One-Punch Man Artist Shares Special Naruto Tribute

Yusuke Murata, artist behind series such as One-Punch Man, Eyeshield 21 and more, has shared some special new art paying tribute to Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto! Murata might currently be more celebrated with his work on series such as One-Punch Man, but the artist already made waves with Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine many years ago with Eyeshield 21. Teaming up with Riichiro Inagaki (who is now better known for creating Dr. Stone), the two went on to craft an American football manga series that went on for a lengthy run and anime adaptation at the peak of its success. 

Eyeshield 21 ran with Weekly Shonen Jump magazine back in 2002, and this year it’s actually celebrating its 21st anniversary. Launching with a special artbook in Japan, it’s been revealed that a lot of the art comes from Murata himself as he pays tribute to many of the other major Shonen hits and creators who are wishing Eyeshield 21 a well anniversary. The latest sketch highlights his take on Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto, and you can check out Murata’s take on the famous ninja below. 

Where to Find Eyeshield 21

Originally written by Riichiro Inagaki (who went on to create Dr. Stone) with art from Yusuke Murata (the artist behind One-Punch Man), Eyeshield 21 is a little tough to check out the manga’s run. There are physical volumes of the manga currently available on shelves as licensed by Viz Media, but there’s currently no way to legally catch up with it online. Thankfully, you can still check out Eyeshield 21‘s anime adaptation now streaming with Crunchyroll. 

The first volume of the Eyeshield 21 manga is teased as such, “What does a wimpy kid who’s been bullied all his life have to depend on but his own two feet? Sena Kobayakawa is about to start his first year in high school and he’s vowed not to get picked on anymore. Unfortunately, the sadistic captain of the football team already has his eye on Sena and his lightning-fast speed.”

As for One-Punch Man, Season 3 of the anime is now in the works, but has yet to announce a release window or date as of the time of this publication for the new episodes. J.C. Staff will be returning from Season 2 to handle the animation production with Chikashi Kubota returning to design the characters together with Shinjiro Kuroda and Ryosuka Shirakawa, Tomohiro Suzuki will be handling series composition, and Makoto Miyazaki will be composing the music.