Naruto 2010 Naruto Images

Infobox animanga/Header

name =
image =
caption = Cover of the first Japanese ''Naruto'' manga volume
ja_kanji = NARUTO—ナルト—
ja_romaji =
genre = Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Infobox animanga/Print

type = manga
title = Naruto (pilot chapter)
author = Masashi Kishimoto
publisher = Shueisha
publisher_en = Viz Media
demographic = ''Shōnen''
magazine = Akamaru Jump

magazine_en = Shonen Jump
published = 1997

Infobox animanga/Print

type = manga
author = Masashi Kishimoto
publisher = Shueisha
publisher_en = Madman Entertainment
Viz Media
publisher_other = Panini Comics
Glénat
Carlsen Comics
Sangatsu Manga
Kana
Anubis Manga
Rightman
Mangafan
Elex Media Komputindo
Comics House, Komik Remaja
Mundo Vid
Schibsted Forlagene
JPF
Tong Li Comics
Comix-art
Chuang Yi (Chinese)
Daiwon C.I.
Nation Edutainment
demographic = ''Shōnen''
magazine = Weekly Shōnen Jump
magazine_en = Shonen Jump
magazine_other = Weekly Boom Comic
published =
first = November 1999
last =
volumes = 52
volume_list = List of Naruto manga volumes

Infobox animanga/Video

type = tv series
director = Hayato Date
producer =
writer =
music =
studio = Studio Pierrot
licensor = Madman Entertainment
Viz Media
Manga Entertainment
network = Animax, TV Tokyo
network_en = Network Ten, Cartoon Network
YTV
Cartoon Network
Jetix
Cartoon Network/Disney XD
network_other = Cartoon Network
spacepower Cartoon Network, SBT
Chilevision, Cartoon Network
DR
Telesistema Dominicano, Cartoon Network
GameOne
RTL II
TVB Music, TVB Jade
Jetix, Animax
Cartoon Network (coming soon on Animax in 2009)
Global TV
Children Channel
Italia 1
TV3
Cartoon Network, America
ABS-CBN, Studio 23, Hero TV, Cartoon Network Philippines
Jetix
Sic Radical
Télétoon
Jetix
Tooniverse
E City
Jetix, Cuatro
spacepower
ZTV
CTS
Cartoon Network, Gang Cartoon Channel
first = October 3, 2002
last = February 8, 2007
episodes = 220
episode_list = List of Naruto episodes

Infobox animanga/Print

type = novel
title = Naruto: Innocent Heart, Demonic Blood
author = Masatoshi Kusakabe
publisher = Shueisha
publisher_en = Viz Media
published = 2002

Infobox animanga/Video

type = ova
title = Naruto: Find the Four-Leaf Red Clover!
director =
producer =
writer =
music =
studio = Studio Pierrot
licensor = Madman Entertainment
released = 2003
runtime = 17 minutes

Infobox animanga/Video

type = ova
title = Naruto: Mission: Protect the Waterfall Village!
director =
producer =
writer =
music =
studio = Studio Pierrot
licensor = Viz Media
released = 2004
runtime = 40 minutes

Infobox animanga/Video

type = ova
title = Naruto: Hidden Leaf Village Grand Sports Festival
director = Hayato Date
producer =
writer =
music =
studio = Studio Pierrot
licensor = Viz Media
released = August 21, 2004
runtime = 11 minutes

Infobox animanga/Video

type = ova
title = Naruto: Finally a clash! Jonin VS Genin!! Indiscriminate grand melee tournament meeting!!
director = Hayato Date
title =
director =
producer =
writer =
music =
studio = Studio Pierrot
licensor =
released = December 22, 2005
runtime = 26 minutes

Infobox animanga/Video

type = ova
title = Naruto: The Cross Roads CGI OVA
director =
producer =
writer =
music =
studio = Studio Pierrot
licensor =
released =
runtime = 28 minutes

Infobox animanga/Video

type = tv series
title = Naruto: Shippuden
director = Hayato Date
producer =
writer =
music =
studio = Studio Pierrot
licensor = Viz Media
network = Animax, TV Tokyo
network_en = Disney XD
network_other = Game One
Italia 1
TV3
ABS-CBN, Hero TV
first = February 15, 2007
last =
episodes = 172
episode_list = List of Naruto: Shippuden episodes

