Summary
Naruto was created by manga author Masashi Kishimoto in 1999. The shonen battle manga tells the life story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young boy whose body serves as a prison for the Nine-Tails, a powerful beast who once almost completely destroyed the village of Konohagakure. Consequently, Naruto is shunned by the people of the village, but he nonetheless aspires to win their respect and trust by becoming the Hokage, the leader of the city's ninjas. The series was a massive hit when it first debuted and was considered one of Weekly Shonen Jump's "Big Three," a title used to refer to the manga magazine's three most popular franchises of the era, which also included Eiichiro Oda's still on-going One Piece and Tite Kubo's Bleach. The series has since sold over 250 million copies worldwide and is now one of the top 10 best-selling manga ever created. An anime adaptation produced by studio Pierrot premiered in 2002 and was followed up with Naruto: Shippuden, which adapted the second half of Kishimoto's manga, in 2007. Kishimoto's original manga concluded its story in 2014, but the series received a sequel series, entitled Boruto: Naruto Next Generations in 2016. The sequel tells the story of Naruto's rebellious teenage son, Boruto, and is set more than a decade following the original story's finale. The sequel series was originally written by Ukyo Kodachi, who wrote the stories for several of the franchise's animated movies, but Kishimoto took over writing duties for the sequel after its 13th volume. The franchise has also expanded with several spinoffs, a series of tie-in novels, and a line of video games from publisher Bandai Namco. The English editions of Kishimoto's manga are distributed by publisher VIZ Media, while Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden anime are available for streaming from a variety of services, including Crunchyroll, Netflix and Hulu. The Boruto anime is still on-going and is available on Crunchyroll.
Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Teases a Big Change From the Naruto Era
As the second chapter of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex unfolds, Sarada makes a bold statement that doubles down how much she wants to improve Konoha.
55 Best Shonen Anime Ever
From Dragon Ball to Naruto and One Piece, anime's shonen series tend to be some of the most popular in the medium. But which are the best of them all?
Why Most Shonen Main Characters Have Basic Powers
Many battle shonen protagonists are stuck relying on straightforward techniques when they could have unique and wild abilities like everyone else.
What Makes Naruto's Most Heartbreaking Death So Dark
The Naruto era had many brutal deaths but there's one in particular that has many layers regarding why it's the most soul-crushing one from the past.
20 Best-Selling Manga Of All Time (& How Many Copies Were Sold)
The best-selling manga of all time cover a wide range of topics and genres, from cunning detectives to basketball players to shinobi warriors.
10 Classic Anime Moments That'll Always Hype Fans Up
From Goku's first Super Saiyan transformation to Erwin's final charge in AOT, several scenes have gone down as the hypest moments in anime history.
10 Reasons Sasuke Isn't the Right Mentor For Boruto
After the three-year time jump, the twisty Boruto: Two Blue Vortex proves why an old rival, Sasuke, should not be the person to mentor Naruto's son.
Naruto's Bond With Obito Is Better than Naruto and Kakashi
The Naruto era proved that as important as Kakashi is to Boruto's father, Uchiha Obito was the more nuanced bond that helped shape Naruto's future.
10 Naruto Theories Shippuden & Boruto Disproved
The Naruto franchise has evolved since 2002, rendering many old theories and assumptions obsolete by Shippuden and Boruto.
Boruto: Kurama's Death Confirmed Naruto's Dirtiest Secret
The tragic event of Kurama's death in the Boruto anime revealed Naruto's dirtiest secret after the Isshiki war, here's how.
10 Overpowered Anime Characters Their Series Actually Had to Nerf
Several anime series have developed characters so powerful that they later had to be nerfed. Here is a list of the best examples.
Why Naruto's Absence in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Actually Makes Konoha Better
The second chapter of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex shows why Konoha is better off without Naruto and under Kawaki in one major aspect of life and war.
55 Best Manga Of All Time, Ranked
From Demon Slayer and Naruto to Akira and Slam Dunk, the best manga of all time continue to captivate new and seasoned readers.
10 Naruto Ninja Who Could (& Should) Have Been Recruited By The Akatsuki
Naruto characters like Zabuza and Jugo are powerful ninja who had all the right stuff to be members of the Akatsuki.
10 Most Overpowered Anime Villains of All Time, Ranked
Anime villains like JJK's Sukuna and MHA's All For One are so powerful they have what it takes to take the heroes down.
10 Biggest Unsolved Mysteries in Naruto (& What Fans Think)
From terrifying jutsu to character backgrounds, Naruto fans have many unanswered questions that they still discuss today.
10 Best Anime Arcs Of All Time, Ranked
The most exceptional anime arcs carve their shows a place in history, sticking with audiences long after the credits roll.
10 Iconic Anime Villains Who Would've Won in Any Other Series
Some of the most iconic anime villains were destined to lose to their heroic rivals, but they could've won if they lived in another show.
Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Teases the Evolution of the Rasengan In a Scary Way
Boruto: Two Blue Vortex's second chapter reveals a significant change with the Rasengan, and it could outdo what Naruto and Minato did in the past.
Boruto's Time Skip Is Better Than Naruto's
Boruto's time skip did more for him than Naruto's did for its protagonist. It made a big difference and didn't need dozens of chapters to prove it.