Naruto fans finally discover the obvious-in-hindsight influence on Kishimoto's series

The Naruto series is written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It’s safe to say that this series influenced the world of anime and manga to a considerable degree.

Like Naruto, there are other popular anime and manga titles that made ground-breaking changes to how storytelling was approached.

Julia Kristeva is credited with coining the term “intertextuality”. In simple terms, a literary piece references another existing literary piece in various ways. In the context of anime and manga, plenty of easter eggs and subtle references are made in creative ways that fans enjoy.

Based on some of the stills from the manga and anime, there is reason to believe that Masashi Kishimoto was inspired by Akira - the late ‘80s sci-fi film directed by Katsuhiro Otomo.

This movie’s groundbreaking animation paved the way for the future generation of manga artists and animators.

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Naruto: Stills from the anime which suggest a possible link to Akira

In the stills shown above, we can see the two Naruto characters undergo a partial transformation on their arms. In one case, the arm looks like a mutation, while Gaara is being taken over by the Tailed Beast. Both these transformations have one thing in common, and that is the arm.

The transformation begins from the arm, and the way it has been illustrated bears a close resemblance to Tetsuo. He is the prime antagonist of Akiran and undergoes mutation as his psychic/telekinetic powers develop.

The way in which characters from Akira and Naruto undergo said mutation is quite close. This is the very first piece of evidence which states their possible connection.

Another hint is the way both Naruto and Sasuke were treated as characters. Sasuke wasn’t evil from the get-go. He endured events that would scar him for the rest of his life, which played a role in him taking a darker path.

Similarly, Tetsuo was a great friend of Kaneda’s and didn’t really show evil traits. It was only after the mutation and the development of his powers that made him the antagonist. Both sets of characters are quite similar in the way they were written, which led the fanbase to believe that Masashi Kishimoto was inspired by Akira.

Fans were quite surprised and took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to share their thoughts on this topic.

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Other popular influences in the Naruto series that fans discussed

Most Naruto fans are aware that Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball series also inspired Kishimoto’s works. The color palette featured on the main characters is one of the most notable connections to the two aforementioned series.

Furthermore, fans have reason to believe that Masashi Kishimoto also drew inspiration from Blade of the Immortal - a manga series that was drawn and illustrated by Hiroaki Samura. There seem to be parallels drawn between Sasuke Uchiha and Taito Magatsu.

As shown above, there is a Naruto character with six arms, and his name is Kidomaru. Fans believe that this character was inspired by a series known Kinnikuman.

In this show, there exists a character named Ashuraman who is the head chief of the Devil Knights. The character design is quite similar, which could mean that Masashi Kishimoto drew inspiration from the aforementioned series.

It is interesting to see how existing shows and manga titles shape the future works of manga artists who are currently exploring their style and narrative.

With quality titles like Attack on Titan, Demon Slayer, and Vinland Saga among others, it is exhilarating to think about the quality of future anime and manga titles that will make its way eventually.

Stay tuned for more anime and manga news as 2023 progresses.