Editing Naruto (section)

== Production ==
=== Development ===
In 1995, Shueisha released ''Karakuri'', a one-shot manga by Masashi Kishimoto that earned an honorable mention in the Hop Step Award in 1996. Kishimoto was unsatisfied with his subsequent drafts for a follow-up, and decided to work on another project.<ref name="vol16">{{cite book|title=Naruto, Volume 16|last=Kishimoto|first=Masashi|publisher=[[Viz Media]]|year=2007|isbn=978-1-4215-1090-3|page=150|author-link=Masashi Kishimoto|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/narutokish16kish}}</ref> The new project was originally going to feature Naruto as a chef, but this version never made it to print. Kishimoto originally wanted to make Naruto a child who could transform into a fox, so he created a one-shot of ''Naruto'' for the summer 1997 issue of ''Akamaru Jump'' based on the idea.<ref name="kizuna">{{cite book|title=NARUTO－ナルト－名言集 絆－KIZUNA－ 天ノ巻|publisher=[[Shueisha]]|year=2013|isbn=978-4-08-720681-4|pages=188–195|author=Kishimoto, Masashi|author-link=Masashi Kishimoto|language=ja|trans-title=Naruto Kizuna: The Words That Bind—Scroll of Heaven}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Loo|first=Egan|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-11-05/sj-runs-yu-gi-oh's-end-slam-dunk-debut-naruto-origin|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161225210532/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-11-05/sj-runs-yu-gi-oh%27s-end-slam-dunk-debut-naruto-origin|archive-date=December 25, 2016|work=[[Anime News Network]]|title=SJ Runs Yu-Gi-Oh's End, Slam Dunk's Debut, Naruto's Origin|date=May 11, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite the positive feedback it received in a readers' poll, Kishimoto was unhappy with the art and the story, so he rewrote it as a story about ninjas.<ref name="Crossroads 226" />

The first eight chapters of ''Naruto'' were planned before it appeared in ''[[Weekly Shōnen Jump]]'', and these chapters originally devoted many panels of intricate art to illustrating the Konoha village. By the time ''Naruto'' debuted, the background art was sparse, instead emphasizing the characters.<ref name="Crossroads 226">{{cite book|title=Manga's Cultural Crossroads|last=Gan|first=Sheuo Hui|date=2013|publisher=[[Taylor and Francis]]|isbn=978-1-134-10283-9|location=Hoboken|page=226|chapter=Auteur and Anime as Seen in the Naruto TV Series|editor1-last=Berndt|editor1-first=Jacqueline|editor2-last=Kümmerling-Meibauer|editor2-first=Bettina}}</ref> Though Kishimoto had concerns that [[chakra]] (the energy source used by the ninjas in ''Naruto'') made the series too Japanese, he still believed it is an enjoyable read.<ref name="Collector's Edition 2005 p 68">{{cite magazine|magazine=Shonen Jump Special Collector Edition (Free Collector's Edition)|title= Naruto: Page 68|year=2005|issn=1545-7818|publisher=[[Viz Media]]|page=68}}</ref> Kishimoto is a fan of [[Godzilla]], and the tailed beasts mythology was introduced because Kishimoto wanted an excuse to draw monsters.<ref name="nippon.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.nippon.com/en/views/b00114/|title=Farewell, Naruto: The Curtain Closes on the World's Best-Loved Ninja|date=December 26, 2014|publisher=Nippon Communications Foundation|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150113014354/http://www.nippon.com/en/views/b00114/|archive-date=January 13, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> He has said that the central theme in [[List of Naruto chapters (Part I)|Part I]] of ''Naruto'' is how people accept each other, citing Naruto's development across the series as an example.<ref name="Second Official Character Data Book">{{cite book|title=NARUTO―ナルト―［秘伝・闘の書］|last=Kishimoto|first=Masashi|publisher=[[Shueisha]]|year=2005|isbn=978-4-08-873734-8|pages=310–311|language=ja|trans-title=Naruto: The Second Official Character Data Book}}</ref>