Infobox animanga/Other

title = Related works
content =
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''Naruto'' video games
is an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The plot tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and aspires to become a Hokage, the ninja in his village that is acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of all. The series is based on a one-shot comic by Kishimoto that was published in the August 1997 issue of ''Akamaru Jump''. The manga was first published by Shueisha in 1999 in the 43rd issue of Japan's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magazine. Currently, the manga is still being serialized with fifty-one ''tankōbon'' volumes released so far. The manga was later adapted into an anime, which was produced by Studio Pierrot and Aniplex. It premiered across Japan on the terrestrial TV Tokyo network and the anime satellite television network Animax on October 3, 2002. The first series lasted 220 episodes, while '''', a sequel to the original series, has been airing since February 15, 2007. In addition to the anime series, Studio Pierrot has developed six movies for the series and several original video animations (OVAs). Other types of merchandise include light novels, video games and trading cards developed by several companies. Viz Media has licensed the manga and anime for North American production. Viz has been publishing the series in their ''Shonen Jump'' magazine, and as well as the indidividual volumes. The anime series began airing in the United States and Canada in 2005, and later in the United Kingdom and Australia in 2006 and 2007, respectively. The films, as well as most OVAs from the series, have also been released by Viz, with the first film premiering in cinemas. The first DVD volume of ''Naruto: Shippuden'' was released by Viz in North America on September 29, 2009, and it started broadcast on Disney XD in October of the same year. The manga has sold over 100 million copies in Japan. Serialized in Viz's ''Shonen Jump'' magazine, ''Naruto'' has become one of the company's best-selling manga series. The English adaptation of the series has also appeared in the ''USA Today'' Booklist several times and volume 11 won the Quil Award in 2006. Reviewers from the series have praised the balance between fighting and comedy scenes, as well as the characters' personalities, but have criticized it for using standard ''shōnen'' plot elements.

Plot

Naruto Uzumaki is a young boy who has the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox sealed within him. Twelve years before the start of the series, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox attacked the ninja village Konohagakure, slaughtering many people. In response, the leader of Konohagakure and its ninja military�– the Fourth Hokage�– sacrificed his life to seal the demon inside Naruto when he was a newborn. Konohagakure, however, regarded Naruto as if he were the demon fox itself and mistreated him throughout most of his childhood. A decree made by the Third Hokage, who replaced the Fourth Hokage after his death, forbade anyone mention the attack of the demon fox to anyone else. This included Naruto, who was not aware of the demon inside of him. Years later, Naruto is tricked by the renegade ninja Mizuki into stealing a forbidden scroll, but he is stopped by his teacher, Iruka Umino. When Iruka almost dies while protecting Naruto from Mizuki, Naruto uses a Jutsu he learned from the scroll that creates multiple clones of himself, Shadow Clone Technique, to defeat Mizuki. This encounter leads Naruto to realize that he is the container of the demon fox. The main story follows Naruto and his friends' personal growth. Naruto befriends two comrades, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, who are assigned with him to form a three-person team named Team 7 under an experienced ''sensei'' named Kakashi Hatake. Like all the ninja teams from every village, Team 7 is charged with completing missions requested by villagers, such as doing chores or being bodyguards. During the course of their missions, Naruto befriends other characters that he meets throughout the series. Team 7 learns new abilities, get to know each other, and experience a coming-of-age journey as Naruto dreams of becoming the Hokage of Konohagakure. After several missions, Kakashi allows Team 7 to participate into a ninja exam in which they can improve their ranks, and thus, take part in more difficult missions. During the exams, Orochimaru, a criminal at the top of Konohagakure's most wanted list, attacks Konoha and kills the Third Hokage in an act of revenge. This forces one of the three legendary ninja, Jiraiya to search for his former teammate Tsunade, who has been nominated to become the Fifth Hokage. During the search, it is revealed that Orochimaru desires to acquire Sasuke Uchiha due to his powerful genetic heritage. Believing Orochimaru will be able to give him the strength needed to kill his brother Itachi, who destroyed his clan, Sasuke goes to him in search of power. Tsunade sends a group of ninja including Naruto to make Sasuke return to Konoha, but Naruto is unable to defeat him and bring him back to the village. Naruto does not give up on Sasuke, however, and he leaves Konoha to train for two-and-a-half years under Jiraiya's tutelage in order to prepare himself for the next time he encounters Sasuke. After the training period, a mysterious organization called Akatsuki attempts to capture the nine powerful tailed beasts including the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox sealed inside of Naruto. Several ninjas from Konohagakure, including Team 7, fight against the Akatsuki members and search for their teammate Sasuke. Although they manage to save Gaara the host of the One-Tailed beast, Akatsuki is successful in capturing seven of the creatures. In the meantime, Sasuke betrays Orochimaru and faces Itachi to take revenge. Although Itachi dies in battle, Sasuke is later told by the Akatsuki founder Madara Uchiha that Itachi was ordered by Konohagakure's leadership to destroy his clan. Saddened with this revelation, Sasuke joins forces with Akatsuki to destroy Konohagakure. Meanwhile, as several Akatsuki members are defeated by the Konohagakure ninja, their leader, Pain, invades the village to capture Naruto. However, Naruto defeats Pain's multiple bodies and convinces the real one to leave Akatsuki. With Pain having left, Madara announces that he wants to obtain the nine tailed beasts in order to perform an illusion powerful enough to control humanity. All of the leaders of the five ninja villages refuse to aid him, and instead, join forces to confront him.

