Naruto | |
Naruto logo Naruto: Shippuden English version logo | |
NARUTO | |
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Genre | |
Anime television series | |
Directed by | Hayato Date |
Written by |
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Music by |
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Studio | Pierrot |
Licensed by | |
Original network | TXN (TV Tokyo) |
English network | |
Original run | October 3,2002 – February 8,2007 |
Episodes | 220 |
Anime television series | |
Naruto:Shippuden | |
Directed by |
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Written by |
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Music by |
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Studio | Pierrot |
Licensed by | |
Original network | TXN (TV Tokyo) |
English network | |
Original run | February 15,2007 – March 23,2017 |
Episodes | 500 |
Related works | |
Naruto [e] is a Japanese anime television series based on Masashi Kishimoto's manga series of the same name. The story follows Naruto Uzumaki,a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage,the leader of his village. Just like the manga,the anime series is divided into two separate parts:the first series retains the original manga's title and is set in Naruto's pre-teen years. The second series,a direct sequel titled Naruto:Shippuden, [f] takes place during his teens. Both anime series were animated by Pierrot,produced by Aniplex and licensed in North America by Viz Media.
The first anime series aired on TV Tokyo and ran for 220 episodes from October 2002 to February 2007;an English dub produced by Viz Media aired on Cartoon Network and YTV from September 2005 to December 2009. The second series,Shippuden,also aired on TV Tokyo and ran for 500 episodes from February 2007 to March 2017. The English dub of Shippuden was broadcast on Disney XD in the United States from October 2009 to November 2011,airing the first 98 episodes before eventually switching over to Adult Swim's Toonami programming block in January 2014,starting over from the first episode. After Disney XD removed the series from broadcast,Viz Media began streaming new English dubbed episodes on their streaming service Neon Alley in December 2012 starting at episode 99. The service aborted its run in March 2016 after 338 episodes due to its shutdown a month later. Besides the anime television series,Pierrot also developed 11 animated films and 12 original video animations (OVAs).
The Naruto anime achieved significant commercial success,becoming one of Viz Media's top-earning franchises,while being a cultural impact with the Naruto run. Viz Media sold over 3 million anime home video units by 2019 and was third most-watched series in the United States by 2020,while Shippuden series was consistently ranked as one of the most-watched in Japan. Critically,the Naruto anime received mixed reception;its adaptation of Kishimoto's art style and story pacing was not received well. However,reviewers appreciated its strong fight scenes,character dynamics,and emotional depth. Naruto:Shippuden was lauded for its improved animation,more mature tone,well-crafted character interactions and balanced storytelling. The first anime ranked 38th in IGN's Top 100 Animated Series and Shippuden earned a nomination from the Crunchyroll Anime Awards for Best Continuing Series.
A powerful fox known as the Nine-Tails attacks Konoha, the hidden leaf village in the Land of Fire, one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries in the Ninja World. In response, the leader of Konoha and the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, at the cost of his life, seals the fox inside the body of his newborn son, Naruto Uzumaki, making him a host of the beast. [i] The Third Hokage returns from retirement to become the leader of Konoha again. Naruto is often scorned by Konoha's villagers for being the host of the Nine-Tails. Due to a decree by the Third Hokage forbidding any mention of these events, Naruto learns nothing about the Nine-Tails until 12 years later, when Mizuki, a renegade ninja, reveals the truth to him. Naruto defeats Mizuki in combat, earning the respect of his teacher, Iruka Umino. [ii]
Shortly afterward, Naruto becomes a ninja and joins with Sasuke Uchiha, against whom he often competes, and Sakura Haruno, on whom he has a crush, to form Team 7, under an experienced sensei , the elite ninja Kakashi Hatake. Like all the ninja teams from every village, Team 7 completes missions requested by the villagers, ranging from doing chores and being bodyguards to performing assassinations.
After several missions, including a major one in the Land of Waves, Kakashi allows Team 7 to take a ninja exam, enabling them to advance to a higher rank and take on more difficult missions, known as Chunin Exams. During the exams, Orochimaru, a wanted criminal, invades Konoha and kills the Third Hokage for revenge. Jiraiya, one of the three legendary ninjas, declines the title of Fifth Hokage and searches with Naruto for Tsunade whom he chooses to become Fifth Hokage instead.
