199. While the young ninja from Konoha follow Sasuke, they must battle Orochimaru’s henchmen.

• Naruto: Predicament (2007). Collects chapters 200-208. Naruto fights Kimimaro.

• Naruto: Unorthodox (2007). Collects chapters 209-217. Gaara and his team come to the aid of Naruto and his friends.

• Naruto: Brothers (2007). Collects chapters 218-226. Naruto and Sasuke fight.

• Naruto: Awakening (2007). Collects chapters 227-235. During the fight, Naruto’s inner demon grants him strength, but there may be a cost. Sasuke awakens the next level of his ocular power, the Sharingan.

• Naruto: Departure (2007). Collects chapters 236-244. Naruto fails in his attempt to prevent Sasuke from going to Orochimaru and returns to Konoha disillusioned. Shortly after, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura depart to train with their respective teachers.

• Naruto: Homecoming (2008). Collects chapters 245-253. After two years of training with Jiraiya, Naruto returns to Konoha. This volume begins the second part of the Naruto series, known as Naruto Shippuden.

• Naruto: Kakashi vs. Itachi (2008). Collects chapters 254-262. As Kakashi fights Itachi, Naruto finds out more about a new enemy: the Akatsuki.

• Naruto: Puppet Masters (2008). Collects chapters 263-271. Sakura helps Naruto by fighting Sasori, an Akatsuki member seeking to capture Naruto and extract the demon fox.

• Naruto: Final Battle (2008). Collects chapters 272-280. Naruto and other Konoha ninja fight a dangerous battle with Akatsuki members.

• Naruto: The Search for Sasuke (2008). Collects chapters 281-289. The search for Sasuke continues.

• Naruto: The Secret Mission (2008). Collects chapters 290-299. Naruto loses control of his inner demon and, in the process, himself. Enraged, the demon fox turns on Naruto’s teammates.

• Naruto: The Reunion (2009). Collects chapters 300-309. Sasuke is found, but he still does not want to return to Konoha.

• Naruto: The New Two (2009). Collects chapters 310-319. The Akatsuki hunt the ninja in whom tailed beasts are sealed, while Naruto intensifies his training.

• Naruto: Cell Number 10 (2009). Collects chapters 320-329. Naruto’s friends Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino fight the dangerous Akatsuki member Hidan.

• Naruto: Shikamaru’s Battle (2009). Collects chapters 330-339. In the battle against Hidan, Shikamaru’s teacher is murdered. Shikamaru has his revenge.

• Naruto: Practice Makes Perfect (2009). Collects chapters 340-349. Naruto and Sasuke continue to grow apart, and the friendship between the two seems to be lost forever.

• Naruto: On the Move (2009). Collects chapters 350-359. Sasuke defeats Orochimaru and forms a ninja team.

• Naruto: The Ultimate Art (2009). Collects chapters 360-369. Sasuke encounters Deidera, an Akatsuki member, and does battle with him in an attempt to find out more about his brother’s whereabouts.

• Naruto: Jiraiya’s Decision (2009). Collects chapters 370-379. Jiraiya’s experiences as a young ninja are revealed.

• Naruto: The Secret of the Mangekyo (2009). Collects chapters 380-389. Jiraiya is killed while spying on Pain. Sasuke gets closer to his brother.

• Naruto: The Man with the Truth (2009). Collects chapters 390-402. Sasuke fights his brother. During the fight, secrets of the past are revealed.

• Naruto: Senjutsu Heir (2009). Collects chapters 403-412. Naruto aims to find out more about Pain by looking at his master’s last words to him.

• Naruto: Battlefield, Konoha (2009). Collects chapters 413-422. Pain launches an attack on Konoha while Naruto is away training to become a ninja sage.

• Naruto: Naruto Returns (2009). Collects chapters 423-432. Naruto returns from his training stronger than ever and fights Pain.

• Naruto: The Seal Destroyed (2010). Collects chapters 433-442. During his fight with Pain, Naruto temporarily loses control over his inner demon.

• Naruto: The Cheering Village (2010). Collects chapters 443-453. Naruto convinces Pain to stop attacking Konoha and undo the damage he has done. Because of this victory, Naruto is finally seen as the village hero.

