Anime fans, rejoice! You’ll be delighted to hear that a new Naruto box set is up for pre-order! The limited-edition blu-ray box set includes all 10 seasons and 112 episodes of the series, in a quality that hasn’t been seen before. Plus new special features such as a 72-page art booklet, a window cling, poster, storyboards, and more. 

Right now,the set is up for pre-order at GRUV $249.95 but you can get a 20% discount when you use the code SIGNUP20 at checkout. That will bring the price down to $199.96, a fair price to have the entire Naruto series in never-before-seen 1080p. The set is confirmed for release on January 7th, 2025. Take a look below for more details. 

“In another world, ninja are the ultimate power, and in the Village Hidden in the Leaves live the stealthiest ninja in the land. Twelve years earlier, the fearsome Nine-Tailed Fox terrorized the village and claimed many lives before it was subdued and its spirit sealed within the body of a baby boy. That boy, Naruto Uzumaki, has grown up to become a ninja-in-training who’s more interested in pranks than in studying ninjutsu.. but Naruto is determined to become the greatest ninja ever!”

Features

• Rating: 14+
• Language: English, Japanese
• Genres: Action, Fantasy
• Format: Blu-ray
• Release Date: 1/7/25
• Includes Episodes 1-220
• Subtitles: English
• Aspect Ratio: 4:3
• Main Feature Runtime: 5060
• Region: A
• Number of Blu-ray Discs: 32
• UPC: 782009248460
• Studio: Viz

Special Features

• 72-page Art Booklet
• Window Cling
• Poster
• Storyboards
• Clean Open and Close Videos
• Making of Cover Art – Gallery
• Art Galleries
• Trailers

The Live-Action Naruto

Lionsgate announced recently that it would be working with Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton to bring the lovely Hidden Leaf Village to life. The live-action rendition of the popular anime doesn’t have many details out yet, but Cretton has received a very special seal of approval. Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto, stated that he was excited to see the new take on his world. We can still wait and see if he’ll take on the Executive Producer role much like Eiichiro Oda did with the One Piece live-action series, but for now, it’s exciting that he’s excited.

Although the future of Naruto is a bit up in the air while we wait on new details for the movie, it’s fantastic to see a new box set hit the shelves. The Naruto fandom looks like it’ll continue to grow for the foreseeable future, and we love that new fans keeping tuning in for the journey of seventh Hokage.

The post Naruto Complete Series Blu-Ray Box Set Is a Limited Edition appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Some unannounced games in the worlds of One Piece and Naruto have supposedly been either paused or canceled entirely amid some larger shakeups at Bandai Namco, according to new reports. It’s been suggested that work on these unknown games is uncertain at the moment due to a underwhelming demand, and the games in flux apparently extend beyond anime titles, too, with a Nintendo project currently on hold at Bandai Namco as well.

News of the state of these Naruto and One Piece games supposedly in the works over at Bandai Namco comes from Bloomberg which said that the publisher had either halted or canceled some of its projects. Bloomberg speaks of a “lackluster demand,” though it seems the demand here is referring more to games in general as the gaming industry continues to cut costs by canceling projects and laying off workers. There were no references made to a lack of demand for Naruto and One Piece, specifically, which makes sense given that the latter is more popular than ever after Netflix’s live-action Naruto series even if the franchise is currently going on a hiatus. That does made it even stranger that Bandai Namco would be reconsidering a One Piece game, however, given its popularity and the fact that we’ve gotten several One Piece games in the last four years.

Bandai Namco publishes tons of anime-themed games — pretty much any of the more modern ones that you can think of — so there’s no telling what kinds of games these One Piece and Naruto projects were. Many of Bandai Namco’s anime games are arena fighters like the wonderful Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero while others are a bit more open like Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, but they all typically circle back around to beating up anime baddies.

But while anime adaptations may be the publisher’s bread and butter, its work extends beyond that scope as well. Bandai Namco published Elden Ring and other Souls games, for example, and also works with Nintendo on some projects. Two Nintendo franchises Bandai Namco works on are the Mario Kart and Smash Bros. games with a broader team established recently to work closer with Nintendo (though those franchises were not specifically mentioned in the announcement). Mobile games are another focus of Bandai Namco which are also supposedly being impacted by these decisions made internally. Another game, Blue Protocol, was recently confirmed for a shutdown early next year despite having only just released recently. The Western version of the game which was to be published by Amazon has also been canned.

As a result of these cancelations and paused games, Bandai Namco is also reducing its workforce with around 200 employees said to be affected. These employee losses also contribute to an already brutal year for gaming studios in terms of layoffs and lost talent.

The post New One Piece, Naruto Games Reportedly Canceled by Bandai Namco appeared first on ComicBook.com.

If you thought the ninjas of Konoha teaming up with the Heroes in a Half-Shell of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fame was strange, you haven’t seen anything yet. In a shocking official release, Naruto is teaming up with the Transformers for a new crossover that is sure to be one of the strangest team-ups in recent memory. Even though the two franchises couldn’t be more different, that isn’t stopping the Cybertronians from fusing with anime’s most popular ninjas. An official preview has been released by Crunchyroll detailing what this crossover will entail and how the Seventh Hokage will meet up with the Autobots and Decepticons.

When it comes to the Naruto franchise, a good “go-to” when it comes to the recognizability of the shonen series is the sequel, Naruto Shippuden. Taking place after the Seventh Hokage’s initial adventures, Shippuden follows Naruto as a teenager as he fights against the enigmatic band of ninjas known as the Akatsuki and perfects his techniques. It makes sense that this upcoming crossover with the Transformers would focus on this iteration specifically, as Shippuden remains a fan-favorite entry. While the Naruto crossover with TMNT will arrive later this year as a comic book series, the Shippuden/Transformers crossover is planning something a little different for next year.

Ninjas That Are More Than Meets The Eye

Instead of a new anime and/or comic book series smashing the two universes together, two new figures are being created that will take two of Naruto’s most recognizable beasts and turn them into Cybertronians. Both Kurama, the Nine-Tailed Fox, and Gamakichi, the giant frog who was an ally to both Naruto and Jiraiya, will be made into Transformers and are set to arrive in Spring 2025. In an exclusive from Crunchyroll, the streaming service shared a first look at the figures that will retail for around $54.99 on release. Pre-orders are available here at Entertainment Earth now ($7.95 flat rate shipping, free on orders $99+) and here on Amazon.

The Future of Cybertron And Konoha

When it comes to the future of both franchises, things are looking bright. For the Transformers, the series recently released a prequel animated film in Transformers ONE. While the film received critical and audience acclaim, Paramount has yet to confirm if a sequel is in the works. Luckily, the Transformers are returning to the big screen thanks to the upcoming live-action crossover, Transformers And G.I. Joe. Long have these two properties had a shared history in the comics and it will be interesting to see how they interact in the upcoming live-action film.

On the Naruto front, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex is the current manga series that is focusing on the son of the Seventh Hokage. Featuring Boruto Uzumaki as a teenager, the world has turned against the shonen ninja as he attempts to make things right in the face of enemies and allies alike. Unfortunately, no word has been revealed by Studio Pierrot regarding the return of the anime adaptation though the production house had previously confirmed that they were working on four original episodes of the initial Naruto series.

The Naruto x TMNT Crossover

While no toys have been announced for the upcoming Naruto crossover with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a comic book series will arrive on November 13th. The crossover will see the Turtles teaming up with Konoha’s finest, from the initial Naruto series, as they fight against Shredder, the Foot Clan, and perhaps some other surprise villains along the way. Considering both TMNT and Transformers fall under the Paramount banner, it will be interesting to see if Naruto and his fellow ninjas cross over with any other Paramount franchise.

Want to stay up to date on what worlds the Hidden Leaf Village will cross over with? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for all the latest on the shonen ninjas and the animated Cybertronians.

Via Crunchyroll

The post Naruto x Transformers Crossover Shares First Look appeared first on ComicBook.com.

For some time, many anime fans didn’t see the point of continuing Naruto’s story once he became the Seventh Hokage, Madara Uchiha was defeated, and peace was restored to Konoha. Regardless, the Hidden Leaf Village’s story continued thanks to Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. As the anime adaptation created quite a few original stories of its own, many shonen enthusiasts felt that the son of the Seventh Hokage couldn’t follow in his father’s footsteps when it came to sheer quality. We thought now would be the perfect time to fill you in as to why Boruto: Two Blue Vortex has “broken the curse” and become a solid sequel to Masashi Kishimoto’s masterpiece.

To start, let’s break down the story of the Two Blue Vortex and what makes it so different from its predecessor. Unlike Shippuden, Boruto Uzumaki doesn’t find himself entering his teenage years as a member of the Hidden Leaf but instead is being hunted by his former friends. Thanks to the power of the former Kara member Eida, the world believes that Boruto was responsible for the deaths of his parents Naruto and Hinata. As the son of the seventh fights friends and enemies alike, new villains have emerged in the forms of the Divine Trees, antagonists that hit a bit too close to home for our anime heroes.

The Two Blue Vortex: Different Is Better

One of the biggest problems of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations was that many aspects of the storytelling felt like lesser reflections of what came before in both the original Naruto series and its sequel, Naruto: Shippuden. The Kara Organization might have had its own motives but they barely held a candle to the Akatsuki, the villainous ninja collective that remains one of anime’s most recognizable band of villains. 

When Naruto Next Generations began, series creator Masashi Kishimoto handed the keys to the kingdom to his assistant Mikio Ikemoto. While Mikio had some interesting ideas, many of the characters fell into a dynamic wherein they were mostly combinations of their parents and had far fewer challenges to deal with. Boruto might have had his own “inner demon” but Momoshiki wasn’t as charismatic or as striking as the Nine-Tailed Fox. Luckily, Kishimoto took back the reins of the series and started making some wild swings in terms of adding changes to Konoha.

Hitting the ground floor running, Masashi wiped the board clean by killing both Kara’s leader Jigen along with Kurama as well. With both the good and evil sides of the ninja world losing their biggest guns, the future was wide open and things began to change at a rapid pace. Code, Jigen’s right-hand young man, has picked up where his master left off, creating an army all his own but the Divine Trees comes as a threat to both him and the heroes.

What Makes Boruto Good Now?

There’s an amazing sense of unpredictability that has been introduced in Two Blue Vortex as Boruto’s current rogue status puts him at odds with friends and enemies alike. While the Seventh’s son’s current situation does rhyme with Naruto’s Shippuden status, in that Boruto was in training with Kashin Koji, the clone of Jiraiya, the current storyline is seeing Boruto truly strike out on his own. In losing so many of his allies, Boruto has come into his own both in terms of his character and his overall strength. 

Flipping the script on Boruto and making his former friends become enemies is a brilliant switcheroo. This series of events not only adds to the tension, it gives readers some match-ups that might have otherwise never happened if not for Eida’s spell. On top of this, thanks to Kawaki’s character putting him at serious odds with his “brother” Boruto, the young Uzumaki appears to have far more challenges in his way than his father ever did. The new environment is one that wasn’t seen in the original series and it makes for a great locale for storytelling.

Two Blue Vortex: Creating Its Own Legacy

As mentioned previously, Boruto as a sequel series that many shonen fans felt was unnecessary. In following Naruto and his quest to become the Seventh Hokage, the ninja world seemed to have told its story in a way that would resonate for some time to come. The Two Blue Vortex has managed to step out of the shadow of the series that gave birth to it and in doing so, has the necessary foundation for a solid future. 

On top of the unpredictable nature of the series, many of the battles and story elements of the sequel series have been strong thus far. Himawari gaining the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox finally gives Boruto’s sister something to do in the main plot and Boruto’s “power-up” thanks to his years of training has made him a force to be reckoned with, albeit in a different way from his sibling. Offering Boruto different challenges to fight against and leading him on a different path from his father was always the right way to go and that’s one of the biggest strengths of the Two Blue Vortex thus far.

Unfortunately, no word has been shared from Studio Pierrot as to when we can expect the shonen franchise’s anime adaptation to make a comeback, let alone when we can expect Two Blue Vortex’s anime to arrive. There are still several chapters of Boruto: Naruto Next Generation to cover following the deaths of Jigen and Kurama, on top of the original four Naruto episodes that PIerrot had hinted at releasing. It might be some time before we see this latest series animated but it will be well worth the wait.

Want to see what the future holds for Boruto Uzumaki? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on the Hidden Leaf Village and feel free to hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime. 

The post Naruto Fans, Face It. Boruto Is Really Good Now. appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Believe it, boys and girls. Naruto is on the horizon in a way we have never seen before. Earlier this year, fans learned Naruto and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were . IDW Publishing and Viz Media is on the cusp of the crossover, and we just got a brand-new peek at Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto. And yes, this one brings the one-and-only Kakashi center stage.

As you can see below, the sneak peek was posted by ANN ahead of the comic’s debut next week. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto is set to begin in mid-November. The special preview brings Team 7 together for a mission, and Kakashi is leading the charge. Of course, the crew is joined by April O’Niel as the reporter managed to plead a case to the Hidden Leaf Village, and Tsunade asked Naruto’s crew to help the girl out.

The Intersection of Naruto and TMNT

In this preview, fans are given a clear look at how Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto will look and feel. Caleb Goellner is writing the comic after making a name for themselves with Sonic the Hedgehog. Hendry Prasetya is overseeing drawing while Raul Angulo doing coloring. Plus, lettering has been tasked to Ed Dukeshire. IDW Publishing and Viz Media assembled a top-notch team to handle the comic, and this new preview promises big things for fans.

After all, we get to meet Team 7 face-to-face as genin once again. Naruto is back in his iconic orange suit while Sasuke rocks his usual blue-white look. As for Sakura, the girl’s hair is perfectly cut, so we are well past the Chunnin Exam arc. Given the timing, this Team 7 mission has to be set just before Sasuke leaves the Hidden Leaf Village for Orochimaru, so life for Team 7 hasn’t yet hit the fan.

Give Us More Manga x Comic Collaborations

With a crack team in charge, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto is just the latest crossover between manga and western comics. It isn’t often that western comics bring manga into their realm, but it has happened before. Marvel once did an impressive collaboration with Attack on Titan, and of course, manga has a long history with tackling western IPs.

From Wolverine to Deadpool and Spider-Man, a number of Marvel heroes have been given manga titles over the years. Right now, Deadpool Samurai is a big hit for Marvel and Shueisha as its second season just began. As for other publishing houses, DC Comics has delved into manga before. Joker One: Operation Joker debuted a couple years ago to great success as it features the Joker raising a Baby Batman. From Superman Meshi to Batman: Justice Buster, DC Comics is also getting into the manga space, and now IDW Publishing is doing the same with TMNT.

As for what’s next, well – we will have to see. The manga industry is growing by the day, and current sales stateside make it to the top-selling type of graphic novel. The market heavily favors manga thanks to readers, so there is more interest in these comic crossovers than ever before. So if we see Chainsaw Man fight Spawn one day, don’t be surprised.

What do you think about this latest peek at Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto? Are you planning to check out the IDW series? Give me a shout at @meganwpeters with your take! You can also let us know what you think over on X (Twitter) and Instagram.

The post New Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto Promo Proves the Collab’s Potential appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Boruto: Two Blue Vortex has been steadily reintroducing characters to the sequel series following its three year time skip, and the newest chapter brought Gaara’s son Shinki back…but probably not in the way fans had been hoping for. Boruto: Two Blue Vortex has been getting more intense with each of the new chapter as Boruto and the rest of the Hidden Leaf Village had been fighting against the Ten Tails invaders. But with the end of these fights, Boruto himself is still very much a fugitive from the village and is enemy number one. That might not be the case for much longer, however. 

