Naruto’s Creator Revised a Major Team Guy Detail at the Last Minute

When it comes to Naruto, there are fans who think they know it all. The series has been around for ages, and it still brings in new viewers by the day. As entirely new generations meet Naruto for the first time, you can forget its origins. After all, there is a lot of history backing the Hidden Leaf Village’s top heroes, and that includes the fact Team Guy was originally not meant to be part of the gang.

After all, Guy was first created as a ninja who hailed from a different village. His rivalry, on the other hand, was planned from the very beginning.

During an interview with Kobayashi, Naruto opened up about the history of Naruto’s development just as the original series began winding down. It was there the creator said Team Guy’s debut in the anime differed from the village’s other main teams because the squad was going to have traveled to the Hidden Leaf for the Chunin Exams.

The confession came to light when Kishimoto was asked about his original plan for Naruto’s social structure. It was there the creator admitted he planned for Naruto to focus on four-man cells, and Kakashi would be the lead of one. Kishimoto had gone so far as to plan for the ninja’s rival to lead a four-man cell from another village, so the creator was asked for further clarification on that point.

As it turns out, Naruto’s creator originally planned for Team Guy to come from another village, and that is why they debuted during the Chunin Exams. The group was not brought in with the Hidden Leaf’s main group of genin as Guy’s students were meant to be from elsewhere. Of course, this all changed down the line as Kishimoto said he decided with his editor to make Kakashi’s rival a Hidden Leaf ninja. By putting Guy inside the village, Kakashi would have more opportunities to further his rivalry, and we most certainly saw this explored in Naruto Shippuden.

Obviously, Guy helped ground Kishimoto’s idea of a rival, but things about his squad changed drastically before it debuted. Neji ended up being a part of a famous Hidden Leaf clan, so his ties to the village run deep. Still, Rock Lee and TenTen could have easily passed for foreign ninjas given their histories. And while Kakashi often gets fed up with Guy, there is no doubt the Copy-Cat ninja wants his rival to stick around. 

Do you think Kishimoto made the right call with Team Guy? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.