Naruto series creator Masashi Kishimoto revealed his favorite arc of the series. The Naruto franchise recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of its original TV anime adaptation, and has continued to commemorate the milestone with new projects now in the works. As Kishimoto and Boruto: Two Blue Vortex writer and artist Mikio Ikemoto have been heading up special fan events in France, the creator duo has shared all sorts of insights into the creation of both manga releases. It’s here that Kishimoto has opened up about some of the biggest or most challenging aspects of its serialization over the course of its run with Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine.
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Naruto’s creator has been sharing some insights into aspects of the series not revealed in previous interviews, and the latest with La Nouvelle Republique in France sees Kishimoto open up a little more about some of his favorites moments. As explained by the creator, Kishimoto’s favorite arc of the series is the epilogue in which Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha have their final fight with one another and Sasuke finally admits that Naruto might have been right about things all along.
Naruto: Masashi Kishimoto’s Favorite Arc
“I believe it has to be the epilogue or the conclusion of the final fight between Naruto and Sasuke where he finally admits he lost,” Kishimoto explained. This falls in line with the creator’s mentality when crafting villains in the series too as he explained that he more seeks to expand on the complicated sides of humanity driving a foe rather than outright creating a “super villain,” “I wanted to keep a humanity throughout my story,” Kishimoto began. “I could have made ‘super villains’ but that had already been done by others. And there is a golden rule in manga, you have to do what does not exist. This reinforced me in this path.”
This is the perfect way to look at the dynamic between Naruto and Sasuke. The two might be in constant battle with one another through the series’ duration thanks to their role as rivals, but it starts to shift when Sasuke fully leaves the Hidden Leaf Village and starts to strike out on his own. But even when he decides to go off the beaten path and does some terrible things, Naruto refuses to give up on him and remains one of Sasuke’s closest confidants despite how much Sasuke tried to push him away.
Why Do Naruto and Sasuke Fight in the End?
It’s almost as if the two were destined to duel as seen in Naruto’s grand finale. The final fight between the two of them caps off their journey in the original series, and reveals how much the two of them have grown after everything they had been through together. While Naruto has grown in strength, and strength of heart, Sasuke finally started to open up and realize some of the mistakes he’s made. Because at this final juncture, it’s more about Sasuke’s final bit of growth than Naruto’s.
Naruto, by this end point of the series, has fully developed as a person thanks to all of the fights he has been through and all of the support he’s gotten from the rest of the Hidden Leaf Village as a result of those victories. But it’s Sasuke who still held back, and Sasuke who was Naruto’s real mission throughout it all. He just wanted his greatest rival to recognize him, and through this fight in which the two ultimately end in a draw, Sasuke finally relents. No wonder it’s the creator’s favorite.