Boruto: Two Blue Vortex is still working through the immediate fallout of everything that happened in the fights against the Ten Tails beings, and each one of them had been proven to have the kinds of abilities that each of the shinobi still struggled against. Each of these beings takes their power from someone that has been trapped within their Ten Tails trees, and it’s revealed in the newest chapter that the latest victim of this is actually Gaara’s son, Shinki, who hasn’t been seen in action in quite a long time. 

What Happens in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 14?

Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 14 picks up after the Ten Tails complete their attacks on the village, and Boruto is held in containment as an enemy to the village. It’s through him that they want to get as much detail on these new villains as possible, and he confirms for them that the Divine Tree people are indeed bred from the powers of those they have copied. And each of them seems to have a target that they personally want to devour. Amado suspects it’s due to the fact that they have gained knowledge, and thus want to seek out more. 

He also explains that their leader, Jura, is not like the others as he seemed to have come from the Ten Tails specifically. He knows beating Jura is the only way to end things, and the rest of the village isn’t so keen on believing him and would rather take him out. But before all this comes to pass, Boruto is able to escape and things get worse from there. Shikamaru’s soon contacted by Kankuro, and he unfortunately confirms that the Hidden Sand Village has also been attacked by the Divine Tree fighters. 

What Happened to Shinki? 

Kankuro tells Shikamaru that both Gaara and Shinki had been taken down. While the two of them are still alive after the attack, Shinki has been captured within a tree. Hoping to explain more later, he’s reaching out to the Hidden Leaf to get some help as soon as they can get it. It’s then revealed that the fighters have sprouted yet another Divine Tree fighter, and it’s a new person named Ryu. Since each of them look similarly to the person they are copying, it’s clear that this new foe is sapping away at Shinki’s power. 

Ryu was the Divine Tree fighter that had been alluded to with one of the potential possible futures that Kashin Koji had seen when he was explaining his power with Boruto, and now it’s clear that this future has come to pass. But as there’s a new Divine Tree fighter with the intent in taking down the Hidden Sand, it’s even clearer that the entire shinobi world is in danger from this group that’s getting stronger with each passing chapter that hits. 

The post Naruto Cliffhanger Hits Gaara’s Son With a Deadly Transformation appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be having a major crossover with Naruto later this Fall, and the artist behind the series has dropped a new sneak peek at the highly anticipated team up with some special new art. Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto is now officially celebrating the 25th anniversary of the manga’s original debut in Shuieisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, and that means we’re likely to see all kinds of fun new projects celebrating how far Naruto has come in that time. This has led to the announcement of not only a new live-action movie in the works, but a fun new crossover event too. 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto is a fun team up between IDW Publishing, Shueisha and Viz Media launching later this November that will see the Hidden Leaf Village colliding with New York, and it’s going to spark a whole new conflict between all of these famous ninjas. The artist behind the second issue of the new crossover, Jorge Jimenez, took to social media to share a new sneak peek at the crossover that highlights both Donatello and Naruto’s Kyubi form to great results. Check it out below: 

What Is TMNT x Naruto About? 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto teases that it will kick off when April O’ Neil has a meeting with the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade. This secret meeting not only catches the attention of the Hidden Leaf Village (which seems to already exist within the Turtles’ version of New York), but of the Turtles’ own ninja foes, the Foot Clan. So naturally it’s not long before the two have to join forces to take on an even bigger threat. Speaking with ComicBook earlier this Summer about the highly anticipated crossover, series writer Caleb Goellner opened up about bringing the two franchises together.

In incorporating Naruto into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles‘ world, Goellner revealed that the Hidden Leaf Village was fully brought into the universe, “Team 7 will actually be headed to a new version of the TMNT’s turf! We metaphorically (and I guess literally) added a TMNT section to the world of Naruto for this story so we could make it feel as lived-in and authentic as possible. Series artist Hendry Prasetya has done a ton of truly stunning design work to make this possible, of course. He’s got powerful design jutsu.”

When Does TMNT x Naruto Come Out? 

In bringing these universes together, Goellner also explained why they felt this crossover is already seemingly perfect, “The magic of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto is pretty self-evident, but the main reason it works in my opinion is that the TMNT as a concept already has so much innate shonen energy. I mean, I’ve always loved the two Japanese TMNT anime OVAs and the resulting toys. I could easily imagine a TMNT series created specifically for Shonen Jump.” And by the looks of this newest cover art, the two are already a perfect team before the first issue hits just as the writer says. 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto is currently scheduled to hit comic shop shelves beginning on November 20th, and will be running for four issues to tell its story written by Caleb Goellner with illustrations provided by both Jorge Jimenez and Hendry Prasetya. Each of the issues will also likely have multiple variants, so fans of both franchises will want to keep an eye out for all of the cool crossover art that will be coming our way with this new limited series launching later this Fall,. 

The post TMNT x Naruto Shares New Sneak Peek Ahead of Launch appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto manga first made its debut 25 years ago, and the manga is commemorating the occasion with a special video showing off the series’ biggest moments. Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto manga hit the pages of Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine on September 21, 1999, and it’s been 25 years since the manga went on to become one of the biggest and most influential franchises of all time. Naruto has been such a success for Shueisha since it made its debut that it’s since continued with a full sequel series, which is now even in the midst of its own sequel. 

The anime adaptation for Naruto recently celebrated its own 20th anniversary not long ago, but now the manga has hit another major milestone. While it’s been 25 years since the series first made its debut, it feels just as fresh today as fans are still taking the time to highlight some of the biggest moments that happened over its initial run. Shueisha is using this time to look back as well with a special new video to show off Naruto‘s best moments as the perfect way to kick off this 25th anniversary party. Check it out below: 

What Is Naruto? 

First making its official debut in 1999, Masashi Kishimoto‘s Naruto introduces fans to Naruto Uzumaki, an orphan who has been ostracized from the rest of his home village of ninjas, the Hidden Leaf Village. It turns out that years before, the village had been attacked by a monster known as the Nine-Tailed Beast. His father had sacrificed himself to help take down the monster, and it was then sealed within a baby Naruto to keep it under wraps. Due to having this monster within his body, Naruto’s been forced to live on his own while everyone hates him. 

Despite all of this, Naruto’s dream is to become the leader of the whole village, the Hokage, in order to gain the people’s respect. He doesn’t seem to have any ability to use traditional ninja abilities, and he doesn’t really have the physical skills to do well in school, but Naruto tries anyway. It’s this spirit that pushes him throughout the series as he takes on increasingly deadlier enemies and grows to such a level of power that he eventually becomes the Hokage by the end of it all. 

What’s Next for Naruto? 

Funny enough, that was far from the end of the Naruto series by any means. The timeline has continued with an official sequel series, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. This manga, written and illustrated by Mikio Ikemoto with Kishimoto overseeing the story, introduced fans to Naruto’s son, Boruto Uzumaki. Boruto deals with his own troubles, and they grow to such an extent that it’s now in the midst of its own sequel series keeping the story going, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex. You can now find it all with either Viz Media’s digital Shonen Jump library or Sheuisha’s MangaPlus service. 

As for Naruto itself, it’s currently still working on its celebration for the anime’s 20th anniversary. With the planned return of the original Naruto anime for four special episodes, this celebration will take Team 7 on a new mission never seen in the franchise before. The manga has yet to announce whether or not it will have any grand plans for this milestone just yet, but given how big this franchise is, this special video is likely far from the only 25th anniversary celebration that Naruto will have for the monumental occasion. 

The post Naruto Celebrates 25th Anniversary With Blast From the Past Video: Watch appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Naruto fans have gotten plenty of video game adaptations over the years, but a lot is owed to Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm, the PS3 game released back in 2018. It kicked off the Ultimate Ninja Storm series overall which led to three more Ultimate Ninja Storm games, but Naruto fans haven’t gotten another of those since 2016 when Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 was released. Fast-forward to the present day, however, and we’re now about to see the original Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm make a comeback that’ll make it playable in a new way nearly 16 years later.

That’s because the classic Naruto game is getting a rerelease this month, Bandai Namco announced this week. The game was brought forward to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC platforms in 2017 with a Nintendo Switch version following those in 2018, and on September 25th, it’ll be ported once more to mobile devices this time.

“A Naruto game full of 3D competitive action! Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm finally makes its way to smartphones!” an overview of the game from its new iOS page said. “Experience the stories and battles of Naruto’s childhood through beautiful graphics!”

This single-player Naruto game consists of a story-based mode where you can play through different missions and battles related to moments Naruto fans should be pretty familiar with already. It’ll also have a “Free Battle Mode” that includes 25 different characters to choose from.

Given that it’s been over 15 years since the original Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm first released, it makes sense that the Naruto game is also getting some modern optimizations to bring it in line with other current games. It’s got an autosave feature now and also has new control settings so that players can pick between casual or manual controls. Given that it’s a smartphone game now, you’ll now see a suite of touch controls. An image shared through the game’s site which can be seen below shows an example of what the controls will look like. It’s also worth pointing out that since this is a single-player game, you can pause it, so even if the mobile controls take some getting used to, you can at least take your time with it.

Bandai Namco said the game is “now available,” but it’s actually scheduled to be released on iOS and Android devices on September 24th. Another caveat to consider is that this Naruto game won’t be free on mobile platforms. It’ll be sold for $9.99 through both the Google Play and App Store marketplaces, but that’s still cheaper than it being sold for the $19.99 you’ll see on other modern platforms.

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm will be available on mobile devices on September 24th.

The post Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Is Making a Comeback appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Time flies in the ninja world when you’re having fun. It has been almost twenty-five years since Masashi Kishimoto introduced the young boy who would become Konoha’s Seventh Hokage and the Naruto franchise is still riding high to this day. While Naruto Uzumaki might no longer be leading the charge in the manga and its anime adaptation, handing the baton to his son, Boruto, that isn’t stopping the Hidden Leaf from finding exciting new ways to hit the mainstream. Thanks to the success of Netflix’s One Piece, now might be the time for the streaming service to take a good, hard look at creating a live-action take on the world of Naruto.

One of the big reasons why Naruto was able to become as popular as it was wasn’t just thanks to the fast-paced ninja battles that fuel its story, but the wide array of characters, good and evil, that populate the ninja world. Naruto Uzumaki might have been the title’s hero but his origin story saw most of the world seeing him as a villain. Harboring the nefarious Nine-Tailed Fox inside of himself, Naruto was a pariah in Konoha, though this fact didn’t stop him from earning friends, gaining trust, and creating a legacy that has made waves in the anime world and won’t soon be forgotten. Naruto might have seen some stumbles in the past but Boruto: Two Blue Vortex has been throwing some wild curveballs at readers and receiving wide acclaim in doing so. 

The Live-Action Naruto

If you’ve been following recent anime developments, you might be aware that Lionsgate is working with director Destin Daniel Cretton to create a live-action movie of Naruto. While few details have been revealed regarding the plot or casting of the upcoming live-action anime adaptation, Cretton has expressed his passion for taking on the challenge of bringing Konoha to life. On top of the announcement, the Shang-Chi director even received the approval of Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto to create this new take on the ninja world, alleviating many anime fans’ thoughts on the project. While Kishimoto might not take on an Executive Producer role as Eiichiro Oda has with One Piece, it goes a long way to show that Naruto’s “father” is on board. 

Bearing this mind, you may be wondering why a Netflix television series should be made in the face of a live-action movie. To start, Naruto is such a giant franchise that it almost seems like a disservice to keep it restrained to one feature-length film, minus the idea that sequels would be in development. The ninja world from Masashi Kishimoto introduced shonen fans to hundreds of characters over its decades-long history and there would be more than enough material to share between two live-action projects. In the case of One Piece, the Straw Hats’ story is spread out across multiple mediums and Naruto could once again follow suit in terms of its predecessor’s path.

A Naruto Television Show Vs. A Naruto Movie

While both live-action adaptations could approach the story of the Seventh Hokage and his offspring in two different ways, there is more than enough material for a potential live-action television show to add ancillary material to the upcoming Lionsgate film. Examining the first stories that began Naruto’s journey, there are only so many battles and character stories that could fit into a feature-length film. Background for characters such as Itachi Uchiha, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Tsunade, Rock Lee, Kakashi, and countless others could be relegated to a Netflix series while the film focused squarely on Naruto. 

One Piece’s live-action series has opened the door for live-action anime adaptations like the upcoming Naruto film. While there was never direct confirmation that the Naruto live-action movie was given the green light thanks to the Straw Hat Pirates’ success, the two appear to go hand-in-hand in terms of One Piece’s first season release being followed shortly by the Naruto announcement. These two major shonen franchises have decades of stories worth telling, whether they be via anime, manga, live-action, or otherwise. However Naruto did plan for a live-action future, the shonen series is certainly in good company at the moment. 

A Naruto Anime Remake

Much like One Piece, Naruto currently harbors hundreds of anime episodes to its name across three series, aka Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, and Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. Keeping this fact in mind, it might be difficult for some anime fans to dive into the Hidden Leaf Village considering the vast amount of storytelling that makes up the Seventh Hokage’s life. One Piece, Netflix, and Wit Studio deliberated this predicament and decided to update the shonen franchise with an upcoming anime reboot. Not only will The One Piece modernize the anime for a new generation, but it will also “trim the fat” when it comes to the filler material that was a part of One Piece, sticking more closely to its source material.

If there is one thing that Naruto became notorious for in the past, it’s the amount of filler that the Studio Pierrot production used in the past. Creating a remake that is more “lean and mean” than its predecessor won’t just give new fans the perfect jumping-on point but it could work in tandem with a live-action series to boot. Perhaps Pierrot could hand off the animating duties to Wit Studio as well, giving a new studio the opportunity to bring Masashi Kishimoto’s artwork to life.

Whether it be via a live-action series, a live-action movie, an anime adaptation, or the original manga, the ninja world has become a legend in the anime world and is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon. Here’s to twenty-five years Naruto and hopefully, anime fans are in for twenty-five more. 

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Naruto might have started with the Seventh Hokage searching for acceptance in the Hidden Leaf Village but it has since seen the anime protagonist handing off the baton to his son, Boruto Uzumaki. Following the end of the initial series, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations would see creator Masashi Kishimoto handing off the baton himself to his assistant Mikio Ikemoto. Taking up the pen, Ikemoto forged the story of Konoha’s future before Kishimoto would make a comeback to throw a major monkey wrench into the lives of the Uzumaki family. While no longer drawing the series, Kishimoto is still more than willing to share new art of Naruto Uzumaki.

Naruto’s manga has continued for decades and doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon. Most recently, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex has been the latest sequel series that throws some major challenges at Konoha’s residents and the ninja world at large. Thanks to the powers of the villainous Eida, the world has been flipped upside down. Boruto’s former friends now believe that he is responsible for the death of his parents, though luckily for him, Naruto and Hinata are simply trapped in a limbo-like state. As Kawaki looks to eliminate the Otsusuki and the Divine Trees make their presence known, Boruto has his hands full in relation to the future.

Masashi Kishimoto Shares New Naruto Art

In a unique one-two punch, Masashi Kishimoto once again teamed up with artist Mikio Ikemoto to share new takes on Naruto and his progeny. While Boruto Uzumaki has his own fair share of challenges, Naruto had a far rougher start when it came to his own adventures. If you want the chance to see the young Naruto meeting the young Boruto, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations’ anime adaptation features a time-traveling storyline that saw the two meet thanks to wild circumstances.

What’s Happening in Boruto?

In Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, the son of the Seventh Hokage has been fighting friends and foes alike, though he has been quite successful in many of his battles thanks to the training he underwent in the background. Now utilizing new techniques of the Rasengan, Boruto was able to beat the likes of Code and Mitsuki, though the Divine Trees appear to be on a different level. Perhaps more shockingly, Boruto wasn’t the only member of the Uzumaki Clan to receive a power-up. Himawari, Boruto’s sister, revealed herself to be the new vessel for the Nine-Tailed Fox, meaning that she is sure to have similar power levels as her father, setting the stage for the daughter of the Seventh to play a large role in the future.

