“I shouldn’t talk about it” The author of Naruto could have stopped everything from the beginning: His manga destroyed him mentally

News culture “I shouldn’t talk about it” The author of Naruto could have stopped everything from the beginning: His manga destroyed him mentally

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A particularly popular manga

Unless you live in a cave with unimaginable depths, you will certainly know Naruto at least in name. In fact, it is one of those manga that is so popular that even those who don’t read it at all (or watch anime) know it. It must be said that the saga began in 1999 and continued until the end of its story in 2014, with a total of 72 volumes and more than 700 episodes (including the original anime and Shippuden). Along with Bleach and One Piece, it is also one of the famous Big Threethese three mangas that literally shaped the world of Japanese comics between 2000 and 2015.

Although the Naruto saga has definitively ended today, its legacy is still felt. We can find the characters of this universe in numerous derivatives, and a new saga has even been created that tells the continuation through the prism of the next generation. For example, the Boruto saga has been broadcast since 2016, even if the same author is no longer in charge of it. A much needed change, especially when we know how much Naruto’s realization cost him mentally and physically.

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Creating a mangaka is quite an ordeal

Manga and anime fans know: being a mangaka is not easy, quite the opposite. Unlike Western comics, which usually appear in full volumes several months or even years apart, manga are published chapter by chapter in a weekly magazine. Most of the most popular shonen therefore complete the famous weekly shonen jump, and suffice it to say that it is not easy to keep up with this pace. In an interview with the Japanese magazine Da Vinci, Masashi Kishimoto (the author of Naruto) talked to his colleague Kôhei Horikoshi (the author of My Hero Academia) about it:

I think everyone works themselves to the point of breaking down mentally, including me. While streaming Naruto, I was sweating so much that I had to wring out my t-shirt to get the sweat out. Maybe I shouldn’t talk about it too much.

Ultimately, such testimonies are not uncommon in the manga world. Eiichiro Oda, the author of One Piece, for example, had to take several breaks during the broadcast of the manga in order to recharge his batteries and not completely lose his mind. One thing is certain: to write, draw and publish a saga like Naruto from A to Z, you need a steely mind. We immediately understand better why Boruto is not drawn by Masashi Kishimoto, even though he has officially been the main screenwriter since late 2020.