‘Naruto’ Creator Gives ‘Blade of The Immortal’ A Try

Naruto is one of the most widely well known anime and manga series, so Masashi Kishimoto is one of the most widely known authors in the industry. But what isn’t as well known, unfortunately, is Hiroaki’s Samura’s Blade of the Immortal.

In a loving tribute between two authors, Samura tackled Kishimoto’s series, and Masashi Kishimoto put his spin on Blade of the Immortal.

While Naruto’s more outlandish and bright designs get more of a subdued rendering by Samura, Kishimoto’s Blade of the Immortal art does the opposite. Taking the more subdued characters of that series, Kishimoto puts a decidedly Naruto spin on the series. The pose here would definitely fit within the Naruto series, especially as a chapter or volume cover for the manga series.

Here you have the looming Shira in the background, with many weapons and blades behind him, with Manji and the young Asano Rin in the foreground in a much smaller action pose. Manji with the sai in his mouth is reminiscent of Naruto Uzumaki, as that was a common way he was drawn in the series.

Their poses also match up to Kishimoto’s depiction of the ninja poses in his series, and they blend so well into the universe that fans definitely would not mind if there were a more official crossover between the two worlds in the future. Though Naruto is a more fantastical setting, the way the two series have their own distinct depiction of action scenes would make for a great read.

For those unfamiliar with Boruto’s predecessor Naruto, it has quite a storied history. Originally created by Masashi Kishimoto, the series ran in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump for 700 chapters. The story follows Naruto, 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.

Blade of the Immortal was originally published in Afternoon magazine in 1993, and ran until 2012. It later had an anime adaptation from Production I.G. in 2008. and a live-action adaptation in 2017 that was met with fan and critical acclaim.