Interview with Masashi Kishimoto (The Naruto Creator)

Shonen Jump interviewed the creator of Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto. In this interview he expressed many of ways he grew up and how he was inspired.

Shonen Jump: What were you like when you where younger (say in middle school and high school)?
Masashi Kishimoto: I had manga on the brain, and I was constantly drawing, hardly ever doing homework. In short, a bit of a brat.
Shonen Jump: How did growing up in a rural environment influence your manga, or your personality in general?
Masashi Kishimoto: This is a story set in a slow-paced, relaxed setting, far away from capitalist society. My personality is very slow-paced, too, so that's why I often just barely meet, my deadlines for the manga.
Shonen Jump: I've heard that you where a huge fan of Akira Toriyama's "Dragon Ball" and "Dr. Slump". What was your favorite storyline of Dragon Ball? Or, if you prefer, who was your favorite character?
Masashi Kishimoto: I love all the stories up until the first appearance of Frieza. My favorite character is Kuririn, because he has the most "human" feel, and I really associate myself with him.
Shonen Jump: When you where younger, you were attacked by monkeys. Can you tell us about this experience?
Masashi Kishimoto: I accidentally stepped on a young monkey, and the alpha male of the group and the mother of the monkey attacked me. Ever sense then, I have been afraid of monkeys. But these days, I look back on the incident and realize that the protective, nurturing aspect of the monkey is just the same as what a human would feel.
Shonen Jump: You grew up next to a military base, and the ninja in Naruto behave something like a military force, with discipline and training. Are you a military enthusiast, and did you ever consider joining the Japanese Self-Defense Force (JSDF)?
Masashi Kishimoto: I don't really consider myself a military enthusiast. Where I grew up didn't really have a military base, as Japan doesn't have a military, just a Self-Defense Force. What I did was use the training grounds of the SDF as a reference, in addition to books on the Mossad and the SAS. I never wanted to join the JSDF, as I wanted to draw manga.
Shonen Jump: I've heard that you where most inspired by "Akira" the anime, and the manga by Katsuhiro Otomo. Why is this, and what inspired you?
Masashi Kishimoto: I consider "Akira" (1988) to be the first Japanese anime to use the "fresco" style of art. Unlike the other works during that time, the character designs, lines, and sense were very realistic, as was the manga itself. Even the buildings were very detailed, and the sheer amount of information that the art conveyed was incredible. It was a very cool science fiction manga. I think it's also the reason anime became so popular in the U.S. I got a bunch of storyboards for "Akira" when I was 14, and I remember constantly copying them.
Shonen Jump: What was it like going to art school? What was the most useful thing you learned there?
Masashi Kishimoto: I trained in plaster mediums and the drawing of the human body to increase my skills as a design artist. I also learned graphic design, coloring, and perspectives. Manga is still an art form that you pick up by yourself-that's the current reality of the Japanese manga industry. Although the drawing skills that I learned in art school were quite useful, I had the ability of drawing and perspective prior to entering art school. Thus, going to art school was more of a step backwards for me.
Shonen Jump: What was it like being "trained" to be a professional manga artist for "Weekly Shonen Jump"? What kinds of things did you learn?
Masashi Kishimoto: Of course, art is a big part of being a manga artist, but equally important is being able to write a story well. I do everything pretty much by myself, from the characters to the story to the backgrounds. Also, receiving advice from the editor is important, but I think getting a good editor who is supportive of you is the key.
Shonen Jump: You played baseball as a kid, and at one point you considered making a baseball manga. Do you still follow baseball? If so what's your favorite team?
Masashi Kishimoto: I love playing baseball, but I don't really like watching it. I don't have a favorite team in Japan. If Japan had major league teams as impressive as the Americans, I might have a team I would root for.
Shonen Jump: I've heard that you are a fan of traditional Japanese adventure stories. Do you like "chabbara eiga" (Sword fighting movies set in Japan's Feudal period) or historical fiction?
Masashi Kishimoto: I like chabbara, but the recent chabbara films don't have the feel that the older movies have, and I'm not a big fan of the recent ones. I'm hoping a much cooler director comes out and creates an awesome chabbara film.
Shonen Jump: Especially since the early 1980's ninja have been very popular in America n movies and comics. Have you been inspired by American ninja stories?
Masashi Kishimoto: I know a little bit about the popularity of Sho Kosugi (star of many action movies) during the period, as well as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I'm happy, from the perspective of someone from Japan, to see the new way ninjas are perceived in America. Although I hear there are some people who are upset about how the entire "ninja mythology" has been screwed up because of it.
Shonen Jump: This may be an American misconception, but when I think of "ninja" I think of figures wearing completely black outfits, usually with masks. But the ninjas in Naruto look completely unlike the old stereotypes. How did you come up with the interesting "Konoha Style" of ninjas in Naruto?
Masashi Kishimoto: If I created a world that recycles the traditional concept of a ninja it would have ended up just like all the other ninja manga. I wanted to create a ninja world with a twist, something fresh, so I completely threw out the preconceived notion of what a ninja wearing yellow clothing, who is suppose to be part of a secret intelligence gathering organization. There's no way that a ninja who stands out that much would really exist. (Laughs)