During the search, it is revealed that Orochimaru wishes to train Sasuke because of his powerful genetic heritage, the Sharingan. [iii] After Sasuke attempts and fails to kill his older brother Itachi, [iv] who had showed up in Konoha to kidnap Naruto, he joins Orochimaru, hoping to gain from him the strength needed to kill Itachi. The story takes a turn when Sasuke leaves the village: Tsunade sends a group of ninja, including Naruto, to retrieve Sasuke, but Naruto is unable to persuade or force him to come back. Naruto and Sakura do not give up on Sasuke; Naruto leaves Konoha to receive training from Jiraiya to prepare himself for the next time he encounters Sasuke, while Sakura becomes Tsunade's apprentice.
Two and a half years later, Naruto returns from his training with Jiraiya. The Akatsuki starts kidnapping the hosts of the powerful Tailed Beasts. Team 7 and other Leaf ninja fight against them and search for their teammate Sasuke. The Akatsuki succeeds in capturing and extracting seven of the nine Tailed Beasts, killing all the hosts except Gaara, who is now the Kazekage. Meanwhile, Sasuke betrays Orochimaru and faces Itachi to take revenge. After Itachi dies in battle, Sasuke learns from the Akatsuki founder Tobi that Itachi had been ordered by Konoha's superiors to destroy his clan to prevent a coup; he accepted, on the condition that Sasuke would be spared. Devastated by this revelation, Sasuke joins the Akatsuki to destroy Konoha in revenge. As Konoha ninjas defeat several Akatsuki members, the Akatsuki figurehead leader, Nagato, kills Jiraiya and devastates Konoha, but Naruto defeats and redeems him, earning the village's respect and admiration.
With Nagato's death, Tobi, disguised as Madara Uchiha (one of Konoha's founding fathers), announces that he wants to capture all nine Tailed Beasts to cast an illusion powerful enough to control all humanity and achieve world peace. The leaders of the five ninja villages refuse to help him and instead join forces to confront his faction and allies. That decision results in a Fourth Shinobi World War between the combined armies of the Five Great Countries (known as the Allied Shinobi Forces) and Akatsuki's forces of zombie-like ninjas. The Five Kage try to keep Naruto, unaware of the war, in a secret island turtle near Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud Village), but Naruto finds out and escapes from the island with Killer Bee, the host of the Eight-Tails. At that time, Naruto—along with the help of Killer Bee—gains control of his Tailed Beast and the two of them head for the battlefield.
During the conflict, it is revealed that Tobi is Obito Uchiha, a former teammate of Kakashi's who was thought to be dead. The real Madara saved Obito's life, and they have since collaborated. 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 thwart Madara and Obito's plans. However, Madara's body ends up possessed by Kaguya Otsutsuki, an ancient princess who intends to subdue all humanity. A reformed Obito sacrifices himself to help Team 7 stop her. Once Kaguya is sealed, Madara dies as well. Sasuke takes advantage of the situation and takes control of all the Tailed Beasts, as he reveals his goal of ending the current village system. Naruto confronts Sasuke to dissuade him from his plan, and after they almost kill each other in a final battle, Sasuke admits defeat and reforms. After the war, Kakashi becomes the Sixth Hokage and pardons Sasuke for his crimes. Years later, Kakashi steps down while Naruto marries Hinata Hyuga and becomes the Seventh Hokage, raising the next generation.
