Did Naruto get his name from a Ramen topping? Explained

Naruto brightened the childhood of thousands worldwide with its captivating tale of ninjas and intriguing characters. Throughout its serialization, the series has gathered an immensely dedicated fanbase. While there have been several topics of discussion regarding the series, one particular topic that tends to be overlooked is how the protagonist got his name. While many believe that he was named by Jiraiya, the inspiration behind the name actually came from a surprising source.

The anime adaptation started airing in October 2002 and ended in March 2017, with the Shippuden series. Although Boruto: Next Generations is currently ongoing, it focuses on Boruto and his allies. Fans are now preparing for the return of their beloved series on screen, with a four-episode anime series set to premiere on September 3, 2023.

---

Naruto's name is derived from "Narutomaki," the ramen noodles

As fans may probably be aware of, the protagonist of the series is the son of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki. Most otakus already know that his name was brought to light by Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin and master of the sage jutsu.

Aside from being a ninja possessing stupendous skill, Jiraiya holds the reputation of a published author. Additionally, Kakashi Hatake, the copy ninja and mentor of team 7, is an ardent of fan of Jiraiya’s works, and he can been seen immersed in Jiraiya’s books throughout the course of the series.

When Minato was the hokage of the hidden leaf village, Jiraiya was working on a new story which featured a protagonist with the traits that Jiraiya believed a hero must possess. After reading the story, Minato decided to name his child after the character in his book. Although Jiraiya was against this at first, Minato insisted that he wanted his son to grow up to be strong and morally right like character.

While this incident is the reason behind Minato’s decision to name the protagonist, the origin of the name goes back to Jiraiya when he was writing the book and eating ramen. In the instance, Jiraiya was having a hard time naming his character, although the source of inspiration was right in front of him. The ramen consisted of a cured fish topping known as narutomaki, from which Jiraiya was able to derive the name.

Although the character from Jiraiya's book was inspired by Nagato, Kishimoto has confirmed the ramen topping is the reason behind Naruto's name. In addition, the series was originally supposed to be about a chef and his apprentice instead of ninjas. The idea has been reinstated throughout the series in the protagonist's love for ramen noodles.

---

More about the series

Masahi Kishimoto’s manga, which was serialized in the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine starting September 1999, had sold over 250 millions by 2020, making it the fourth highest grossing manga series of all time. The series was nominated for the 19th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2014, the same year when Masashi Kishimoto was awarded Rookie of the Year in the media fine arts category by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs.

A brief synopsis of Naruto by MyAnimeList reads:

"Moments prior to Naruto Uzumaki's birth, a huge demon known as the Kyuubi, the Nine-Tailed Fox, attacked Konohagakure, the Hidden Leaf Village, and wreaked havoc. In order to put an end to the Kyuubi's rampage, the leader of the village, the Fourth Hokage, sacrificed his life and sealed the monstrous beast inside the newborn Naruto."

It further reads:

"Now, Naruto is a hyperactive and knuckle-headed ninja still living in Konohagakure. Shunned because of the Kyuubi inside him, Naruto struggles to find his place in the village, while his burning desire to become the Hokage of Konohagakure leads him not only to some great new friends, but also some deadly foes."

The original manga and its english adaptation is available to read on VizMedia’s official website. In addition, anime fans can head over to Crunchyroll’s vast catalogue of series where all adaptations of the series are available for streaming.