Shonen Jump: Samurai are of almost equal fame to a ninja, and in pop culture, in some ways, they seem like the opposite of ninja - forthright instead of sneaky. Are there any powerful samurai in the world of Naruto, or are ninja the overwhelmingly dominant power in this world?
Masashi Kishimoto:I do have a few samurai character: Zouri and Waraji (although they're kind of "lame" samurai.) But there are way too many samurai manga out there, so to stay original I'll continue with ninja stories.
Shonen Jump: Their character Jiraiya, who appears in Naruto, is based on a legendary ninja. Is Naruto inspired by any other particular legends?
Masashi Kishimoto: Jiraiya is about the only character who is like that; the others are all original.
Shonen Jump:Your work seems to have a science fiction influence. Approximately speaking what is the technology level in the world of Naruto?
Masashi Kishimoto: Actually, the world of Naruto doesn't differ very much from our present time. TV, refrigerators and air conditioners exist in the world. The only exceptions are weapons and explosives, which I've decided to set in a much earlier era. That's why you don't see firearms.
Shonen Jump Question:
Many "Shonen Jump" mangas have puns for character names. So can you explain some of the puns in the names of the characters? I know that Naruto is a word for the spiral fishcakes in ramen... But I've also heard of a place off the sea of Japan called the "Naruto Uzumaki" (the Naruto whirlpools), like Naruto's a first and last name.
Masashi Kishimoto Answer:
Uzumaki (spirals) are a very cool Japanese pattern. "Weekly Shonen Jump's" philosophy for naming characters is to create a name that the readers can easily associate with the character, by combining it with puns and gags.
Shonen Jump: How did you develop the chakra power system in Naruto? Are you interested in East Indian mysticism?
Masashi Kishimoto: I actually have no interest in East Indian mysticism. I needed a hook to tie in those points in the story when characters would use powers that were beyond normal human capabilities. The term is chakra, which is used as an explanation for readers to better understand the powers. Its similar to "the Force" in Star Wars, or chi (aka. - Ki) in "Dragon Ball", or magic points in RPGs.
Shonen Jump: How did you develop the mystic hand gestures used by the ninjas in Naruto?
Masashi Kishimoto: As an alternative to the standard verbal method of casting spells, like in RPGs, the ninja use hand gestures instead
Shonen Jump: In Naruto, the frog seems to be associated with the character Naruto. Also, in an early drawing you associate the snake with Sasuke, and the snail with Sakura. What about these animals caused you to connect them with these characters? Are ninja associated with frogs in Japan?
Masashi Kishimoto: When you talk about ninjas, you invariably talk about frogs. There is a ninja manga whose main character is "Hattori-kun," who (also a joke in the story) does not like frogs, so this connection between ninjas and frogs is a close one. (In Japanese folklore, frogs are concerted magical animals, and the oil from a frog's skin is a traditional ointment for wounds and other ailments.) The triad of snake, snail and frog is from Japanese mythology. The snake is more powerful then the frog, the snail is more powerful then the snake, and the frog is more powerful then the snail, Making a paper, rock, scissors" sort of situation. These three are collectively called the "Sansukumi".
Shonen Jump: What inspired you to do a story about a demon fox? What interests you about foxes?
Masashi Kishimoto: Because the fox, in particular the nine tailed fox, is considered to be one of the most powerful supernatural beasts.
Shonen Jump: What is the relationship of Naruto and the demon fox? Was the demon fox killed and reincarnated inside Naruto's body, or was it sealed inside the baby Naruto with out dying? Are there two souls within Naruto's body, in a mystical sense, or is it more like two personalities, in the psychological sense?
Masashi Kishimoto: The demon fox has been sealed inside of Naruto without having been killed. It's because the nine tailed fox couldn't be killed, so they had no choice but to seal it away... probably... which us why there are two personalities inside of Naruto.
Shonen Jump Question: Do you get more fan letters from boys or girls? Do boys and girls like different things about the series?
Masashi Kishimoto: Fan letters are typically written by girls, as it seems that "boys don't write letters". About 90% of the fan letters seem to be from girls, even though the majority of readers are suppose to be boys. It was like that when I used to read Weekly Shonen Jump as a kid, and apparently it's the same today.
Shonen Jump: Naruto and Sasuke kiss (accidentally) in the first chapter where they appear together. Does this add a special dimension to their rivalry?
Masashi Kishimoto: I didn't have any particular reason for it, other then to surprise readers. I mainly did it because I don't think there has ever been a manga where two rivals kissed. Also, by having this encounter, it was easier to set up the love triangle: Sakura, who had intended to be the first one to kiss Sasuke, has it stolen by her rival Naruto, Sasuke and Naruto are rivals, so there's and added tension there. And so on and so forth.
Shonen Jump Question: Is there ever going to be a manga adaptation of "Ichalcha Paradise"? (Make-Out Paradise" or "Cum-Cum Paradise")
Masashi Kishimoto: Never
Shonen Jump Question: In closing, what advise would you give fans who are interested in becoming artists themselves?
Masashi Kishimoto: Creating manga isn't just about drawing well, but writing a good story. Keep the art and the story real, and you can't lose. Also, watch a lot of good Hollywood movies. Those who rail against the entertainment industry are just being close-minded.

