Naruto Uzumaki facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Naruto Uzumaki |
|
|---|---|
| Naruto character | |
From left to right: Part I, Boruto franchise, and Part II designs by Masashi Kishimoto
|
|
| First appearance | Naruto chapter 1: Uzumaki Naruto! (1999) |
| Created by | Masashi Kishimoto |
| Voiced by | Japanese Junko Takeuchi English Maile Flanagan |
Naruto Uzumaki (Japanese: うずまき ナルト, Hepburn: Uzumaki Naruto) is the main hero of the Naruto manga and anime series, created by Masashi Kishimoto. He is a ninja from the fictional Hidden Leaf Village (Japanese: 木ノ葉隠れ, Hepburn: konohagakure). When Naruto was a boy, people often made fun of him and kept their distance. This was because a powerful and dangerous creature called the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox was sealed inside his body. This creature had once attacked his village.
Despite this, Naruto dreamed of becoming his village's leader, known as the Hokage. He wanted to earn everyone's respect and approval. Naruto has a cheerful, hopeful, and energetic personality. This helped him make friends with other ninja from his village and even from other villages. Naruto also appears in movies and video games related to the series. In the sequel series, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, he is the Hokage, and his son, Boruto Uzumaki, is the main character.
When Masashi Kishimoto first created Naruto, he wanted him to be a simple and brave hero. He gave Naruto a difficult past to make his character more interesting. Kishimoto changed Naruto's look several times, giving him simple clothes that young people would like. His design changed again for the second part of the story, which takes place two and a half years later. Naruto's Japanese voice actor is Junko Takeuchi, and his English voice actor is Maile Flanagan.
Many items like figurines and keychains have been made based on Naruto. Experts who study anime and manga have praised how Naruto's character grew throughout the series. Some people first thought he was a typical hero, but others admired his unique personality and how he developed. Naruto's story has even been studied in literature, showing how special his traits and growth are in fiction.
Contents
Creating Naruto: The Hero's Journey Begins
How Naruto Was First Imagined
In the 1990s, manga artist Masashi Kishimoto first thought of Naruto as a chef, but this idea was never published. Later, Kishimoto imagined Naruto as a child who could turn into a fox. He created a short story about this idea for a magazine in 1997. Kishimoto realized that this Naruto character was more interesting than other characters he had created. He liked Naruto's honest smile.
After another successful short story, Kishimoto began working on the Naruto series. He wanted to use the same main character. He wrote the first chapters to show how appealing Naruto was. Then, he introduced other main characters like Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno. The manga was planned to show Naruto growing up through many battles.
Kishimoto wanted Naruto to be an ideal hero. He gave Naruto a straightforward way of thinking, a playful side, and a hopeful spirit. Even though Naruto had a tough past, he was always optimistic. This made him unique. Kishimoto tried to show Naruto's childish personality in his drawings. For example, on the cover of volume 10, Naruto is shown playfully mimicking a turtle. Kishimoto believed that Naruto's struggles helped readers connect with him. He also said that Naruto's strong desire to be a ninja was like his own dream of becoming a successful manga artist. As the story continued, Naruto grew into a hopeful leader who learned from his mistakes.
In the Japanese version of Naruto, Naruto often ends his sentences with "-ttebayo." Kishimoto wanted to give Naruto a childlike phrase. He felt "dattebayo" fit Naruto's character and showed his energetic personality. In the early English dub, this phrase was changed to "Believe it!" to match the character's mouth movements. Later, the English dub changed it to "You know?".
Naruto's Growth and Relationships
As the series continued, Kishimoto got married and had children. This changed how he saw Naruto. Naruto met his parents and learned about their sacrifices. They helped him control the powerful Fox inside him so he could protect the world. This made Naruto appreciate his life more and understand his parents' love. Kishimoto wanted Naruto to feel this love, based on his own experiences as a father.
Kishimoto's favorite student-teacher relationship in Naruto was between Naruto and Jiraiya. Jiraiya was a wise and powerful ninja who taught Naruto many things. Before Jiraiya's final battle, he sent a secret message to Naruto. This message helped Naruto defeat a powerful enemy named Pain. Naruto even forgave Pain, which was a challenging but important part of his journey. Kishimoto wanted to show that forgiveness could be more powerful than revenge. This idea also influenced Naruto's final fight with Sasuke.
Naruto and Sasuke: A Strong Rivalry
Kishimoto wanted Naruto to have a strong rival to make the story exciting. He created Sasuke as a rival who initially didn't notice Naruto. But as Naruto grew stronger, Sasuke began to see him as an equal. Kishimoto also wanted them to feel like brothers because both characters had experienced loneliness. This helped readers connect with them. Naruto and Sasuke were like yin and yang, very different but balancing each other. When one grew stronger, the other did too.
Their final battle was a huge challenge for the animators. They wanted to show every movement and emotion. They made Naruto look like a powerful beast when the Nine-Tailed Fox's power took over. The team was inspired by old boxing series where the audience cheered for the underdog. They worked hard to make sure both ninjas were equally strong.
