Naruto? That sounds familiar!
And we hope that this rings a bell, as the universe and the craze around this Japanese cultural work has quickly spread across the entire planet. Naruto is basically a shonen manga directed by Masashi Kishimoto. But the manga was so successful when it was published between 1999 and 2004 that it was adapted into an anime and broadcast from 2002 on TV Tokyo. The series was broadcast in Belgium on the Club RTL channel from 2008. Naruto is one of the best-selling manga in history as well as one of the most popular comics in the world.
The story
The story of Naruto takes place in a retro-futuristic universe where ninjas and samurais have a predominant place. The military forces of all the countries in the universe are gathered in the same village. Each village fights a merciless war with the others through their warriors. Each village fights with the others to gain advantages that would strengthen the various enemy locations or simply to establish their hegemony over the others.
In parallel, the Naruto universe also includes nine gigantic monsters known as "Tail Demons". These can become one with a human after a spell performed during a cult. The being in which the demon lives then has access to its powers. Half of the spirit of one of these creatures was imprisoned in Naruto's body when he was very young. Naruto then becomes the demon's jinjuri.
The viewer or reader follows the life and rise of Naruto since he was twelve years old. At first feared by the village, which tends to reject him, he is gradually recognized by the inhabitants. Naruto will quickly become part of a team with two beginners like him: Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiwa. Together they will meet Kakashi Hakate, the ninja who will be in charge of their training. Together they will fight many battles to protect their village.
The entire Naruto universe can be found at Shop For Geek. Your manga shop in Belgium and France.
The world of Naruto
The land on which the story of Naruto takes place is home to several countries that have never ceased to be in conflict. There are five of them. Five great powers represented by the five Japanese elements: water, fire, lightning, wind and earth.
There are many influences in the Naruto universe. The characters have a real spiritual energy (chakra) which they use to get through in very precise fights. We don't find the traditional clichés concerning the appearance of warriors. We thus avoid feudal Japan in appearance even if many notions are borrowed from it.
The success of Naruto
Naruto is now considered the fourth best-selling manga franchise in history, with over 250 million copies sold worldwide. Although it was most successful in Japan, the manga easily crossed the borders of Europe and North America.
Naruto's success has also been achieved through the publication of new volumes that tell the story of certain characters in greater detail. This has helped to expand the universe and interest in a series that continues to reveal its secrets. The illustrations and the humour throughout the story hit the mark. Not to mention the endearing characters, each one better constructed than the other. The emotion, too, has left a strong impression on the reader's mind through the various volumes published.
Derivative products
With such a success, the producers of the shonen manga could not ignore the possibility of releasing numerous derivative products. So, besides the different series and films, there are also many video games released on different consoles and platforms (gameboy, PS2, PS3, PS4, Game Cube...). Some parodies have also been released such as the manga Naruzozo or Raruto and Shippu! Konoha Gakuen Den. Anime comics, novels and light novels have also been created for the pleasure of fans. Finally, figurines and a live action adaptation released in 2016 have also extended the pleasure of this rich and varied universe.
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