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Things You Didn't Know About Masashi Kishimoto, the Creator of Naruto
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Kishimoto is a respected manga artist who has inspired many other artists, Jujutsu Kaisen, for example, it is heavily inspired by Naruto. Kishimoto's artistic style has had a huge impact on modern anime, which makes the commonly unknown facts about his career as a manga artist even more interesting.
10. Kishimoto's twin brother is a manga artist
It's not shocking when celebrities have siblings, but it's always a surprise when fans discover their favorite celebrity has an identical twin. Kishimoto not only has a twin, but his brother, Seishi Kishimoto, is also a popular manga artist.
Seishi Kishimoto is best known for his series 666 Satan, which follows Ruby, who aspires to become a treasure hunter. Comparing the styles of the two manga artists, it's obvious they grew up drawing together. Their styles are so similar that they've even been accused of copying each other.
9. Kishimoto based Hinata on his wife
It's obvious that Kishimoto has a crush on Hinata. Besides Naruto, she has one of the most interesting backstories, and it's her Naruto eventually falls for. Considering Hinata is based on Kishimoto's wife, the favoritism makes perfect sense.
The events of The Last: Naruto the Movie are partially inspired by Kishimoto's relationship with his wife. She made a scarf and gave it to Kishimoto in real life, which inspired Hinata's gift to Naruto. Apparently, all the animators knew where the scarf came from and liked to joke about it while the film was being made.
8. Kishimoto is a good friend of Eiichiro Oda
Most people would assume that the creators of naruto and One Piece are rivals. Both are part of the Big Three, and anime fans often argue over which of these two series is better. However, Kishimoto and One Piece creator Oda aren't rivals—they're good friends.
Oda and Kishimoto enjoy referencing each other's work and even feature each other's characters in their manga. Naruto appeared in One Piece eating with Luffy, and Kishimoto drew One Piece in his own style. It's clear they greatly admire each other's work and have even inspired each other's stories.
7. Kishimoto created Karakuri before Naruto
Kishimoto's most successful manga is naruto, but it was not his first published work. He is also the creator of a manga called Karakurithat appeared in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1998. Unfortunately, Karakuri was not a successful series, so it was canceled shortly after it was first published.
Despite the setback, it's obvious that Kishimoto drew a lot of inspiration from his first series when he was creating naruto. The protagonist shares similarities with Sasuke, who would become one of Kishimoto's best characters, and many of the powers are similar to those shown in naruto. It is thanks to Karakuri that naruto it really exists.
6. Naruto should be a ramen chef
naruto is known as the world's greatest ninja, but when Kishimoto first created the series, it wasn't about ninjas. Naruto was originally supposed to be a ramen chef's apprentice, which explains the character's name and his obsession with ramen.
It's hard to believe what naruto It would have been like a cooking show instead of an action-packed shonen. It's likely the series wouldn't have had such a big impact on the anime community, so fans can't help but be grateful that Kishimoto changed his mind and created one of the best ninja stories of all time.
5. Kishimoto didn't plan ahead
The world of naruto It's well thought out and detailed, so it's hard to believe Kishimoto didn't plan out most of the story. Kishimoto has stated that he didn't plan out the romantic aspect of the series until later, which is why Hinata and Naruto don't interact for much of the story.
However, it wasn't just romance that Kishimoto created while crafting the story. Orochimaru was supposed to be the main villain, but that changed when the Akatsuki and Madara Uchiha were introduced. The only thing Kishimoto planned from the beginning was the final battle between Sasuke and Naruto, which was how he wanted the series to end.
4. Kishimoto's wife wanted Naruto to stay with Sakura
Kishimoto didn't plan ahead when it came to romance, so it makes sense that many fans expected the characters to pair up differently. This includes Kishimoto's own wife, who thought Sakura and Naruto would always end up together.
Apparently, she was a huge fan of the couple, and Kishimoto had to console her when Naruto broke up with Hinata. Kishimoto stated that he told his wife Hinata that he took inspiration from her to make her feel better about Naruto ending up with Hinata instead of Sakura. Interestingly, many fans believed Naruto and Sakura should have ended up together, which makes it even funnier that his wife was one of those fans.
3. Kishimoto's family affected history
Naruto's orphanhood is a key aspect of his character. He wants to be Hokage because he feels rejected by the people around him. For Naruto, being Hokage means being loved and respected. Kishimoto always knew who Naruto's parents would be, but he never planned for Naruto to meet them.
That changed when Kishimoto got married and became a father. As a father, he realized how important the relationship between parents and children is, so he wanted Naruto to have the chance to meet his family. Naruto's interactions with his parents are some of the best moments, and it's clear Kishimoto had his own family in mind when he included these moments in the manga.
2. Kishimoto almost gave up on art
Growing as an artist can be challenging, especially in the beginning when you're just learning the basics. This was especially true for Kishimoto, who loved drawing as a child but struggled to improve. He almost gave up on becoming a manga artist when his family criticized the quality of his art.
Fortunately, Kishimoto didn't give up, and that's because he was inspired by a poster for the anime film Akira. Kishimoto fell in love with the art style and wanted to improve so he could do something similar. Akira and naruto are not similar, but it is thanks to Akira what naruto exists.
1. Kishimoto was inspired by Akira Toriyama and Jackie Chan
If naruto, Bleach and, One Piece is the Big Three of anime, so Dragon Ball is the grandfather. Dragon Ball had a huge influence on anime, including naruto, which is heavily inspired by the work of Akira Toriyama. Naruto is a carefree protagonist who loves to eat, which is very similar to Goku's personality.
However, Dragon Ball wasn't Kishimoto's only inspiration. Jackie Chan's films heavily inspired Kishimoto's action scenes. This includes Jackie Chan's use of the double action, which is a punch shown from multiple angles. Kishimoto used it to great effect during Naruto's fight with Haku.