The first Naruto anime series, directed by Hayato Date and produced by Studio Pierrot and TV Tokyo, premiered in Japan on October 3, 2002, and concluded on February 8, 2007, after 220 episodes. [4] [5] The first 135 episodes were adapted from Part I of the manga; the remaining 85 episodes are original and use plot elements that are not in the manga. [6] Tetsuya Nishio was the character designer for Naruto when the manga was adapted into an anime series; Kishimoto had requested that Nishio be given this role. [7] [8] Beginning on April 29, 2009, the original Naruto anime began a rerun on Wednesdays and Thursdays (until the fourth week of September 2009 when it changed to only Wednesdays). It was remastered in HD, with new 2D and 3D effects, under the name Naruto: Shōnen Hen [g] . [9] Episodes from the series have been released on both VHS and DVD, and collected as boxed sets. [10] [11] [12] [13]
Viz licensed the anime series for broadcast and distribution in the Region 1 market. [14] The English dub of the anime began airing on September 10, 2005, and concluded on January 31, 2009, with 209 episodes aired on Cartoon Network's Toonami in the United States. [15] The episodes were also broadcast on YTV's Bionix (Canada), [16] Jetix (United Kingdom) [17] and SABC 2's (South Africa) [18] programming blocks, and were released on DVD on March 28, 2006. [19] On August 25, 2017, Starz announced that they would be offering episodes of the series for their Video on Demand service starting September 1, 2017. [20] The first 26 volumes contain four episodes; later DVD volumes have five episodes. [21] Uncut editions were released in DVD box sets, each containing 12–15 episodes, with some variation based on story arcs. [22] In the American broadcast, references to alcohol, Japanese culture, sexual innuendo, and the appearance of blood and death were sometimes edited but remained in the DVD editions. [23] One of the censored scenes was the accidental kiss between Naruto and Sasuke, fitting in the long trend of removing content that alludes to homosexual relationships. [24] The series was also licensed to Hulu, Joost, and Crunchyroll, which aired the episodes online with the original Japanese audio tracks and English subtitles. [25] [26] [27] On June 1, 2017, it was announced that an HD remaster version of the original Naruto television anime series would debut on Japanese TV on June 24, starting with the show's first episode. [28] Anime Limited will release the series in a "Collector's Blu-ray" edition in the United Kingdom and Ireland in 2024. [29]
A series of four "brand-new" episodes, to commemorate the original anime's 20th anniversary, were originally scheduled to premiere on September 3, 2023; [30] however, in August of that same year, it was announced that the episodes would be postponed to a later date. [31]
The second anime series, titled Naruto: Shippuden [h] , developed by Studio Pierrot and directed by Hayato Date, is a direct sequel to the first Naruto anime series; it corresponds to Part II of the manga. [32] It debuted on Japanese TV on February 15, 2007, on TV Tokyo, and concluded on March 23, 2017. [33] [34] On January 8, 2009, TV Tokyo began broadcasting new episodes via internet streaming to monthly subscribers. Each streamed episode was available online within an hour of its Japanese release and includes English subtitles. [35]
Viz began streaming English subtitled episodes on January 2, 2009, on its series' website, including episodes that had already been released as well as new episodes from Japan. [36] In the United States, the English dub of Naruto: Shippuden premiered weekly on Disney XD from October 28, 2009, up until episode 98 on November 5, 2011. [37] Episodes 99 through 338 premiered uncut on the anime web channel Neon Alley until its shutdown on May 4, 2016. [38] The anime started airing from the beginning on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block on January 5, 2014, where it continues to air on a weekly basis. [39]
The series was released on Region 2 DVD in Japan with four or five episodes per disk; there are four series of DVD releases divided by story arc. [40] There was a special feature included with the seventh Naruto: Shippuden compilation DVD called Hurricane! "Konoha Academy" Chronicles. [41] Kakashi Chronicles: Boys' Life on the Battlefield [i] was released on December 16, 2009; featuring episodes 119–120, the story revolves around Kakashi Hatake's childhood. [42]
The first North American DVD of the series was released on September 29, 2009. [43] Only the first 53 episodes were made available in this format before it ended with the 12th volume on August 10, 2010. [44] Subsequent episodes were released as part of DVD boxed sets, beginning with the first season on January 26, 2010. [45] In the United Kingdom, the series was licensed by Manga Entertainment who released the first DVD collection on June 14, 2010. [46] Anime Limited will release the series in a "Collector's Blu-ray" edition in the United Kingdom and Ireland in 2024. [29]
Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
First released | Last released | |||
1 | 35 | October 3, 2002 | May 28, 2003 | |
2 | 48 | June 4, 2003 | May 12, 2004 | |
3 | 48 | May 19, 2004 | April 20, 2005 | |
4 | 48 | April 27, 2005 | April 5, 2006 | |
5 | 41 | April 12, 2006 | February 8, 2007 |
Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
First released | Last released | |||
1 | 32 | February 15, 2007 | October 25, 2007 | |
2 | 21 | November 8, 2007 | April 3, 2008 | |
3 | 18 | April 3, 2008 | August 14, 2008 | |
4 | 17 | August 21, 2008 | December 11, 2008 | |
5 | 24 | December 18, 2008 | June 4, 2009 | |
6 | 31 | June 11, 2009 | January 14, 2010 | |
7 | 8 | January 21, 2010 | March 11, 2010 | |
8 | 24 | March 25, 2010 | August 26, 2010 | |
9 | 21 | September 2, 2010 | January 27, 2011 | |
10 | 25 | February 10, 2011 | July 28, 2011 | |
11 | 21 | July 28, 2011 | December 28, 2011 | |
12 | 33 | January 5, 2012 | August 16, 2012 | |
13 | 20 | August 23, 2012 | January 10, 2013 | |
14 | 25 | January 17, 2013 | July 4, 2013 | |
15 | 28 | July 18, 2013 | January 30, 2014 | |
16 | 13 | February 6, 2014 | May 8, 2014 | |
17 | 11 | May 15, 2014 | August 14, 2014 | |
18 | 21 | August 21, 2014 | December 25, 2014 | |
19 | 20 | January 8, 2015 | May 21, 2015 | |
20 | 45 | May 28, 2015 | April 28, 2016 | |
21 | 21 | May 5, 2016 | October 13, 2016 | |
22 | 21 | October 20, 2016 | March 23, 2017 |
Naruto was adapted into 11 theatrical films. The first three films correspond to the first anime series, and the remaining eight correspond to the second.
There are 12 original video animations (OVAs) in Naruto.
Musashi Project and Toshio Masuda composed and arranged the Naruto soundtracks. Naruto Original Soundtrack was released on April 3, 2003, and contains 22 tracks used during the first season of the anime. [73] This was followed by Naruto Original Soundtrack II, released on March 18, 2004, which includes 19 tracks. [74] The third, Naruto Original Soundtrack III, was released on April 27, 2005, with 23 tracks. [75] Two soundtracks containing all the opening and ending themes of the series, titled Naruto: Best Hit Collection and Naruto: Best Hit Collection II were released on November 17, 2004, and August 2, 2006. [76] [77] Eight tracks from the series were selected and released on a CD called Naruto in Rock -The Very Best Hit Collection Instrumental Version- released on December 19, 2007. [78] Soundtracks for the three movies based on the first anime series were available for sale near their release dates. [79] [80] [81] On October 12, 2011, a CD collecting the themes from Naruto Shōnen Hen was released. [82] Various CD series were released with voice actors performing original episodes. [83]
The soundtracks of Naruto: Shippuden were produced by Yasuharu Takanashi and his musical unit, Yaiba; they were titled Naruto Shippūden Original Soundtrack I, II, and III, and were released in 2007, 2009, and 2016. [84] [85] [86] Naruto All Stars, released in 2008, consists of 10 original Naruto songs remixed and sung by characters from the series. [87] Ten themes from the two anime series were collected in the DVD box Naruto Super Hits 2006–2008, which appeared in 2008. [88] Soundtracks from the Shippuden films have also been released, with the first one available in 2007. [89] [90] A final one composed of the series is set to be released in late 2017 with Aniplex having started a survey of all Naruto and Naruto Shippuden themes to be included in the CD. [91]
The theme for the Cartoon Network English version was performed by former Saban Entertainment composer Jeremy Sweet, [92] who had previously worked on themes for the Power Rangers franchise, the English adaptation of Dragon Ball Z and various other Saban programs. [93] [94] It was co-composed by Ian Nickus, [92] another former musician from the company. [95]
In 2011, Naruto helped Viz Media generate $200 million in annual licensed merchandise sales. [96] By 2019, Viz Media has sold more than 3 millionNaruto anime home video units, while the anime is also a top digital streaming performer on Hulu. [97] Naruto: Shippuden has been ranked several times as one of the most watched series in Japan. [98] [99] Naruto has also been the top-earning (gross profit) anime franchise for TV Tokyo (surpassed by Pokémon in 2011 and Yo-kai Watch in 2015) due to strong overseas and domestic sales. [vii] In 2020, it was the third most watched series in the United States. [111]