Kishimoto had planned for Naruto and Sasuke's story to end with a big fight. He wanted Naruto to forgive Sasuke, just as he had forgiven Pain. The fight focused on close-up combat rather than just ninja techniques. The animators worked hard to show every detail, like changes in their clothes and hair. After this intense battle, Naruto and Sasuke finally made peace. Naruto even returned Sasuke's original headband, showing that their bond was strong again.
Naruto's Love Story
Naruto's romantic partner was decided early in the manga's creation. Hinata Hyuga always admired and respected Naruto, even before his teacher Iruka Umino did. Kishimoto felt they were meant to be together. He later regretted creating a love triangle with Sakura, as he saw Naruto mainly as a fighting series. He confirmed that Naruto and Hinata's marriage was planned from the beginning.
Kishimoto oversaw the film The Last: Naruto the Movie, which focused on Naruto and Hinata's relationship. He enjoyed seeing their romantic scenes, even though he didn't write them himself. In the movie, Hinata makes a red scarf for Naruto. This idea came from something Kishimoto's own wife did, which made the film crew laugh. The film showed Naruto realizing his feelings for Hinata and their journey to becoming a couple.
Naruto's Look and Design
Even though real ninjas wear dark colors to hide, Kishimoto gave Naruto an orange jumpsuit. This made him stand out, which is common for heroes in action stories. His clothes were inspired by what Kishimoto wore when he was younger. Naruto is often linked to spirals, so Kishimoto added swirl patterns to his outfit. Naruto first wore goggles, but these were replaced with a ninja headband because the goggles were too hard to draw repeatedly.
Choosing the colors for Naruto's outfit was important. The orange makes him noticeable, and the blue parts create a good contrast. Kishimoto was happy with Naruto having blond hair and blue eyes, which is not common for Japanese anime characters. This also helped the character appeal to people around the world. Kishimoto felt a strong connection to Naruto. When asked why Naruto's favorite food was ramen, Kishimoto said it was because he also loves ramen.
For the second part of the series, Naruto's design changed. He wore an orange and black top, orange pants, and black sandals. When fighting a powerful enemy named Pain, he wore a red cape with black flames. Kishimoto made Naruto's headband wider to make his eyebrows easier to draw. He also made Naruto's pants roll up to give him a more mature look. This new design helped him stand out during action scenes.
In the film The Last: Naruto the Movie (2014) and the final episodes of Naruto: Shippūden, Naruto appeared as a young adult. His hair was shorter, and he was taller. He had two outfits: a casual orange shirt and a black shirt with orange pants for missions. His new ninja look was designed to help him carry weapons more easily. Both outfits still featured the spiral logo of his mother's family, the Uzumaki clan.
The Voices Behind Naruto
_-_cropped.jpg)
Even though a male voice actor was originally sought for Naruto in Japan, actress Junko Takeuchi was chosen. She noticed many exclamation marks in the script, which helped her create Naruto's energetic voice. It was challenging for her to switch between voicing the young Naruto and the older, more mature Naruto in the second part of the anime. After many years, Takeuchi felt Naruto had become a "very reliable young man" instead of a "loud-mouthed obnoxious brat." She admired his ability to make calm and important decisions.
Takeuchi was happy with Naruto's story and hoped he would end up with Hinata. She was reminded of Naruto's godfather, Jiraiya, when she read the script for The Last: Naruto the Movie. She felt that Naruto's declaration of love was a big part of his growth. For the Boruto: Naruto the Movie film, Takeuchi was surprised by how much Naruto had grown, not just in age and his job as Hokage, but also as a father. She became friends with Yūko Sanpei, who voices Boruto.
The producers of the English anime said that Naruto was the hardest character to cast. They felt Maile Flanagan perfectly captured Naruto's mischievous side and his growing confidence. Flanagan said she had never heard of Naruto before her audition. She is now recognized more for voicing Naruto than for her other roles. Flanagan and Amanda C. Miller (Boruto's voice actress) found the two characters similar, despite their different lives. Flanagan was surprised by how her character changed over the years but felt he was still the same at heart.
Naruto's Story: From Orphan to Hokage
Naruto Uzumaki is introduced as a 12-year-old orphan with blond, spiky hair and blue eyes. He graduates as a ninja from Konohagakure and forms a special bond with his teacher, Iruka Umino. Naruto always wanted attention because he felt lonely growing up. To be accepted and respected, he decided to become Konohagakure's Hokage, the village leader, no matter how difficult it would be.
As a ninja, Naruto made many friends, which he didn't have much of in his early life. Other characters believed he would be an excellent Hokage because of the positive impact he had on them. As an adult, Naruto saw the Konohagakure village as his family, a lesson he learned from the Third Hokage. Because of his busy job as Hokage, he sometimes had a difficult relationship with his son, Boruto, as he couldn't spend much time with his own family.
Naruto's Adventures and Appearances
In the Naruto Series
Part I: The Young Ninja's Start
Naruto is an orphan with a powerful, dangerous fox-like creature called Kurama, the Nine-Tailed Fox, sealed inside him. His father, the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, sealed it there to protect the village, sacrificing his own life and that of Naruto's mother, Kushina Uzumaki. Because of this, people in Konoha often avoided Naruto.