Bleach Updates

(Update Released October 6, 2007)
Bleach Chapter 294

If You Call Me Beast, Kill You Like Tempest
"Injured and Helpless is Ichigo. Can He find a way to save Nel? Who is being pressured by Nnoitra...!?"


(Update Released September 29, 2007)
Bleach Chapter 293

Urge for Unite
"That time..."What happened when Nel was in Las Noches...!?

(Update Released September 23, 2007)
Bleach Chapter 292

Rupture My Replica
"Former Espada! Nel ha transformed! Overwhelming!

(Update Released September 14, 2007)
Bleach Chapter 291

Thank YOu For Defend Me
"Former Espada Nel, transfigured!! What is this transformation...?!"


(Update Released September 9, 2007)
Bleach Chapter 290



(Update Released September 1, 2007)
Bleach Chapter 289

"The Scarmask!"
Ichigo is cornered by (Noitora) Espada No. 5! Does He stand a chance?!
"The Broken Mask"
A further shock to the already-cornered ichigo Nel is....a former espada?!

(Update Released August 29, 2007)
Bleach Chapter 288

"THE BAD JOKE!"
Trapped in szayelaporro's labyrinth of malice!! What can they do with their abilities sealed!?

(Update Released August 23, 2007)
Bleach Chapter 287

"Don't forget until you die"
An Enemy! The Deatch Match... is not over yet!!

The Dark History of Uchiha: The Bloodline of Tengu

This theory is written by YASHA, one of the forumers of narutofan.com
Hyuuga clan is one of the oldest clans in Konoha. They have been there ever since the establishment of the hidden village. Many years ago there was a girl from Hyuuga clan who fell in love with an outsider. She decided to marry herself to the young man despite the strong protests from her own clan. But this man was no ordinary human. In fact, this man was not a human at all. His name was Sojobo. He was the King of Tengu.

There are two types of tengus, Karasu tengu (a crow-like creature with beak and wings) and Konoha tengu (also known as Yamabushi tengu). Sojobo was a Konoha tengu. He had long nose and white hair with a pair of black wings on his back. As the King of Tengu, Sojobo possessed some very mystical powers. He carried a fan made of Fatsia leaf that could create a storm (therefore people sometimes call this type of leaf as Tengu no Uchiwa or Tengu’s fan). He could teleport himself or any other things from one place to another. He could also communicate with people telepathically or even invade their minds and drive them to madness. Besides, Sojobo was also known for his shapeshifting ability. He sometimes transformed himself into human to interact with people.

(Konoha tengu)

Anyway, this girl from Hyuuga was in love with Sojobo taking the human form without knowing his true identity. She married him shortly after they met each other. A year or two later, she was pregnant and gave birth to their first son. Sojobo named this son Uchiha, Uchiha Madara, after Uchiwa which means fan. And of course as we know, fan also later became the symbol of this new clan.