Mike Hale of The New York Times described the Naruto anime as much better than American animation aimed at children, [112] but the animation received some criticism from both the THEM Anime Reviews critics: Christina Carpenter felt Kishimoto's artistic style translated poorly into animation, [113] and Derrick Tucker was also negative, though he felt that at their best, the depictions "[left] little to be desired". [114] As with the manga, some reviewers, such as Theron Martin of Anime News Network , along with Tucker, felt there were too many fight scenes, [114] [115] though Justin Rich argued that the fight scenes were the most important and enjoyable element of the show. [116] Carpenter also commented positively on the characters, though she felt that most were fairly typicals. [113] Hiroshi Matsuyama further reflected the anime's 133rd episode to be one of his favorites not only for the action sequences between Naruto and Sasuke but also the emotional value displayed. [117]
Naruto: Shippuden was well-reviewed by Activeanime's David C. Jones who commented that the animation had improved. [118] Carl Kimlinger of Anime News Network opined that the series has a more serious tone and a better balance between comedy and drama than the first anime series; with more interesting digressions from the main plot. [119] [120] Although the pacing for the first episodes was criticised as slow, the delivery and development of the interactions between the characters received positive comments. [121] [122] Writing for the Los Angeles Times , Charles Solomon ranked Shippuden the third best anime on his "Top 10". [123] In 2011, readers of Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition voted Naruto as the 29th-top video game character of all time. [124]
The Naruto anime was listed as the 38th best animated show in IGN's Top 100 Animated Series. [125] In September 2005, Japanese television network TV Asahi broadcast a popularity poll based on a nationwide survey in which Naruto placed seventeenth. [126] The first DVD compilation released by Viz received a nomination from the American Anime Awards for Best Package Design. [127] At the Crunchyroll's inaugural Anime Awards in 2017, the fight between Naruto and Sasuke received a Most Popular "Other" mention in the Best Fight Scene category. [128] At the 2nd edition in 2018, Naruto: Shippuden was nominated for Best Continuing Series. [129]
The Naruto run, or ninja run, is a running style based on the way the characters run in the anime, leaning forward with their arms outstretched behind their backs. It became popular in 2017 when groups worldwide organized events to run like Naruto characters, especially on anniversaries of the series. [130] [131] [132] On June 27, 2019, Matty Roberts posted a satirical event called "Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us" on Facebook where he wrote "We will all meet up at the Area 51 Alien Center tourist attraction and coordinate our entry. If we naruto run, we can move faster than their bullets. Let's see them aliens." [133] This quickly became an Internet meme, resulting in nationwide alerts and warnings issued by Nevada law enforcement and the U.S. Air Force to not go to Area 51. [134]
Naruto is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village. The story is told in two parts: the first is set in Naruto's pre-teen years, and the second in his teens. The series is based on two one-shot manga by Kishimoto: Karakuri (1995), which earned Kishimoto an honorable mention in Shueisha's monthly Hop Step Award the following year, and Naruto (1997).
Naruto Uzumaki is the titular protagonist of the manga Naruto, created by Masashi Kishimoto. He is a ninja from the fictional Hidden Leaf Village. As a boy, Naruto is ridiculed and ostracized on account of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox—a malevolent creature that attacked Konohagakure—that was sealed away in his body. Despite this, he aspires to become his village's leader, the Hokage, in order to receive their approval. His carefree, optimistic, and boisterous personality enables him to befriend other Konohagakure ninja, as well as ninja from other villages. Naruto appears in the series' films and in other media related to the franchise, including video games and original video animations (OVA), as well as the sequel Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, where he is the Hokage, and his son, Boruto Uzumaki, is the protagonist.
Sakura Haruno is a fictional character in the Naruto manga and anime series created by Masashi Kishimoto. Sakura is depicted as a kunoichi affiliated with Konohagakure and a part of Team 7, which consists of herself, Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and their sensei Kakashi Hatake. Besides the main series, Sakura has appeared in several pieces of the Naruto media, most notably the spin-off Naruto: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring (2015) and the sequel Boruto: Naruto Next Generations (2016) where she married Sasuke Uchiha taking name of Sakura Uchiha and is the mother of their daughter, Sarada Uchiha.