Production

Masashi Kishimoto first created a one-shot of ''Naruto'' for August 1997 issue of ''Akamaru Jump''. When originally creating the ''Naruto'' story, Kishimoto looked to other ''shōnen'' manga as influences for his work, although he attempted to make his characters as unique as possible. Kishimoto added that, as ''Naruto'' takes place in a "Japanese fantasy world," he has set certain rules, in a systematic way so that he could easily "convey the story." Kishimoto wanted to "draw on" the Chinese zodiac tradition, which had a long-standing presence in Japan; the zodiac hand signs originate from this. When Kishimoto was creating the setting of the ''Naruto'' manga, he initially concentrated on the designs for village of Konohagakure, the primary setting of the series. Kishimoto asserts that his design for Konohagakure was created "pretty spontaneously without much thought", but admits that the scenery is based on his home in the Okayama prefecture in Japan. Without a specific time period, Kishimoto included modern elements in the series such as convenience stores, but specifically excluded projectile weapons and vehicles from the storyline. For reference materials, Kishimoto performs his own research into Japanese culture and alludes to it in his work. When asked about what was ''Naruto''s main theme during Part I, Kishimoto answered that it is how people accept each other citing Naruto's development in such part. Since being unable to focus in the romance during Part I, Kishimoto that during Part II he was to emphasize this theme more, despite finding it difficult.

Media

Manga

''Naruto'' premiered in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magazine in 1999. , 51 ''tankōbon'' have been released by Shueisha in Japan, with the first twenty-seven ''tankōbon'' containing Part I, and the remaining twenty-four belonging to Part II. The first ''tankōbon'' was released on March 3, 2000.

Anime series

=

''Naruto''

= Directed by Hayato Date and produced by Studio Pierrot and TV Tokyo, the ''Naruto'' anime adaptation premiered in Japan on TV Tokyo October 3, 2002, and ran for 220 episodes until its conclusion on February 8, 2007. Beginning on April 29, 2009, the original ''Naruto'' anime began a rerun on Wednesdays and Thursdays (until the fourth week September 2009 when it changed to just Wednesdays) in HDTV with new opening and ending themes under the name Episodes from the series have been published in DVD. The first DVD series has been the only one to be collected in VHS format. Viz licensed the anime series for broadcast and distribution in the Region 1 market. The English adaptation of the anime began airing on September 10, 2005 and finished on January 31, 2009, with 209 episodes aired. =

''Naruto: Shippuden''

= is the ongoing sequel to the original ''Naruto'' anime and covers the ''Naruto'' manga from volume twenty-eight on. The TV adaptation of ''Naruto: Shippuden'' debuted in Japan on February 15, 2007 on TV Tokyo. It is developed by Studio Pierrot and directed by Hayato Date. and has been editing out all the blood, and most of the violence, but like the original Naruto anime, Viz is releasing bilingual DVDs featuring the original Japanese version with English subtitles and an uncut English dub of Shippuden. The series is being released to Region 2 DVD in Japan with four or five episodes per disc. There are currently four series of DVD releases divided by story arc.

