Naruto writer serial#
Naruto writer series#

Naruto writer series#

I like the way Quentin Tarantino creates a scene using a series of close-ups or showing very cool images of a person or people walking on some ordinary street in slow motion. “I once adopted Takeshi Kitano’s technique of shooting objects from a great distance to stifle the emotion in the scene. “I watch a lot of movies, and I tend to be influenced by scenes that intrigue me, that make me want to use the same effects or technique,” Kishimoto explains. The viewer sees Naruto’s resolve stiffen before he kicks the wasabi out of his opponent. Kishimoto lays out each page like a director/cinematographer, often juxtaposing a series of close-ups of a character’s changing expression with large drawings of a combat sequence. “Exaggeration can lend action scenes more force, but I like to stick to more realistic figures: They help keep the cool in the action scenes, although they may be not as forceful as the exaggerated ones.” “I chose to draw the human figures as accurately as possible because I thought it would give a more realistic feel to the action scenes,” Kishimoto explains. The human figures are well-drawn and accurately proportioned, and their poses suggest believable movements. Kishimoto’s strong clean lines and massed areas of black give the many action sequences a visual punch. Under the supervision of his teacher, Kakashi, he goes on missions in a team with his rival Sasuke and Sakura, on whom he nurtures a crush. And in extreme circumstances, he can draw on the energy of the demon imprisoned within his body. Although he remains a goof-off at heart, Naruto will lay his life on the line to protect his friends. After graduating from the academy - after three tries - he begins his advanced training as a ninja. His impish nature and spotty record make Naruto a come-from-behind kid. He was created based on my self-image of my own childhood, but different from how I really was.” I was a poor student, but unlike Naruto, I was the type of poor student who gave up easily and pondered things that weren’t worth pondering. “The only image I had in mind was a character who was a naughty boy. “When Naruto was born, it was more like he somehow came out, rather than my creating him from some inspiration,” he continued. At the Ninja Academy, he blew off his lessons, played pranks and got into mischief. Because he was associated with the demon, Naruto was a lonely child, shunned by the people of the village. The village chieftain died, sealing that demon within the body of a newborn baby: Naruto. The Hidden Leaf Village of ninjas was nearly destroyed by a nine-tailed fox demon, a creature so terrible it was seen as divine punishment.

Naruto writer serial#

Two years later, a new version of “Naruto” premiered as a serial in the magazine Weekly Shonen Jump and scored an immediate hit.Īlthough the name was the same, the new version of “Naruto” was very different from the previous story. His next work, a manga short story about a fox spirit disguised as a human (foxes are traditional shape-shifters in Japanese folklore) named Naruto, appeared in 1997. While in art school, Kishimoto won a contest for aspiring manga artists with his story “Karakuri” (Mechanism). In elementary school, he became “completely addicted” to the popular boys’ series “Dragon Ball.” His interest gradually expanded to include other manga series, notably Katsuhiro Otomo’s landmark “Akira.” Kishimoto explained that he was so focused on his drawings that he did poorly in high school, ranking 30th in a class of 31. I think readers see themselves in Naruto, and that’s what appeals to them: They can empathize with him and his weaknesses.”Īs a boy, Kishimoto was obsessed with manga and baseball.

Although he doesn’t think about it too much, he knows he hates to lose, and we all know what that feels like. Naruto feels inferior to his peers, but he hates to be a loser. Naruto often makes blunders, and he has weaknesses. “Perfect heroes are cool, but no one can really empathize or identify with them. “It’s rather awkward to talk about what makes Naruto appealing to audiences, but I think his being a knucklehead gives him an appeal,” Kishimoto said in an interview conducted via e-mail with help from translator Hiromi Psaila. Although Naruto can be insufferably cocky at times, Kishimoto seems a bit overwhelmed by the runaway success of his first major creation. Kishimoto, born in the rural prefecture of Okayama, lives in Tokyo, where he works with several assistants. His long-running series about ninja-in-training Naruto Uzumaki has sold tens of millions of books around the world. At 34, Masashi Kishimoto is one of the most successful manga-ka, or manga artists, in the world.