John Boyega Shares His Love of ‘Naruto’ with Fans

Hollywood made anime fans do a double-take awhile back when news broke that Naruto was getting a live-action film. The famous franchise is being worked on by Lionsgate, leaving millions of otakus wary of what is to come. However, if the studio taps John Boyega‘s help, those fans may rest a bit easier.

After all, the rising star is a big fan of the franchise.

Over on social media, fans were quick to screenshot a recent Instagram story from Boyega. The Star Wars actor took a picture of his computer as he watched a newer episode of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. Boyega uploaded the clip without a caption, but fans are more than happy to know the actor has his own Will of Fire.

Of course, fans of Boyega are not surprised by the actor’s interest in Naruto. After all, the actor has talked about his love of Japanese pop culture in the past. Rocket News 24 had a chance to speak with the star during his promotions for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and it was there Boyega said he saw a lot of similarities between Finn and Naruto.

“He is a character that wants to lead and has a dream, but doesn’t necessarily know how to go about it, and doesn’t have the right skill set… I love [how Japanese entertainment can] capture an underdog story, and I root for underdogs.”

Boyega has also used social media in the past to broadcast his anime interests. Back in 2015, the star visited Japan and said he wanted to “become hokage” while he was there. Last year, the star followed up by asking fans which anime he should watch as he waits for Attack on Titan‘s third season to debut.

For those of you unfamiliar with Naruto, the series began in 1997 when Masashi Kishimoto did his first one-shot of the series. Shueisha agreed to serialize the story in Weekly Shonen Jump starting in 1999, and it became a quick success. The manga ran until 2014 and accrued 72 volumes over its lengthy run. Naruto has since become one of the industry’s most famous franchises, and its global popularity rocketed when Pierrot licensed Naruto for an anime.

Naruto tells the story of its titular hero as Naruto Uzumaki strives to become the greatest ninja of his village. Born as the host of a powerful demon, Naruto lives much of his a pariah but dreams of becoming his home’s leader. After graduating from the Ninja Academy, the boy begins his quest to become a respected and powerful Hokage, but things get complicated when international coups and radical terrorists make themselves known.

If Boyega starred in Naruto‘s live-action film, who would you want him to play? Hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to let me know and talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!