While Naruto and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure are both shonen action series, the two hit manga are incredibly different. One of the chief differences comes in the artwork, which couldn't be any more night and day. It's because the art is so different that manga fans can't help but feel divided by artwork from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure creator Hirohiko Araki depicting the world's most famous shinobi.
Beginning in 1987, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is a sprawling multi-generational epic focussing on descendants of the Joestar family and their battles against the evil vampire Dio Brando and his followers. The series is famous for its distinctive art style which places heavy emphasis on unique fashion and strong posing. The characters also have a certain model-esque quality to their features that is striking. By contrast, Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto has a much more conventional shonen art style that is still influencing the look and feel of popular shonen two decades after its debut. It's these differences that make the prospect of seeing Naruto himself drawn by Araki so interesting.
For Naruto's tenth anniversary in 2009, Naruto Secret: Scroll of Everyone Official Fanbook was released. The book saw a wide variety of manga creators join together in celebration of the landmark series. Of particular note was a piece of art by Akira Toriyama and Kishimoto depicting Naruto and Goku trading places. However, the most contentious piece among fans was easily Araki's depiction of Naruto. Far from Kishimito's style, this version of Naruto had all the hallmarks of a Jojo character such as the highly detailed face and a pouty expression. Ever since its debut, fans have been split on what to make of it.
While the piece of artwork is undoubtedly impressive, there is an element of it that comes across as more than a little unsettling to some. Far from criticism of Araki, Naruto's hair and piercing gaze almost have elements of the uncanny valley to them, as though they're close to being realistic but are just 'off' enough for something to feel wrong. On the other hand, many other fans love the artwork. This interpretation of Naruto feels much more real and concrete than he ever did in the actual manga. Most of the division probably comes down to whether someone is a fan of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure or whether they aren't. Unsurprisingly, fans of Jojo's will be accustomed to Araki's signature style and appreciate seeing the acclaimed creator's take on one of the most well-known manga heroes of all time. On the other hand, fans less familiar with Araki's work would probably see this as a massive departure from how Naruto is typically portrayed.
Regardless of where each fan falls though, it's undeniable that both Masashi Kishimoto and Hirohiko Araki are both great artists whose influence on manga and comic storytelling, in general, can't be overstated. Even fans of Naruto who find something off about this piece of artwork from the creator of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure have to admit that it is an admirable piece of art that simultaneously honors two legacies.