Naruto’s Anime Future

As of the writing of this article, Studio Pierrot has yet to confirm when we might expect to see Konoha return to the small screen. Previously, the production house touted four new episodes that would take fans back to the beginnings of Konoha, revisiting the original Naruto anime series. While those four installments are still being worked on, shonen fans are left wondering if we’ll ever see Boruto himself return to the screen. As Pierrot continues to follow a more seasonal approach to its projects, it could mean that anime fans will still have to wait for some time to see the ninja world make a comeback in the face of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War’s upcoming third part.

Want to see when Naruto and Boruto will return to the anime world? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on the Hidden Leaf Village and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime. 

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The anime world lost a major talent when it was announced earlier this month that voice actor Emi Shinohara had tragically passed. On top of taking on significant roles from franchises including, but not limited to, Ninja Scholl, Cardcaptor Sakura, Magic Knight Rayearth, and Sailor Moon, Shinohara lent her talents to the world of Naruto as well. Taking on one of the most significant roles in relation to the Seventh Hokage, Emi played the role of Kushina, mother of Naruto Uzumaki. In a tear-jerking tribute to the deceased voice actor, Naruto’s Toshiyuki Morikawa, aka the voice of Minato, shared his thoughts.

To give our readers background on the career of Emi Shinohara, the actor was born in 1963 in Fukushima, knowing from an early age that she wanted to get into the acting game. While she would become most well known for her roles in the anime world, she also assisted in giving big Hollywood productions Japanese dubs. Emi dubbed the likes of Home Alone, The Wizard of Oz, Clueless, and Nikita. Passing away while “undergoing medical treatment”, Emi’s talent agency, 81 Produce, shared the following official statement earlier this week, “Shinohara Emi (real name Watanabe Emiko), an actor affiliated with our company, passed away on September 8, 2024, at the age of 61, while undergoing medical treatment. We would like to express our deepest gratitude for the kindness shown to us during her lifetime.”

Minato And Kushina Forever

In a new statement from the voice of Minato, Toshiyuki Morikawa, the actor stated the following message when it came to both Shinohara’s passing and what he considered their best scene together, “Being able to play the role of a husband and wife in ‘Naruto,’ and that memorable scene, remains my fondest memory to this day. Thank you so much for your hard work. I firmly believe that we will meet again.”

On top of the role of Minato, Toshiyuki has also taken on anime roles including JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’s Yoshikage Kira, Bleach’s Isshin Kurosaki, Demon Slayer’s Kagaya Ubuyashiki, and One Piece’s Eneru. Not just relegated to anime, Morikawa has taken on several roles in the video game world including Resident Evil’s Leon Kennedy, Final Fantasy’s Sephiroth, and Devil May Cry’s Dante to name a few. 

The Anime World Mourns

Rest assured, Tohiyuki’s message wasn’t the only one mourning the loss of Shinohara. Her husband, Hiroshi Watari, shared the following message as a tribute to his deceased partner on social media, “I don’t usually post many photos of us together, but this time I made an exception.My wife, Emi Shinohara, passed away on September 8th.There have been a lot of swallowtail butterflies flying around me lately. I feel like it’s some kind of a messenger.Looking back, it was a fun 26 years.Thank you. Rest in peace.Thank you to everyone who supported us.”

Another major talent of Sailor Moon, Rika Fukami, expressed her loss for her friend as the two played the roles of Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus respectively, “My very dear, dear friend has passed away. He was full of energy and hope until the very end.We were born on the same day.I love you forever.”

Shinohara’s last anime credit was a part of the film, A Whisker Away. While she hadn’t take on a new anime role since 2020, her legacy in the medium will last for untold years thanks to the characters she has portrayed and the talent she shared with the industry. 

Our thoughts are with Shinohara’s loved ones during this difficult time.   

Via X

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Naruto is now celebrating the 20th anniversary of its original TV anime adaptation, and the creator behind the franchise revealed how Sakura Haruno’s role in it all became his biggest regret in looking back in the series. Naruto might still be continuing through this day with an official sequel series (that has since released its own sequel), but it’s also been a great time for fans of the original incarnation of the series as creator Masashi Kishimoto has been opening up about what has gone into the story in the past. And looking back, the creator also revealed what he wishes he could have done differently. 

Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto and Boruto: Naruto Next Generations writer and artist Mikio Ikemoto have been appearing in France with special appearances together with fans, and have been sharing all kinds of insights behind it all coming together. In looking back on how the series had gone, Kishimoto previously revealed that Sakura was actually one of his biggest regrets for how she played into the story. In a new event attended by La Nouvelle Republique, Kishimoto explained more of his regrets about Sakura. 

Naruto Creator’s Big Regret for Sakura

Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto previously revealed that Sakura was his one big regret because he never got to reveal more about her parents or home life as explored by the other members of Team 7 (and many of the other characters in the franchise). But with this new event, Kishimoto elaborated on this to reveal that his regret is also around how he wrote Sakura as a character entirely. Looking back on her run in the story, Kishimoto stated, “She’s a character that I didn’t know how to develop as she would have deserved…But it was difficult for me to understand the heart of a young woman, so I didn’t dwell on it.”

In putting this side by side with Ikemoto’s current work with Boruto: Naruto Next Generations and Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, Kishimoto complemented how these sequels have fleshed out Sarada as a main member of the cast by comparison, “Something that Mikio Ikemoto achieved with Sarada, the main female character in Boruto. She’s the character that I also find the most successful graphically.” So Kishimoto is happy to see that while Sakura wasn’t as fleshed out as he wanted in the original, at least her daughter is going all out in the sequel. 

Naruto Creator On Its International Success

But in writing the characters or the increase of popularity through the manga and anime’s run, Kishimoto revealed that he didn’t really change how he approached the manga despite how big of a deal it became outside of Japan, “We do not change our way of doing things according to international success,” Kishimoto began. “Personally, I had heard a little about the success of Naruto outside the borders of Japan but I never measured its extent.” So it’s not like the creator was altering things on the fly just because it was successful. 

As Naruto celebrates its major milestones, the creator has been fairly open about the franchise and it’s clear that he’s still very much involved. Not only with the newest chapters of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, but also still has an interest in continuing further with the original incarnation with perhaps more one-shot stories and more for those characters who still have avenues to explore. Perhaps this will also open up more room for more time to shine for Sakura in the future as well.

HT – La Nouvelle Republique

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Anime fans might be experiencing the wild story that is Boruto: Two Blue Vortex but the ninja world started decades ago by focusing on the young Naruto Uzumaki and his quest to be accepted by his peers. Releasing its first manga chapter in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1999, creator Masashi Kishimoto introduced a universe that has been a prominent part of the anime world ever since. While various characters have aged, changed, and/or died as a result of the shonen story’s events, it all started thanks to Team 7. Now, four cosplayers have taken anime fans back to the past by perfectly revisiting the likes of Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi.

Things at the start of the shonen series weren’t all that great for Naruto Uzumaki. While the anime star would eventually go on to become the Seventh Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, his childhood saw him treated as a pariah as he struggled with loneliness and a general quest to find acceptance. Thanks to housing the Nine-Tailed Fox known as Kurama. the vast majority of Konoha was anything but friendly to the anime protagonist. Luckily, Naruto found friends in Team 7 and his teacher Kakashi, aiding him in accomplishing his lofty goals.

Naruto & Team 7 Return

Despite Team 7’s initial creation being one that was filled with levity, they found themselves taking on some dire challenges to start. Even before the Chunin Exam threw Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura into a meat grinder as they took on friends and enemies alike, the trio fought against Zabuza and Haku to kick off their hard-hitting journey. When the first Naruto series ended, so too did Team 7 dissolve and Sasuke’s quest for revenge against his brother Itachi took complete control over the Uchiha’s life.

The New Team 7

Once Naruto became the Seventh Hokage and his allies all grew up to be adults, the ninja world forged a new Team 7. Naruto’s son Boruto, Sasuke and Sakura’s daughter Sarada, and the offspring of Orochimaru, Mitsuki, joined forces to become the new leading trio of Konoha. Rather than having Kakashi as their teacher like the Team 7 that preceded them, the three ninjas were taught by Konohamaru, the grandson of the Third Hokage and long-time Naruto supporting character.

Ironically enough, Kakashi hasn’t taken the spotlight in the latest series nearly as much as the mask-wearing ninja once had. The copycat ninja hasn’t taken an active role in fighting against the Kara Organization, with one of the biggest stories on Kakashi revolved around his traveling the ninja world in a bid to heal his best friend, Might Guy. While Kakashi was ultimately unsuccessful in healing Guy’s crippling injuries suffered as a result of his fight against Madara Uchiha, that hasn’t stopped Might from continuing to live life to the fullest.

Where is Naruto Now?

Things are quite dire for the ninja world in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex as the Divine Trees and the Kara Organization are on the loose. Thanks to a spell placed on the world by the villainous Eida, nearly everyone believes that Boruto is responsible for the death of his parents. As readers know, Naruto and Hinata aren’t dead but they are in a rather tricky scenario. Locked inside an alternate dimension by none other than Kawaki, the adoptive brother to Boruto and Himawari. 

On the anime side of the aisle, Studio Pierrot initially stated that they would bring back the shonen franchise to the small screen by revisiting the first series. Planning to create four original episodes of the first Naruto series, the installments were indefinitely postponed thanks to the production house citing animation issues. Originally, the episodes were aiming to release last fall and no word has been revealed regarding a release date.

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A live-action Naruto movie is currently in the works, but does director Destin Daniel Cretton signing on for Spider-Man 4 mean that there will be a delay to the Naruto movie as a result? Naruto recently commemorated the 20th anniversary of the TV anime adaptation’s first premiere, and Masashi Kishimoto’s original manga franchise has since returned to the spotlight with all sorts of new projects announced to be in the works. One of these cede projects is a new live-action movie for Lionsgate, with the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director signed on to both write and direct the new film. 

Although the live-action Naruto film was first announced to be officially in the works earlier this year, it’s one of the projects that Hollywood has been trying to get off the ground for quite a while. With Cretton officially signing onto the project, it seemed like major headway was finally being made with Cretton already working to oversee the next draft of the film to fit his vision for the new movie. But this new development with the also in the works Spider-Man 4 might change a few priorities. 

Naruto Movie Director Signs Onto Spider-Man 4

As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel and Sony are moving forward with Spider-Man 4 with Destin Daniel Cretton signed on to direct. Tom Holland is also reportedly expected to return for the lead role, and production will also reportedly begin early next year. Marvel’s Kevin Feige and Sony’s Amy Pascal are returning to serve as the producers for the new Spider-Man film, with writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers writing the script. With Cretton already directing a successful film with Marvel in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, it’s no surprise to find out that they would want to work with the director once more on a new project. 

But as for the timing, it might have an impact on his work with the Naruto live-action film. If production on Spider-Man 4 is indeed supposed to begin next year, then it’s likely far further along in its development process than Naruto is. And to be completely transparent, if it’s already pretty much ready to go then it’s likely going to be a higher priority for Cretton. It’s the next release in a highly successful Marvel franchise, and it’s a key character that’s going to draw in a ton of box office regardless of what the story of the film actually is. 

How Far Along Is the Naruto Live-Action Movie? 

Now it’s going to be a question of figuring out whether or not the live-action Naruto film will fit into Cretton’s increasingly busy schedule. The first way to do that is to guess how far along the new Naruto film actually is with its production. Publicly, it’s been reported that the film is still in its drafting stages. The first draft of the Naruto live-action film script was written by Tasha Huo, who was most recently attached to the new Netflix anime series, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft. Huo said the following about working on the film in an interview with Variety, “Adapting iconic characters or IP makes the writing of it easier, because the passion for writing it is already there. I’m so inspired by these characters already that it’s exciting to just take a part of their journey and try to tell that fun story in a way that would appeal to me as a fan.”

Huo later revealed that their draft was finished, and it was being looked at by Cretton after he signed on, “I think that’s such a cool choice because he’s going to be able to capture how nuanced and special Naruto is without getting distracted by the big world that it is, which I think could easily be done by someone who’s not a fan or someone who’s coming in for a cash payday,” Huo stated. “This is definitely a movie that comes at it from a love of who Naruto is and that character and his relationships.”

But while the script is still being worked on, it’s still far from having an actual production start date or window. This means it’s earlier into its planning stages than fans may like, and will likely be further off than that if Lionsgate still wants to work with Cretton following his time with Spider-Man 4. As of now that seems to be the case if the approach is to take as much time as necessary to get this right out of the gate. 

Can Naruto Work In Live-Action? 

The success of other anime to live-action projects such as One Piece is likely going to put a ton of pressure on a Naruto film to succeed. The best approach to the situation is to take as much time to adapt things just right for a worldwide audience, and that’s a tough tightrope to walk for any director without even factoring potential rush or crunch time to make it happen. But in case fans were worried about how it would all turn out, Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto has already given his approval for the idea with Cretton’s involvement being a major factor. 

“When I heard of Destin’s attachment, it happened to be right after watching a blockbuster action film of his, and I thought he would be the perfect director for Naruto. After enjoying his other films and understanding that his forte is in creating solid dramas about people, I became convinced that there is no other director for Naturo. In actually meeting Destin, I also found him to be an open-minded director who was willing to embrace my input, and felt strongly that we would be able to cooperate together in the production process.” 

And with Kishimoto’s approval, Cretton’s likely going to stick around with the project, no matter how long it takes the film to keep going as long as he’s personally interested in still making it. Whenever that may be. 

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Naruto series creator Masashi Kishimoto revealed his favorite arc of the series. The Naruto franchise recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of its original TV anime adaptation, and has continued to commemorate the milestone with new projects now in the works. As Kishimoto and Boruto: Two Blue Vortex writer and artist Mikio Ikemoto have been heading up special fan events in France, the creator duo has shared all sorts of insights into the creation of both manga releases. It’s here that Kishimoto has opened up about some of the biggest or most challenging aspects of its serialization over the course of its run with Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. 

Naruto’s creator has been sharing some insights into aspects of the series not revealed in previous interviews, and the latest with La Nouvelle Republique in France sees Kishimoto open up a little more about some of his favorites moments. As explained by the creator, Kishimoto’s favorite arc of the series is the epilogue in which Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha have their final fight with one another and Sasuke finally admits that Naruto might have been right about things all along. 

Naruto: Masashi Kishimoto’s Favorite Arc

“I believe it has to be the epilogue or the conclusion of the final fight between Naruto and Sasuke where he finally admits he lost,” Kishimoto explained. This falls in line with the creator’s mentality when crafting villains in the series too as he explained that he more seeks to expand on the complicated sides of humanity driving a foe rather than outright creating a “super villain,” “I wanted to keep a humanity throughout my story,” Kishimoto began. “I could have made ‘super villains’ but that had already been done by others. And there is a golden rule in manga, you have to do what does not exist. This reinforced me in this path.” 

This is the perfect way to look at the dynamic between Naruto and Sasuke. The two might be in constant battle with one another through the series’ duration thanks to their role as rivals, but it starts to shift when Sasuke fully leaves the Hidden Leaf Village and starts to strike out on his own. But even when he decides to go off the beaten path and does some terrible things, Naruto refuses to give up on him and remains one of Sasuke’s closest confidants despite how much Sasuke tried to push him away. 

Why Do Naruto and Sasuke Fight in the End? 

It’s almost as if the two were destined to duel as seen in Naruto’s grand finale. The final fight between the two of them caps off their journey in the original series, and reveals how much the two of them have grown after everything they had been through together. While Naruto has grown in strength, and strength of heart, Sasuke finally started to open up and realize some of the mistakes he’s made. Because at this final juncture, it’s more about Sasuke’s final bit of growth than Naruto’s. 