Sasuke Uchiha is a fictional character in the Naruto manga and anime franchise created by Masashi Kishimoto. Sasuke belongs to the Uchiha clan, a notorious ninja family, and one of the most powerful, allied with Konohagakure. Most of its members were massacred by Sasuke's older brother, Itachi Uchiha, before the series began, leaving Sasuke as one of the few survivors. Despite becoming empathetic toward his teammates Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno, Sasuke's feelings of powerlessness force him to abandon his friends and his home in his quest to become stronger, and to find Orochimaru. Sasuke appears in several of the series' animated feature films and related media, including video games, original video animations (OVAs), and Boruto: Naruto the Movie (2015) and its manga sequel, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations (2016), in which he is depicted as a vigilante supporting his village and a mentor to Naruto's son Boruto Uzumaki.
Gaara of the Desert (我愛羅) is a character in the Naruto manga and anime series created by Masashi Kishimoto. Originally debuting as an antagonist, Gaara is a shinobi affiliated with Sunagakure and is the son of Sunagakure's leader, the Fourth Kazekage. He was born as a demon's host as part of his father's intention to have a weapon to restore their village. However, a combination of being ostracized by the Sunagakure villagers, his early inability to control the Tailed Beast, and the notion that his deceased mother called him her curse on the village caused Gaara to become a ruthless killer who believes his own purpose is to kill his enemies. Only after meeting Naruto Uzumaki does Gaara earn a change of perspective, as he eventually becomes Sunagakure's Fifth Kazekage and gains acceptance by his people. Gaara has appeared in several pieces of Naruto media, including two of the featured films in the series, the third original video animation, and several video games.
Shikamaru Nara is a fictional character in the manga and anime franchise, Naruto, created by Masashi Kishimoto. In the manga, Shikamaru is a shinobi affiliated with the village Hidden in the Leaves. He is a member of Team 10, a group of ninja consisting of himself, Choji Akimichi, Ino Yamanaka, and team leader Asuma Sarutobi. Shikamaru is portrayed as a lazy character, unwilling to apply his prodigious intelligence; Kishimoto has noted that he likes Shikamaru due to his easygoing nature. Outside the Naruto anime and manga, Shikamaru has appeared in several other media in the franchise, including video games, original video animations, and six feature films.
Orochimaru (大蛇丸) is a fictional character from Naruto, a manga series created by Masashi Kishimoto. Orochimaru is a former ninja from the village of Konohagakure who is well known for work in wars which earned him the title of Sannin and becomes a terrorist as a means to cheat death, and built his own ninja village Otogakure. He succeeds to some extent in obtaining immortality by transferring between different host bodies, which became one of his driving motivations throughout the series as he targets Sasuke Uchiha for his genetic heritage. By the events of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, he has seemingly redeemed himself and has sent his experiment Mitsuki to Konoha to become a ninja. Orochimaru has appeared in media outside the Naruto anime and manga, including several video games.
Itachi Uchiha is a character in the Naruto manga and anime series created by Masashi Kishimoto. Itachi is the older brother of Sasuke Uchiha, and is responsible for killing all the members of their clan, sparing only Sasuke. He appears working as a terrorist from the organisation Akatsuki and serves as Sasuke's greatest enemy.
Kakashi Hatake is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists in the Naruto manga and anime series created by Masashi Kishimoto. In the story, Kakashi is the teacher of Team 7, consisting of the series' primary characters, Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno. Kakashi's past has been extensively explored in the series, resulting in a gaiden being devoted to his past experiences. Kakashi has appeared in several pieces of Naruto media, the featured films in the series, the original video animations, and the video games.
Obito Uchiha, also known by his alias Tobi (トビ), is a character in Masashi Kishimoto's manga Naruto. He is first introduced in a "Kakashi Chronicle" side story, as a young ninja who sacrifices himself to save his friends from a cave-in. Although he was believed to have died in the 3rd Great Ninja War, Obito is later revealed as the real leader of the organization known as the Akatsuki, mainly acting behind the scenes for a majority of the group's tenure. He uses the alias of Tobi and later that of his benefactor, Madara Uchiha, and conceals his true identity with masks. As the leader of Akatsuki, Obito seeks to harness the power of the Tailed Beasts in order to cast a genjutsu that will put all of humanity into an idealized dream state forever, having lost faith in the real world following Rin's death. Obito was the strongest character in the Naruto series as he was handling Might Guy, Kakashi Hatake, Naruto Uzumaki [KCM] and killer bee all by himself making him truly a formidable opponent. Obito serves as the main antagonist of the series, being the primary person at fault for the tragic backstory of series protagonist Naruto Uzumaki, whose personality and motivations are nearly identical to those of Obito's younger self, making them foils.
