This article is about the media franchise. For the title character, see Naruto Uzumaki.

For other
uses, see Naruto (disambiguation).
Naruto

Cover of the first Japanese Naruto manga volume

Genre Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Manga
Naruto (pilot chapter)
Written by Masashi Kishimoto
Published by Shueisha
English
publisher
NA

Viz Media
Demographic Shnen
Magazine Akamaru Jump
English
magazine
NA

Shonen Jump
Published 1997
Manga
Written by Masashi Kishimoto
Published by Shueisha
English
publisher
AUS

Madman Entertainment
NA

Viz Media
UK

Viz Media
Demographic Shnen
Magazine Weekly Shnen Jump
English
magazine
NA

Weekly Shonen Jump
Shonen Jump (formerly)
Original run September 21, 1999 ongoing
Volumes 69 (List of volumes)
Anime television series
Directed by Hayato Date
Written by
Katsuyuki Sumisawa
Junki Takegami
Music by
Musashi Project
Toshio Masuda
Studio Studio Pierrot
Licensed by
AUS

Madman Entertainment
NA

Viz Media
UK

Manga Entertainment
Network TXN (TV Tokyo)
English network
AUS

Cartoon Network (Toonami)
AU

Network Ten
BI

Jetix
CA

YTV, Tltoon, Neon Alley
US

Cartoon Network, Adult Swim
(Toonami), Neon Alley
Original run
October 3, 2002 February 8,
2007
Episodes 220 (List of episodes)
Novel
Naruto: I nnocent Heart, Demonic Blood
Written by Masatoshi Kusakabe
Published by Shueisha
English
publisher
NA

Viz Media
Published 2002
Original video animation
Naruto: Find the Four-Leaf Red Clover!
Studio Studio Pierrot
Licensed by
AUS

Madman Entertainment
Released 2003
Runtime 17 minutes
Original video animation
Naruto: Mission: Protect the Waterfall Village!
Studio Studio Pierrot
Licensed by
NA

Viz Media
Released 2004
Runtime 40 minutes
Original video animation
Naruto: Hidden Leaf Village Grand Sports Festival
Directed by Hayato Date
Studio Studio Pierrot
Licensed by
NA

Viz Media
Released August 21, 2004
Runtime 11 minutes
Original video animation
Studio Studio Pierrot
Released December 22, 2005
Runtime 26 minutes
Original video animation
Naruto: The Cross Roads
Studio Studio Pierrot
Released 2009
Runtime 28 minutes
Anime television series
Naruto Shippuden
Directed by Hayato Date
Written by Junki Takegami
Music by Yasuharu Takanashi
Studio Studio Pierrot
Licensed by
NA

Viz Media
Network TXN (TV Tokyo)
English network
AUS

Cartoon Network
CA

Neon Alley
US

Disney XD, Neon Alley, Adult
Swim (Toonami)
Original run February 15, 2007 ongoing
Episodes 358 (List of episodes)
Related works
Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of
Snow
Naruto the Movie: Legend of the Stone of
Gelel
Naruto the Movie: Guardians of the Crescent
Moon Kingdom
Naruto Shippuden the Movie
Naruto Shippuden the Movie: Bonds
Naruto Shippuden the Movie: The Will of Fire
Naruto Shippuden the Movie: The Lost Tower
Naruto the Movie: Blood Prison
Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie
Naruto video games
Anime and Manga portal
Naruto (
?
) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It
tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition
and dreams to become the Hokage, the ninja in his village who is acknowledged as the leader
and the strongest of all. The series is based on a one-shot manga by Kishimoto that was
published in the August 1997 issue of Akamaru Jump.
Naruto was first published by Shueisha in 1999 in the 43rd issue of Japan's Weekly Shnen Jump
magazine. Currently, the manga is still being serialized with the chapters collected into sixty-
eight tankbon volumes so far. The manga was later adapted into a television anime, which was
produced by Studio Pierrot and Aniplex. It premiered across Japan on the terrestrial TV Tokyo
and other TX Network stations on October 3, 2002. The first series lasted 220 episodes, while
Naruto: Shippuden, a sequel to the original series, has been airing since February 15, 2007. In
addition to the anime series, Studio Pierrot has developed eight movies and several original
video animations (OVAs). Other types of merchandise include light novels, video games and
trading cards developed by several companies.
Viz Media has licensed the manga and anime for North American production. Viz is serializing
Naruto in their digital Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, as well as publishing the individual
volumes. The anime series began airing in the United States and Canada in 2005, and later in the
United Kingdom and Australia in 2006 and 2007, respectively. The films, as well as most OVAs
from the series, have also been released by Viz, with the first film premiering in cinemas. The
first DVD volume of Naruto: Shippuden was released by Viz in North America on Sept. 29,
2009, started broadcast on Disney XD in October of the same year and on Adult Swim's
Toonami block in January 2014. Viz Media began streaming both series on their streaming
service Neon Alley in December 2012.
Naruto is one of the best-selling manga series in history, having sold more than 130 million
copies in Japan alone. It has also become one of North American publisher Viz Media's best-
selling manga series. Their English adaptation of the series has appeared in the USA Today
Booklist several times and volume 7 won the Quill Award in 2006. Reviewers of the series have
praised the balance between fighting and comedy scenes, as well as the characters' personalities,
but have criticized it for using standard shnen manga plot elements.