Everything was good. Uchiha Madara soon grew up to become a very powerful shinobi. He not only inherited the Kekkei Genkai from his mother but with the Tengu blood inside him the Byakugan had evolved into an even more dreadful form—the Sharingan! This new bloodline had 2 levels: Normal Sharingan and Mangekyou Sharingan. Like his tengu father, Madara possessed some incredible magical powers. He was able to use telepathy to invade people’s minds, or even teleport himself across a short distance. When he turned on the Mangekyou Sharingan (he had the normal Sharingan on 24/7 just like his Hyuuga kin), the eyes would further intensify his powers and bring him even closer to a tengu form. He had developed 3 jutsus under this state, namely Tsukiyomi (to control people’s minds and drive them insane), Amaterasu (to teleport objects into another dimension)* and Susanoo (to create a storm like that created by a Tengu’s fan).

Because of his bravery and almost unparalleled powers, Madara soon became a hero in his people’s eyes despite his young age. He became very close friends with Shodaime and together they took up the responsibility to protect the Konoha village they established. Madara founded the first police force in the Konoha and swore to protect his people with his life.

But good things do not last long. As Madara was about to reach his adulthood, Sojobo began to reveal his true intention. Sojobo didn’t marry the girl from Hyuuga out of love. He was only looking for a perfect body, a container (probably to achieve greater powers), and he figured the best way was to create one with his own blood. He was planning on taking over Madara’s body once he reached his adulthood. It didn’t take Uchiha Madara long to find out this appalling truth. He felt a mixture of shock and anger. He felt he was being used but he wasn’t going to give in such easily, at least not without a fight. But Madara knew only too well that no matter how strong he was he stood no chance against the King of Tengu. Out of desperation he sought for the legendary Bijuu—Kyuubi (the God of Fire).

Kyuubi was very impressed by Madara’s abilities. A secret pact was made and Kyuubi agreed to lend his power and chakra to Uchiha Madara. Soon Madara mastered the katon and he could even cast a dark fire that would burn for 7 days and 7 nights after performing the Amaterasu. But even with these newly gained powers and a huge supply of chakra from the Kyuubi, Uchiha Madara was only able to beat his demon father by a hair's breadth. He couldn’t finish him once and for all but only managed to seal him up. However, the seal he used was a very special one. To break the seal it requires the Kyuubi's chakra and also not one but 3 Uchiha members who can wield the Mangekyou Sharingan. Each MS user has to cast a different MS jutsu at the same time and when the 3 jutsus--Tsukiyomi, Amaterasu and Susanoo--combine, the great evil will be unleashed. It's a tall order and Madara thought it would be enough to seal up the demon for eternity. But what Madara didn’t anticipate was that this seal itself would bring a bloody massacre upon his own clan many decades later…

Here I will derail a bit and talk about the relationship between Shodaime and Madara. When Shodai found out about the secret pact between Madara and Kyuubi he was enraged. He thought it was hunger for greater power that led his best friend to the Kyuubi. Madara didn’t explain to him either because he didn’t want anyone to know he was a half-demon. Conflicts began to appear between the two who were once close to each other. The intense hostility eventually resulted in a great battle at the Valley of the End. (You might think that I depicted Madara as too strong a character and therefore feel skeptical about Shodai being able to rival both MS and Kyuubi’s power at the same time. Well you better not forget that Shodai had the ability to suppress Kyuubi’s chakra and his darkness jutsu and suiton might be very good counter-moves to Madara's Sharingan and katon respectively as well.)


Sasuke stood on Uchiha Madara’s statue while Naruto stood on Shodai’s (Ch.218, p2)
Sasuke fell on the eye of Uchiha Madara’s statue (Ch.219, p16-17)

Alright, now back to the main story. Many years had come into past since Sojobo was sealed. The tengu’s blood in Uchiha clan was now no longer as pure as it once was. It was gradually being “diluted” by constant marriages with non-Uchihas over the generations. Now even the Normal Sharingan was possessed by only the elite few among Uchihas, let alone the Mangekyou Sharingan. But the dark history of the clan was anything but forgotten. A tengu shrine was built underneath the Nakano temple by some of the early Uchihas to keep all the secrets of the clan inside (including killing your loved one to gain MS which was discovered by some later Uchiha). Once an Uchiha member was thought to be reliable enough he would be informed about the secret meeting place and it would then become his life-long obligation to keep these secrets from outsiders. The Uchihas considered this dark history as an unspeakable shame and swore to protect the glory and dignity of their clan with their lives no matter what happened.

