Creator of 'Naruto'

Masashi Kishimoto | Biography 2021

Creator and Primary Writer of 'Boruto: Naruto Next Generations'

• By Puja Bhetwal
• Update : July 23, 2021

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Masashi Kishimoto is a mangaka, known as 'cartoonist' in Japanese, best known for his creation 'Naruto.'

Who is Masashi Kishimoto?

Masashi Kishimoto rose to popularity after the publication of his first manga series, Naruto, in Japan in 1999. It aired in 1999 and lasted for 15 years until 2014. Kishimoto also carried out the production for most of the Naruto films and worked to bring the series to a climax with Boruto: Naruto the Movie, which included a look into the next generation.

In 1995, Masashi Kishimoto debuted with 'Karakuri,' a World War-themed manga for which he won the ' 'Hop Step' Amateur Manga Artist Award.' In 1997, he released 'Naruto,' a manga short story about a fox spirit disguised as a human. Before 'Naruto,' he worked on 'Mario.'

Kishimoto has also written artbooks such as 'The Art of Naruto: Uzumaki,' 'Paint Jump: Art of Naruto,' 'Naruto Illustration Book,' and 'Uzumaki Naruto: Illustrations.'

Early Age and Education

Masashi Kishimoto was born on 8 November 1974 in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. He has a twin brother, Seishi Kishimoto, who is also a mangaka.

Kishimoto was a manga fanatic since his childhood. He was "fully addicted" to  Akira Toriyama's 'Dragon Ball' when he was in elementary school. Over time his interest grew to follow other manga series, including Katsuhiro Otomo's seminal 'Akira' and so on. Kishimoto clarified that he did poorly in high school as he was too much into his sketches and ranked 30th out of 31 students in academics.

Soon, Kishimoto began to experiment with new styles to create his manga. Though he completed creating one by his eleventh grade, Kishimoto was dissatisfied with his work. His father and brother also didn't like his creation. Despite this, Kishimoto was determined in his efforts and prioritized manga over his studies. He was the second-to-last student in his high school class, with no chance of getting admission to a college. On the other side, he could not create a manga that convinced his family and friends.

Later, Kishimoto then found an arts college to attend and continued working towards becoming a manga author.

In 1995, Kishimoto received the ' 'Hop Step' Amateur Manga Artist Award' for a manga named 'Karakuri,' which was about a World War II squadron. It made him continue with this passion that would take him to heights in the coming years.

Early Career

When Kishimoto was in art school, he participated in a contest for aspiring manga artists with his tale 'Karakuri,' and won. In 1997, he released 'Naruto,' a manga short story about a fox spirit disguised as a human (foxes are typical shape-shifters in Japanese folklore). Before 'Naruto,' Kishimoto worked on 'Mario.' 'Mario' was a story of a boy born in the United States. He was half-Japanese and half-Italian and worked as a hitman. One day, he met Saori, a female who refused to speak to men, and he was invited to collaborate with her as a hitman.

'Naruto'

After the release of his first manga series, 'Naruto,' in Japan in 1999, Masashi Kishimoto gained prominence in the field. 'Naruto' had sold over forty million copies in Japan before it was released in the United States in 2002.

'Naruto' was about a story of a young orphan named Naruto, who trained to become a ninja, but had many obstacles in his life. He was shunned by his village, faced struggles in school, and was possessed by a vicious demon. Still, Naruto and his classmates, Sasuke and Sakura, later emerged as ninjas and faced challenges from teachers and villains.

Kishimoto created 'Naruto' portraying the image of his childhood, but he designed Naruto's character differently from his original character. He explained, "When Naruto was born, it was more like he somehow came out, rather than my creating him from some inspiration," and continued, "The only image I had in mind was a character who was a naughty boy. I was a poor student, but unlike Naruto, I was the type of poor student who gave up easily and pondered things that weren't worth pondering. I wanted Naruto to be different. He was created based on the self-image of my own childhood, but different from how I really was."

Before taking 'Naruto' outside Japan, Kishimoto expected that people worldwide would know the name Naruto from the spiral fishcake Narutomaki, a ramen ingredient popular in Japan, rather than his ninja boy character. But to his surprise, he was excited to see his 'Naruto' welcomed by people worldwide, especially in North America.

Kishimoto's modest outlook of Naruto originated from his early attempts to write a manga for a line of Jump magazines. He clarified that he had tried many times to write a successful manga, experimenting with science fiction, action to sports manga. Finally, as per his editor's advice after a string of failures, Kishimoto gave a final try to create the one-shot manga 'Naruto' that grew into the weekly series people love today.

