Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto releases new illustration in commemoration of 20th anniversary project

On December 5, 2022, Naruto author Masashi Kishimoto shared a new illustration to commemorate a huge milestone achieved by his mega series. The sketch featured both a young and a teen version of the beloved protagonist. It depicts both versions winking at each other.

The illustration was drawn to celebrate the opening of Naruto: The Gallery, an exhibition event commemorating 20 years of the anime.

The tweet translated reads as follows:

"To commemorate the opening of the gallery, From Mr. Masashi Kishimoto, the original author of " #NARUTO ", I received a newly drawn illustration. Boy Naruto and grown-up Naruto wink...! I'm really impressed by the illustrations that make you feel how you've grown. We will be exhibiting at the gallery venue, so please take a look when you come.

The exhibition is set to introduce visitors to the history of the anime series. It will go over the development of the characters, the bonds they forged with their friends, and the large number of intense battles. All of this will be shown through a slew of images.

Interested folks can find Naruto: The Gallery at Akiba square in Akihabara UDX, Tokyo, beginning on December 10, 2022, and running until January 31, 2023. This illustration by Kishimoto will also be on display at the gallery.

Speaking about the exhibition, Kishimoto was quoted as saying,

“As the original author and someone who has been influenced by the anime, I am very excited.”

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Naruto grew to be legendary

Today's magnum opus initially started out as a manga short story that Kishimoto penned in 1997. It told the story of a fox spirit disguised as a human. Following a failed serialization of some series, Kishimoto and his editor opted to rework the short story into a longer version. Finally, in 1999, the original series began premiering in the Weekly Shonen Jump.

After that, the rest is history. The show continued to run until 2014 and gathered one of the largest fan bases in the world. The series has become one of the best-selling mangas of all time, with over 250 million copies in circulation worldwide. People who witnessed the journey of the blonde shinobi immediately fell with it.

The anime has been divided into two parts. The first part of the anime, consisting of 200 episodes, focuses on the pre-teen years of our dear protagonist. The second part, consisting of 500 episodes, focuses on his teenage years and follows the events that take place after a three-year time skip.

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Final Thoughts

Running for 20 years is a testament to just how powerful and appealing Naruto has been. Even today, many discover the series and gladly stick by to the very end. The characters are loved even in the sequel, Boruto, despite their limited screen time.

The celebration and the opening of the gallery will be a grand one. It will do well to commemorate the milestone achieved by the show and will also work as a way to further spread the anime's reach.