TheNaruto (Japanese: ナルト) manga and anime series features an extensive cast of characters created by Masashi Kishimoto. The series takes place in a fictional universe where countries vie for power by employing ninja who can use special techniques and abilities in combat. The storyline is divided into two parts, simply named Part I and Part II, with the latter taking place two-and-a-half years after the conclusion of Part I. It is followed by the sequel series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations by Ukyō Kodachi, which continues where the epilogue of the first series left off. The series' storyline follows the adventures of a group of young ninja from the village of Konohagakure (Village Hidden in the Tree Leaves).
The eponymous character of the first series is Naruto Uzumaki, an energetic ninja who wishes to become Hokage, the leader of Konohagakure and holds a monster called the Nine Tails in his body. During the early part of the series, Naruto is assigned to Team 7, in which he meets his rival Sasuke Uchiha, a taciturn and highly skilled "genius" of the Uchiha clan; Sakura Haruno, who is infatuated with Sasuke and has Naruto's attention and Kakashi Hatake, the quiet and mysterious leader of the team. Over the course of the series, seeking out Sasuke when he ran away from the village, Naruto interacts with and befriends several fellow ninja in Konohagakure and other villages. He also encounters the series' antagonists, including Orochimaru, a former ninja of Konohagakure scheming to destroy his former home, as well as the elite ninja of the criminal organization Akatsuki who seek out jinchuriki like Gaara for the tailed beasts.
As Kishimoto developed the series, he created the three primary characters as a basis for the designs of the other three-person teams.[1] He also used characters in other shōnen manga as references in his design of the characters, a decision that was criticized by several anime and manga publications.[2][3] The characters that Kishimoto developed, however, were praised for incorporating many of the better aspects of previous shōnen characters, although many publications lamented the perceived lack of growth beyond such stereotypes.[4][5] The visual presentation of the characters was commented on by reviewers, with both praise and criticism given to Kishimoto's work in the manga and anime adaptations.[3][6]
When Masashi Kishimoto was originally creating the Naruto series, he looked to other shōnen manga for inspiration while still attempting to make his characters as unique as possible.[2] Kishimoto cites Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball series as one of these influences, noting that Goku, the protagonist of Dragon Ball, was a key factor when creating Naruto Uzumaki due to his energetic and mischievous personality.[7] To complement Naruto, Kishimoto worked on creating a rival that was a "cool genius", as he believed this was "the archetypal rival character". After reviewing different manga for ideas, he ultimately developed Sasuke Uchiha. When creating the primary heroine, Kishimoto admitted, "I don't have a definite image of what a heroine should be". He eventually created Sakura Haruno, emphasizing "her energy and flirtatious spirit" as her primary characteristics. These three characters would be the mold for the other three main Naruto teams.[1]
The separation of the characters into different teams was intended to give each group a specific flavor. Kishimoto wished for each team member to be "extreme", having a high amount of aptitude in one given attribute, yet talentless in another. This approach was used to make each team perform best when individual members worked together to overcome their weaknesses. Having watched tokusatsu dramas as a child, Kishimoto wished for his teams to be different from the superhero teams in these dramas, dismissing the value of a team in which all the teammates were "strong to the point of perfection". Kishimoto notes that the different roles the characters assume is similar to many role-playing games, and "each character stands out better that way".[8]
Kishimoto inserted villains into the story to counteract the lead characters' moral values. He stated that this focus on illustrating the difference in values is central to his creation of villains to the point that, "I don't really think about them in combat". The villains' physical appearances were also embellished to differentiate them from other characters, making it easier for a reader to follow the story and identify the villains, even in heated battle scenes. Kishimoto noted that making the villains "flamboyant" with a "showy costume" is "one of my guiding principles", as well as making them "more memorable".[9]
When drawing the characters, Kishimoto consistently follows a five-step process: concept and rough sketch, drafting, inking, shading, and coloring. These steps are followed when he is drawing the manga and making the color illustrations that commonly adorn the cover of tankōbon, the cover of the Weekly Shōnen Jump, or other media, but the toolkit he uses occasionally changes.[10] For instance, he used an airbrush for one illustration for a Weekly Shōnen Jump cover, but decided not to use it for future drawings largely due to the cleanup required.[11]
The protagonists of the Naruto series are Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Kakashi Hatake, who form "Team 7" (第7班, Dainanahan) of Konohagakure. After Sasuke Uchiha's defection and Naruto's departure from Konohagakure at the end of Part I, the team disbands. During Part II, the team reforms as "Team Kakashi" (カカシ班, Kakashi-Han) with two new members: Sai, who occupies Sasuke's position, and Yamato, who becomes the acting Captain.[ch. 285] During the Fourth Great Ninja War, Team 7 reunites to fight Madara Uchiha and then Kaguya Ōtsutsuki when she possesses the former. Once the War is over, Naruto and Sasuke have their final battle that allow them to resolve their issues with their group fully reunited soon after.
