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Japanese manga and anime franchise created by Masashi Kishimoto, expanded into films, novels, video games, trading cards, merchandise, and the sequel series Boruto.

Last updated October 7, 2026

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Overview

Naruto is a Japanese entertainment intellectual property created by manga artist Masashi Kishimoto. It began as a serialized manga in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump in September 1999 and follows Naruto Uzumaki, an ostracized young ninja who seeks acknowledgment from his village and ultimately aspires to become Hokage, the leader of the Hidden Leaf Village. The central character begins as an impulsive and socially isolated child, but develops through training, rivalry, friendship, grief, political conflict, and repeated efforts to break cycles of hatred. The original manga is structured in two broad parts. Part I depicts Naruto and his peers during their pre-teen years, including their early missions, the Chūnin Exams, the invasion of the Hidden Leaf, Sasuke Uchiha's defection, and Naruto's first major attempts to bring his teammate back. Part II resumes after a two-and-a-half-year training interval and expands the story into a multinational conflict involving the Akatsuki, the tailed beasts, the Five Great Shinobi Countries, and the Fourth Shinobi World War. The manga concluded in November 2014 after 700 chapters collected in 72 tankōbon volumes. Naruto's commercial identity extends well beyond the original comic. Studio Pierrot and Aniplex produced two principal television anime series: Naruto, broadcast from 2002 to 2007, and Naruto: Shippuden, broadcast from 2007 to 2017. The animated brand also includes theatrical films, original video animations, television specials, character songs, home-video releases, light novels, guidebooks, artbooks, trading cards, apparel, collectibles, stage productions, and numerous video games across console, handheld, PC, arcade, and mobile platforms. The property has been licensed internationally, with Viz Media serving as a major English-language publisher and distributor in North America. The franchise is positioned as a globally recognized shōnen action-adventure property that combines martial-arts fantasy, supernatural techniques, team competition, comedy, tragedy, and coming-of-age storytelling. Its visual and narrative vocabulary includes ninja ranks, hand seals, chakra, village politics, clan legacies, tailed-beast mythology, and recurring conflicts between revenge and reconciliation. The story also draws on Japanese mythology, Buddhist and Confucian ideas, folklore surrounding fox spirits, and cultural traditions such as the Chinese zodiac. Naruto became one of the best-selling manga properties in history. Reference material commonly reports worldwide circulation of more than 250 million copies across dozens of countries and regions, although exact totals vary by reporting date and methodology. The series was also one of Viz Media's most important manga licenses in North America, appearing repeatedly on major bestseller lists and helping establish manga and anime as mainstream entertainment for a broad international audience. The original narrative continues through the wider Naruto universe. Kishimoto supervised or contributed to works centered on Naruto's adult life and his son Boruto, including Boruto: Naruto the Movie. The sequel manga and anime shift the focus to a younger generation while retaining Naruto's world, characters, institutions, and themes. The original Naruto brand therefore remains active as a catalog property, licensing platform, publishing line, and continuing multimedia universe even though the original manga and its two principal television adaptations are complete.

