Thousands Of ’Naruto' Fans Will Meet Up Soon & Run Like Ninjas

Fans can learn a lot from Naruto, but the franchise's most popular lesson comes down to running form. Over the years, millions of otakus have been exposed to the series' unique way of running. And, if you live in New England, then you can soon participate in a pseudo-marathon that promotes the Naruto run.

Kotaku spotted two interesting pages on Facebook not too long ago, and events have since gone viral amongst anime fans. Two Naruto-themed runs are scheduled to happen in Philadelphia and Baltimore once September gets underway, and fans are admitting (perhaps unwillingly) that the events sound interesting.

If you're interested in attending the Baltimore run, you can learn a bit more about its origins. The event was created on a whim by Stephen Baker, a longtime anime fan who wishes he'd been the kid who ran like Naruto in school.

"I was not that kid but envied what that kid had," Bake told Kotaku. "He ran like Naruto to class everyday and no matter what people said he continued on. Doing that in high school in the middle of Baltimore, dude had 💓."

The unofficial events may not be a complicated one, but they have gathered an impressive amount of interest. The Baltimore run says 1.4K people are interested in attending the function while about 500 have already RSVP'd. As for the Philadelphia run, 6.4K fans made their interest known while 1.6K said they were down to run like Sasuke Uchiha.

Of course, Facebook events are notorious for inflating attendee numbers, but previous Naruto Runs prove the interest in these gatherings is real. The runs themselves are unstructured and usually involve a horde of otakus sprinting a short distance with their hands angled behind their backs.

And if you were worried about any rogue ninjutsu appeals, don't be too concerned. Both the Baltimore and Philadelphia events have strict bans on the use of wayward jutsu.