Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto, and Uchiha Sasuke with the logo of the series they star in.

Naruto (ナルト) is a manga and anime TV series by Masashi Kishimoto about a loud, hyperactive teenage ninja by the name of Uzumaki Naruto who constantly searches for approval and recognition.

It was first published by Shueisha in Japan (in the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine), and Viz Communications publishes a translated version in the United States (in their own Shonen Jump, though they have so far only released five of the 29 volumes the manga currently stands at). ShoPro Entertainment, which announced plans to merge with Viz, licensed the anime for North American production. It has been announced that Naruto is to air in Cartoon Network's Toonami programming block in September 2005. Viz and ShoPro merged into Viz Media.

Manga and Anime Details

With weekly releases, the manga has grown to 257 chapters (only forty-five of which are out in the U.S.). The anime currently has 131 episodes. Though it started quite a bit after the manga, the television series is quickly catching up since one episode usually covers roughly two manga chapters. To prevent overlap, the episodes generally tend to protract the manga chapters into great lengths with short bursts of energy-packed action, and sometimes filler is added. However, Naruto remains true to the manga for the most part. New episodes (animated by Studio Pierrot) air weekly on TV Tokyo in Japan during the Golden Time slot - Japan's equivalent of prime time in the US - each Wednesday night at 7:27PM.

The series has also spawned two movies: "Naruto the Movie - Yukihime Ninpoujyou" and "Naruto the Movie 2 - Maboroshi no Chiteiiseki". The second movie is due to hit theaters in Japan on August 6th, 2005.

Among older fans (usually detractors of the series), Naruto's length and popularity is often compared to another action-oriented shōnen series, Dragon Ball Z. Its popularity was fueled by both people on the internet translating the Naruto anime and manga (see scanlation and fansub for more information about those practices) and by Viz's North American manga release.

Plot

Twelve years before the events at the focus of the series, the Nine-Tails Demon Fox – or Kyubi (Kyūbi) – attacked Konohagakure, the hidden village of leaf. It was a mighty demon indeed; the flap of a single tail of the Nine-Tails would raise tsunamis and flatten mountains. It raised chaos and slaughtered the people, until the leader of Konoha – the Yondaime Hokage – defeated it by sacrificing his own life to seal Kyubi inside a newborn child.

That child's name was Uzumaki Naruto.

The Yondaime Hokage was remembered as a hero for sealing the Nine-Tails away, and he wanted Naruto to be remembered as a hero as well, but the village he grew up in had mostly contempt for Naruto, for they viewed him as nothing more than the demon fox that had killed their families and almost destroyed their village.

The other villagers were forbidden to mention the event to anyone, even their own children. However, this did not stop them from still treating Naruto like dirt. Although their children did not specifically know why their parents treated Naruto the way they did, they learned through example to despise the boy. Naruto grew up as an orphan without friends or acknowledgment. He could not bring his parents back or force people to befriend him, so he sought acknowledgment the only way he knew – through pranks and mischief. But that would soon change. Naruto is about to face the ninja academy graduation exam – a gateway to the events and people that will change and define his world and his way of the ninja for the rest of his life.

Naruto maintains a balance between seriousness and frivolity, drama and comedy. It follows Naruto and his friends' personal growth and development as ninjas, and emphasized their interactions with each other and the influence of their backgrounds on their personalities.

Openings & Endings

Openings

1. "R.O.C.K.S" by Hound Dog (Episodes 1-25)
2. "Haruka Kanata" (tr. "Far Away") by Asian Kung-Fu Generation (Episodes 26-53)
3. "Kanashimi wo Yasashisa ni" (tr. "Turn Sadness into Kindness") by little by little (Episode 54-77)
4. "GO!!!!" by FLOW (Episodes 78-103)
5. "Seishun Kyōsōkyoku" (tr. "Youth Race Song") by Sambomaster (Episodes 104-128)
6. "No Boy No Cry" by STANCE PUNKS (Episodes 129-current)

Endings

1. "Wind" by Akeboshi (Episodes 1-25)
2. "Harmonia" by Rhythem (Episodes 26-51)
3. "Viva Rock Japanese Side" by Orange Range (Episodes 54-64)
4. "Alive" by Raiko (Episodes 65-77)
5. "Ima Made Nando Mo" (tr. "Many Times up to Now") by Masu Misairu (Episodes 78-89)
6. "Ryuusei" (tr. "Shooting Star") by TiA (Episodes 90-103)
7. "Mountain A Go Go Two" by Captain Stridum (Episodes 104-115)
8. "Hajimete Kimi to Shabetta" (tr. "The First Time I Spoke With You") by gagagaSP (Episodes 116-128)
9. "Nakushita Kotoba" (tr. "Lost Words") by No Regret Life (Episodes 129-Current)

See also

• Naruto characters
• Naruto jutsu
• Naruto kekkei genkai (advanced bloodlines)
• Naruto geography
• Naruto ninja ranks
• Naruto the Movie
• Naruto the Movie 2
• Kakashi Gaiden
• Kancho

External links

• Japanese Naruto webpage
• TV Tokyo's Naruto page
• Studio Pierrot's Naruto page
• Viz press release on Naruto anime licensing
• Anime DVD's announcement on Naruto's licensing by ShoPro Entertainment
• Cartoon Network press release on Naruto
• Anime News Network Naruto (TV) (Detailed cast listing and news)
• AnimeNfo.Com : Anime : Naruto
• Naruto Kun
• Naruto Chuushin
• Naruto Chaos
• Naruto Fan
• Naruto Anime
• MCAnime :: Naruto (Spanish)