For Part II of the manga, Kishimoto tried to keep the panel layouts and the plot easy for the reader to follow, and avoid "overdo[ing] the typical manga-style".<ref name="Shonen Jump November 2009">{{cite magazine|date=November 2009|title=Naruto: Volume 7|magazine=[[Shonen Jump (magazine)|Shonen Jump]]|publisher=[[Viz Media]]|volume=7|issue=11 #83|pages=16–17|issn=1545-7818}}</ref> He considers that his drawing style has changed from "the classic manga look to something a bit more realistic."<ref name="Shonen Jump November 2009" /> Because of wishing to end the arc involving Sasuke Uchiha's search for his brother, Itachi, in a single volume, Kishimoto decided that volume 43 should include more chapters than regular volumes. As a result, Kishimoto apologized to readers for this since volume 43 was more expensive than regular volumes.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kishimoto|first=Masashi|title=Naruto, Volume 43|year=2008|publisher=[[Viz Media]]|page=1|isbn=978-1-4215-2929-5|author-link=Masashi Kishimoto}}</ref>

=== Characters ===
{{Main|List of Naruto characters{{!}}List of ''Naruto'' characters}}

When he created ''Naruto'', Kishimoto looked to other {{Transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga as influences for his work and tried to make his characters unique, while basing the story on Japanese culture.<ref name="ArtBook138">{{cite book|author=Kishimoto, Masashi|author-link=Masashi Kishimoto|title=Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto|year=2007|publisher=[[Viz Media]]|page=138|isbn=978-1-4215-1407-9}}</ref> The separation of the characters into different teams was intended to give each group a particular flavor. Kishimoto wanted each member to have a high level of aptitude in one skill and be talentless in another.<ref name="ArtBook141">{{cite book|title=Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto|publisher=[[Viz Media]]|year=2007|isbn=978-1-4215-1407-9|page=141|author-link=Masashi Kishimoto|author=Kishimoto, Masashi}}</ref> He found it difficult to write about romance, but emphasized it more in [[List of Naruto volumes#Part II|Part II of the manga]], beginning with volume 28.<ref name="Second Official Character Data Book" /> He introduced villains into the story to have them act as a counterpoint to his characters' moral values and clearly illustrate their differences.<ref name="ArtBook142">{{cite book|title=Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto|publisher=[[Viz Media]]|year=2007|isbn=978-1-4215-1407-9|page=142|author-link=Masashi Kishimoto|author=Kishimoto, Masashi}}</ref> As a result of how the younger characters were significantly weaker than the villains, Kishimoto made the [[ellipsis (narrative device)|ellipsis]] in order to have them age and become stronger during this time.<ref name="koba">{{Cite AV media|title=漫道コバヤシ第13号「NARUTO完結！岸本斉史SP」|date=December 13, 2014|language=ja|publisher=[[Fuji Television]]|trans-title=Kobayashi No. 13 'Completion of Naruto! Masashi Kishimoto SP'}}</ref>

=== Setting ===
[[File:Okayama city view from Sankunjinja remains.JPG|thumb|Okayama City served as the basis of the village of Konoha.]]
Kishimoto made use of the [[Chinese astrology|Chinese zodiac]] tradition, which had a long-standing presence in Japan; the zodiac hand signs originate from this.<ref name="Collector's Edition 2005 p 68" /> When Kishimoto was creating the primary setting of the ''Naruto'' manga, he concentrated initially on the designs for the village of Konoha. The idea of the setting came to him "pretty spontaneously without much thought", but admits that the scenery became based on his home in the Japanese prefecture of [[Okayama Prefecture|Okayama]]. Since the storyline does not specify when it is set, he was able to include modern elements in the series such as convenience stores.<ref name="Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto 2007" /> He considered including automobiles, planes and simple computers, but excluded projectile weapons and vehicles from the plot.<ref name="Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto 2007">{{cite book|author=Kishimoto, Masashi|author-link=Masashi Kishimoto|title=Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto|year=2007|publisher=[[Viz Media]]|page=145|isbn=978-1-4215-1407-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Shonen Jump|title= Naruto: Volume 3|volume= 3|issue= 9|date=September 2003|publisher=[[Viz Media]]|issn=1545-7818|page=8}}</ref>