History

Naruto originated in the work of Masashi Kishimoto, who developed several early concepts before arriving at the ninja-centered story that became the published series. Kishimoto had previously created the one-shot Karakuri, which received an honorable mention in Shueisha's Hop Step Award program. He then produced an early Naruto one-shot for Akamaru Jump in 1997. That version focused more directly on a boy connected to fox spirits. Kishimoto revised the idea substantially, changing the setting, character presentation, and narrative emphasis to create a story about young ninjas, village society, inherited rivalries, and the pursuit of recognition. The serialized manga debuted in Weekly Shōnen Jump in September 1999. Kishimoto had planned the opening chapters in advance and initially imagined more detailed environmental backgrounds, but the published series increasingly emphasized characters, relationships, action choreography, and readable panel composition. The fictional world combined a traditional ninja framework with modern but selectively limited technology. Its combat system was built around chakra, hand seals, ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, clan abilities, and the mythology of the tailed beasts. Kishimoto also incorporated references to Japanese folklore, Shinto deities, the Chinese zodiac, and broader East Asian cultural traditions. The first major phase of the story follows Naruto as a child in the Hidden Leaf Village. Because the Nine-Tailed Fox was sealed inside him at birth, he was treated as an outsider by many villagers. His early relationship with teacher Iruka Umino established the series' recurring idea that social recognition can transform a person's sense of identity. Naruto then joined Team 7 with Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno under Kakashi Hatake. Their early missions introduced the series' mixture of comedy, danger, teamwork, and moral ambiguity, while the Land of Waves arc demonstrated that conflicts in the ninja world were connected to exploitation, grief, and political power. The Chūnin Exams broadened the cast and introduced several of the franchise's enduring rivals and antagonists. Orochimaru's attack on the Hidden Leaf led to the death of the Third Hokage and exposed the political and personal costs of the village system. Sasuke's obsession with defeating his brother Itachi became a principal source of tension. When Sasuke abandoned the village to pursue power from Orochimaru, Naruto's promise to bring him back became a defining motivation and eventually the emotional spine of the wider story. After a two-and-a-half-year internal time skip, the second part of the manga shifted toward larger-scale conflict. Naruto returned with greater control over his abilities just as the Akatsuki began capturing hosts of the tailed beasts. The storyline examined the relationship between militarized villages, historical trauma, clan persecution, revenge, and the use of weapons or living beings as instruments of war. Sasuke's confrontation with Itachi revealed that the Uchiha massacre was tied to a threatened coup and decisions made by Konoha's leadership. That revelation redirected Sasuke's anger from his brother toward the village and its political order. The death of Jiraiya and the destruction of the Hidden Leaf created another turning point. Naruto defeated Nagato, the leader associated with Pain, but chose to understand and redeem him rather than continue an uncomplicated cycle of revenge. This moral decision established the principles that later guided Naruto's response to the Fourth Shinobi World War. The war brought together the Five Great Shinobi Countries against the Akatsuki's forces and eventually revealed the roles of Obito Uchiha, Madara Uchiha, and Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. The final conflict moved from military strategy to questions about imposed peace, control of humanity, inherited will, and whether reconciliation was possible after generations of violence. The manga concluded with Naruto and Sasuke's final battle. Neither character could easily abandon the history that shaped him, but the confrontation ultimately produced a reconciliation rather than the death of either rival. Naruto later married Hinata Hyuga and became the Seventh Hokage, while Sasuke began a period of atonement. Kakashi served as the Sixth Hokage between the war and Naruto's assumption of office. The anime adaptation began with Naruto in October 2002. Produced primarily by Studio Pierrot and Aniplex for TV Tokyo, the first series ran for 220 episodes through February 2007. Naruto: Shippuden began shortly afterward in February 2007 and continued the older-character storyline until March 2017, reaching 500 episodes. Pierrot also produced theatrical films and original video animations, creating a substantial audiovisual catalog that expanded the franchise's reach beyond manga readers. International growth was driven by licensing and localization. Viz Media licensed Naruto for North American publication and distribution, first serializing it through Shonen Jump and later releasing collected volumes, box sets, omnibus editions, novels, and related products. The manga was also licensed across Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and numerous other territories. The property became one of Viz Media's most commercially important manga licenses and helped normalize Japanese comics and animation in the English-language mass market. Naruto's post-manga life has centered on catalog publishing, anniversary activity, games, merchandise, and the Boruto continuation. The 2014 film The Last: Naruto the Movie connected the original story to its epilogue, while Boruto: Naruto the Movie in 2015 transferred generational focus to Naruto's son. The subsequent Boruto manga and anime retained the setting and expanded its chronology. As a result, Naruto functions both as a completed coming-of-age narrative and as the foundational brand within a larger multigenerational ninja franchise.

  • 2023

    Anniversary episodes postponed

    [1]

    Four newly planned episodes celebrating the original anime's twentieth anniversary were postponed from their announced September 2023 premiere.

  • 2022

    Twentieth-anniversary activities begin

    [2]

    Official anniversary activities revisited the original series and promoted new commemorative animation and franchise material.

  • 2017

    Naruto: Shippuden concludes

    [1]

    Naruto: Shippuden completed its 500-episode television run in March 2017.

  • 2015

    Boruto: Naruto the Movie released

    [10]

    The franchise moved toward a new generation through a film focused on Naruto's son, Boruto Uzumaki.

  • 2014

    Original manga concludes

    [1]

    The manga ended on November 10, 2014, after 700 chapters and more than fifteen years of serialization.

  • 2014

    The Last: Naruto the Movie released

    [9]

    The film connected the end of the serialized story with its epilogue and received story and character contributions from Kishimoto.

  • 2007

    Naruto: Shippuden begins

    [1]

    The second principal television anime, Naruto: Shippuden, premiered in February 2007 and adapted the manga's second major storyline.

