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Trivia
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- Referencenod to comics or other movies
- Cameoa familiar face shows up
- Setupplanted now, pays off later
- Behind the scenesproduction trivia
- Behind the scenesIt started with a fox
Naruto grew out of a 1997 one-shot in Akamaru Jump about a boy who could turn into a fox. Kishimoto wasn't happy with it and reworked the idea into a ninja story; the series launched in Weekly Shōnen Jump on September 21, 1999.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesKakashi was due earlier
Kakashi was meant to debut in chapter 2, before the rest of Team 7. After talking with his editor, Kishimoto pushed him back so he could set up the students first.
source ↗ - SetupScarecrow
Kishimoto weighed Kuwa, Kama, Botan and Enoki before settling on Kakashi, which means scarecrow. That's why scarecrows keep popping up in the series, including on the cover of volume 3.
source ↗ - ReferenceOn screen
The prologue became episodes 1–19 of the first anime, all canon.
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- Behind the scenesShikamaru was supposed to win
Kishimoto wanted the Chūnin Exams to end with Shikamaru winning. His superiors asked for something to boost the series' popularity, so he dropped Orochimaru into the exam.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesHis favorite to draw
Kishimoto said Rock Lee is the character he enjoys drawing most. His editor, Kosuke Yahagi, drew the first draft, and some of it survived into the final design.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesThe vetoed name
Gaara was going to be called Kotarou Fuuma, but the editor shot it down. Kishimoto later said he still doesn't get why. The design was based on a tanuki, the opposite of Naruto's fox.
source ↗ - ReferenceA volume named after a fight
VIZ's volume 9 is titled Neji vs. Hinata, after the preliminary bout that defines the arc.
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- ReferenceHokage vs. Hokage
VIZ's volume 14 is called Hokage vs. Hokage!!, after the Third Hokage's fight with his former student at the heart of this arc.
source ↗ - ReferenceStraight out of folklore
Orochimaru, Jiraiya and Tsunade come from the Japanese folktale Jiraiya Gōketsu Monogatari. His Kusanagi sword ties him to the myth of the serpent Yamata no Orochi.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesSickly on purpose
Kishimoto wanted Orochimaru's face pale and sickly. He dropped the highlights from his eyes and blanked out the backgrounds in his panels to make him creepier.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesChidori was a stand-in
Kishimoto forgot the name he'd planned for Sasuke's technique and had to come up with another. That's how Chidori was born.
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- ReferenceTsunade and the slugs
In the folktale Jiraiya Gōketsu Monogatari, Tsunade is Jiraiya's wife and learns slug magic, which beats snake magic. Hence her slugs against Orochimaru's snakes.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesItachi had no backstory yet
When Sasuke first mentioned Itachi, Kishimoto hadn't worked out his story. All he knew was that Itachi had done something terrible enough to make Sasuke want revenge.
source ↗ - ReferenceThe first duel
Sasuke and Itachi's first clash is in chapters 147–148, in volume 17, which VIZ titled Itachi's Power.
source ↗ - ReferenceOn screen
The arc became episodes 81–100 of the first anime.
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- Behind the scenesNot equals yet
Kishimoto said he didn't want Sasuke to see Naruto as an equal until much later, in Part II. That's why this arc's fight ends the way it does.
source ↗ - ReferenceThe unlikely leader
Newly promoted to chūnin, Shikamaru leads the mission. Anime News Network called his turn as leader "an unlikely hero," one of the arc's highlights.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesGaara goes Matrix
Gaara's new high-collared outfit at the end of Part I was easier to draw and marked how he'd changed. Kishimoto cited The Matrix as the inspiration.
source ↗ - ReferenceEnd of Part I
Part I ends with chapter 238. Its central theme, per Wikipedia, is mutual acceptance.
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- Behind the scenesThe bridge between parts
The six Kakashi Gaiden chapters (239–244) ran between the end of Part I and the start of Part II, telling Kakashi's backstory.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesThe author's pick
Asked which character he'd build a side story around, Kishimoto picked Kakashi.
source ↗ - ReferenceThe White Fang
The arc introduces Sakumo Hatake, Kakashi's father, the White Fang of the Leaf. His fate explains why young Kakashi puts the mission above his teammates.
source ↗ - ReferenceOn screen
It was only animated in Shippuden, as episodes 119 and 120.
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- Behind the scenesTwo and a half years later
Part II starts with chapter 245 in volume 28, two and a half years later in story time. Kishimoto simplified his panel layouts and moved toward a more realistic style.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesNew outfit
For Part II, Naruto got an orange-and-black outfit, a wider forehead protector and rolled-up pants to look older.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesAntiheroes
Kishimoto called the Akatsuki members antiheroes and wanted their backstories as fleshed out as the heroes'. They barely show up in Part I; here they start hunting the tailed beasts.