Naruto Uzumaki (うずまき ナルト, Uzumaki Naruto) is the title character and main protagonist of the franchise. He was the first character created by Kishimoto during the conception of the series and was designed with many traits from other shōnen characters.[7] He is often shunned by the Konohagakure villagers, as he is the host of Kurama, the Nine-Tailed Fox that attacked Konoha.[ch. 2] After being held back for several years in the Ninja Academy, which teaches ninjutsu and taijutsu skills, he finally passes the Ninja certification exam, and compensates for this with his cheerful and boisterous personality as he developed his catchphrase "Believe it!" (だってばよ, dattebayo), vowing to never give up on any goal he sets. In particular, Naruto has ambitions of becoming Hokage, the strongest ninja leader of Konohagakure, to gain the villagers' respect and be able to protect them. During a battle as a ninja, Naruto has mastered powerful various ninjutsu skills and abilities including the ability to create a massive and several clones of himself known as "Shadow Clone Jutsu", the ability to use his wind nature as he's able to master a powerful spiral chakra sphere known as the "Rasengan" for offensive purposes, and other numerous abilities like using Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra that increases his speed, strength, agility, and even whenever Naruto was enraged and goes feral but later in Part II he manage to control the Nine Tails' chakra. Over the course of the series, Naruto befriends many foreign and Konoha people and eventually leaves a positive influence on all their lives, which grants him worldwide fame.[ch.. 450] Naruto eventually achieves his dream of becoming Hokage, marries Hinata Hyuga and has two children: Boruto and Himawari Uzumaki.[ch.. 700] Naruto is voiced by Junko Takeuchi in Japanese, and by Maile Flanagan in English.
Sasuke Uchiha (うちは サスケ, Uchiha Sasuke) is Naruto's rival and best friend. He was designed by Kishimoto as a "cool genius" since he felt this was an integral part of an ideal rivalry.[1] Sasuke's older brother, Itachi Uchiha, killed the rest of their clan.[ch. 224] Because of this, Sasuke's sole ambition is to kill his brother, developing a cold and withdrawn personality, seeing people as tools to further his goals, although also gaining the affection of most of the girls he knows, much to his annoyance. After he becomes a member of Team 7, Sasuke seems to begin considering his teammates precious to the point of risking his life to protect them, while focusing on revenge less than at the start of the series. When during the battle, Sasuke is a taijutsu expert and has mastered his ability to manipulate numerous fire techniques including known as "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu", manipulating a fury of lightning known as "Chidori" and as a member of the Uchiha clan, he uses the Sharingan that allows him to senses the opponent's moves and attacks. Following an encounter and a subsequent defeat at the hands of his brother in Part I, however, Sasuke severs his ties and leaves the village to seek more power from Orochimaru. By the events of the Boruto franchise, Sasuke has become a vigilante investigating the Otsutsuki clan for Konohagakure and a mentor for Naruto's son, Boruto. Sasuke is voiced by Noriaki Sugiyama in the Japanese anime, while his English voice actor is Yuri Lowenthal.
Sakura Haruno (春野 サクラ, Haruno Sakura) is a member of Team 7. While creating the character, Kishimoto has admitted that he had little perception of what an ideal girl should be like.[1] As a child, Sakura was teased by other children because of her large forehead, a feature Kishimoto tried to emphasize in Sakura's appearance. She was comforted by Ino Yamanaka[12] and the two developed a friendship. However, as the two grew, they became increasingly distant due to their shared affection for Sasuke Uchiha. As a kunoichi, Sakura possesses superier strength to unleash her powerful punch towards the opponents when she is enraged by saying "Cha!" (しゃーんなろー, Shānnarō!) and as a medical ninja, she can heal every wounds whenever they are injured. During the early moments of Part I, Sakura is infatuated with Sasuke and resents Naruto Uzumaki, although Sasuke views her as "annoying" and Naruto has feelings for her.[ch. 3] Her perception of Naruto eventually changes, however, and she comes to see him as a friend, while her feelings for Sasuke grow into deep love. In the Japanese anime, her voice actress is Chie Nakamura, and she is voiced by Kate Higgins in the English adaptation.[13][14]
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