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On May 27, 2024, a footwear designer posted a design on Instagram that combined Minato Namikaze from Naruto with the Nike Dunk series, which took the fandom by storm as they expressed their desire to buy these shoes.
The shoes captured the look of the Fourth Hokage's iconic jutsu, the fastest jutsu in the franchise. Although there was no response from the official Nike store, fans were ready to pay any price if the footwear company actually manufactured these sneakers.
On the internet, fans appreciated the aesthetic beauty of these shoes, and some even recommended a better name for the shoes, which was related to the iconic jutsu of Minato.
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Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed in this article solely belong to the author.
Naruto fans react to the Minato Namikaze sneaker concept design
The sneaker design was named Minato Dunk SB by the designer who combined the looks of Minato Namikaze and the Nike Dunk series, one of the best-selling series of the footwear brand.
The concept design followed a red flare at its back, hinting at the Hokage cloak of the Naruto character. The sneakers also had the word 'seventh' mentioned in the front, representing Minato as the Fourth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village.
Last year, Minato was also declared the winner of the Narutop99 event which was to commemorate the 20th century of the Naruto series. With him receiving another tribute, the true fans of this character are happy beyond their imagination.
Reaction from fans on the Minato x Nike sneaker concept design
Sadly, the majority of the fandom wanted to know when these Minato sneakers would be released, and they were hit with the news that these were just some concept designs. Moreover, a fan recommended a better name for the sneakers, relating it to the famous jutsu of the Fourth Hokage, the Flying Raijin Jutsu. This jutsu gave Minato the power to travel at light speed, if not faster.
"Need those when do they release" a fan said
"shoulda named em Flying Raijins" another fan said
"These are insanely dope" another one said
One part of the fandom also shared their sadness over concept designs, as numerous designs on the internet are awesome. Still, they remain concept designs and are never manufactured by footwear companies.
Moreover, some fans also thought that this Minato x Nike design was real and shared their disappointment with other fans, thus adding to the despair over how fans can only admire the beauty of these sneakers.
"Man i HATE concept designs that are good cause we'll never get these." a fan said
"This is how a collab should be done. Too bad these are just customs." another fan said
"I thought it was real" another one sighed
Final thoughts
It is wholesome to see how the fans of the anime community are so enthusiastic about supporting their favorite authors by buying merchandise of their favorite series.
Even though these sneakers are just a concept design, if they were real, they would have been sold out pretty early, showing how supportive the anime/manga fandom is toward their favorite series.
Related Links
- 5 ways Naruto surpassed Minato (& 5 ways he could not)
- Minato One Shot receives a fan animation before the Naruto remake
- Who raised Naruto after Minato and Kushina died?