Naruto, by this end point of the series, has fully developed as a person thanks to all of the fights he has been through and all of the support he’s gotten from the rest of the Hidden Leaf Village as a result of those victories. But it’s Sasuke who still held back, and Sasuke who was Naruto’s real mission throughout it all. He just wanted his greatest rival to recognize him, and through this fight in which the two ultimately end in a draw, Sasuke finally relents. No wonder it’s the creator’s favorite. 

HT – La Nouvelle Republique

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When it comes to manga, there are some series that reign above all others. Dragon Ball and One Piece are some of the top titles in shonen, for instance. The two titles saw another legend join their rank when Naruto premiered in late 1999. Creator Masashi Kishimoto has overseen the series as it has transformed into a global phenomenon. And not long ago, the artist unpacked the inspiration behind Naruto including the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

The whole confession came from France as Kishimoto made a rare appearance overseas with artist Mikio Ikemoto who oversees Boruto. It was there the two spoke with fans and press including La Nouvelle Republique. While chatting with the publication, Kishimoto was asked whether any ninja stories inspired Naruto, and the artist was quick to point out TMNT.

How Did TMNT Influence Naruto

“Looking at literature, I think of The Kouga Ninja Scrolls by Futaro Yamada. I read it on the advice of my editor, it was very interesting,” Kishimoto shared.

“It’s quite popular but I also like the [Teenage Mutant] Ninja Turtles including theirs films. There are also excellent manga on the topic like Ninku by Koji Kiriyama and characters like Fusuke (from Ninku) and Ninja Hattori.”

As you can see, a number of ninja-centric tales inspired Naruto as he was working to piece Naruto together. The Kouga Ninja Scrolls date back to 1958 and follow two rival ninja factions, the Kouga and the Iga. All of the ninja in these clans have supernatural abilities stemming from years of inbreeding, creating a sort of curse for both bloodlines. Kishimoto also nodded to previous Shonen Jump series like Ninku which combines ninjutsu and kung fu. Plus, Ninja Hattori was given special mention as Motoo Abiko created the action manga in 1964.

A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto Crossover Is Coming

Clearly, Kishimoto looked all over for inspiration when creating Naruto, and the TMNTwas peaking during the manga’s early days. After all, the heroes in a half-shell were created in 1984 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. Created as comic book heroes, the TMNT franchise has gone on to run the gamut. The team has tackled everything from film to television and video games. To this day, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles remains a thriving franchise as its latest reboot went live in 2023 with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.

As for Naruto, the series has been on the up and up since 1999. Kishimoto ran the main manga for 15 years before it closed in November 2014. But of course, the finale of Naruto did not mark the end of the series. A sequel was released by Ikemoto and Kishimoto titled Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. The follow-up is now in the midst of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex which takes place following a time skip. From film to TV, Naruto has followed in the steps of TMNT, and the two IPs are teaming up shortly.

Yes, that is right. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto is about to hit shelves. IDW Publishing is teaming with Viz Media on the special comic run. Set for a fall 2025 launch, the official crossover will follow Team 7 as they enter a new nation based on the world of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. So if you are ready to see what kind of jutsu Donatello can use, stay tuned!

What do you think about this latest Naruto tidbit? Give me a shout at @meganwpeters with your take! You can also let us know what you think over on X (Twitter) and Instagram.

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Naruto is now in the midst of celebrating the anime’s 20th anniversary, and one awesome cosplay has brought one of its biggest villains, Pain, back to the spotlight. Masashi Kishimoto first launched Naruto in the pages of Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in the pages of 1999, and the anime then launched in Japan in 2002. With the franchise kicking off a new 20th anniversary celebration for the anime a few years ago, it’s been a great time to be a Naruto fan with all sorts of new projects and releases now in the works for the future. 

Over the course of its run, Naruto has introduced fans to all sorts of memorable allies and foes that Naruto himself had come face to face with. The series put Naruto at the center of so many massive fights that it all ended with a massive war that saw even more characters at the center of the fights. But even with all that happened after, there was really no villain that had a bigger impact on the Hidden Leaf Village than Pain. Maybe through aesthetics alone too, and an awesome highlight of the villain’s look comes through cosplay from artist @artistjodysteel on Instagram. Check it out below: 

Naruto: Who Is Pain? 

Naruto: Shippuden really ramped things up in the franchise as following the time skip from the end of the original Naruto run, the Akatsuki were introduced as a deadly group of rogue ninjas who were each out to hit a goal of their own. This came into play in many ways following the time skip as Naruto and the others faced off against these deadly ninjas, but the real biggest challenge came during the Pain arc as Naruto was facing a villain with an ideology that wasn’t entirely wrong. 

Fighting Pain came with a lot of mystery behind it too as the villain initially appeared as one of many, who were all seemingly connected in some mysterious way. Thanks to the power of the Rinnegan, Pain was a deadly foe that threatened the entire Hidden Leaf Village to a new level of destruction that had not been seen to that point. Making matters even more prominent was the fact that it all started with Pain killing off Jiraiya, who was not only Naruto’s mentor but a fan favorite character to that point in the series. 

Naruto’s Creator Reflects on Pain

Funny enough, Naruto series creator Masashi Kishimoto recently reflected on the toughest moments during his serialization with the series and noted the Pain arc as one that was difficult to resolve. Noting that there was an issue that the creator had to resolve and work through, it was revealed during a much earlier interview that Kishimoto was struggling with Naruto and Pain’s conflicting viewpoints. It wasn’t enough for Naruto to just defeat an opponent like Pain because it would only continue that cycle of pain and strife. 

Naruto instead needed to do the much tougher thing and forgive his foe for everything that had happened thus far. It was a much more difficult path for Naruto to walk down, and it showcased a real showing of leadership that helped the rest of the Hidden Leaf Village to see Naruto in a different way than they ever did before. It’s also why this fight is still held in high regard all these years later. 

If you wanted to see more of Naruto, you can find the anime now streaming with Crunchyroll. The newest series, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, is releasing chapters with Viz Media’s digital Shonen Jump library and Shueisha’s MangaPlus service. 

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Boruto: Two Blue Vortex has changed the ninja world in some wild ways. Focusing on an older Boruto Uzumaki who is fighting both enemies and allies alike, one of the biggest changes has come in the form of Kurama’s new look. The Nine-Tailed Fox, following his death in the fight against Jigen, is no longer tied to the Seventh Hokage, instead finding himself in an unexpected locale. Now sharing a body with Naruto’s daughter, Himawari Uzumaki, Boruto’s sister now has a serious power to rely on in the days ahead. In new Boruto art, the shonen franchise has revealed a closer look at both Kurama and his new “partner in crime”.

Kurama found himself dying as a result of giving Naruto the energy that he needed to defeat the leader of the Kara Organization, Jigen. Using this new “Baryon Mode” to defeat Jigen and stop him from jumping into Kawaki’s body, the Seventh Hokage had a final tear-jerking moment with the Nine Tails. Capping off Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, many shonen fans didn’t believe that Kurama would ever return, so they were shocked when he unexpectedly made a comeback. Appearing in Himawari’s body while the Divine Trees attacked the Hidden Leaf Village, Kurama looks far different from his previous iteration.

Chibi Kurama Returns

To this day, the Nine-Tailed Fox still isn’t entirely sure as to why he is residing within Himawari’s body. Most likely, Kurama was reincarnated inside of Naruto’s daughter once he died thanks to Himawari’s and her father’s shared bloodline. So far, we were only able to briefly see the power that Himawari has at her disposal but the partnership is one that makes her one of the ninja world’s strongest warriors.

As of the writing of this article, Studio Pierrot has yet to announce when we can expect Boruto to return to the small screen. The production house previously stated that they were looking at more of a seasonal approach to its projects. While Pierrot previously stated that they would create four new original episodes of the first Naruto series, said installments were indefinitely postponed. 

Want to stay updated on the Hidden Leaf Village? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook for all the latest updates on Konoha and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and Naruto. 

The post Naruto Shares New Look at Kurama’s New Form appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The creator of Naruto knows what it takes to make a hit. Back in 1999, the artist hit the drawing board and brought the Hidden Leaf to life. In the decades since, Naruto has become a household name with manga readers, and the series has inspired countless of new mangaka. So honestly, it is no surprise that Kishimoto had his own inspiration sources for Naruto.

Recently, Kishimoto opened up about his favorite manga during a trip to France. The artist went abroad with Boruto artist Mikio Ikemoto to talk about Naruto and its legacy. It was there the pair chatted with La Nouvelle Republique, and the two creators shared their top three manga series. So if you want to know what the pair like, you can find their picks below:

• Kishimoto: Dragon Ball, Akira, Blade of the Immortal
  
• Ikemoto: Dragon Ball, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Parasyte
  

As you can see, the two artists have one top title in common, and that is Dragon Ball. Like millions of other fans, Kishimoto was greatly inspired by the story made by Akira Toriyama. Beyond Dragon Ball, Akira’s sci-fi future and the historical drama of Blade of the Immortal struck a chord with the creator. You can see pieces of these manga titles in Naruto, and the same goes for Ikemoto’s influences on Boruto.

How to Catch Up on Naruto

If you have not had the pleasure of reading Naruto, no sweat. You can find the series easily enough as Kishimoto’s manga is on the Shonen Jump app. Boruto: Two Blue Vortex is the series’ latest title, and new chapters go live each month. So for those wanting to know more about the original series created by Kishimoto, you can read its official synopsis below:

“Twelve years ago the Village Hidden in the Leaves was attacked by a fearsome threat. A nine-tailed fox spirit claimed the life of the village leader, the Hokage, and many others. Today, the village is at peace and a troublemaking kid named Naruto is struggling to graduate from Ninja Academy. His goal may be to become the next Hokage, but his true destiny will be much more complicated. The adventure begins now!”

What do you think about this latest confession from Kishimoto? Give me a shout at @meganwpeters with your take! You can also let us know what you think over on X (Twitter) and Instagram.

The post Naruto Creator Reveals Their Favorite Manga Series appeared first on ComicBook.com.

When it comes to Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto put everything he had into making the Hidden Leaf great. From its heroes to its frontlines, Naruto put its ninja through plenty. One of the greatest threats our heroes faced came in the form of towering Tailed Beasts. And now, Kishimoto is unpacking how Godzilla inspired the creatures.

Recently, Kishimoto made a trip to France where he talked all things Naruto with his colleague Mikio Ikemoto, the artist behind Boruto. It was there the pair spoke with La Nouvelle Republique, and as the pair spoke, Kishimoto took time to explain the connection between Godzilla and the Tailed Beasts we’ve come to love.

“I’ve been passionate about Godzilla since I was in elementary,” the creator shared. “My dream was to draw monsters, so I ended up including some in my story. I like Godzilla, I like Mothra, I like Ghidorah, and I also like Rodan. They inspired me to make the Tailed Beasts in Naruto.”

As you can see, Kishimoto is a pretty big fan of monsters. Godzilla tops the list along with his friends and foes. During their heyday, Toho’s kaiju were not just action stars but mascots with very different personalities. It was this presence that inspired Kishimoto to create the Tailed Beasts in all their variety. After all, the Nine-Tailed Fox is very different from the Two-Tailed Cat when it comes to power, form, and personality.

Godzilla’s Impact on Naruto

This nod to Godzilla is not the first one Kishimoto has made. Back in 2014, Kishimoto spoke with Nippon as the manga’s original run came to an end. It was there the Naruto creator highlighted Godzilla as inspiration for the manga, saying, “The entire story of these tailed beasts started out as a simple way for me to get the fox into my manga.”

“I loved Godzilla. I just wanted to draw a monster-something big that I could place in a battle. That’s why I decided to introduce the Summoning Jutsu, the summoning skills that let ninja call forth the weapons they need, or call a creature to their side to aid them in a fight. My intent from the start was to bring forth gigantic beings with these skills.”

If you want to revisit the Tailed Beasts, Naruto is easy to find these days. You can read the original manga as well as its sequel on the Shonen Jump app. So for more info on Naruto, you can read its official synopsis below:

“Twelve years ago the Village Hidden in the Leaves was attacked by a fearsome threat. A nine-tailed fox spirit claimed the life of the village leader, the Hokage, and many others. Today, the village is at peace and a troublemaking kid named Naruto is struggling to graduate from Ninja Academy. His goal may be to become the next Hokage, but his true destiny will be much more complicated. The adventure begins now!”

What do you think about this Naruto teaser? Give me a shout at @meganwpeters with your take! You can also let us know what you think over on X (Twitter) and Instagram.

The post Naruto Creator Explains How Godzilla Inspired the Tailed Beasts appeared first on ComicBook.com.

It turns out that Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto has more ideas for character specific one-shot manga releases and could have more on the way. Naruto recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of its original anime adaptation with a special worldwide popularity poll that saw fans voting for their favorite character. The winner of that popularity poll would then get a full one-shot manga story from Kishimoto himself, and that was eventually revealed to be Naruto Uzumaki’s father, Minato Namikaze. It resulted in a special one-shot revealing more of Minato and Kushina’s shared past before Naruto was born, and was a welcome return to the series from the creator. 

Naruto: The Whorl Within the Spiral was Kishimoto’s first proper return to the Naruto manga in a long time, and thus fans have been secretly hoping ever since that another return could potentially be possible someday. Speaking during a fan event (as spotted by @howlxithree on X), Kishimoto revealed that he would like to do more one-shots but is just taking the time to think about the kinds of stories he’d want to write. Even going as far as teasing that an Itachi Uchiha story could be on the table. 

More Naruto One-Shot Stories? 

“Yes, I would like to do others, but I am taking the time to think about it,” Kishimoto stated. “In fact, I based myself on a ranking of characters made among readers. Minato was the first. The second is Itachi…I say it half jokingly, but you never know” With how Minato’s one-shot helped to expand what fans know about the character (along with revealing how the Rasengan jutsu got its name), a new one-shot from Kishimoto would do quite well as there are still many characters from the original franchise fans would hope to see more of in such an expanded way. 

For now, Kishimoto is working together with writer and artist Mikio Ikemoto on the current franchise manga release, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex. Taking place three years after the events of the first sequel, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, this series has kicked off a new phase of the franchise with a new form of the Divine Tree, more potential timelines to explore, god like abilities, and much more only briefly teased during the initial run of the Naruto series. You can find the latest chapters with Viz Media’s digital Shonen Jump library or Shueisha’s MangaPlus service. 

The post Naruto Creator Masashi Kishimoto Isn’t Ruling Out More Character One-Shots appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations reintroduced the Otsutsuki Clan as the major villains for the Naruto sequel series, and the writer and artist behind it all revealed why they had to bring them back for the new entry. Boruto: Naruto Next Generations first introduced fans to a future version of the Hidden Leaf Village where Naruto Uzumaki went on to become the Hokage and had a family of his own. The series then follows his son, Boruto, as he takes on his own foes. But soon enough, it was revealed that the Otsutsuki Clan would be playing a massive role in the sequel. 

Originally introduced late into the run of Masashi Kishimoto’s original Naruto manga series, Boruto franchise series writer and artist Mikio Ikemoto opened up about the Otsutsuki Clan playing a big role during a special fan event (as noted by @howlxithree on X) and explained that they were brought into the sequel because they didn’t get a lot of time to explore them in the original series. And frankly, when Ikemoto tried different villains, it didn’t have the same impact as the Otsutsuki Clan. 