As a young boy, Naruto played pranks to get attention. He dreamed of becoming Hokage to earn the villagers' recognition. He was shocked to learn about the Fox inside him but found acceptance from his teacher, Iruka Umino, who became like a father figure. After learning a powerful ninja technique called the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu, Naruto became a ninja. He joined a team led by Kakashi Hatake, alongside his classmates Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno. Naruto and Sasuke had a rivalry, while Naruto had a crush on Sakura, who liked Sasuke.
During his ninja training, Naruto met the legendary ninja Jiraiya. He learned how to summon toads and control some of the Nine-Tails' energy. Dangerous groups like the Orochimaru and the Akatsuki started to appear. The Akatsuki was a criminal organization that wanted to take the Nine-Tails from Naruto. Jiraiya taught Naruto a powerful attack called the Rasengan (螺旋丸). When Sasuke left the village to gain more power, Naruto promised Sakura he would bring him back. Naruto and Sasuke had a big fight, and Sasuke won, but he couldn't bring himself to harm Naruto. Naruto then left with Jiraiya for two and a half years to train and prepare for his next encounter with Sasuke and the Akatsuki.
Part II: Growing Stronger and Facing Challenges
After two and a half years of training, Naruto returned to Konoha. He became more active in fighting the Akatsuki, even saving his friend Gaara. He learned to combine his Rasengan with his wind-element chakra, creating a powerful attack called the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken (風遁・螺旋手裏剣, Fūton: Rasenshuriken). This attack helped him defeat a strong Akatsuki member. Naruto continued to search for Sasuke, who was now acting on his own path of revenge. The Nine-Tails' influence over Naruto grew, and he sometimes struggled to control its power.
After learning that Jiraiya was defeated by the Akatsuki leader, Pain, Naruto trained to learn a special power-enhancing ability called Senjutsu (仙術, lit. "sage techniques"). When he faced Pain, Naruto nearly lost control of the Fox's power. At that moment, he met his father, Minato Namikaze, who had sealed his own chakra (energy) inside Naruto. Naruto learned about his parents and that his father sealed the Fox in him to help him defeat the Akatsuki founder, Tobi. With his father's help, Naruto regained control and defeated Pain. Naruto convinced Pain to stop his plans, choosing a path of peace.
When Naruto discovered Sasuke's plan to attack the Leaf Village, he decided to confront him. He trained with Killer B to fully control Kurama's powers. His late mother, Kushina Uzumaki, also helped him from inside the seal. Naruto joined his friends in a big battle against Tobi's army, working together with Kurama. He met Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, who gave him a special sealing technique. After he and Sasuke teamed up to fight Tobi and Madara, they faced an even bigger threat: Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. After sealing Kaguya, Naruto and Sasuke had a final battle due to their different ideas for the ninja world. Both lost an arm, but they finally made peace. Naruto later received a new arm. Years later, Naruto married Hinata, and they had two children, Boruto and Himawari Uzumaki. He became the Seventh Hokage (七代目火影, Nanadaime Hokage).
In the Boruto Series
In the spin-off manga Naruto: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring, Naruto and his friends defeated a new Akatsuki group. In Boruto: Naruto the Movie (2015), Naruto's job as Hokage made his relationship with his son Boruto difficult. During ninja exams, Naruto was taken by Momoshiki and Kinshiki, but Boruto, Sasuke, and other Kage (leaders) saved him. Naruto and Boruto then worked together to defeat Momoshiki, and they reconciled.
In Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, the story begins in a future where Naruto is believed to be gone. In the anime, Naruto often appeared with his family before Boruto became a ninja. In the manga, Naruto adopted a younger boy named Kawaki, who was running from a group called Kara. Naruto fought Kara members to protect his children. In a fight against Kara's leader, Isshiki Ōtsutsuki, Naruto and Kurama combined their chakra, which led to Kurama's passing. Naruto continued to fight the remaining Kara members. Kawaki, wanting to protect Naruto, sent him and Hinata to another dimension to keep them safe.
In Light Novels and Other Media
Naruto also appears in several light novels that continue the story. He went on missions as Hokage, helped his friends, and eventually married Hinata. One novel explored Naruto's life as a father, and another focused on him falling ill from using Kurama's chakra for so long.
As the main character, Naruto appears in every movie in the series. He usually leads missions with his friends. In The Last: Naruto the Movie, Naruto and Hinata's relationship grew, leading to their marriage. Kishimoto, who supervised the film, felt a mix of satisfaction and sadness seeing his characters grow so much.
Naruto also appears in all four Naruto OVAs (special animated episodes). He is a playable character in many Naruto video games, sometimes with special powers from the Nine-Tailed Fox. He also appears in crossover video games where he fights characters from other manga series. Naruto even appeared as an avatar in the online game Second Life and as a costume for Goku in Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z. In November 2021, Naruto was added to Fortnite Battle Royale as a playable skin.
Naruto has also appeared in stage plays based on the manga, where he is played by actor Koudai Matsouka.
See also
In Spanish: Naruto Uzumaki para niños
