Watch a Real-Life Ninja Share their Reaction to Naruto

Naruto remains one of the top anime series to ever come from Japan, and its legacy is thriving today like never before. From raids at Area 51 to sequels abroad, Naruto lives on in plenty of ways. Of course, one way the series carries on is by fans who've adopted interest in ninjas after seeing Naruto, so it is about time the series got put to the test by an actual ninja. After all, one of Japan's last remaining ninja just shared their reaction to the anime, and it will be an eye-opener for everyone.

Recently, Asian Boss met with Kawakami Jinichi, one of the last ninjutsu masters living in Japan. The older man began studying the art of ninjas around the time he entered elementary school, and he says he is vaguely aware of Naruto due to its sheer popularity. And after being shown a few clips from the show, Jinichi had a few notes to share about the anime.

Asian Boss showed the master several different clips, but the had to do with the jutsu signs which Naruto is famous for. According to the Jinichi, these finger motions were used by ninjas daily, but they were not capable of summoning water dragons or a stay Rasengan. The signs were used to pay respect to gods like Buddha as ninjas would pray before going on a mission while still needing to be discreet.

Carrying on, Jinichi went on to dispel a few ideas about Shurikens. The master said it was interesting to see how often Naruto's heroes would use the weapons as they were considered very inefficient by actual ninjas. Not only were the weapons expensive, but they did little damage upon impact and would risk a ninja being discovered. If anything, the throwing stars were used in close-range combat while rocks were gathered for long range.

Finally, Jinichi addressed the infamous Naruto run. The anime popularized the style of running where someone leans forward at the waist with their arms straight back. As it turns out, real ninjas did adopt this form back in the day, but they did not use their arms. By learning forward, ninjas were able to run quicker while using less stamina, and some ninja were known specifically for their ability to run in such a form.

Do you think Jinichi would work well with the Hidden Leaf's biggest heroes? 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.