Naruto Creator Releases New Art of His Top Hero

Naruto has more characters under its belt than fans can track, but when it comes down to it, only a handful stand out. Guys like Shikamaru and Hinata have their fans, but it is Team 7 that shines above all. Of course, this means Naruto Uzumaki is at the top of the pyramid when it comes to favorites, and now the series creator has shared his latest take on the Hidden Leaf's loudest hero.

As you can see below, the art comes courtesy of Masashi Kishimoto himself. The famous creator has been busy celebrating the Naruto anime's 20th anniversary, and a gallery dedicated to the series is about to launch. To hype the event, Kishimoto inked some new art of Naruto, and you can check out the gorgeous work below.

NARUTO Special Illustration by Masashi Kishimoto to commemorate the opening of NARUTO THE GALLERY.

This special exhibition commemorates the NARUTO TV Anime 20th Anniversary. https://t.co/giIuTnaWSe pic.twitter.com/t2MQSzVqxX

— Shonen Jump News – Unofficial (@WSJ_manga) December 5, 2022

The Future of Naruto

As you can see, the artwork shows Naruto twinning with himself. To the left, a drawing of the boy can be found in his usual genin costume, and its blue-orange palette is hard to miss. On his other side, an older version of Naruto can be found in all orange and a black ninja headband. This art brings together Naruto's earliest design with the one we're more familiar with these days. And if you look between the two, you can see a shuriken spinning as if it were part of a Rasengan blast.

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For those unfamiliar with Naruto's next big event, the anime is about to open a gallery in Japan that is all about anime. The attraction will include behind-the-scenes art from Naruto as well as new art from Kishimoto and other shonen creators. This event was put into motion in honor of Naruto's big anniversary, and it is not the only celebration going on. In fact, Naruto is expected to announce info about its future projects at Jump Festa later this month. So if you are ready to check in on the Hidden Leaf, you'll get all the updates you could want soon enough!

Can you believe Naruto has been around for so long? Are you all caught up on the legendary series? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.