Akatsuki Keanu Reeves Hits the Streets in New Mural

Naruto remains a member of anime royalty thanks to its global success, and it would take something [...]

By Megan Peters

Naruto remains a member of anime royalty thanks to its global success, and it would take something big to knock the series from its perch. Masashi Kishimoto has reaped all sorts of benefits from his story's success, and Naruto resurfaced in a big way as of late. Sure, the franchise lives on with its Boruto sequel, but it was Keanu Reeves who gave Naruto the bump it's been craving.

Earlier this year, Reeves seemingly took over the Internet as he became the poster child of social media. The actor endeared everyone with his stunning work on John Wick: Chapter 3, and it turned him into everyone's favorite actor. When the film premiered in Japan, Reeves was pictured performing a Justu hand sign, and a brand-new Naruto meme was born.

Now, it seems Akatsuki Keanu has come from the pages of the Internet to the real world. A photo was posted on Twitter showing a real-world take on the meme, and it is by no means subtle.

Taking to social media, an account known as AG shared a photo of a wall. The outside facade is littered with graffiti as you can see above, but one of its most prominent pictures is of Reeves. A huge painting was done of Reeves dressed as an Akatsuki member which was taken right from social media. Now, the favorite Naruto meme has been immortalized on brick, and there is no going back from here.

So, do you approve of this otaku mural? 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 for Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump in 1999, Naruto follows a young ninja, with a sealed demon within him, that wishes to become the leader of his home village. The series ran for 700 chapters overall, and was adapted into an anime series by Studio Pierrot and Aniplex that ran from 2002 to 2017. The series was popular enough to warrant a sequel, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations which is set several years after the events of the original Naruto story and features the children of many of its key characters such as Naruto and Hinata.

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