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Naruto (ナルト Naruto) is an ongoing Japanese manga series written and
illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The plot 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 comic by Kishimoto
that was published in the August 1997 issue of Akamaru Jump.
The manga was first published by Shueisha in 1999 in the
43rd issue of Japan 's
Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine. Currently, the manga is still being serialized;
sixty-three tankōbon volumes have been released so far. The manga was later
adapted into an anime, which was produced by Studio Pierrot and Aniplex. It
premiered across Japan
on the terrestrial TV Tokyo network and the anime satellite television network
Animax 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 for the series 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 has been publishing the series in their Shonen Jump
magazine, and as well as 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 September 29, 2009, and it started broadcast on Disney
XD in October of the same year. Viz Media will begin streaming both series on
their upcoming streaming service Neon Alley this fall.
Naruto is one of the best-selling manga series of all time
having sold more than 126.5 million copies in Japan alone. Serialized in Viz's
Shonen Jump magazine, Naruto has become one of the company's best-selling manga
series. The English adaptation of the series has also appeared in the USA Today
Booklist several times and volume 7 won the Quill Award in 2006. Reviewers from
the series have praised the balance between fighting and comedy scenes, as well
as the characters' personalities, but have criticized it for using standard
shōnen plot elements.