Why Boruto Brings Back the Otsutsuki

“In Naruto, the origins of Otsutsuki were not explained,” Ikemoto began. “But for me they were aliens from the beginning. After the Great Shinobi Wars, we pushed the limits of the universe to find new antagonists. We did tests with other human characters, but the result was not convincing.” So as Ikemoto breaks it down, he and original creator Masashi Kishimoto likely tried out different ideas for villains but it was the Otsutsuki Clan that ultimately seemed to provide the most “convincing” villainous element. 

The Otsutsuki have proved fruitful for Boruto, however, as not only has the clan provided many big opponents over the course of the sequel, their reintroduction has also served to expand their lore and the lore of the franchise as well. Boruto himself has been given a major ticking clock as the Otsutsuki power continues to take over his own body, and it’s something we’ll see develop over the course of its own time skip sequel, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex too. 

The latest arc of the series has taken this even further by expanding on the Divine Tree with even more foes, so clearly bringing the Otsutsuki Clan back as many villains has been paying off for the franchise so far. 

The post Boruto Crew Explains Why the Otsutsuki Had to Return appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Naruto knows a thing or two about teamwork, and this fall, those skills will be tested by none other than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In October, IDW Publishing and Viz Media are coming together to bring Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto to life. The epic crossover will take fans to a world where Splinter and Kurama exist alongside one another, and we have been given a new look at the event thanks to a variant cover.

Posted by ANN, the variant cover below showcases the TMNT crossover beautifully. Naruto can be seen at the very front as he wields his famous Rasengan in hand. As for the turtles, the squad is dressed up for battle with their headbands facing forward. It won’t be long before Team 7 partners with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and this new cover promises plenty of action when the crossover goes live.

Of course, fans are eager to see why surprises are in store for this manga-comic collaboration. Caleb Goellner is writing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto while Hendry Prasetya oversees its illustrations. Starting in October, the miniseries will go live both digitally and in stores so fans can cop their fave variant covers. As for the story, the crossover will follow Team 7 in their own universe as they travel to the turtles’ turf. Speaking with Goellner recently, ComicBook learned more about the story firsthand, and it was there the writer teased Prasetya’s incredible vision.

“Team 7 will actually be headed to a new version of the TMNT’s turf! We metaphorically (and I guess literally) added a TMNT section to the world of Naruto for this story so we could make it feel as lived-in and authentic as possible. Series artist Hendry Prasetya has done a ton of truly stunning design work to make this possible, of course. He’s got powerful design jutsu,” Goellner shared.

The Many Crossovers of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Of course, the TMNT franchise is no stranger to crossovers. From Batman to Garfield and Transformers, the heroes in a half-shell have done it all, but Naruto has been a bit more stingy. When it comes to Western IPs, Naruto has not done many collabs like this one, so manga readers will want to pay close attention. And of course, new Naruto fans can brush up on the Hidden Leaf’s history easily enough these days. Masashi Kishimoto’s manga is available on the Shonen Jump app. So for more info on Naruto, you can read its official synopsis below:

“Twelve years ago the Village Hidden in the Leaves was attacked by a fearsome threat. A nine-tailed fox spirit claimed the life of the village leader, the Hokage, and many others. Today, the village is at peace and a troublemaking kid named Naruto is struggling to graduate from Ninja Academy. His goal may be to become the next Hokage, but his true destiny will be much more complicated. The adventure begins now!”

What do you think about this wild Naruto crossover? Do you think the TMNT crew can hang with Team 7? Give me a shout at @meganwpeters with your take! You can also let us know what you think over on X (Twitter) and Instagram.

The post Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto Drops New Variant Cover Art appeared first on ComicBook.com.

When Naruto defeated Madara Uchiha, Obito, and Kaguya Otsutsuki, many anime fans believed that this was the end for the young ninja who wanted nothing more than to become the Hokage. Despite Naruto’s dream coming true, the shonen series marched on past Shippuden to follow the son of the Seventh, Boruto Uzumaki. Since the new star’s introduction, Boruto: Naruto Next Generation gave way to Boruto: Two Blue Vortex and the ninja world has become a rather different place. In a new interview, a creator of Boruto Uzumaki’s battles and character moments has shared the origins of the sequel series and what was the fire that lit the fuse.

At present, Boruto’s anime adaptation remains in hiatus as Studio Pierrot has stated that they are focusing on a more seasonal approach to its anime projects. Previously, the production house had stated that they would re-enter the Hidden Leaf Village via four original episodes that took viewers back to the first series. In these installments, a young Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura would be front and center, though the episodes were indefinitely delayed. Whne the franchise does return to Boruto in the starring role, expect some major events to take the anime world by storm.

Boruto’s Origin Sprang From Kawaki

In a recent interview, Boruto’s manga artist, Mikio Ikemoto, discussed how Kawaki was the spark that lit the fuse on Naruto Next Generations. Ikemoto stated the following when it came to the former vessel and how he influenced the beginning and the present events of the series, “We first had the idea of Kawaki, Boruto’s adopted brotherToday, their bonds have changed and their situation has reversed. Boruto is an easier character to move the story forward. Kawaki has really become his driving force, that’s the goal that Boruto has set in mind.” 

In the latest manga chapter of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, the world is against the son of the Seventh Hokage. Thanks to the power of Eida, Boruto Uzumaki’s former friends have become enemies as Konoha now believes the anime star was responsible for his parents’ disappearance. While Boruto himself has never been stronger, the odds are stacked against him as both his allies and the new villainous group known as the Divine Trees are gunning for him.

Want to stay up to date on all the wild development of the Hidden Leaf Village? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook for the latest updates on the ninja world. 

Via X

The post Naruto Team Shares How Its Sequel, Boruto, Came to Light appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Boruto: Two Blue Vortex is getting more intense with each new chapter, and the creators behind the Naruto sequel reveal that Kawaki’s character will be evolving more soon. Boruto: Two Blue Vortex is a sequel to Boruto: Naruto Next Generations that picks up three years after the events of the first series. Kawaki quite literally flipped everything on its head as he forced Eida to use her power to get everyone in the Hidden Leaf Village to believe that he was actually Naruto Uzumaki’s son, and that Boruto was now a fugitive suspected of killing the Hokage (despite that obviously not happening). 

It’s made for a much different kind of rivalry between Boruto and Kawaki than seen between Naruto and Sasuke in the original Naruto manga, and series creator Masashi Kishimoto and series artist and writer Mikio Ikemoto recently spoke at a fan event in France held by Kana (as shared by @UzuRepo on X) about the difference between the two rivalries. It’s here that the duo revealed that Kawaki will be the one who will be evolving as a character as they see Boruto as a more fully fleshed out and realized character as of the start of the series. 

Will Kawaki Improve as a Character in Boruto?

“In fact, Naruto and Sasuke are very similar. They aren’t that intelligent, both have a go-getter side and they’ve both lost something important. So even if they’re in opposition these characters are alike in their essence,” Kishimoto began in explaining the difference between the two rivalries. “As for Boruto and Kawaki, however, their very existence is completely opposite. Boruto’s a character who doesn’t realize how lucky he is, despite having a lot from the start. Kawaki’s a character who has lost everything and doesn’t realize his own value. Naruto and Sasuke, and Boruto and Kawaki are rivals in the story. But I think their relationships are pretty different in Naruto and Boruto.” 

Ikemoto then further dove into the differences between the two and revealed that it’s Kawaki who will be the one really evolving through this rivalry. “In the Naruto-Sasuke and Boruto-Kawaki relationships, each one is a rival to the other to assert their worth. However, their opposition is very different. In Naruto, the protagonist is constantly in opposition in which he expresses and conveys what he feels to Sasuke. By doing this, he evolves as a protagonist. On the other hand, in Boruto, it’s Kawaki who’s in the position of someone who shows a strong attachment to the main character Boruto.”

Ikemoto then explains that due to this difference in their stances as characters, Kawaki’s the one that will be getting development soon, “Boruto, having become a young man, is a character who’s fully evolved at once from the beginning. He is insightful and with great open-mindedness. Compared to Kawaki, the importance of what he carries on his shoulders is different. It will be more like Kawaki showing evolution as a character.”

The post Naruto Creators Promise Kawaki’s Character Development Is Coming appeared first on ComicBook.com.

When it comes to collecting, some fans will do whatever it takes to get their white whale. From action figures to vinyl records and trading cards, the sky is the limit for collectors. As for manga lovers, they’ll go the distance to acquire whatever is missing from their shelves, and one such fan just set a record as a first printing of Naruto just sold for $20,000 USD.

And yes, you did read that right. That is $20,000 USD for a manga. Taking to social media, Beckett Collectibles announced a first printing of Naruto volume one just sold privately for the historic amount. So officially, Naruto houses the highest-selling manga of all time.

As you can imagine, that kind of money is hard to wrap your head around. This volume of Naruto could have gotten someone a new car or put a down payment on a house. It seems the anonymous buyer was determined to bring home this volume, but of course, the sale itself is facing scrutiny. The practice of grading manga is relatively new though Western comics are used to the process. It was not long ago that Beckett Grading began delving into manga, and in light of this sale, netizens aren’t sure why grading is even needed.

The Debate Over Manga Grading

Right now, you can find auctions in Japan and the United States for first printing, first editions of Naruto. These volumes date back to 2000, and looking at their sale history, the editions can run upwards of $500. In some cases, a copy in excellent condition may cost $1,000, but that is not the norm. Even series as big as Naruto aren’t pulling in the big bucks, but as grading enters the market, those manga prices might change.

Collecting is definitely an expensive hobby, and in some fandoms, grading practices have inflated prices in a big way. Manga has avoided this pitfall for decades, but as the industry grows globally, things are getting more expensive. This latest Naruto sale proves as much as it is hard to imagine any of its volumes costing $20,000. But alas, that day has come.

If you want to check out Naruto without breaking the bank, don’t worry! You can find the hit manga on the Shonen Jump app. So for more info on Masashi Kishimoto’s hit manga, you can read its official synopsis below:

“Twelve years ago the Village Hidden in the Leaves was attacked by a fearsome threat. A nine-tailed fox spirit claimed the life of the village leader, the Hokage, and many others. Today, the village is at peace and a troublemaking kid named Naruto is struggling to graduate from Ninja Academy. His goal may be to become the next Hokage, but his true destiny will be much more complicated. The adventure begins now!”

What do you make of this wild Naruto deal? Give me a shout at @meganwpeters with your take! You can also let us know what you think over on Twitter and Instagram.

The post Naruto Makes History as Manga Auction Unloads First Printing for $20,000 appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Boruto: Two Blue Vortex is now working its way through the early days of its sequel series, and the manga has revealed the cover art for Volume 3 ahead of its launch on shelves overseas. Boruto: Two Blue Vortex picks up three years after the events of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations as the sequel series introduces a much harsher world for Boruto Uzumaki and the Hidden Leaf Village. Thanks to Kawaki literally flipping the script, Boruto’s now being treated as a dangerous criminal who killed the Hokage. And things have only gotten more intense from that point on with each new chapter. 

Boruto: Two Blue Vortex has sparked a new arc where the Ten-Tails has started to emerge sentient beings through the use of the Divine Tree, and these new fighters are much deadlier than any foes seen before. They focused their target on Himawari Uzumaki for a while during this latest particular wave of chapters, and they are the ones compiled in Volume 3 of the manga hitting shelves in Japan beginning on September 4th. Focusing on Himawari, you can check out the cover art for Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Volume 3 below: 

What Is Boruto: Two Blue Vortex? 

Shueisha teases what to expect in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex as such, “Juri and Hidari of the Divine Tree attack the village of Konoha. While Ino-Shika-Cho’s Team 10 resists Jura, who is trying to eat Himawari, the Nine Tails inside Himawari awakens… Meanwhile, Hidari also encounters Sarada, and a battle breaks out. What will Boruto and Kawaki do with Konoha in such a difficult situation?” This volume has yet to announce a potential release date outside of Japan as of the time of this publication. 

If you wanted to find the most recent chapters of the sequel series as they hit each month (completely for free with a back catalog available with paid subscription), you can now find Boruto: Two Blue Vortex with either Viz Media’s digital Shonen Jump library or Shueisha’s MangaPlus service. They tease the series as such, “With everyone’s memories having been altered, Boruto finds himself being hunted by his own village. After escaping with Sasuke, what future awaits Boruto…?”

As for the Boruto anime, it’s now in the midst of a hiatus (with no current signs of returning just yet) and all available episodes are streaming with Crunchyroll and Hulu if you wanted to check it out. 

The post Naruto: Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Volume 3 Cover Art Revealed appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Boruto Uzumaki has always lived in his father’s shadow as the legend of Naruto is one that will be a permanent part of Konoha’s legacy. Over the course of Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden, the orange-clad ninja struggled with a village that hated and feared him, a Nine-Tailed Fox residing in his body, and a host of villains aiming to tear down the Ninja World. Boruto has had to struggle with a villain inside of himself as well in the form of Momoshiki and in Two Blue Vortex, his former friends have been made enemies. All is not lost however as Boruto’s artist believes the future is bright for the son of the Seventh Hokage.

Since the arrival of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, anime fans have compared Boruto to his father perhaps more than the villagers of Konoha. Naruto’s story is one that is considered one of the greatest in shonen history and giving readers a new character to “replace” him took some convincing. Luckily, Boruto eventually managed to get his footing as both Boruto: Naruto Next Generations and Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, with the latter seeing creator Masashi Kishimoto returning to writing duties. The sequel series has upped the stakes and is sure to make a significant impact on the anime world whenever it hits the small screen.

Boruto Vs. Naruto

When Boruto: Naruto Next Generations first began, Kishimoto’s former assistant Mikio Ikemoto took the reins of the franchise. Toward the tail-end of the sequel series, Masashi would return to writing duties and throw a monkey wrench into the ninja world. In a recent interview, Ikemoto wondered if the son might one day overtake his father, “Maybe one day, Boruto will surpass Naruto’s level as a hero (in terms of fans recognition).”

Without revealing too much about the Two Blue Vortex for those awaiting the anime’s arrival, Naruto has been taken off the board in an unexpected way. On top of Boruto Uzumaki having fare more challenges now than he ever had before, his mother and father also aren’t there to offer him aid. Luckily, this element has helped in weaving a strong story for the anime ninjas and Boruto’s fate is hanging in the balance as a result.

Want to follow along with the Hidden Leaf Village and its future? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook for the latest updates on Boruto, Naruto, and the other members of the Uzumaki family. 

Via X

The post Naruto Execs Totally Believe Boruto Uzumaki Can Defeat His Dad appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Naruto Saga has been getting renewed buzz this week, thanks to an interview with series creator Masashi Kishimoto. Part of the discussion with Kishimoto involved getting clarification on just who has been truly in charge of the Naruto sequel series, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, and its second volume, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex. 

Boruto has faced its fair share of criticism since its launch in 2016. Most of that criticism was aimed at the Boruto anime series, which took a much more plucky and convoluted road through the story the manga told. Even so, the Boruto manga caught some crossfire from fans who didn’t believe that the sequel series should even exist; many fans have questioned whether it was the right call to put Kishimoto’s chief assistant, artist Mikio Ikemoto, and writer Ukyō Kodachi, at the helm of Boruto. The critical argument isn’t new for the manga genre (or any popular fandom IP, really): a series that continues without the original creator at the helm is viewed as an inferior product. 

In his new interview, Masashi Kishimoto makes it crystal clear that making Boruto is the truest collaboration between himself and Ikemoto. It’s (via translation) that the original process involved Kishimoto doing story drafts for Boruto, which were then sent to Ikemoto, who was allowed to make suggestions and changes to that layout. Kishimoto and Ikemoto would then meet and discuss any proposed changes that were on the table, and once they agreed, Ikemoto would take things from there, and begin drawing storyboards and dialogue. 

