It has been nearly twenty years since Masashi Kishimoto’s long-running ninja epic Naruto debuted in its more famous anime form, and the original mangaka behind the beloved ninja-action series has begun the celebration a little early. Since its debut in 1999, Kishimoto’s sweeping manga tale of rival ninja clans featuring an array of mystical powers has enthralled readers with its gregarious tone and tight yet heartfelt visuals. Now, in this new art that’s sure to pull at fans' heartstrings, Kishimoto is providing readers with a retrospective image of hero Naruto Uzumaki.
Naruto first came to Western audiences in 2003 when Viz Media began the tale of the young fox ninja and his wacky yet strangely poignant adventures with his teammates on Team 7. Unfolding over the years into a grand coming-of-age story set during a period of upheaval among the shinobi clans, the main character Naruto Uzumaki grew from a plucky young rogue who occasionally bit off more than he could chew into a capable shinobi master and Seventh Hokage of the Konohagakure Village, becoming the leader he set out to be.
Shared by Viz Media on Twitter with the comment, "Our Hero of the Hidden Leaf and 7th Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki," Kishimoto has revealed a new vibrantly detailed drawing of a young Naruto featured having a heart-to-heart with an older Naruto at the swing he was known to lonesomely brood upon in his moments of despair. Originally posted on the official Naruto/Boruto account in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the anime's release in Japan, and beautifully rendered in his classic style, the picture showcases a slightly softer side of Kishimoto, who wrote and illustrated all 72-volumes of the series from 1999-2014.
The new piece, a rarity since Kishimoto handed art duties over to Mikio Ikemoto for the sequel series Boruto, highlights a wonderful similarity between the young Naruto and his son Boruto, the new protagonist of the continued series. Many of the finer touches Kishimoto placed at the later parts of his long-running manga concerned the question of whether Naruto could truly overcome his youthful wildness in order to tame the incredible power of the nine-tailed fox he had within him, and the new series has continued his relentless battles, albeit with a more measured, mature attitude. Seeing Naruto connect with his younger self in calm and acceptance underlines his journey.
As one of the most popular manga franchises in the West, Naruto continues to excite and amaze new readers with its dynamic action, imaginative design and emotionally relatable cast of weird and wonderful shinobi. Though the original Naruto title may be over, its legacy (and its main character's journey) continues with Kishimoto on writing duties in Boruto, on sale now from Viz Media.
Source: Viz Media