Eichiro Oda

Kishimoto was initially considered the famous manga artist Eiichiro Oda as his competitor. Later, Oda also admitted that he found Kishimoto as his rival at the back of Volume 72 of 'Naruto. The comment from the counterpart made Kishimoto feel proud and satisfied with his work.

Oda's 'One Piece' and Kishimoto's 'Naruto' had been running together for a long time in the same Weekly Shonen Jump. At one point in time, both the artists started saying, "I wonder how long our manga series will go on." Finally, Kishimoto announced, "Well, Naruto is going to be ending soon" in 2014 while 'One Piece' continued.

Naruto clothing 

In 2021, Steve Aoki's Dim Mak Brand is set to introduce a new Naruto clothing collection in collaboration with VIZ Media, one of the world's most well-known manga and anime distributors. Following the first combination between Dim Mak and 'Naruto' in September 2020, this is the second collaboration with the new apparel set.

'Naruto' Movies

Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow was the first Naruto film and was released in Japan on 21 August 2004. The movie takes place after episode 101 of the anime series. It follows the plot: their sensei, Kakashi Hataki, assigns Naruto and his buddies, Team 7 members Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, a mission to protect the famed actress Yukie from being kidnapped. While the story develops, Yukie turns to be Princess Koyuki Kazahana of the Land of Snow, a fictional island.

Then, Naruto the Movie: Legend of the Stone of Gelel, the second Naruto film, was released in Japan on 6 August 2005. The story opens from episode 160 from the part the Gelel Stone, a strong mineral that can provide its bearer regenerative abilities and prevent aging, is guarded by Team 7. The movie eludes that a clan formerly wielded the stone's capabilities, but a conflict created for its power drove them out of existence.

Followed by that, Naruto The Movie 3: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom was released in Japan on 5 August 2006. The movie's plot follows the events of Naruto episode 196 from the part Michiru, Prince of the Land of the Moon, and his son Hikaru Tsuki are under the protection of Team 7 and Rock Lee. Then, it introduces Ishidate, a mercenary hired by the minister Shabadaba to kill the prince and his son and becomes one of the team's opponents.

Further, on 4 August 2007, the first Naruto Shippuden feature was released in Japan, following episode 32 of the series. The story evolves when Naruto is confronted with a prophecy that he would die at the hands of a monster. And when the demon Moryo's spirit threatens to destroy the planet, Team 7 is dispatched to safeguard Sion, a priestess capable of sealing the spirit away and saving the planet.

Then, the second  Naruto Shippuden Movie: Bonds was released on 2 August 2008 in Japan, and it is the sequel to episode 71. The plot opens after enemy ninjas from the Land of the Sky attack the Hidden Leaf Village in retaliation for a previous attack during the 2nd Great Ninja World War. While trying to discover why his village was destroyed, Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata defend the youngster who tried to notify them of the danger.

On 1 August 2009, the third movie Naruto Shippuden Movie: The Will of Fire, was released and followed episode 121. The story begins when the four ninjas who defend the Hidden Villages of Rock, Cloud, Mist, and Sand go missing. The storyline centers around fears of a Fourth Great Ninja World War breaking out, and the team goes against, Hiruko, a ninja who abandoned the Leaf Village. The ninja seeks to conquer the world after plunging it into war.

After that, The Lost Tower was released in Japan on 31 July 2010. In this movie, Naruto and Yamato are sent 20 years back in time after being assigned to a mission to find a missing ninja named Mukade.

Followed by that, Naruto Shippuden Movie: Blood Prison was released in Japan on 27 July 2011. The movie follows the events of episode 196. Here, Naruto is wrongfully jailed for allegedly attacking the Fourth Raikage in the film's first scene. He is then imprisoned in Hzuki Castle, the Blood Prison, which is a criminal detention center. Later, whenNaruto's fox chakra is stifled after Mui, the prison's head applies the Sky Prison Control seal to him, limiting his abilities.

Then very next year, Naruto's Ninja Journey: The film was released on 25 July 2012 in Japan. The story of the movie takes place after episode 251. The plot initiates when Naruto and Sakura are transported into an alternate reality by Tobi with the help of Limited Tsukuyomi. In this part, fans get to watch what the story would be if Naruto's parents were still alive, and if Sasuke had never left the Hidden Leaf village, followed by if Sakura had grown up as an orphan rather than Naruto.