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- Behind the scenesA deliberate replacement
Sai takes Sasuke's spot on Team Kakashi, and Kishimoto drew him to look like Sasuke on purpose to mark the swap.
source ↗ - SetupYamato is a codename
Yamato isn't the new captain's real name, just a codename. Tsunade puts him on the team because his Wood Style can hold back the Nine-Tails.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesPart II Sasuke
For Sasuke's new look, Kishimoto dropped a turtleneck and a military uniform, which read as cold-weather gear, and went with Japanese clothing and a chokutō sword.
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- Behind the scenesAsuma's cigarettes
Kishimoto worried the publisher would censor Shikamaru smoking Asuma's cigarettes. The manga kept the scenes; the anime only showed the lighter.
source ↗ - ReferenceA genius plan
Shikamaru beats Hidan on his own and makes sure the immortal's body is never found. Then he vows to look after the daughter Kurenai is expecting with Asuma.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesHe'd marry him
Kishimoto joked that if he were a woman he'd marry Shikamaru, since he'd surely do well in life.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesA U.S. sprint
In early 2009 VIZ put out 11 volumes, 34 through 44, in three months to catch up with Japan. This whole arc came out in that rush.
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- Behind the scenesThe Itachi Squad
An early concept had Itachi leading a 70-member ANBU squad split into four teams. The idea was dropped and he went to the Akatsuki instead.
source ↗ - ReferenceIt opens with a twist
The arc opens in chapter 343, volume 38, with Sasuke absorbing Orochimaru's power.
source ↗ - ReferenceOn screen
The anime split the arc: episodes 113–118 and 121–126, with the Kakashi Chronicles in between.
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- Behind the scenesThe favorite pairing
Of all the master-student pairs he created, Kishimoto said Naruto and Jiraiya was his favorite. At NYCC 2015 he named Jiraiya his favorite after Naruto and, having forgotten how to draw him, used a cosplayer in the crowd as reference.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesStraight from Kabuki
Kishimoto built Jiraiya from Kabuki: a frog-like wizard who talks in the grand style of old plays.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesThe piercings
The piercings on Pain's body are a metaphor for inflicting pain on himself. A discarded sketch gave him a half mask with feather- or horn-like accessories.
source ↗ - ReferenceThe last message
Kishimoto gave weight to Jiraiya's death because, with his last strength, he uncovers the secret of Pain's bodies and sends the clue to Konoha. IGN ranked the fight the series' second best.
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- Behind the scenesA thicker volume
Volume 43 got extra chapters so the brothers' fight could end in a single volume. Kishimoto apologized to readers for the higher price.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesHis favorite Akatsuki
Kishimoto has said Itachi is his favorite Akatsuki member because of his backstory.
source ↗ - ReferenceA battle of minds
Casey Brienza of Anime News Network called the brothers' final fight epic and "a battle of minds."
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- Behind the scenesThe hardest arc
Kishimoto said this was the hardest arc to write, because Naruto had to forgive his enemy.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesA victim of war
Kishimoto created Nagato to show Naruto the tragedy of war, something he'd never lived through. The arc turns on one question: can pain teach peace?
source ↗ - ReferenceHinata's moment
In chapter 437, volume 47, Hinata stands up to Pain alone to protect Naruto and tells him how she feels.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesThe sage's cloak
For the fight with Pain, Kishimoto gave Naruto a red cloak with black flames.
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- ReferenceSasuke vs. Danzo
VIZ's volume 51 is titled Sasuke vs. Danzo!, the fight that closes out the Kage Summit.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesNeither good nor evil
In a 2012 interview, Kishimoto said Sasuke is neither good nor evil, calling him "a very pure person."
source ↗ - ReferenceOn screen
The arc became Shippuden episodes 197–214.
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- Behind the scenesA war with hope
Kishimoto said Hiroshima's wartime history shaped the war arc, and that he wanted it to carry hope, unlike his grandfather's war stories.
source ↗ - ReferenceTaming the Fox
Naruto learns to control the Nine-Tails with Killer B's training and help from his mother, Kushina, who left some of her chakra in the seal.
source ↗ - ReferenceThe Birth of Naruto
VIZ's volume 53 is titled The Birth of Naruto: it's where the manga tells the story of the night Naruto was born.
source ↗ - ReferenceA boat in between
The anime padded this stretch with a 20-episode filler arc, Paradise Life on a Boat (episodes 223–242).