Naruto Shippuden the Movie: Bonds is a 2008 Japanese animated martial arts fantasy film based on Masashi Kishimoto's manga and anime series. Released on August 2, 2008, it was announced in Weekly Shōnen Jump along with the DVD release date for the first Shippuden film. The trailer for the second film aired with episodes 40 and 41, and again with episode 66 and 67. In episodes 70 and 73 the opening sequence was replaced with footage from the film. Its English version was released on DVD and Blu-ray on October 25, 2011 in North America. The film's theme song "No Rain No Rainbow" is performed by Home Made Kazoku. The movie is set after episode 71.
Naruto Shippuden the Movie: The Will of Fire, is a 2009 animated martial arts fantasy film and the sixth Naruto film overall and the third Naruto: Shippuden film, takes as its basis the popular anime and manga series. Released on August 1, 2009 in theaters in Japan, it uses the advertising tagline Todoke, ore-tachi no Omoi!.
The first season of the Naruto: Shippuden anime series is directed by Hayato Date, and produced by Pierrot and TV Tokyo. They are based on Part II for Masashi Kishimoto's manga series. The season is set two and a half years later, with Naruto Uzumaki and his team rescuing the Fifth Kazekage Gaara from the criminal organization Akatsuki. The first season aired from February to October 2007 on TV Tokyo. It was also released on DVD in Japan over eight discs between August 1, 2007, and March 5, 2008, under the name Kazekage Rescue. There is also a special feature included with the seventh Naruto: Shippuden compilation DVD based on the second ending of the series called Hurricane! "Konoha Academy" Chronicles.
The sixth season of the Naruto: Shippuden anime series is directed by Hayato Date, and produced by Studio Pierrot and TV Tokyo. They are based on Part II for Masashi Kishimoto's manga series. The sixth season aired from June 2009 to January 2010 on TV Tokyo. The season follows Sasuke Uchiha taking revenge against Itachi to avenge their clan. It also features two arcs focusing on the background stories for Kakashi Hatake and Jiraiya. The season is referred to by its DVDs as the chapter of Master's Prophecy and Vengeance released by Aniplex.
The first season of the Naruto anime television series is directed by Hayato Date, and produced by Pierrot and TV Tokyo. Based on Masashi Kishimoto's manga series, the season follows Naruto Uzumaki living in the Hidden Leaf Village, determined to become the next Hokage and gain the respect of the villagers. The first season ran from October 3, 2002, to May 28, 2003, on TV Tokyo and its affiliates.
The Last: Naruto the Movie is a 2014 Japanese animated action-romance film produced by Studio Pierrot and directed by Tsuneo Kobayashi. It is the tenth film based on Masashi Kishimoto's manga and anime Naruto. It stars Junko Takeuchi, Nana Mizuki, Chie Nakamura, Showtaro Morikubo, Satoshi Hino, Kazuhiko Inoue and Noriaki Sugiyama. Set after the finale of the Naruto Shippuden series, the film focuses on Naruto Uzumaki's ninja team as they go on a mission to stop the moon from falling, and rescue Hanabi Hyuga — Hinata Hyuga's sister — from Toneri Otsutsuki, a man who wishes to marry Hinata and punish mankind for weaponising chakra.
The episodes for the seventeenth season of the anime series Naruto: Shippuden are based on Part II for Masashi Kishimoto's manga series. The season continues with the repentant Sasuke Uchiha joining with Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, Kakashi Hatake and the allied shinobi forces to battle against Madara Uchiha and Obito Uchiha. The episodes are directed by Hayato Date, and produced by Pierrot and TV Tokyo. The season aired from May to August 2014.
The twenty-second and final season of the Naruto: Shippuden anime television series is based on Part II of Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto manga series. The first four episodes are anime–exclusive material that examine the childhoods of some main characters under the title Nostalgic Days, while the rest of the season covers stories based on light novels set after the manga's ending, respectively titled Sasuke Shinden: Book of Sunrise, Shikamaru Hiden: A Cloud Drifting in Silent Darkness, and Konoha Hiden: The Perfect Day for a Wedding. The episodes are directed by Hayato Date and produced by Pierrot and TV Tokyo. The season aired from October 2016 to March 2017.