20 years ago, a new member was born into an Uchiha family. He soon proved himself to be a prodigy, even by the high standards of the Uchiha. He graduated at the top of his class at age 7, mastered the Sharingan at 8, became a Chunin at 10 and an ANBU squad leader at 13. His name was Uchiha Itachi. As Itachi was selected to become an ANBU his father Fugaku felt that it was the right time to tell him everything. Itachi learned about the Mangekyou Sharingan and the origin of his clan from his father. Deep inside his mind, an evil shadow began to take shape…

One night, when all men of Uchiha were supposed to gather at the secret meeting place two of them were absent. Itachi lured his best friend Uchiha Shisui to the Nakano river and started his horrendous plan. He assaulted and killed Uchiha Shisui on that night and obtained the accursed eye powers—Mangekyou Sharingan from the death of his friend. The next day when people found Uchiha Shisui’s body they also found a suicide note grabbed in his hand. But of course this note wasn’t really written by Shisui. Itachi forged his handwriting with the Sharingan to make it look like a suicide. What was written on the note is important because it reflects Itachi's feeling at that time.

I’m tired of the duties… there is no future for Uchiha… and for me… I cannot walk out the “path” any further…

I cannot walk out the “path” any further? What “path” was Itachi talking about?
Perhaps these will give you a better idea.

You hold onto your organization, your clan, your name…These things limit us and our capacities…These things deserve to be shunned…It’s foolish to fear what we have yet to see and know!! I’ve lost all hope for this pathetic clan.

Always living with fear—fear that people may find out the secrets of their clan, fear that people may know Uchihas are actually descendants of demon—they all swore to take the secrets with them to the graveyard. This was the miserable life of every Uchiha member. Itachi was tired of all these. He could see no future for his clan. He didn’t understand why his people felt ashamed of their own past. He didn’t understand why his people didn’t see their superiority to the normal human beings. He didn’t understand why his people decided to seal up such a great power and not to use it. Itachi had lost all his hope for the Uchiha clan because of the pathetic “path” they had chosen.

From the moment Itachi heard about the origin of his clan he felt a weird sense of pleasure and superiority. He felt he was somehow more special than the others. Then his sick and twisted mind had gone even further. He wanted to set the tengu free. He was willing to sacrifice his body in exchange for probably the strongest power the world had ever seen. He was ready to offer his body to the Tengu King.

Soon Itachi had put his thoughts into action. When he learned about the Akatsuki’s plan to capture the Bijuus he decided to join them. He needed their help to get the Kyuubi’s chakra. But that’s not all. Itachi still had to find another 2 MS users. After awhile, he came across a second MS user who agreed to help him carry out his plan. Now all he needed was the third and last MS user.

Itachi knew his clan members would never kill their loved ones to get MS. He despised them. They were a bunch of cowards, useless …oh wait, Itachi suddenly came up with an idea—he could still use them to achieve his purpose. He could use them to make his little brother the third MS user…

On a full-moon night, the ancient blood inside Itachi finally awakened and he had completely lost his mind. He killed his entire clan including his parents. Then he waited for his little brother Sasuke to come home. He wanted him to know he was the one who did it. He used Tsukiyomi on his brother to make sure such a traumatic picture would stay with him for the rest of his life. He wanted Sasuke to hate him. He wanted Sasuke to hate him enough to kill his own friend and activate the Mangekyou Sharingan. He told him about the secret meeting place so that he would find out everything. He wanted Sasuke to take the path he had paved for him—the path of an avenger...


Itachi said it was to measure his capacity/container (Ch.224, p16)



Itachi told Sasuke the requirement to activate the Mangekyou Sharingan (Ch.224, p19)



Itachi told Sasuke the reason he let him live was because of his potential to become the third MS user (Ch.225, p 4)

Sasuke found out the secrets of his clan inside the Tengu shrine.(Ch.225, p11)



A closer look at the Tengu shrine. Notice the 2 tengu images on the walls.



Sasuke told Naruto that he was even more special (Ch.231, p18-19)



The tengu blood inside Sasuke was awakened by his intention to kill his best friend. A pair of black wings grew on his back and his hair turned white, making him strikingly resemble Sojobo, the tengu king. (Ch.232, p6-7)



The other 3 occasions where we saw something like this were Naruto’s dark Rasengan, Itachi’s dark fire (Amaterasu) and mini Kyuubi’s dark orb. This mysterious power was probably related to the pact between Uchiha clan and Kyuubi

To read more about this threoy and other theory of YASHA visit:
http://forums.narutofan.com/showthread.php?t=106576