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The Last -Naruto the Movie- Casts Jun Fukuyama as New Character
posted on by Egan Loo
This year's 49th issue of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine is announcing on Saturday that Jun Fukuyama is joining the cast of The Last -Naruto the Movie-. Fukuyama will play Toneri Ōtsutsuki, a mysterious man with Ōtsutsuki lineage. The magazine teases that he has a major link to the movie's plot, which has the moon moving perilously closer to Earth.
Fukuyama said that when he heard that Naruto was ending, he uttered, "Finally!!" in surprise. As a reader himself, he took the news as a shock since this "epic" work is approaching a finale. He asked fans to enjoy the movie when it comes out.
Weekly Shonen Jump also unveiled a new visual for the movie. The caption notes that the movie will depict the final decisive battle between Naruto and the one with the bloodline of the Sage of the Six Paths.
Weekly Shonen Jump and Jump J Books describe the story of the movie (and its novelization):
The moon has begun moving closer to Earth! As it is, the moon will crumble and meteorites will rain down on Earth's surface. As the last days of Earth approach, Hanabi Hyūga is abducted by a mysterious man in Konoha, and Naruto, Sakura, Sai, Shikamaru, and Hinata set off on a rescue mission! Can Naruto and the others overcome this crisis?
The Last -Naruto the Movie- will open in Japanese theaters on December 6, and it will be the first Naruto film in two years. The film is also part of the larger "Naruto Shin Jidai Kaimaku Project" (Naruto's New Era Opening Project) marking the 15th anniversary of the original manga. Manga creator Masashi Kishimoto is credited with the original story, character designs, and chief story supervisor of the film. In particular, he is drawing new designs for the title character in the movie, as well as for other characters. Tsuneo Kobayashi (The Twelve Kingdoms, Emma: A Victorian Romance, Kurokami The Animation) is directing the film, and Sukima Switch is contributing the main theme song as well as voice-acting ninja.
Shueisha stated earlier this month that the Naruto manga will end on November 10. A stage play will open in Tokyo next March.
A new Naruto film has debuted in Japan every year between 2004 and 2012. The ninth film, Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie, opened in Japan in July 2012 and became the highest grossing film in the franchise. Viz Media has released several of the films in North America, and it presented Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie in select cities on in August.
