‘Naruto’ Creator On Who Should’ve Won The Chunin Exams

It seems like every anime loves a good tournament, and Naruto fanatics are no different. The shonen has become one of the medium’s biggest, and its popularity when the Chunin Exams got underway. However, the big tournament got interrupted, leaving fans to wonder how things would have gone if it had not.

Well, lucky for you, there is an answer waiting for you… and it comes from the creator of Naruto himself.

For those of you dying to know how Masashi Kishimoto intended the Chunin Exams to end, the artist spilled the beans in a previous chat with Kobayashi. Fans have since summarized the extensive interview, and it was there Kishimoto opened up about his Chunin Exams plans.

According to translations, the tournament was meant to end the same it did in the anime, but there were a few catches. Kishimoto says he always wanted Shikamaru Nara to win. However, the artist said he worried over how to make that happen since the ninja would win using his massive IQ. Kishimoto said he isn’t nearly as smart as Shikamaru, so it was hard to come up with a plan that was smart enough for the Nara.

Luckily, Kishimoto didn’t have to see the tournament the whole way through. Once the Chunin Exams got going, Naruto quickly gained fans, and editors told the artist he needed to introduce the villain Orochimaru to raise the stakes. The debut would force the Chunin Exams to end early, forcing Shikamaru and everyone else to give up on the tournament. However, Kishimoto used the event to his advantage, and it ended up with Shikamaru getting a field promotion to Chunin even though he forfeited his match against Temari in the end.

So, are you glad Kishimoto was able to get his way with Shikamaru? Or would you have rather had another Leaf Village genin win the promotion? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

Originally created by Masashi Kishimoto, Naruto ran in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump for 700 chapters. The story follows a young ninja with a sealed demon within him that wishes to become the leader of his home village. The sequel, Boruto:Naruto Next Generations is set several years after the events of the original Naruto story and featuring the children of many of its key characters such as Naruto and Hinata.