  • 2007

    Naruto Nation accelerated Viz publication

    [7]

    Viz Media used the Naruto Nation publishing initiative to release multiple manga volumes per month and reduce the gap between the Japanese and North American editions.

  • 2006

    Naruto volume wins a Quill Award

    [1]

    The seventh volume of Viz Media's Naruto edition won the Best Graphic Novel category at the 2006 Quill Awards.

  • 2003

    North American manga serialization begins

    [1]

    Viz Media began serializing the English-language manga in its Shonen Jump publication for North America.

Products and positioning

A global shōnen manga and anime entertainment franchise centered on ninja fantasy, personal growth, rivalries, friendship, inherited conflict, and reconciliation. Its business model combines publishing, audiovisual adaptation, licensing, games, collectibles, and long-tail catalog exploitation.

  • Manga · 1999

    Naruto manga

    The original manga written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto is the foundation of the franchise. It ran in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1999 to 2014, comprising 700 chapters collected in 72 tankōbon volumes. The narrative is divided into a younger-character first part and a later part following a two-and-a-half-year time skip. It combines ninja fantasy, team-based action, village politics, clan history, and an extended coming-of-age arc focused on Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha.

  • Anime television series · 2002

    Naruto

    The first television anime adaptation aired in Japan from 2002 to 2007 and ran for 220 episodes. It adapts the manga's early storyline, including Naruto's childhood, Team 7's missions, the Chūnin Exams, the Hidden Leaf invasion, and Sasuke's departure. The series also contains anime-original material produced during periods when the television broadcast approached the manga's published storyline.

  • Anime television series · 2007

    Naruto: Shippuden

    Naruto: Shippuden is the direct television continuation of Naruto. It premiered in 2007 and concluded in 2017 after 500 episodes. The series follows Naruto after his training journey, the Akatsuki's campaign against the tailed-beast hosts, Sasuke's pursuit of revenge, the destruction and restoration of the Hidden Leaf, and the Fourth Shinobi World War. It is the principal animated adaptation of the manga's second part.

  • Animated films · 2004

    Naruto theatrical films

    The film line includes eleven animated theatrical releases associated with Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden. Many of the earlier films present self-contained missions that expand the television cast, while later films connect more directly to the manga's chronology. The Last: Naruto the Movie and Boruto: Naruto the Movie have particular importance because they bridge the original story's conclusion and establish the next generation.

  • Books · 2002

    Naruto light novels and guidebooks

    The publishing ecosystem includes light novels, fanbooks, data books, anime profile books, artbooks, film adaptations, and other supplemental publications. These works provide side stories, character information, production material, illustrations, and expanded perspectives on events from the manga and anime. Several titles were licensed for English-language publication by Viz Media.

  • Video games · 2003

    Naruto video games

    Naruto games have appeared across Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox, PC, arcade, mobile, and other platforms. Major families include fighting and action titles such as Ultimate Ninja, Clash of Ninja, Ninja Council, Ninja Destiny, Path of the Ninja, Uzumaki Chronicles, and Ultimate Ninja Storm. Depending on the title, the games retell manga and anime story arcs, provide arena combat, or create original missions using the franchise's characters and techniques.

  • Licensed consumer products · 2003

    Naruto trading cards and merchandise

    The brand has supported trading cards, toys, apparel, figures, stationery, home goods, collectibles, food promotions, and other licensed merchandise. Consumer products typically use the recognizable character designs, village symbols, ninja techniques, and team identities from the manga and anime. Licensing allows the property to remain commercially visible between major releases and across multiple retail categories.

  • Sequel manga and anime · 2016

    Boruto: Naruto Next Generations

    Boruto continues the fictional world after the original Naruto narrative and focuses on Naruto's son and a younger generation of shinobi. Its premise explores the children of established characters, a more technologically developed ninja society, and the pressures created by living under the shadow of legendary predecessors. Boruto functions as the principal continuation of the broader Naruto universe rather than as a replacement for the completed original manga.

Marketing campaigns

  • 2022Naruto Twentieth Anniversary Project

    Japan · International

    The official anniversary program revisited the original Naruto anime through retrospective content, promotional materials, character-focused celebrations, and plans for new animated episodes.

    Outcome. The project reinforced Naruto's continuing relevance as a catalog franchise and supported renewed attention to the original manga and anime.

    Source
  • 2007Naruto Nation

    United States · Canada

    Viz Media accelerated the North American release schedule for Naruto by publishing three volumes per month during the final months of 2007. The initiative was intended to reduce the publication gap with Japan and satisfy demand from the rapidly expanding English-language readership.