CDs

The ''Naruto'' soundtracks were composed and arranged by Toshio Masuda. The first, titled ''Naruto Original Soundtrack'', was released on April 3, 2003 and contained twenty-two tracks that appeared during the first season of the anime. A series of two soundtracks containing all the opening and ending themes of the series, titled ''Naruto: Best Hit Collection'' and ''Naruto: Best Hit Collection II'' were released on November 17, 2004 and August 2, 2006, respectively. The soundtracks of ''Naruto: Shippuden'' have been produced by Yasuharu Takanashi. The first, ''Naruto Shippūden Original Soundtrack'' was released on December 9, 2007.

Original video animations

There are five ''Naruto'' original video animations (OVAs). The first two, ''Find the Crimson Four-Leaf Clover!'' and ''Mission: Protect the Waterfall Village!'', were aired at the ''Shōnen Jump'' Jump Festa 2003 and Jump Festa 2004, respectively, and were later released on DVD.

Films

The series has also spawned six films; with the first three situated during the first anime series, the remaining from ''Naruto: Shippūden''. The first film, '''', was released on August 21, 2004 in Japan. It tells how Team 7 is dispatched to the Land of Snow to protect the actors during the shooting of the new Princess Fuun movie, to whom Naruto became a fan. As a bonus, the short original video animation ''Konoha Annual Sports Festival'' was included with the Japanese release of the film. It was followed by '''', which was released in theaters in Japan on August 6, 2005. The film involves Naruto, Shikamaru and Sakura during a ninja mission in which they are involved in a war between the Sunagakure village and a large number of armored warriors. The third film, '''', was originally released on August 5, 2006. It shows how Naruto, Sakura, Lee, and Kakashi are assigned to protect the future prince of the Land of Moon, Hikaru Tsuki. The series' fourth film, '''', was released on August 4, 2007, and chronicles Naruto's assignment to protect the priest Shion who starts having visions of his death.

Light novels

Three ''Naruto'' light novels, written by Masatoshi Kusakabe, have been published in Japan by Shueisha, while the first two were released in English in North America by Viz. The first, , retells Team 7's mission in which they encounter the assassins Zabuza and Haku. It was released on December 16, 2002 in Japan and November 21, 2006 in North America.

Video games

''Naruto'' video games have appeared on various consoles from Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft. Most of them are fighting games in which the player controls one of a select few characters directly based upon their counterparts in the ''Naruto'' anime and manga. The player pits their character against another character controlled by the game's AI or by another player, depending on the mode that the player is in. The objective is to reduce the opponent's health to zero using basic attacks and special techniques unique to each character that are derived from techniques they use in the ''Naruto'' anime or manga.

Trading card game

is a collectible card game based around the ''Naruto'' series. Produced by Bandai, the game was first introduced in Japan in February 2003. The cards are released in named sets, called "series" in the form of four different 50-card preconstructed box sets.

Art and guidebooks

Several supplementary books of the ''Naruto'' series have been released. An artbook named The ''Art of Naruto: Uzumaki'' contains illustration from the Part I manga and was released in both Japan and the United States.

Reception

Manga

''Naruto'' has been well received in both Japan and the United States. As of volume 36, the manga has sold over 71�million copies in Japan, The ''Naruto'' manga series has become one of Viz's top properties, The series has received praise and criticism by several reviewers. A. E. Sparrow from IGN noted how some manga volumes focus only in certain characters to the point the number of fans increases. He also praised the way that Kishimoto manages to make a remarkable combinations of fighting scenes, comedy and good artwork.

Anime

In TV Asahi's latest top 100 Anime Ranking from October 2006, ''Naruto'' ranked 17th on the list. The ''Naruto'' anime was listed as the 38th best animated show in IGN's Top 100 Animated Series.

References

External links

Official ''Naruto'' website
Official TV Tokyo ''Naruto'' website
Official TV Tokyo ''Naruto: Shippūden'' website
Official Studio Pierrot ''Naruto'' website
Official Viz Media ''Naruto'' website
Official YTV ''Naruto'' website
Official Manga Entertainment ''Naruto'' website
Official Madman Entertainment ''Naruto'' website

Naruto