Naruto
Naruto (ナルト?) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and dreams to become the Hokage, the ninja in his village who is acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of all. The series is based on a one-shot manga by Kishimoto that was published in the August 1997 issue of Akamaru Jump.
Naruto was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine from the 43rd issue of 1999 to the 50th issue of 2014, with the chapters collected into seventy-two tankōbon volumes by Shueisha. The manga was later adapted into a television anime, which was produced by Studio Pierrot and Aniplex. It premiered across Japan on the terrestrial TV Tokyo and other TX Network stations on October 3, 2002. The first series lasted 220 episodes, while Naruto: Shippuden, a sequel to the original series, has been airing since February 15, 2007. In addition to the anime series, Studio Pierrot has developed ten movies and several original video animations. 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 serialized Naruto in their digital Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, as well as publishing the individual 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. Naruto: Shippuden was first released by Viz in North America in September 2009, started broadcast on Disney XD in October of the same year and on Adult Swim's Toonami block in January 2014. Viz Media began streaming both series on their streaming service Neon Alley in December 2012.
As of September 2014, the manga has over 200 million copies in print, with over 130 million copies in Japan and the remaining 75 million being overseas, making it the third best-selling manga series in history. The manga is also available in 35 countries outside Japan. It has also become one of North American publisher Viz Media's best-selling manga series. Their English adaptation of the series has appeared in the USA Today Booklist several times and volume 7 won the Quill Award in 2006. Reviewers of 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 manga plot elements.
- Plot
A powerful fox known as the Nine-Tails attacks the ninja village Konoha, killing many people. In response, the leader of Konoha – the Fourth Hokage – seals the fox inside his newborn son Naruto Uzumaki at the cost of his life. As a child, Naruto is isolated from the Konoha community, who regards him as if he was the Nine-Tails itself. A decree made by the current Kage, the Third Hokage, forbids anyone mentioning the attack of the Nine-Tails to anyone else. Twelve years later, renegade ninja Mizuki reveals Naruto the truth before being defeated by Naruto with the Shadow Clone Jutsu, earning the respect of teacher Iruka Umino. Shortly after, Naruto becomes a ninja and is assigned alongside Sasuke Uchiha, whom he often competes against, and Sakura Haruno, whom he has a crush on, to form a three-person team named Team 7 under an experienced and severe sensei, the elite ninja 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.
After several missions, their most notably mission to the Land of Waves, Kakashi allows Team 7 to participate in a ninja exam in which they can advance to a higher rank, and thus, take part in more difficult missions. During the exams, Orochimaru, a top-wanted criminal, invades Konoha and kills the Third Hokage in an act of revenge. This forces one of the three legendary ninja, Jiraiya, to search with Naruto for Tsunade, who has been nominated to become the Fifth Hokage. During the search, it is revealed that Orochimaru desires to acquire Sasuke due to his powerful genetic heritage, the Sharingan. Believing Orochimaru will be able to give him the strength needed to kill his brother Itachi, who destroyed his clan, Sasuke eventually joins him after a humiliating defeat at his brother's hands. Tsunade sends a group of ninja including Naruto to retrieve Sasuke, but Naruto is unable to bring him back to the village. Naruto and Sakura do not give up on Sasuke, however, and the former leaves Konoha to train under Jiraiya's tutelage in order to prepare himself for the next time he encounters Sasuke, while the latter becomes Tsunade's apprentice.
Two and a half years later, Naruto returns from his training with Jiraiya, and the criminal organization called Akatsuki, from which Itachi is a member, starts kidnapping the hosts of the nine powerful "tailed beasts", including the Nine-Tails sealed inside of Naruto, to extract them from their bodies. Several ninjas from Konoha, including Team 7, fight against the Akatsuki members and search for their teammate Sasuke. Akatsuki is successful in capturing seven of those creatures whose hosts are killed in the process, except for Gaara, the host of the One-Tail whose life is saved in time by Naruto and his comrades. In the meantime, Sasuke betrays Orochimaru and faces Itachi to take revenge. After Itachi dies in battle, Sasuke learns from the Akatsuki founder Tobi that Itachi was ordered by Konoha's superiors to destroy his clan to prevent a coup d'état to which he accepted with the condition of allowing Sasuke to be spared. Saddened with this revelation, Sasuke joins forces with Akatsuki to kill Konoha's superiors who orchestrated the Uchihas' elimination and destroy Konoha to exact revenge. Meanwhile, as several Akatsuki members are defeated by the Konoha ninjas, their figurehead leader, Nagato, kills Jiraiya and destroys Konoha. However, Naruto defeats and redeems him, earning the village's respect and admiration as a result.