• Naruto: The Gokage Summit Commences (2010). Collects chapters 454-463. The Akatsuki’s real leader, Madara Uchiha, reveals himself in the meeting of the five Hokages. As a result of the plan Madara reveals, the ninja villages decide to join forces and declare war on the Akatsuki.

• Naruto: Water Prison Death Match (2011). Collects chapters 464-473. Another tailed beast fights with one of the members of the Akatsuki and defeats him.

• Naruto: Sasuke vs. Danzo! (2011). Collects chapters 474-483. Sasuke seeks out and fights Konoha’s temporary Hokage, Danzo.

• Naruto: Cell Seven Reunion (2011). Collects chapters 484-494. Naruto arrives near the end of the battle between Danzo and Sasuke.

• Naruto: The Birth of Naruto (2011).Collects chapters 495-504. As Naruto starts training to be able to control the demon fox inside him, he meets his mother and finds out about his birth.

• Naruto:Viaduct to Peace (2012). Collects chapters 505-514. As both factions prepare for the inevitable war, fighting breaks out all over the continent.

• Naruto: The Great War, Outbreak (2012). Collects chapters 515-524. The great war between the ninja villages and the Akatsuki begins.

Characters

• Naruto Uzumaki, the protagonist, is a young boy with blond hair. He is cheerful, loyal to his village and friends, and determined. He hopes to end hatred in a world in which ninja from different villages constantly battle. His childishness is also the source of his greatest strength: His unfaltering resolve to end the hatred between ninja might open a path to a new future.

• Sasuke Uchiha, an antagonist, is a dark-haired boy who is lonely despite his extreme popularity. He craves revenge for the murder of his parents. Even after he kills his brother, the person responsible, his lust for revenge does not falter. Thus, he can easily be used by those who mean ill, and he becomes increasingly evil.

• Sakura Haruno is a pretty, free-spirited girl. She is in love with Sasuke, while Naruto is secretly in love with her. After Sasuke leaves Konoha, Sakura asks Naruto to bring him back.

• KakashiHatake is the captain of the team in which Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke begin as ninja. He is a quiet and reserved man who believes that teamwork is the cornerstone of the ninja existence.

• Orochimaru, an antagonist, is the evil mastermind behind the first large attack on Konoha. His appearance resembles that of a snake. After being expelled from Konoha for conducting illegal experiments concerning forbidden ninja powers, he gathers allies in preparation for his revenge.

• Jiraiya is an awkward-looking man with white hair who becomes Naruto’s trainer and mentor. Despite his looks and behavior, he is a great ninja who has tried to do nothing but good. After training Naruto, he is killed while on a spying mission.

• Tsunade is a beautiful woman who becomes Konoha’s new Hokage halfway through the series. She is sometimes quick to anger but has learned not to act rashly when this might harm the village.

• Madara Uchiha, an antagonist, is a mysterious man who keeps his face hidden behind a mask. He persuades Sasuke to fight at his side during his war against the ninja villages. His aim is to use the tailed beasts to unlock a new ninja power with which he can rule the world.

Artistic Style

Because of both the length of the Naruto series and the fact that he is the only artist working on it, Kishimoto has not produced many other series. The style of Naruto is less convoluted and more stylized that that of Kishimoto’s first manga, Karakuri (1998). This transition to a more open style can also be witnessed in Naruto, as the illustrations have become less dense as the series has progressed.

Kishimoto deploys an Artistic style akin to that of the other shonen manga published in Weekly Shonen Jump, such as Bleach (2001- ). Speed and pacing are of the utmost importance for shonen manga, and Kishimoto masterfully composes pages and frames that facilitate the fast reading to which shonen manga readers are accustomed. The fight scenes are exciting because of Kishimoto’s ability to render powerful movements in the stable images that compose the manga. He finds ways to deliver an action-packed reading experience with relatively calm and open pages, and the simplicity and clarity of the images can even be said to be constituents of the action-packed reading experience. Kishimoto often uses clear white backgrounds in his frames, and these frames are mostly surrounded and divided by white gutters. An exception to this style is when Kishimoto illustrates the numerous flashbacks in the narrative. To underscore the temporal difference between a flashback and the present narrative, Kishimoto sets frames that represent flashbacks against black backgrounds instead of white ones. Only in the comical scenes does the tone of the illustrations change significantly, with the style becoming less realistic and more cartoonish.