In some more direct quotes (via @kayn3_) it’s also made clear that this process has changed over time – but only because Kishimoto has gained that much more confidence in Ikemoto’s work: 

“In the case of Boruto, I initially wrote the broad outlines of the story, but very succinctly,” Kishimoto explained. “We then organized a meeting to discuss it. Ikemoto-sensei is really the one who is fully in charge of Boruto… I just enjoy reading it!” 

Mikio Ikemoto added more context to the topic, by describing how the creative process behind Boruto has changed over time: 

“At the beginning, Master Kishimoto indeed shared his story with me. But the more we advance, the more different the plot becomes from what was initially planned. Today, I discuss the next part of the storyline with my editor, every month. So I think Kishimoto-sensei doesn’t yet know what’s going to happen next in Boruto.” 

It’s hard to argue against the idea that the second volume of Boruto, Two Blue Vortex, has been a major improvement. Two Blue Vortex has literally and figuratively moved out of Naruto’s shadow, establishing Boruto as one of (if not THE) most powerful shinobi of is day – as well as maturing the once petulant boy into a battle-hardened warrior. If those strides forward were made by Ikemoto confidently coming into his own, then he deserves to be acknowledged (not criticized) for it. 

Boruto: Two Blue Vortex can be read at Shonen Jump. 

The post Naruto Creator Sets the Record Straight on Who Oversees Boruto appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Masashi Kishimoto returned to his shonen universe at the tail-end of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, changing the game for the son of the Seventh Hokage and the other ninjas of Konoha. While Kishimoto had handed over art duties to his former assistant turned series artist, Mikio Ikemoto, the mangaka still recollects the “good old days” when Naruto first hit Weekly Shonen Jump. Following the ninja world for decades, the Naruto franchise recently turned its world upside down in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex and Kishimoto and Ikemoto are more than happy to discuss the making of the manga and its schedule.

Studio Pierrot has stated in the past that while the anime adaptation is on hiatus, the series will return eventually by taking viewers back to the events of the original series. Promising four new episodes that explore the early days of Naruto’s childhood, Pierrot placed the installments on an indefinite hold. Stating that more behind-the-scenes work was needed on the upcoming episodes, the production house has since revealed that they are working on a more seasonal schedule rather than a weekly one. Kishimoto wasn’t the only person in the anime industry who was working on a weekly schedule.

Boruto’s Monthly Generation

In a new press conference, Kishimoto stated that he never had the opportunity to ever experience a monthly schedule while bringing Naruto to life, touting his envy to not have to stick to a weekly routine. The original Naruto series dropped new chapters each week, similar to how the likes of One Piece and Jujutsu Kaisen do today. While the installments are longer, they clearly give the tag team of Kishimoto and Ikemoto far more time to think about the plot and the art that goes into the Two Blue Vortex. 

Kishimoto wasted little time in throwing Boruto’s world into turmoil when the Naruto creator returned to the manga. Once Masashi took over writing duties, he killed off the likes of Jigen and Kurama the Nine-Tailed Fox to cap off Naruto Next Generations. With Two Blue Vortex housing thirteen chapters, an older Boruto is on the run from his allies and enemies alike thanks to Eida’s wicked, brainwashing abilities. Once this sequel series hits the small screen, it’s sure to take the anime world by storm.

Want to see what the future holds for the son of the Seventh? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook for the latest updates on Konoha and the ninja world. 

Via X

The post Naruto’s Creator Cannot Believe He Stuck to a Weekly Manga Schedule appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto has created more heroes than fans can count at this point. From the stars of Team 7 to the Kages and even the Akatsuki, we have met tons of characters in the Naruto Universe. When the world was introduced to its sequel, Boruto was quick to add even more fighters to the franchise, and co-creator Mikio Ikemoto has kept them in line. But according to a recent interview, Kishimoto wanted to kill off way more characters in Boruto than we could have guessed.

The truth was shared as Kishimoto and Ikemoto visited France together for a series of fan events. During one such interview, it was there Kishimoto laid out how Boruto is crafted. Kishimoto says he handles the overarching story and character arcs while Ikemoto fine tunes the tale and does the art. But as the sequel came together, Ikemoto had to talk Kishimoto off a cliff when it came to killing off characters.

According to Kishimoto, Ikemoto negotiated a number of changes to Naruto. It turns out Ikemoto brought characters like Eida and Daemon to life as Kishimoto did not think up the Kara members to start. And as Ikemoto put it, he also suggested changes that ended up keeping characters alive.

As the interview continued, Kishimoto and Ikemoto talked about the discussions they had about Code. The pair were in agreement that the character needed to die, but as the sequel progressed, they couldn’t find a place to kill him off early on. As such, Code developed into a bigger antagonist, and the disagreement between Kishimoto and Ikemoto has happened before. The two rarely agree on which characters need to be killed, but they work it all out in the end.

Naruto Is Many Things But Not Scared of Death

Naruto did kill off a number of characters during its run, so Kishimoto is not afraid to part with faves. From Jiraiya to Itachi and Neji, the shonen series did it all, and Boruto has gone on to have a few losses of its own. Still, the sequel has been softer with its kills than we saw with its predecessor. So as Naruto continues, don’t be surprised if more funerals are laid out for its heroes.

Want to know more about Naruto and its sequel? You can find everything Naruto-related over on Viz Media’s Shonen Jump app. Currently, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex is carrying the franchise as the sequel continues the story of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. And if the anime is more your pace, you can find Naruto streaming everywhere from Crunchyroll to Hulu to Tubi. 

What do you think about this latest Naruto breakdown? Give me a shout at @meganwpeters with your take! You can also let us know what you think over on Twitter and Instagram.

The post Naruto’s Creator Really Wanted to Kill More Characters in Boruto appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Boruto Uzumaki never had to worry about a Nine-Tailed Fox causing havoc in the Hidden Leaf Village but the son of the Seventh Hokage had quite a few problems to deal with unrelated to Kurama. Thanks to the Kara Organization and the ever-present threat from the Otsutsuki, Boruto needed some serious help in protecting the Ninja World. Luckily, Boruto found both an ally and a mentor in Sasuke Uchiha, the former member of Team 7 who had quite the story in the original Naruto series. In a new interview with Masashi Kishimoto and Mikio Ikemoto, the creators revealed a wild fact about the relationship between teacher and apprentice.

In the latest manga series following shonen’s most popular ninjas, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, Boruto has aged up similar to how his father had done in Naruto: Shippuden. Unfortunately for the son of the Seventh Hokage, things are much more dire for Boruto at this point than his father. Thanks to Eida’s power, the Hidden Leaf Village now believes that Boruto was responsible for the death of his parents as Kawaki is on a war path to eliminate all the members of the Otsusuki. Even with the ninja world turning its back to Boruto, the Uchiha Clan is still siding with Naruto’s son.

Boruto x Sasuke: The Next Generation

During a recent interview, the current Boruto artist, Mikio Ikemoto, revealed that Boruto goes to the extra mile to impress his sensei. Naruto’s son wears attire similar to Sasuke, hoping that it will leave an impression on Sarada’s father. With Sasuke now in a dire predicament thanks to the Divine Trees and their plans for the ninja world, Boruto is going to need to pull out all the stops to help out his teacher.

At present, Studio Pierrot has yet to reveal when we can expect the world of Naruto and Boruto to return to the small screen. Previously, the production house confirmed that it would be returning to the original series with four original episodes of “Naruto”, focusing on the younger days of the anime protagonist. However, since Pierrot is focusing more on seasonal anime, it makes sense that they wouldn’t be hopping right back into the ninja world. 

Want to see what the future holds for the Hidden Leaf Village? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook for all the latest updates on the ninja world. 

Via X

The post Naruto Creators Explains How Boruto Is Just Like Sasuke appeared first on ComicBook.com.

There is only one thing that could make the Hidden Leaf Village better, and that is the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Back in 1999, artist Masashi Kishimoto couldn’t have seen how big Naruto would become, and he definitely did not imagine the hero’s future team-up with our fave heroes in a half shell. It wasn’t long ago that IDW Publishing and Viz Media revealed their special Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto comic run. And here at ComicBook, we were able to chat with writer Caleb Goellner all about the unexpected crossover.

As you can read below, Goellner dives deep into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto while dropping some big teases. From Ichiraku’s pizza ramen to the ninja’s favorite jutsu, nothing was off limits. So if you want to know more about the epic comic crossover, you can read our interview with Goellner below:testing testing

Exclusive Interview with Writer Caleb Goellner

It’s official! Naruto and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are teaming up. Caleb, what wasyour first impression of this all-star crossover? How did you become involved as the writer on this project?

Goellner: I found out about the potential crossover after a few conversations with industry peers that pretty much came down to, “Hey, you’ve read all of Naruto, right?” I had no idea what I was getting into when I answered “Yeah, and Masashi Kishimoto’s Samurai 8, and Boruto and all of the various spin-offs.” Needless to say I was extremely stoked to be asked to pitch on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto and land the gig. It’s a profoundly rad pairing.

Obviously, Naruto is an icon in the anime and manga industries. Series creator MasashiKishimoto laid out a thorough profile for the ninja, of course. How did you approach writingfor Naruto in this comic run?

Research is always key when you’re writing for established characters, so I re-read a ton of the Naruto manga – not only the early Team 7 adventures, which loosely feed into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto miniseries, but also the Shippuden era. Early in the pitching stage, I wanted to figure out as many potential story scenarios as possible to give all of the project stakeholders flexibility, so I re-watched several Naruto movies and sat my OG 2003 Bandai Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi figures on my desk as faux totems of power.

And of course, the TMNT are taking to the Hidden Leaf Village. What kind of challenges didyou face (if any) while finding the team’s fit in the Naruto Universe?

Team 7 will actually be headed to a new version of the TMNT’s turf! We metaphorically (and I guess literally) added a TMNT section to the world of Naruto for this story so we could make it feel as lived-in and authentic as possible. Series artist Hendry Prasetya has done a ton of truly stunning design work to make this possible, of course. He’s got powerful design jutsu.

Obviously, I have to ask. Are the TMNT bringing New York-style pizza to the Hidden Leaf? Ifeel like pizza ramen could be good! 

Stay tuned and stay hungry. All will be revealed by issue #4 🍕

Looking at this impressive crossover, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto has a lot of elements to juggle inbringing two IPs together. What has been your favorite part of the project’s developmentand production?

Working with my IDW editor Thea Cheuk, who is also a huge Naruto fan and very knowledgeable and cool manga and anime person, has made this process extremely streamlined and fun. I already had a lot of experience writing different versions of the TMNT, but the guidance I had as we met with partners like VIZ, Shueisha, TV Tokyo, and others made this ninja collab as smooth as you can ask for from a writing standpoint. Of course, as a writer, my FAVORITE part of the process is always seeing art come in. Getting to work alongside Hendry is a huge privilege and seeing his designs makes me step back and feel Six Paths Sage Mode levels of gratitude to be on this book.

We know the TMNT crew have the skills to stand against some of the Hidden Leaf’s topheroes. What can you tell me about the turtles and their new powers as they becomeenmeshed in the Naruto Universe?

Let’s just say the TMNT and Team 7 are going to discover mutual respect for one another very quickly. Shinobi tend to let their attacks do the talking, and fans will have a lot of fun seeing these teenage ninja throw down.

It is amazing to see an IP as big as Naruto team with IDW for an official crossover. Why doyou think this anime x comic collaboration works so well? And do you feel like Westerncomics need more crossovers like this?

The magic of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto is pretty self-evident, but the main reason it works in my opinion is that the TMNT as a concept already has so much innate shonen energy. I mean, I’ve always loved the two Japanese TMNT anime OVAs and the resulting toys. I could easily imagine a TMNT series created specifically for Shonen Jump.

I’m not sure if western comics and manga “need” more IP-focused crossovers in general, but I know fans of both will always appreciate fun crossovers done at a high level and in good faith. We’re already seeing stuff like Ultraman: Along Came a Spider-Man have an impact on the crossover conversation, and I suspect there will be more to come as Gen Z/Gen Alpha express their passion for anime and manga in the wider culture. Working in and around the industry for most of my career, I’d definitely be down to work on anything where I could help bring out the best in the characters as they come together for fans.

Will you be checking out Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto when it launches? Give me a shout at @meganwpeters with your take! You can also let us know what you think over on Twitter and Instagram.

The post Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto Writer Talks Crossover Appeal and Ichiraku’s Pizza in Exclusive Interview appeared first on ComicBook.com.

What is a good hero without a good villain to challenge them? Such is the case with shonen series like Naruto and One Piece. The two long-running anime franchises are quite different when it comes to their worlds of pirates and ninjas but it’s clear that the Seventh Hokage and the would-be king of the pirates do share some similarities. In a recent interview with Naruto’s creator Masashi Kishimoto and Boruto: Two Blue Vortex’s artist Mikio Ikemoto, the pair discussed how villains like Orochimaru and the Divine Trees were forged by Eiichiro Oda’s approach in creating the Grand Line.

To start, Masashi Kishimoto in a recent interview was asked why he took the route of fleshing out his villains more rather than making them full-blown ‘super villains’, “It’s true that I want to tell human stories. From the start, I had opportunities to introduce characters as supervillains. Since One Piece was already doing that, I wanted to do something different with Naruto. My villain characters also had a story. Manga is also an industry where you have to create what doesn’t exist yet, which pushes you to try different approaches.”

Boruto: Two Blue Villainy

To add to Kishimoto’s thoughts, the former assistant turned Boruto: Two Blue Vortex artist Mikio Ikemoto touched upon the villains that make up the current sequel series, “I try not to duplicate what was done in Naruto. That’s why there are more purely evil villains in Boruto. Real villains.” As readers have seen in the current manga run, there’s not much that is human about the likes of the “Divine Trees”, aka the evolved beings born from the Ten-Tails and the Otsutsuki’s energy-absorbing plants. 

While One Piece continues to release anime episodes weekly, Boruto remains missing in action. Studio Pierrot had placed the anime on hiatus following the previous fight against Code as the production house looks to take a more seasonal approach to its works. While Pierrot stated in the past that it would return with four new episodes that focus on the original Naruto series, said installments were indefinitely postponed. 

Want to stay up to date on the villains of both Konoha and the Grand Line? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook for the latest updates on Naruto and One Piece and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime. 

Via X

The post Naruto Creator Says One Piece’s Villains Inspired His Own Bad Guys appeared first on ComicBook.com.

When it comes to Naruto, we have seen a number of amazing artists tackle the anime, but few can stand next to Cheng Xi Huang. The Chinese animator is one of the best in the field, and his history with Naruto cannot be overlooked. From Naruto Shippuden to Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Huang has done it all. And now, the animator is going viral for bring his anime flair to the biggest video game of the year, Black Myth: Wukong.

As you can see below, Huang was brought in to direct a portion of Black Myth: Wukong under Game Science. The game, which has already blown past 10 million players, has become the latest obsession for gamers globally. The game focuses on Sun Wukong, the primary figure behind the Chinese folktale Journey to the West. As you play the game, fans are treated to various art styles in each chapter, and Huang was asked to direct one such portion.

Clearly, the artist tapped into his anime roots to bring a truly epic Black Myth: Wukong clip to life. In the video, fans are treated to a wild battle as Wukong goes to war. We see the chosen hero take on countless enemies in the sky with an ally by his side. From the short’s framing to its color and transitions, Huang did not spare any expense when it came to direction. So as you can imagine, Naruto fans are geeking out over this tribute.

After all, it has been a hot minute since we have seen Huang work on Naruto. The anime has been quiet since Boruto: Naruto Next Generations closed shop, but it is expected that the sequel will return to the air someday. Masashi Kishimoto, the series creator of Naruto, is working hard with Mikio Ikemoto on Boruto: Two Blue Vortex. This story picks up the end of Naruto: Boruto Next Generations and runs with a time skip. When the anime returns one day, it will be with this new series on hand, so its creators are currently banking material for Studio Pierrot to adapt.

