Interest

Naruto's Kishimoto Unveils Secrets of the Manga in TV Interview

Japanese TV program Mezamashi TV featured an interview with Naruto manga creator Masashi Kishimoto earlier this week. Interviewed by Nogizaka46 member Rina Ikoma, he revealed various secrets behind the manga and the upcoming film:

After frantically offering tissues to a crying Ikoma, he reveals that he came up with the idea for Naruto- a series about ninjas with a blonde protagonist- with the concept of "the image that other countries have of Japan." When asked if cosplayers in the west naturally do a better job of cosplaying Naruto, he commented that in fact, he liked Ikoma's cosplay of Sasuke.

When asked if Kishimoto's romantic experiences are inserted into the upcoming The Last -Naruto the Movie- film, which focuses on the romance of Hinata and Naruto, he confirmed that a little bit of his experiences are included. He explained that his wife in fact knitted a scarf for him, which gave him the idea for the scarf Hinata knits for Naruto. Before knowing this, his staff had joked that knitting a scarf for a romantic interest was sort of cliche, to which Kishimoto replied, "Um, sorry, actually, my wife knit me a scarf..." The staffers became silent.

The film advertised as Naruto's final adventure, The Last -Naruto the Movie-, will open in Japanese theaters on Saturday.