With Nagato's eventual death, Tobi, while disguised as one of Konoha's founding fathers Madara Uchiha, announces that he wants to obtain all nine of the "tailed beasts" in order to perform an illusion powerful enough to control all of humanity. The leaders of the five ninja villages refuse to aid him and instead join forces to confront Tobi and his allies. This results in a fourth ninja world war between the unified armies of the Five Great Countries (collectively known as the Allied Shinobi Forces) and Akatsuki's forces. Naruto, and Killer Bee, the host of the Eight-Tails, head for the battlefield refusing to sit back as instructed. During the conflict, it is revealed that Tobi is actually Obito Uchiha, Kakashi's former teammate who was thought to be dead, but he was saved by the real Madara and has been working with him ever since. As Sasuke learns the history of Konoha, including the circumstances that led to his clan's downfall, he decides to protect the village and rejoins Naruto and Sakura to stop Madara and Obito's plans, which unleash the Ten-Tails. However, after the Ten-Tails is defeated, Madara's body ends up possessed by Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, an ancient princess who intends to subdue all of mankind, and Obito sacrifices himself to help the reunited Team 7 stop her. Once Kaguya is sealed, Madara dies as well, but Sasuke takes advantage of the situation and takes control all the "tailed beasts" to realize his goal of ending the current village system. Naruto confronts Sasuke to resolve him, and after they almost kill each other in a fierce battle, Sasuke admits defeat and reforms. After the war, Kakashi is chosen to become the Sixth Hokage and pardons Sasuke of his crimes. Some years after the moon incident, Kakashi steps down and Naruto assumes his place, becoming the Seventh Hokage.
- Characters
After several missions, their most notably mission to the Land of Waves, Kakashi allows Team 7 to participate in a ninja exam in which they can advance to a higher rank, and thus, take part in more difficult missions. During the exams, Orochimaru, a top-wanted criminal, invades Konoha and kills the Third Hokage in an act of revenge. This forces one of the three legendary ninja, Jiraiya, to search with Naruto for Tsunade, who has been nominated to become the Fifth Hokage. During the search, it is revealed that Orochimaru desires to acquire Sasuke due to his powerful genetic heritage, the Sharingan. Believing Orochimaru will be able to give him the strength needed to kill his brother Itachi, who destroyed his clan, Sasuke eventually joins him after a humiliating defeat at his brother's hands. Tsunade sends a group of ninja including Naruto to retrieve Sasuke, but Naruto is unable to bring him back to the village. Naruto and Sakura do not give up on Sasuke, however, and the former leaves Konoha to train under Jiraiya's tutelage in order to prepare himself for the next time he encounters Sasuke, while the latter becomes Tsunade's apprentice.
Two and a half years later, Naruto returns from his training with Jiraiya, and the criminal organization called Akatsuki, from which Itachi is a member, starts kidnapping the hosts of the nine powerful "tailed beasts", including the Nine-Tails sealed inside of Naruto, to extract them from their bodies. Several ninjas from Konoha, including Team 7, fight against the Akatsuki members and search for their teammate Sasuke. Akatsuki is successful in capturing seven of those creatures whose hosts are killed in the process, except for Gaara, the host of the One-Tail whose life is saved in time by Naruto and his comrades. In the meantime, Sasuke betrays Orochimaru and faces Itachi to take revenge. After Itachi dies in battle, Sasuke learns from the Akatsuki founder Tobi that Itachi was ordered by Konoha's superiors to destroy his clan to prevent a coup d'état to which he accepted with the condition of allowing Sasuke to be spared. Saddened with this revelation, Sasuke joins forces with Akatsuki to kill Konoha's superiors who orchestrated the Uchihas' elimination and destroy Konoha to exact revenge. Meanwhile, as several Akatsuki members are defeated by the Konoha ninjas, their figurehead leader, Nagato, kills Jiraiya and destroys Konoha. However, Naruto defeats and redeems him, earning the village's respect and admiration as a result.
With Nagato's eventual death, Tobi, while disguised as one of Konoha's founding fathers Madara Uchiha, announces that he wants to obtain all nine of the "tailed beasts" in order to perform an illusion powerful enough to control all of humanity. The leaders of the five ninja villages refuse to aid him and instead join forces to confront Tobi and his allies. This results in a fourth ninja world war between the unified armies of the Five Great Countries (collectively known as the Allied Shinobi Forces) and Akatsuki's forces. Naruto, and Killer Bee, the host of the Eight-Tails, head for the battlefield refusing to sit back as instructed. During the conflict, it is revealed that Tobi is actually Obito Uchiha, Kakashi's former teammate who was thought to be dead, but he was saved by the real Madara and has been working with him ever since. As Sasuke learns the history of Konoha, including the circumstances that led to his clan's downfall, he decides to protect the village and rejoins Naruto and Sakura to stop Madara and Obito's plans, which unleash the Ten-Tails. However, after the Ten-Tails is defeated, Madara's body ends up possessed by Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, an ancient princess who intends to subdue all of mankind, and Obito sacrifices himself to help the reunited Team 7 stop her. Once Kaguya is sealed, Madara dies as well, but Sasuke takes advantage of the situation and takes control all the "tailed beasts" to realize his goal of ending the current village system. Naruto confronts Sasuke to resolve him, and after they almost kill each other in a fierce battle, Sasuke admits defeat and reforms. After the war, Kakashi is chosen to become the Sixth Hokage and pardons Sasuke of his crimes. Some years after the moon incident, Kakashi steps down and Naruto assumes his place, becoming the Seventh Hokage.
- Characters
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