Beyond Naruto, Huang has also made a name for himself on other anime titles. The artist worked on Netflix’s Castlevania as well as Chainsaw Man, My Hero Academia, Kaiju No. 8, Attack on Titan Final Season, and more. Now, Huang has lent his skills to Black Myth: Wukong, so it is only fitting the game is being heralded as one of this year’s best.

Want to check out Black Myth: Wukong? No sweat! The action RPG is now available on PC and PlayStation 5. A release on Xbox is planned though no official date has been given yet.

What do you make of this Black Myth: Wukong tribute? Give me a shout at @meganwpeters with your take! You can also let us know what you think over on Twitter and Instagram.

The post Naruto Animator Helps Bring Black Myth: Wukong to Life: Watch appeared first on ComicBook.com.

We all have favorite creators, and of course, those creators have faves as well. In the world of entertainment, artists feed of one another and draw inspirations for their next big project. In anime, we know series like My Hero Academia and Kagurabachi took inspiration from Naruto. Now, the creator of Naruto is unpacking what inspired him to craft the manga, and we have The Matrix to thank in part.

Recently, Kishimoto shared his love of The Matrix with fans during a rare in-person appearance in France. The event, which saw Kishimoto chat with Boruto artist Mikio Ikemoto, was all about the legacy of the Hidden Leaf. It was there Kishimoto said two things really inspired him when making Naruto, and they were The Matrix and Kung Fu films.

Clearly, The Matrix turned the wheels for Kishimoto, and the movie came around just as Naruto was taking off. Both the titles date back to 1999, and in a stunning twist of fate, The Matrix directors crafted the film after being inspired by anime. From Ghost in the Shell to Ninja Scroll, some top-tier anime titles from the ’80s helped inspired The Matrix. The live-action film went on to inspired Naruto. So really, I guess we can thank Ghost in the Shell for hits like My Hero Academia if we follow the chain.

Given Kishimoto’s work on titles like Samurai Eight: The Tale of Hachimaru, the artist has a definite love for science fiction. Naruto may not have delved into the topic much during its heyday, but that has begun to change. Thanks to Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, technology is growing in the Hidden Leaf, and some of it is downright terrifying. So let’s just hope Orochimaru never figures out how to make the Matrix for himself…!

Want to know more about Naruto? No sweat. You can read up on the manga’s official synopsis below for all the details:

“Twelve years ago the Village Hidden in the Leaves was attacked by a fearsome threat. A nine-tailed fox spirit claimed the life of the village leader, the Hokage, and many others. Today, the village is at peace and a troublemaking kid named Naruto is struggling to graduate from Ninja Academy. His goal may be to become the next Hokage, but his true destiny will be much more complicated. The adventure begins now!”

What do you think about this latest Naruto update? Let us know what you think over on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

The post Naruto Creator Credits The Matrix, Kung Fu for Inspiring the Manga appeared first on ComicBook.com.

It has been years since Masashi Kishimoto brought Naruto to a close, but the series is far from done. Not only does the IP live on with its sequel Boruto, but each day, Naruto finds new fans. The series is considered iconic, and much of its success comes on the back of Kishimoto. The artist spent spent nearly 20 years with the original run of Naruto, and now, the artist is unpacking which of its arcs was hardest to ink.

The revelation comes from Kishimoto himself as the artist appeared in France for a special in-person event. It was there the artist answered questions about Naruto with Boruto artist Mikio Ikemoto, and one fan wanted to know which arc was hardest to complete in Naruto. And as it turns out, Kishimoto had a lot of hardships with Pain’s Invasion arc.

According to Kishimoto, the hardest arc to write was the Pain’s Invasion storyline, and it was not because of its action. Rather, Kishimoto struggled with the arc’s ideals; Naruto and Nagato had two very different opinions about peace and both were valid. Kishimoto said he had trouble concluding the pair’s conflict as he needed to make Naruto the clear victor while also asserting the nuance behind Nagato’s position.

Clearly, Naruto challenged Kishimoto in some big ways, but its most difficult arc came courtesy of Pain. The invasion really marked a shift in Naruto’s life and the future of the Hidden Leaf. Pain’s Invasion dealt a massive blow to the Akatsuki and forced the Hidden Leaf to bring the ninja world together. The ensuing Kage Summit sparked the start of the Fourth Great Ninja War, so without Pain, it is hard to imagine how that conflict would have gotten the ball rolling.

If you have never checked out Pain’s Invasion arc, you can find the Naruto manga on the Shonen Jump app. So for those wanting to know more about the hit series, you can read its official synopsis below:

“Twelve years ago the Village Hidden in the Leaves was attacked by a fearsome threat. A nine-tailed fox spirit claimed the life of the village leader, the Hokage, and many others. Today, the village is at peace and a troublemaking kid named Naruto is struggling to graduate from Ninja Academy. His goal may be to become the next Hokage, but his true destiny will be much more complicated. The adventure begins now!”

What do you think of Kishimoto’s latest confession? Which Naruto arc sticks out to you after all these years? Let us know what you think over on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

The post Naruto Creator Reveals Which Arc Was Its Most Difficult appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Following Naruto’s fight against the likes of Orochimaru, Madara Uchiha, the Otsutsuki, and the Akatsuki, the Seventh Hokage earned his position and acceptance among the ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village. Not satisfied with bringing Naruto’s story to an end with Shippuden, creator Masashi Kishimoto decided to follow the next generation of Konoha’s ninjas in Boruto Uzumaki. Boruto: Naruto Next Generations followed Naruto’s son, who was living in his father’s shadow, and gave way to Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, the current series that has thrown some wild challenges at the anime protagonist. In a new interview, Kishimoto confirmed that Boruto’s journey almost didn’t happen.

While Boruto: Two Blue Vortex is continuing to release new chapters on a monthly basis, Boruto’s anime future remains a mystery. Following the son of the Seventh teaming up with Kawaki against the villainous Code, the new head of the Kara Organization, Studio Pierrot decided to place the anime adaptation on hiatus. Initially, Pierrot announced that the shonen franchise would continue with a four-episode return to the original Naruto series, taking viewers back into the past. Thanks to Demon Slayer, Pierrot has decided to take a different approach to their anime, focusing on a more seasonal stance to releases, meaning that Naruto’s anime adaptation needed more time behind the scenes.

Boruto Almost Wasn’t

In a recent interview, Masashi Kishimoto stated that had his assistant, Mikio Ikemoto, not wanted to take on the story of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, then the shonen franchise would have indeed ended with Naruto in the leading role. Ikemoto continues to work on the long-running manga, initially starting as Kishimoto’s assistant in the earlier days and then becoming the main artist on Naruto Next Generations and Two Blue Vortex. 

While Boruto has yet to receive a return date for his anime series, the television show will have some major moments to cover when it make its comeback. Following Kawaki and Boruto’s battle against Code, the world becomes a very different place in Naruto Next Generations thanks to Eida’s machinations and affection for the adopted son of the Uzumaki family. As Two Blue Vortex focuses on an older Boruto who is fighting against enemies and allies alike, the sequel series will make for a killer animated series.

Want to follow along with the developments of the Hidden Leaf Village? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook for the latest updates on Boruto Uzumaki and the next generation of ninjas. 

Via X

The post Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Was Almost Axed Before It Began appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Since 1997, Masashi Kishimoto has been a mainstay in the manga industry. The artist has overseen a few projects during their career, but of course, the world knows Kishimoto best for his work on Naruto. The creator brought Naruto to life back in 1999, and to this day, the franchise is thriving. And even though Kishimoto is busy with the sequel to Naruto, it seems the artist is eyeing new projects.

Recently, Kishimoto clued in fans to his latest work as he appeared at a fan-event in France with Boruto artist Mikio Ikemoto. It was there the pair answered tons of questions about Naruto and their careers. When asked about his current life, Kishimoto said he is keeping his focus on two important things.

“What’s important to me now is spending time with my famil. And maybe a new work,” Kishimoto shared.

Of course, the announcement took fans by surprise as Kishimoto has been quiet about any future projects. Naruto took up the artist’s time starting in 1999, and he is still preoccupied by the Hidden Leaf. After all, Kishimoto oversees Boruto: Naruto Next Generations and Boruto: Two Blue Vortex with Ikemoto. For decades now, Kishimoto has been wrapped up in the world of Naruto, but he did part with the IP back in 2019.

After all, Kishimoto launched a new manga under a few years back called Samurai 8: The Tale of Hachimaru. The sci-fi series was met with mixed reviews, and ultimately, Kishimoto brought the tale to a close in March 2020. Since then, no word has been shared about Kishimoto’s future. Fans are definitely eager to see what else the artist can do now that Naruto is done. And given the rash of finales gunning for Weekly Shonen Jump, well – the magazine needs some big new series to help carry water.

If you are not familiar with Naruto, the legendary shonen series is easy to find. Viz Media’s Shonen Jump app houses the original manga as well as its sequels. So for more info on Naruto, you can read its official synopsis below:

“Twelve years ago the Village Hidden in the Leaves was attacked by a fearsome threat. A nine-tailed fox spirit claimed the life of the village leader, the Hokage, and many others. Today, the village is at peace and a troublemaking kid named Naruto is struggling to graduate from Ninja Academy. His goal may be to become the next Hokage, but his true destiny will be much more complicated. The adventure begins now!”

What do you think about this latest Naruto teaser? Let us know what you think over on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

The post Naruto Creator Masashi Kishimoto Is Eyeing a New Manga appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Naruto has been around for decades, and these days, the series is still going on strong thanks to creator Masashi Kishimoto. With artist Mikio Ikemoto on hand, Kishimoto is continuing Naruto‘s legacy with a sequel that explores the next generation of the Hidden Leaf. Of course, all of our heroes from the original series are present like Team 7. And now, Kishimoto has owned up to one regret he still carries about Sakura Haruno.

And no, it isn’t her feelings for Sasuke. During a recent interview with Ikemoto, Kishimoto touched upon Team 7, and it was there the series creator admitted he regrets not diving into Sakura’s home life more so.

According to Kishimoto, he says he “regrets” his decision to not develop Sakura’s bond with her parents. The creator did such a thing for Sasuke and Naruto as the two boys had a complex history with their families. Sadly, Sakura’s home life was glossed over, and that is something Kishimoto has come to regret.

Of course, we do know a little about Sakura’s parents. Her parents are none other than Kizashi and Mebuki. The two characters were never shown in the Naruto manga, but Kishimoto did introduce the pair at long last in film. Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie featured an alternate timeline take on Sakura’s parents as they were unfortunately killed in battle when the Nine-Tailed Fox attacked the Hidden Leaf. An anime episode was also released to tee up this movie, and “Road to Sakura” introduced the canon version of her parents. Mebuki came off as a serious yet loving mother while Kizashi was nothing but exuberant. So while Kishimoto did not carve out time to explore the family in the manga, he found a way to give Sakura some family time in the anime.

There is also still time for Kishimoto to bring Sakura’s folks into the manga. He may not illustrate the series’ sequel, but Kishimoto is the one who pens the story for Boruto: Two Blue Vortex. The sequel focuses pretty regularly on Sarada Uchiha, the daughter of Sakura and Sasuke. The girl has grandparents in Mebuki and Kizashi, so hopefully, we can see the pair visit with Sarada someday down the line.

Want to know more about Naruto? No sweat. You can find the original manga on Viz Media’s Shonen Jump app, and the same goes for Naruto‘s sequels. So for more info on the series, you can read its official synopsis below:

“Twelve years ago the Village Hidden in the Leaves was attacked by a fearsome threat. A nine-tailed fox spirit claimed the life of the village leader, the Hokage, and many others. Today, the village is at peace and a troublemaking kid named Naruto is struggling to graduate from Ninja Academy. His goal may be to become the next Hokage, but his true destiny will be much more complicated. The adventure begins now!”

What do you make of this latest Naruto confession? Did the series drop the ball with Sakura? Let us know what you think over on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

The post Naruto Creator Reveals His Biggest Regret for Sakura appeared first on ComicBook.com.

It’s impossible to deny that Naruto will be a significant part of the anime world for quite some time to come. Ever since the boy who harbored the Nine Tail Fox hit the shonen scene, the Hidden Leaf Village has released manga chapters, anime episodes, and feature-length films. Hollywood has also taken notice as a live-action Naruto movie is in the works thanks to Lionsgate and Destin Daniel Cretton, the director of Marvel’s Shang Chi And The Legend of The Ten Rings. Amazon has recently announced that it is teaming up with Masashi Kishomoto’s legendary franchise and Viz Media to create an entire Naruto channel for free.

Naruto first hit Weekly Shonen Jump in 1999 and has followed the story of the Seventh Hokage for decades. The new deal with Amazon will see the Naruto Channel populated with episodes from both the original Naruto series along with Naruto: Shippuden. At present, the manga is following the story of Naruto’s son, Boruto, via Boruto: Two Blue Vortex. While Boruto might not have the Nine-Tailed Fox inside of him, his problems might be far scarier than those of his father.

Naruto x Amazon

Variety broke the news that Naruto was receiving its own Amazon Freevee channel, though details on the channel’s start date remain a mystery. Viz Media’s Senior Director of Digital Distribution, JP Villaneuva, had the following to say on the Naruto channel that will be a part of Amazon’s Freevee, “With the launch of a dedicated linear channel and VOD offerings, fans can now experience the iconic adventures of Naruto Uzumaki around the clock. This addition not only enriches Freevee’s anime library but also provides an exciting new way for fans to engage with one of the most celebrated anime franchises,”

On top of the Naruto anime adaptation hitting Freevee, Amazon is also bringing the following series to its free streaming platform, Accel World, “Bakuman, Blue Dragon, Buso Renkin, Captain Tsubasa, Death Note, Infini-T Force, Inuyasha, Inuyasha Final Act, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, K, K: Seven Stories, MEGALOBOX, Ranma ½, Reborn, Sailor Moon Crystal, Terraformars, Vampire Knight,  and Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon.

Want to stay up to date on the Hidden Leaf Village? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook for the latest updates on Konoha and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime. 

Via Variety

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Boruto: Two Blue Vortex dropped some major bombshells in manga’s latest chapter. Focusing on a flashback featuring Boruto Uzumaki joining forces with the Jiraiya Clone and Kara Organization member, Kashin Koji, the shonen sequel didn’t just reveal original plans to kill the Seventh Hokage but branching timelines that would be quite different for Konoha. Thanks to the nefarious mechanics of Eida, the world is a much harsher place for the son of the Seventh Hokage, though these new timelines prove that things could always be worse for Boruto and his fellow ninjas. As the Divine Trees continue to work in the background, things are heating up for the Hidden Leaf.

Warning. If you have yet to read the latest chapter of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, Chapter 13, be forewarned that we’ll be diving into serious spoiler territory. During his past meeting with Kashin Koji, which took place in between the ending of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations and the beginning of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, Boruto Uzumaki is informed of a surprising Otsutsuki ability. As Koji explains, thanks to his life-or-death fight against Jigen, the Jiraiya clone was granted the ability of “prescience”, aka the ability to see all possible futures. While we don’t see all of the futures that Kashin sees, we are given some unique breakdowns and glimpses at what might have been.

Two Blue Vortex Enters The Multiverse

The first possible future that Koji lays out is that Isshiki, aka Jigen, would have killed Naruto Uzumaki and thus taken over Kawaki’s body. In doing so, the Kara Organization leader would have accomplished his mission of creating a Divine Tree and destroying the world in the process. The other timeline that Boruto’s new mentor explains would have seen both Naruto’s son and Sarada Uchiha dying as a result of the fight against Kawaki which ended Boruto: Naruto Next Generations.