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- ReferenceFamiliar faces
Kabuto perfects the Reanimation Jutsu and brings dead ninja back for the war. Zabuza and Haku, from the very first arc, return to face Kakashi.
source ↗ - ReferenceNaruto vs. Itachi
VIZ's volume 58 is titled Naruto vs. Itachi, a matchup fans had wanted since Part I.
source ↗ - ReferenceAlways top 10
Itachi placed 5th in the 2011 popularity poll, printed in chapter 531 (volume 56). In the 2023 NARUTOP99 global poll he came in 2nd.
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- Behind the scenesNo weaknesses
Kishimoto described Madara as "a character with no weaknesses." Flamboyant villains with powerful auras were, he said, a guiding principle.
source ↗ - ReferenceOne against five
The Fandom Post praised the fight in which each of the five Kage tries to take Madara down.
source ↗ - ReferenceItachi's truth
In chapter 590, volume 61, Itachi shares his memories with Sasuke. VIZ titled that volume Uchiha Brothers United Front.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesA death for Hinata
Kishimoto said that with Hinata's popularity rising, he wanted her to play a bigger part at the end, so he killed off her cousin Neji.
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- Behind the scenesA villain to beat in a fight
After Nagato, Kishimoto wanted an enemy Naruto would beat through combat rather than talk. He admitted it caused some confusion between the versions of Madara.
source ↗ - ReferenceThe Sage of Six Paths
VIZ's volume 70 is titled Naruto and the Sage of Six Paths, a hint at the legendary figure who shows up in this arc.
source ↗ - ReferenceOn screen
The anime broke this arc up with several fillers, including the 20 episodes of In Naruto's Footsteps (394–413).
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- Behind the scenes15 years later
The final chapter ran in the November 10, 2014 issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump, after 700 chapters and 15 years.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesPlanned from day one
Kishimoto planned Naruto and Sasuke's final fight from the start, but wasn't sure whether they'd end as friends or enemies. For the climax he went with hand-to-hand combat.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesWhy Naruto forgives
Kishimoto tied the ending to the Pain arc: Naruto forgives Sasuke because he had already forgiven Nagato.
source ↗ - SetupA debut in the epilogue
Chapter 700, the very last, already introduces Sarada, who later gets her own story in Naruto Gaiden.
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- Behind the scenesTwo countries at once
The 10-chapter miniseries ran from April 27 to July 6, 2015, simultaneously in the Japanese and English editions of Shōnen Jump.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesA Sasuke in glasses
Kishimoto pictured Sarada as a female Sasuke, "slightly dark but strong-hearted." Her outfit comes from one of Sakura's in Part I, and her glasses hide how much her eyes look like her father's.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesNervous about a heroine
Kishimoto worried about leading with a girl, unsure how a mostly male audience would react. To balance the tone, he gave Chōchō the comic relief.
source ↗ - ReferenceIn Brazil
Panini released it in Brazil on October 31, 2016, at 216 pages with an exclusive poster.
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- SetupIt starts at the end
Chapter 1 opens with a flash-forward: an older Boruto fighting Kawaki in a ruined Konoha. The whole manga builds toward that scene.
source ↗ - ReferenceA tribute name
The name Boruto ("bolt") honors Neji, his mother's cousin, whose name means "screw" in Japanese.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesA big debut
Volume 1 sold 183,413 copies in its first week in Japan. It retells Boruto: Naruto the Movie, which Kishimoto wrote.
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- Behind the scenesGoing monthly
In July 2019 the manga moved from Weekly Shōnen Jump to the monthly V Jump. Ikemoto called it a relief, though chapters now often run over 40 pages.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesKodachi steps away
Ukyō Kodachi left as writer in November 2020, after 51 chapters and 13 volumes. This stretch is the last he wrote.
source ↗ - ReferenceThe Kawaki arc
Per Wikipedia, volume 7 officially kicks off the Kawaki arc.
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- Behind the scenesThe creator returns
Kishimoto, who had been supervising, took over the writing from volume 14. Even so, he said in 2024: "It really is Ikemoto's manga."
source ↗ - ReferenceKurama's lie
Kurama hides the real cost of Baryon Mode from Naruto, knowing Naruto would refuse if he knew the Fox would die.
source ↗ - ReferenceA break
The first part wrapped in April 2023, and the manga went on hiatus before the sequel.
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- Behind the scenesBack in August
Two Blue Vortex launched on August 21, 2023, with Kishimoto still writing and Ikemoto drawing.
source ↗ - Behind the scenesBorrowed clothes
Teen Boruto wears clothes borrowed from Sasuke out of respect for his teacher.
source ↗ - Reference10 million
Counting both parts, Boruto passed 10 million copies in circulation in Japan by October 2025.
source ↗ - ReferenceWhere each edition stands
Japan had 8 volumes out by June 2026. In the U.S., VIZ released volume 6 on October 2, 2026.
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