=== Conclusion ===
Masashi Kishimoto's home was close to [[Hiroshima]] where his grandfather lived. He would often tell his grandson stories of war and how it was related to grudges. However, Kishimoto commented that someone cannot look at the current state and criticize war as "being simply wrong", adding that every little thing in history causes the build-up towards war, and when it reaches its limit, "it breaks out." For that reason, Kishimoto felt that war would not be believable in his manga unless he had carefully elaborated on its background. Upon further researching, Kishimoto decided to create a world war story arc for the manga's finale. However, unlike the stories he heard from his grandfather, Kishimoto wanted to give the war covered in ''Naruto'' a more hopeful feeling.<ref name="war">{{cite web|title=Interview with Masashi Kishimoto Pt. 2 - Feb 13, 2012|url=https://www.viz.com/blog/posts/interview-with-masashi-kishimoto-pt-2-204|accessdate=April 16, 2022|publisher=[[Viz Media]]|archive-date=September 23, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923095629/https://www.viz.com/blog/posts/interview-with-masashi-kishimoto-pt-2-204|url-status=live}}</ref> Nagato's arc paved the way for the ending of ''Naruto'' to occur. Nagato stood out as a villain due to suffering war and killing Naruto's mentor Jiraiya. Understanding the fears of war, Naruto's characterization was made more complex for him to experience the Fourth Great Shinobi War. These events end with Naruto forgiving Sasuke as he had forgiven Nagato in the final battle.<ref name="koba" />

Due to unknown issues, the series' finale was delayed. Once volume 66 was released, Kishimoto commented he reached a moment from the narrative involving something he always wanted to draw.<ref>{{cite book|title=Naruto|volume=66|page=Afterword|publisher=Viz Media|year=2014|isbn=978-1-4215-6948-2}}</ref> When serialization began, Kishimoto decided the ending would feature a fight between two characters: Naruto and Sasuke. However, the writer felt the two were not equals as the former was not a victim of war like the latter whose family was killed to stop a possible civil war.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://ajw.asahi.com/article/cool_japan/style/AJ201411100007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110064229/http://ajw.asahi.com/article/cool_japan/style/AJ201411100007 |archive-date=November 10, 2014|title=Masashi Kishimoto: Fan letters from overseas made me realize the popularity of 'Naruto'|newspaper=[[Asahi Shimbun]]|date=November 10, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Kishimoto chose Hinata Hyuga as Naruto's romantic partner from the early stages of the manga, since Hinata had always respected and admired Naruto even before the series' beginning, and Kishimoto felt this meant the two of them could build a relationship.<ref name="comiconinter">{{cite news|author=Aoki|first=Deb|date=October 14, 2015|title=Masashi Kishimoto at New York Comic-con The Anime News Network Interview|work=[[Anime News Network]]|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interview/2015-10-14/masashi-kishimoto-at-new-york-comic-con/.94186|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019091230/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interview/2015-10-14/masashi-kishimoto-at-new-york-comic-con/.94186|archive-date=October 19, 2016}}</ref> When Hinata first appeared, Kishimoto thought of expanding romantic plotlines.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Green|first=Scott|date=January 30, 2017|title=Viz Presents 'Naruto' Author's Comments on Tone of 'Boruto,' Hinata Marriage Aand More|url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2017/01/30/viz-presents-naruto-authors-comments-on-tone-of-boruto-hinata-marriage-and-more|access-date=January 30, 2017|website=[[Crunchyroll]]|archive-date=January 31, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131043837/http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2017/01/30/viz-presents-naruto-authors-comments-on-tone-of-boruto-hinata-marriage-and-more|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Sharma|first=Shubham|date=January 31, 2017|title=Jump Festa 2017 Interviews Masashi Kishimoto for Future of Boruto Naruto Next Generations - OtakuKart|url=https://otakukart.com/animeblog/2017/01/31/jump-festa-2017-interview-masashi-kishimoto-future-boruto-naruto-next-generations/|access-date=January 31, 2017|website=Otakukart|archive-date=February 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208141138/http://otakukart.com/animeblog/2017/01/31/jump-festa-2017-interview-masashi-kishimoto-future-boruto-naruto-next-generations/|url-status=live}}</ref> but decided to leave Naruto's maturation through romance as an idea for the film 2014 ''[[The Last: Naruto the Movie]]'' where he worked alongside screenwriter Maruo Kyozuka, a writer more skilled at the theme of romance.<ref name="guide">{{cite book|trans-title=The Last: Naruto the Movie The Last's Program Guide|publisher=[[Shueisha]]|year=2015|type=booklet|script-title=ja:【映画パンフレット】The Last: Naruto the Movie|page=14}}</ref> Similarly, the title character's relationship with his first son, [[Boruto Uzumaki|Boruto]], was explored furthermore in the 2015 film ''[[Boruto: Naruto the Movie]]'' to end Naruto's growth as the character had become an adult, but it was briefly shown in the manga's finale.<ref name="dvd">{{cite video|title=Boruto: Naruto the Movie|year=2015|medium=DVD}} Studio: [[Pierrot (company)|Pierrot]].</ref>