Kashin then explains that while they dodged these two horrible futures, this might have inadvertently brought them into the worst timeline. As Koji predicts, the Divine Trees became sentient and their leader, Jura, might just be the one to eliminate the son of the Seventh Hokage. Despite this potentially bleak timeline, Boruto isn’t going to stop when it comes to rescuing his parents and knocking some sense into his adopted brother Kawaki.

Want to see what the future holds for Boruto and the next generation of ninjas? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook for the latest updates on the Hidden Leaf. 

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Boruto: Two Blue Vortex has continued with the next step in the fight against the Divine Tree People, and the newest chapter of the series explained how Boruto Uzumaki was able to get so strong so quickly. Boruto: Naruto Next Generations came to an end with Boruto being forced to escape from the Hidden Leaf Village as he decided to train as much as he could for an eventual rematch with Kawaki and Code. With the new series picking up three years later, Boruto has been revealed to have a ton of powerful new skills that he had been able to learn in a short time. 

Boruto: Two Blue Vortex has since revealed even more techniques that Boruto was able to develop during the time skip, but surprisingly, it was also revealed that he’s done much of this without the help of Sasuke Uchiha. Despite Sasuke offering to help him during all of the chaos at the end of the first series, the newest chapter of the sequel has revealed that Boruto has been able to pick up his strong new attacks thanks to some surprising help from Kashin Koji, who is able to see many of the multiple futures in which Boruto has already learned these moves. 

Boruto Uses Future Sight to Gain Powers

Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 13 helps to fill in some of the gaps during the time skip as its revealed that after Sasuke was captured and turned into a Divine Tree, Boruto himself was left without any potential help. It’s here that Kashin reached out to him, and explained that he unlocked a new Shinjutsu, Prescience. This new ability allows him to see multiple futures, and whether not Boruto believes that he has that power or even trusts him, Kashin offers to help so that they can avoid the worst possible futures coming to pass. 

While his ability doesn’t confirm whether a future will happen as it’s always in flux, it will give them valuable information as to how to best change the future. Kashin then explains that he would reveal the future techniques that Boruto masters in the years to come and thus accelerate the rate of his training. It’s why Boruto has been revealed to be as strong as he is with the likes of a new Rasengan and more because he was able to essentially learn from his own future mastery. Now it’s just a matter of seeing how it can change the future. 

The post Naruto Reveals the Real Reason Boruto Became OP So Fast appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Believe it, guys – Naruto is heading to Hollywood. For a few years now, the team at Lionsgate has been working to bring the knuckle-headed ninja to life. Not long ago, reports confirmed director Destin Daniel Cretton will oversee the project with co-writer Tasha Huo. Now, the latter is opening up about the film, and it turns out the initial script for Naruto is finished.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Huo updated fans on Naruto while promoting her work on Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft. The writer said she feels Cretton’s vision for Naruto is “very personal and relatable” while also staying nuanced.

“I think that’s such a cool choice because he’s going to be able to capture how nuanced and special Naruto is without getting distracted by the big world that it is, which I think could easily be done by someone who’s not a fan or someone who’s coming in for a cash payday,” she says. “This is definitely a movie that comes at it from a love of who Naruto is and that character and his relationships,” Huo explained.

With the co-writer’s first script finished, Cretton is now tweaking elements of the story to fit his vision. At this point, Lionsgate has no expected release window for Naruto, but the live-action project is moving ahead at full speed. Even series creator Masashi Kishimoto gave his blessing for Cretton’s film as the Naruto artist is a fan of their movies.

“When I heard of Destin’s attachment, it happened to be right after watching a blockbuster action film of his, and I thought he would be the perfect director for Naruto,” Kishimoto shared.

“After enjoying his other films and understanding that his forte is in creating solid dramas about people, I became convinced that there is no other director for Naruto. In actually meeting Destin, I also found him to be an open-minded director who was willing to embrace my input, and felt strongly that we would be able to cooperate together in the production process.”

Want to know more about Naruto ahead of its Hollywood push? You can find the legendary anime streaming everywhere from Hulu to Crunchyroll and Freevee. So for more info on Naruto, you can read its official synopsis below for more details:

“Twelve years ago the Village Hidden in the Leaves was attacked by a fearsome threat. A nine-tailed fox spirit claimed the life of the village leader, the Hokage, and many others. Today, the village is at peace and a troublemaking kid named Naruto is struggling to graduate from Ninja Academy. His goal may be to become the next Hokage, but his true destiny will be much more complicated. The adventure begins now!”

What do you think about this latest update on Naruto? Let us know what you think over on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

The post Naruto Screenwriter Praises Director Destin Daniel Cretton After Finishing Script appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Boruto’s anime future remains a mystery as Studio Pierrot has yet to confirm when anime fans might expect the return of the son of the Seventh Hokage. While viewers wait to see Konoha’s return to the small screen, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex continues to march on via its amazing manga series. The manga might continue to follow Boruto Uzumaki but the ninja protagonist’s life has never been more dire than it is now. Hunted by both friends and enemies alike, Boruto has revealed his new goals that he is focused on in this brave new world.

Warning. If you have yet to read the latest chapter of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, Chapter 13, be forewarned that we’ll be diving into spoiler territory. Rather than focusing on the present, Two Blue Vortex takes the opportunity to revisit the past. In between the start of the latest series and the ending of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, three years had passed as Boruto tried to dodge a world that believed he was responsible for the death of his parents. In the latest chapter, we see Boruto coming face-to-face with Kashin Koji, the villainous clone of Jiraiya, who helps Naruto’s son reveal the protagonist’s new goals for the future.

Boruto’s Goals For The Future

In chatting with Kashin Koji about the “Ten Tails”, aka the villainous beings that have emerged from the Divine Trees, Boruto states what he is hoping to accomplish in his future, “Whether it’s stopping a Divine Tree plan or whatnot, I’ll never agree to any option that involves killing Kawaki, understand? Cuz knocking sense into my idiot bro and restoring the Uzumaki household is my goal. Whatever the case, Ten Tails is in my way, that much is clear. Don’t bother wasting your breath. I’ll do it! Finish off Code and Ten Tails both!’

Following this flashback, we witness the present which sees Boruto in dire straits. Despite surviving his recent fights against the Divine Trees, Naruto’s son has been captured by Kawaki and is now a prisoner as Boruto’s brother hopes to kill him to fully eradicate the Otsutsuki. Meanwhile, the Divine Trees are seemingly about to get a new addition to their collective, which might spell serious trouble for the Ninja World.

Want to follow along with the trials and tribulations of Boruto? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook for the latest updates on the Hidden Leaf Village. 

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Boruto: Two Blue Vortex has returned with a new chapter full of major revelations, and the manga has revealed that Boruto Uzumaki was originally meant to die in a different timeline. Boruto: Two Blue Vortex has kicked off a new phase in the fight against the Divine Tree People, and with it has started to reveal a whole host of new abilities that were previously unseen before. As Boruto has been spending the last few years training while hiding from the Hidden Leaf Village, he ended up working together with Kashin Koji as an unexpected ally after Sasuke Uchiha was captured by the Ten Tails. 

Boruto has been revealed to have grown immensely in strength thanks to new abilities he’s been able to gain in the last few years, and it’s clear that he has a better look at the current situation with the Ten Tails than anyone else. With the newest chapter of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, it’s revealed to be possible thanks to a secret new ability that Kashin was able to activate, an ability that sees multiple futures play out. Some of which ended up with Boruto being meant to die and the world itself being destroyed as a result. 

Boruto Was Originally Going to Die 

Boruto: Two Blue Vortex goes back in time a bit during the period where Boruto was running from the Hidden Leaf Village, and after Sasuke was captured by the Ten Tails. Kashin approached him, and Boruto decides to accept his help because there’s no other option. It’s here that Kashin explains that on the moment of his death in the fight against Jigen, he activated a latent Shinjutsu power within himself due to Amado adding Shibai Otsutsuki’s cells during his creation. His power turns out to be Prescience, the ability to see multiple futures. 

He sees multiple futures, and multiple potential realities that constantly ebb and flow thanks to actions in the present. The examples he gives are the worst case scenarios that were avoided like Naruto dying at Isshiki Otsutsuki’s hands, or Boruto and Sarada being killed by Kawaki. These futures saw him die, and Kawaki then be killed by the Otsutsuki to form a Divine Tree to destroy the world. The thing here is that these futures are both possible and not at the same time. 

Kashin explains that he sees all of these potential realities, and they are constantly changing due to what they do in the present. So while Boruto was originally meant to die in another timeline (and did), it means that his survival is basically like walking a tightrope as it’s clear that his real death is very much still on the table.

The post Naruto Reveals Its Original Plans for Boruto’s Death appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Boruto: Two Blue Vortex has been the “Shippuden” of the Boruto era of the successful Ninja Shonen series. Thanks to the recent events forged by creator Masashi Kishimoto, Boruto Uzumaki has had to deal with the most difficult time of his life. As the son of the Seventh Hokage now fights against new enemies and old friends, anime fans are waiting to see when Studio Pierrot will bring back the Hidden Leaf Village. Now, to help celebrate the franchise, both creator Masashi Kishimoto and artist Mikio Ikemoto have taken on Naruto and Boruto in a side-by-side reunion of the Uzumakis.

When last we saw Naruto Uzumaki, both himself and his partner Hinata were in dire straits. Thanks to Kawaki wanting to destroy the Otsutsuki, the latest addition to the Uzumaki believed his best move was to remove both the Seventh Hokage and his wife. Rather than eliminating the two main players of the shonen franchise, Kawaki trapped them inside of a limbo-like reality where they wouldn’t cause him any problems. Since the former vessel considered Boruto to be a main target as the son of the Seventh shares a body with Momoshiki, it makes sense that Kawaki wanted to dodge any push back from Naruto.

Naruto x Boruto: Reunion

When Boruto: Naruto Next Generations first began, Masashi Kishimoto was not writing the sequel series that introduced a new cast of characters to lead the charge in the ninja world. Eventually, Kishimoto would return and had quite a series of events take place to come back with a bang. Eliminating both Jigen and Kurama the Nine-Tailed Fox, Masashi has been busy throwing some major monkey wrenches into Boruto’s life.

When the Naruto anime does return, it won’t see Boruto in the driver’s seat. Studio Pierrot has stated in the past that it is looking to bring back Konoha by exploring the earlier days of the franchise and unveiling new stories focusing on Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura’s earlier days in Team 7. While the original episodes were slated to arrive last year, they had to be indefinitely postponed, though there have been recent reports that the installments might be on the way. 

Want to see what the future holds for the Hidden Leaf? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook for the latest updates on Naruto, Boruto, and the new generation of ninjas leading the charge. 

The post Naruto Creator Celebrates the Uzumaki Family With New Sketch appeared first on ComicBook.com.

With more than 500 million copies to its name, One Piece is a behemoth. The hit Shonen Jump series has been sailing the seas for decades, and in that time, One Piece has seen other series make a name for themselves. For instance, Naruto made its debut some time after One Piece went live, and it somehow found global success ahead of Eiichiro Oda’s pirate tale. And according to some well-known editors at Shonen Jump, the reason Naruto surpassed One Piece comes down to drama.

The breakdown between Naruto and One Piece was held at Shonen Jump as editors Yahagi Kosuke and Kazuhiko Torishima unpacked the franchises. It was there Yahagi, who edited Naruto with creator Masashi Kishimoto, admitted the series is easier to take in because it isn’t as layered as One Piece.

“The drama of One Piece is very interesting. On the other hand, Naruto is easier to understand because of the action and other aspects rather than the drama. I have children, and when I show it to them, the thing they don’t understand the most is the drama,” Yahagi admitted in the interview.

“We’ve been reading manga for a long time, so we tend to read deeper into what makes manga interesting. But many people overseas don’t understand Japanese manga. I think that’s probably because they don’t have literacy or reading comprehension. So, ultimately, I think that Naruto doesn’t require that kind of reading comprehension.”

Takashi Matsuyama, an editor who worked on Dragon Ball, also chimed in about their take on Naruto. In his perspective, Matsuyama feels One Piece is like a classic yakuza film while Naruto is akin to a flashy Hollywood flick.

“This is just my feeling, but what One Piece is doing is, although it may sound strange to call it kabuki, the chivalry way, right? Like old yakuza movies. It’s like a theatrical or stage play, including the tear-jerking parts that appeal to Japanese people. Naruto is Hollywood-oriented in a sense, including the development. That’s why I think the nature of it selling well around the world is different.”

While Naruto has certainly enjoyed success globally, One Piece has definitely climbed the ranks in recent years. Thanks to an anime renaissance and its live-action adaptation at Netflix, One Piece is now making a name for itself outside of Asia. So if you want to know more about the seafaring series, you can read the official synopsis of One Piece below:

“Twelve years ago the Village Hidden in the Leaves was attacked by a fearsome threat. A nine-tailed fox spirit claimed the life of the village leader, the Hokage, and many others. Today, the village is at peace and a troublemaking kid named Naruto is struggling to graduate from Ninja Academy. His goal may be to become the next Hokage, but his true destiny will be much more complicated. The adventure begins now!”

What do you think about this Shonen Jump breakdown? Let us know what you think over on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

The post Shonen Jump Editor Explains Why Naruto Surpassed One Piece Overseas appeared first on ComicBook.com.

These days, the world has its eyes trained on One Piece and for good reason. It has been 20+ years since the series debuted, and creator Eiichiro Oda has yet to let up his grip. One Piece remains one of the top-performing titles at Shueisha, and since its launch, the fandom has seen hits come and go. No such series has managed to hit the heights that Naruto did, and in case you were wondering, the team behind the ninja manga studied One Piece extensively.

Don’t believe it? Well, Yahagi Kosuke is the one who told Shonen Jump readers all about it. The editor, who oversaw Naruto from the beginning, spoke with a number of editors during a roundtable in 2019. It was there Yahagi owned up to the lessons that One Piece taught Naruto.

“To begin with, One Piece started serialization before Naruto. [Kishimoto] also said, ‘It can never compete with One Piece. One Piece is too interesting.’ I also thought it was too interesting, but I said, ‘You shouldn’t say that,'” the editor shared. “So when we started working on Naruto, we broke down and analyzed ‘What is so great about One Piece?'”

Continuing, Yahagi pointed out some of the most impressive pieces of One Piece that went on to influence Naruto. The editor said Oda made his manga feel like an RPG with all its different settings. Audiences would follow the Straw Hat crew as they went through various lands to complete a mission before the cycle began anew. Beyond that, Yahagi praised One Piece for giving dedicated arcs to its main characters rather than singling out Luffy for adventure.

“The more I study One Piece, the more amazing it is. I can’t compete with this. If I want to compete with the manga, I’ll have to surprise people with action. I’m conscious of that. Kishimoto himself said, ‘I can’t write a story more moving than One Piece,’ so I thought I’d try to compete somewhere else. There’s no point competing under the same magazine…Naruto went in its own direction. And its creator’s art was amazing,” the Naruto editor shared.

Clearly, Naruto follows the same shonen staples that One Piece abides by, but both series do their own thing. If you have never checked out Naruto, well – the series is easy enough to find. The main series and its sequel can be read on the Shonen Jump app. So for more info on Naruto, you can read its official synopsis below:

“Twelve years ago the Village Hidden in the Leaves was attacked by a fearsome threat. A nine-tailed fox spirit claimed the life of the village leader, the Hokage, and many others. Today, the village is at peace and a troublemaking kid named Naruto is struggling to graduate from Ninja Academy. His goal may be to become the next Hokage, but his true destiny will be much more complicated. The adventure begins now!”

What do you think about this Naruto confession? Let us know what you think over on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

The post Naruto Editor Reveals Why the Hit Series Studied One Piece appeared first on ComicBook.com.