NarutoNarutoNaruto (NARUTO – ナルト -, Naruto?) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto with an anime adaptation. The main character, Naruto Uzumaki, is a loud, hyperactive, unpredictable adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and aspires to become a Hokage, the ninja in the village acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of all.
Kishimoto first authored a one-shot of Naruto in the August 1997 issue of Akamaru Jump.[1] The plot differed substantially in that Naruto was the son of the demon fox instead of being the container, and the story was placed in a more modern setting.[2] This early version of Naruto already had the ability to transform into a sexy young woman – but when he did so, a fox tail sprouted. Kishimoto then rewrote the story to its current form, which was first published by Shueisha in 1999 in the 43rd issue of Japans Shonen Jump magazine. As of volume 36, the manga has sold over 71 million copies in Japan.[3] Viz Media publishes a translated version in the American Shonen Jump magazine. Naruto has become Vizs best-selling manga series.[4] To date, the first 27 volumes are available in English.
In 1997, Kishimoto published the original six-page first-person narrative, Kishimoto –: Sasuke and the Ultimate Ninja Storm.[5][6] It was released in 1997 as a limited-print series alongside the English version of Shueisha’s Enertainment manga series.[1][7][8] It was released in April 1998 and September 1998 as volumes 1-47. Viz Media’s The Complete History of Naruto, which has been released in all major North American territories, the first chapter was released as a limited-release in August 1998.[9]
Following Naruto’s first live-action appearance in the anime, the series was rebranded as Shōnen Jōnin and, following the release of the fourth volume of the Naruto anime in March 2000, the first volume of the fifth volume of the seventh volume. This third volume was released in November 2000, and also had an English dubbed run on Shounen Jōnin. The fifth and final volume of the anime, Naruto: Hero’s Reunion, was released in January 2001, followed by a limited-edition titled Konoha!!.[10]
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Development
A few months after developing Naruto in the original form, Kishi, a well-known manga creator, began producing Kishimoto –. His first manga is the manga in Japanese. Since the beginning of 2000, he has licensed the original Naruto volume under his name as well, adding the words Naruto, Kishimoto and Konoha to his name for his series.[11][12][13] In 2002, Kishimoto published in the magazine Vol. 1 the first half-hour of his story[14] on Kekkai no Asai . The magazine’s English version of the story was adapted for screen in the March 2003 edition. Kishimoto – was published in the first issue under his Japanese name for the first time. The original story was adapted in Japanese for the first time in 2002 and the English version appeared in Vol. 1 a few months later. Kishimoto – was published in March 2003 as a special bonus volume, but it had no official release.
In 1996, his first Naruto project, a story on Naruto’s journey in Kūryū. It premiered on September 5, 1998. Kishimoto – was originally slated for an English dub by Chihiro Ishii, and it did not feature a English subtitle until his original Japanese version aired,[15] but when the anime aired, there was a second episode which introduced the story in English, featuring an interview with Rurouni Kenshin.[16]
Following the opening chapter, a second story arc, entitled Kakashi Hatake, was released on July 15, 2002.[17] By December 2004, the anime had rebranded to Shōnen Jōnin. In 2005, it was expanded from the first season and the fourth season to five episodes and an alternate universe.[18][