This article contains spoilers from the Naruto series.
Summary
- Naruto Uzumaki was meant to be a fox in Kishimoto’s original plans.
- Kishimoto’s rejection of original ideas led to Naruto’s success.
- Original Naruto series concept focused on Yokai and a human-fox character.
Masashi Kishimoto is the author of one of the most beloved manga series of all time, Naruto. Having enjoyed a phenomenal run, the story of Naruto has been immortalized, and it also inspires other mangaka greatly, as well as the millions of fans that the series has all over the world. The Naruto series is special in many ways, and all of that started with its main character, Naruto Uzumaki.
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Without Naruto Uzumaki being the person that he is, it is highly unlikely that the world of Naruto would’ve been as incredible as it is, and it most likely wouldn’t have as many fans either. That’s precisely why fans find it interesting to compare Naruto, the character they ended up getting in the story, to the original draft that Kishimoto had prepared for him. It is safe to say that the original draft for Naruto Uzumaki would most certainly have raised quite a few eyebrows, but it was a fun concept nonetheless.
How Naruto Became The Character Everyone Loves
- Naruto Uzumaki Was Always The Underdog
- Naruto Grew To Surpass Everyone
Naruto’s popularity isn’t hard to understand. Right from the get-go, fans could see that Naruto was a character treated as an outcast in the village despite actually having a kind heart. Often, characters who are outcasts are easy for fans to love, and Naruto was no exception there. However, Naruto’s popularity is down to more than just being an outcast. Throughout his journey, Naruto has always been an underdog. Having to prove those who doubt him wrong is one of the many reasons why Naruto was as motivated as he was in the first place. In a world where nothing truly belonged to him, Naruto had to carve out space for himself, and he did so by being an absolute failure. Naruto was always the biggest underdog, yet he fought every single time, never giving up even once, and it is this belief in his own abilities and the brazen confidence that he carried that made him the person that he is today.
I don’t quit and I don’t run. I’ll never go back on my word. That’s my ninja way. — Naruto
If all this wasn’t enough to make Naruto a beloved character already, then fans certainly fell in love with him when his true depth was explored as his friendship with Sasuke unraveled. Naruto’s emotional maturity and the lengths to which he would go for his friends, specifically, made him doubly special and a lovable figure indeed.
When Naruto Uzumaki went on to learn about the cycle of violence and promised to end it, his character grew even richer and it became clear to the fans that this was a once-in-a-lifetime character that they most certainly wouldn’t be seeing anytime soon. Every part of Naruto Uzumaki shaped him. Every hardship made him stronger, and his will to never give us what led to him becoming the Seventh Hokage of Konoha. Undoubtedly, Naruto’s character is beloved for all these reasons and it will always be famous among all the anime and manga fans.
Kishimoto’s Original Main Character Was A Fox
Naruto Uzumaki Was Supposed To Be A Fox
Kishimoto’s original draft for Naruto, which was never truly approved by the editors, was quite bizarre, although fun in its own way. From what Kishimoto revealed himself, his main story was supposedly about a guy at his ramen shop, who hosts a young boy who happens to pass by. This is very similar to what fans have seen in the Naruto series with Teuchi and Naruto Uzumaki, but of course, in this case, the entire premise was around this ramen shop. The plot of this series was supposed to be focused on these visitors going and fixing their lives there. Unfortunately, this wasn’t approved by the publishers and the idea was dropped. That said, Kishimoto most definitely kept some of his ideas and incorporated them into what Naruto later became.
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Kishimoto’s rejection of them forced hint.o research Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball more and eventually, he came up with a new series and titled it Naruto. However, the initial Naruto series was still very different from what fans know it to be today. Initially, the Naruto series was going to have Yokai and not ninjas. For those who don’t know, Yokai are mythical Japanese beasts who are often incorporated into fiction as well. In Kishimoto’s story about Yokai, the main character was a fox who could shape-shift into a demon at will. Of course, this is quite similar to Kurama and the Tailed Beasts, only this time around, the Yokai themselves could transform into humans. Eventually, Kishimoto ended up making further great changes to the plot of the Naruto series, and the fox Yokai ended up becoming a human instead, which is what led to the birth of Naruto.
Kishimoto clearly didn’t abandon the idea of a fox Yokai, however. As fans know, Kurama was an integral part of the story right from the get-go. He wanted Kurama and other Yokai in the story and he certainly incorporated them through the means of the Tailed Beasts.
Naruto Might Not Have Been As Successful As It Is Today
The World Of Naruto Would’ve Been Very Different
It is safe to say that Kishimoto’s early draft of Naruto was very ambitious, to say the least. That said, it is hard to say whether it would truly have been successful or not. The publishers rejected Kishimoto’s ideas, and so did the editors. If Kishimoto had continued with them, chances are that the story of Naruto wouldn’t have been as popular as it is today. Kishimoto most certainly wouldn’t have found the level of popularity that he gained had he stuck to the original plans.
In the end, all that matters little. Kishimoto settled for a yellow-haired ninja, but in his world, ninjas needn’t necessarily be as boring as they’re depicted in histories sometimes. Kishimoto always wanted his ninjas to stand out, which is why he made Naruto blind, and made him look a lot like a foreigner.
One thing led to another and Naruto Uzumaki, the man who would later go on to become the Seventh Hokage was born. Undoubtedly, Naruto became an icon in the anime world, and fans, to this day, consider him to be an inspiration to many, and at the same time, a legend whose story is going to be told for many years to come. Although the Boruto series carries on the legacy of Naruto, fans tend to prefer the original story, with the original characters.
Boruto is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus app. The release date for the next chapter of Boruto, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex chapter 19, is set to be February 20, 2025.