Finally, The Last: Naruto the Movie, the final film starring Naruto, was released on 6 December 2014. The movie takes place after episode 493. The story takes place two years after the Fourth Ninja World War and begins with Toneri Otsutsuki, who is a lineage of the Sage of Six Paths' twin brother Hamura Otsutsuki, causing the moon to collide with the Earth. Then, Toneri sets out to capture Hinata but instead ends up kidnapping her sister Hanabi. Hinata and Naruto marry and form a family with their children Boruto and Himawari, at the end of the film.

Subsequently, Boruto: Naruto The Film was released on 7 August 2015. It is set before the 'Naruto' sequel manga series 'Boruto: Naruto Next Generations.' The movie plot follows Naruto and Hinata's son as he trains to become a ninja. With that, Sarada, the daughter of Sasuke and Sakura, and Mitsuki, the son of the evil Orochimaru, form a team with Boruto. Then, Sasuke and Boruto join a journey to another dimension to save Naruto after he sacrifices himself.

Post Naruto'

Naruto was a huge hit even on television. The series started airing in 1999 and went on for 15 years until 2014. Kishimoto supervised the development of most of the Naruto films and later worked to bring the series to climax with Boruto: Naruto the Movie, a film that featured a glimpse into the next generation.

After the success of 'Naruto,' Weekly Shonen Jump needed a sequel. Kishimoto was then made in charge of the sequel, 'Boruto: Naruto Next Generations,' Ukyo Kodachi started handling the writing part of the series, and Mikio Ikemoto assisted Kishimoto in illustration.

However, Kishimoto took a break before the sequel to produce another new manga series, 'Samurai 8: The Tale of Hachimaru,' which later ran from May 2019 to March 2020. It is a science fiction-samurai manga that follows Hachimaru, a disabled boy who aspires to be a samurai, on his quest to find the seven keys needed to open Pandora's Box.

Kishimoto had planned 'Samurai 8' to last at least ten volumes, possibly even longer. But, he created only five volumes since 'Samurai 8' was not well received and was criticized for pacing, art, and lack of editorial control. Its early cancellation was due to its failure to attract and secure a passionate audience. If 'Samurai 8' was a success, Kishimoto would not have returned to 'Boruto' manga in the near future.

Later, 'Boruto: Naruto Next Generations' would receive mixed criticism as it couldn't replicate the same performance as 'Naruto' without the artistic input of Kishimoto, who only limited himself to a few manga reviews. Finally, in 2020, Kishimoto joined as the primary writer and made critics hopeful that Kishimoto will take the sequel in the right direction giving a promising future to 'Boruto.' Kodachi was only contracted to write till 12 volume.

'Naruto' Games

Naruto: Konoha NinpA chA was the first Naruto game was released in Japan on 27 March 2003. It was the only Naruto game to be released for the Bandai WonderSwan Color handheld device. Because the WonderSwan Colour was never made available outside of Japan, this role-playing game made little to less user probability in other countries.

Then Naruto Game series was launched in 2010 and was made available for play station. Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm was the first version of the game series. The game made a radical leap by incorporating the environment into three-dimensional conflicts, which were previously only available in two-dimensional settings. And, between fights, viewers felt like they were visiting the Konoha village, which was well-made and accessible to the point where they felt like they were exploring the anime itself.

With the sequel Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2, developers took what made the first game successful and expanded on it. They also included 42 new characters to the roster and improved the Konoha village's vibrancy and realism. In addition, the developers learned from their first game's mistakes and chose to make this game available to a broader audience base, including Xbox 360 customers. As a result, the game was refined and more engrossing, but the main critique remained that it felt more like a well-made remake than a standalone title.

After that, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst was an advancement to the franchise. During the development, the developers were careful not to remove anything fans liked about the prior entries in the Ultimate Ninja Storm series. Instead, they gave the fans more of what they wanted. The Awakened Mode, in particular, was a nice addition that allowed players to fight harder as the game progressed. 

Finally, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4, was the most recent Naruto game to reach both North American and Japanese audiences. However, it was released with several bugs and optimization faults, but the issues were immediately fixed. It maintained the fantastic three-dimensional battles while also provided amazing cinematography and a more intriguing tale. The ability to switch identities during the fight and the addition of elemental damage that affected weapons and clothing was highly praised by the players. 

Net Worth

According to Celebritynetworth, Masashi Kishimoto has an estimated net worth of $20 million. 

Wife

Kishimoto got married in 2003 but could not take his wife on a honeymoon as 'Naruto' was in the manga serialization process back then. Later the couple went on a honeymoon with their son in 2015 after 'Naruto' completion.