Themes

A coming-of-age story about an orphan, Naruto is an optimistic tale in spite of the adversities the protagonist encounters. Naruto’s optimism, which might sometimes be mistaken for naïveté, is pitted against Sasuke’s grief and hunger for revenge and the ninja world’s distrust and hatred. Both Sasuke and Naruto are outsiders without families in the pleasant village of Konoha, and as they come of age as ninja, they deal with the pains of their youth differently. While Sasuke becomes strong to avenge his parents, Naruto chooses to become strong so that he can protect the villagers and be recognized as one of them.

Within the coming-of-age framework, the importance of friendship and family is constantly underlined. Sasuke is Naruto’s first friend, and for this reason, Naruto does not want to give up on him even though he has done horrible things. In the course of the narrative, however, Naruto makes new friends and becomes a respected member of the village community. Naruto’s strength grows as he gains more loved ones to protect, while Sasuke remains alone and is increasingly absorbed by his quest for revenge.

As the plot unfolds, it becomes clear that the tragic relationship between Naruto and Sasuke, and their respective clans, goes far back into history. The fight between the avenger and the protector has taken place countless times. Nonetheless, Naruto remains optimistic and believes that he might have the power to change the ninja world and rid it of its hate.

Impact

Read by millions of people in Japan, the United States, and elsewhere, Naruto is one of the most popular shonen manga series in the world. As a typical example of a shonen action manga, Naruto does not deviate much from the standard format of action-packed chapters accompanied by a somewhat flat cast of characters. Because of its popularity, however, Naruto can also be said to dictate the format of the shonen action manga genre as much as it has borrowed from it.

Despite its enormous popularity, Naruto has not received much critical attention from Western scholars. Reasons for the lack of critical attention are its enormous popularity and its lack of innovation. However, an entire panel of the Cologne conference organized by the International Manga Research Center from the Kyoto Seika University was devoted to the Naruto franchise.

Films

Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow. Directed by Tensai Okamura. Studio Pierrot, 2004. This animated film and the subsequent films follow original story lines not based on the manga.

Naruto the Movie 2: Legend of the Stone Gelel. Directed by Hirosugu Kawasaki. Studio Pierrot, 2006.

Naruto the Movie 3: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom. Directed by Toshiyuki Tsuru. Studio Pierrot, 2006.

Naruto Shippuden: The Movie. Directed by Hajime Kamegaki. Studio Pierrot, 2007.

Naruto Shippuden 2: Bonds. Directed by Masahiko Murata. Studio Pierrot, 2008.

Naruto Shippuden 3: Inheritors of the Will of Fire. Directed by Murata. Studio Pierrot, 2009.

Naruto Shippuden 4: The Lost Tower. Directed by Murata. Studio Pierrot, 2010.

Naruto Shippuden 5: Blood Prison. Directed by Murata. Studio Pierrot, 2011.

Television Series

Naruto. Directed by Hayato Date. Studio Pierrot, 2002-2007. This anime follows the plot of the manga with the exception of a number of “filler episodes,” which feature stand-alone stories that do not influence the true plot of the manga.

Naruto: Shippuden. Directed by Date. Studio Pierrot, 2007- . This anime follows the second phase of the manga, in which Naruto has become an adolescent.

Further Reading

Kubo, Noriaki. Bleach (2001- ).

Mashima, Hiro. Fairy Tail (2006- ).

Oda, Eiichiro. One Piece (2003- ).

Bibliography

Born, Christopher E. “In the Footsteps of the Master: Confucian Values in Anime and Manga.” ASIANetwork Exchange 17, no. 1 (Fall, 2009): 39-53.

Brenner, Robin E. Understanding Manga and Anime. Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited, 2007.

Kishimoto, Masashi. The Art of Naruto: Uzumaki. San Francisco: VIZ Media, 2007.

Rubin, Lawrence. “Big Heroes on the Small Screen: Naruto and the Struggle Within.” In Popular Culture in Counseling, Psychotherapy, and Play-Based Interventions. New York: Springer, 2008.