    Outcome. The campaign helped bring the North American edition closer to the Japanese release schedule and increased the visibility of Naruto as a major manga property in the United States.

    Source

Brand decisions

  • 2023

    Anniversary anime release postponedProduct launch

    Background

    Four new episodes were planned as part of the twentieth-anniversary celebration of the original Naruto television anime.

    Action taken

    The planned September 2023 premiere was postponed and a later release date was not established in the cited reference material.

    Aftermath

    The postponement delayed the anniversary animation component while broader official retrospective and promotional activity continued.

    Source

  • 2015

    Franchise expanded around BorutoGeneration change

    Background

    After the original manga ended, the property required a continuation that could preserve the setting while shifting the focus away from Naruto's childhood and principal quest.

    Action taken

    Boruto: Naruto the Movie centered on Naruto's son and introduced a new generation of shinobi, with Kishimoto involved in the story and character development.

    Aftermath

    The film became the foundation for subsequent Boruto manga and anime projects and repositioned Naruto as the elder-generation foundation of a continuing universe.

    Source

  • 2014

    Main storyline brought to a planned conclusionGeneration change

    Background

    Kishimoto had established Naruto and Sasuke's relationship as the central long-term rivalry and intended the story to resolve their conflict.

    Action taken

    The manga concluded after the Fourth Shinobi World War with a final Naruto–Sasuke confrontation, followed by an epilogue showing the characters' adult roles.

    Aftermath

    The conclusion enabled the franchise to continue through films, novels, games, anniversary projects, and the next-generation Boruto storyline.

    Source

  • 2007

    Viz Media accelerated North American manga publicationStrategy

    Background

    The English-language edition had fallen behind the Japanese edition while demand for Naruto was increasing in North America.

    Action taken

    Viz Media initiated the Naruto Nation schedule, releasing multiple volumes per month for a limited period.

    Aftermath

    The accelerated schedule narrowed the localization gap and supported the series' position as one of Viz Media's leading manga licenses.

    Source

  • 2002

    Television anime adaptation launchedProduct launch

    Background

    The manga's early commercial and readership success created a basis for adaptation into television animation.

    Action taken

    Pierrot and Aniplex produced a television series for TV Tokyo, with Hayato Date directing and Tetsuya Nishio overseeing character design.

    Aftermath

    The anime broadened Naruto's audience and established the visual and voice-acting framework used by later films, games, merchandise, and international broadcasts.

    Source

  • 1999

    Shift from fox-spirit one-shot to serialized ninja sagaStrategy

    Background

    Kishimoto considered an early Naruto concept involving a boy who could transform into a fox but was dissatisfied with the initial execution and narrative direction.

    Action taken

    He reworked the concept into a ninja-themed series with a village setting, team structure, chakra-based abilities, and a long-form coming-of-age narrative.

    Aftermath

    The revised concept became the Naruto manga that debuted in Weekly Shōnen Jump in September 1999 and later supported a broad multimedia franchise.

    Source

Recent events

  • Reported

    Naruto anime debuts anniversary trailer and logo[11]

    The Naruto anime debuted a special trailer and a new logo for its 20th anniversary celebration at Jump Festa 2022.

  • Reported

    SCRAP announces NARUTO game collaboration in Shanghai[12]

    SCRAP announced a planned collaboration with NARUTO for its Real Stealth Game in Shanghai, marking the first time SCRAP's game collaboration with the Japanese title was to reach the China market. The source describes the launch as planned for December 23, 2019.

Read more

Sources12 sources

  1. 1Narutoen.wikipedia.org
  2. 2Official Naruto Website: About Narutonaruto-official.com
  3. 3VIZ Media: Narutoviz.com
  4. 4VIZ Media: Naruto Manga Catalogviz.com
  5. 5List of Naruto Mediaen.wikipedia.org
  6. 6List of Naruto Video Gamesen.wikipedia.org
  7. 7List of Naruto Volumesen.wikipedia.org
  8. 8Masashi Kishimotoen.wikipedia.org
  9. 9The Last: Naruto the Movie releaseden.wikipedia.org
  10. 10Boruto: Naruto the Movie releaseden.wikipedia.org
  11. 11《火影忍者》动画推出周年纪念预告片和标志comicbook.com
  12. 12SCRAP宣布在上海推出NARUTO游戏合作项目finanznachrichten.de

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