“The reader will be lost”: Masashi Kishimoto Made Sure Fans were Hooked on Naruto Right at the Beginning with This Attention to Detail
In June 2016, over 500 questions were submitted by fans on the JUMP GIGA Twitter (now X) for Masashi Kishimoto and Yoshihiro Togashi. Both artists sat down to draw questions at random and discussed the topic of worldbuilding for three and a half hours.
Naruto, created by Masashi Kishimoto, has complex worldbuilding, and as an upcoming mangaka of that time, Kishimoto grew up influenced by the Dragon Ball and Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, and the creation of an anime world with the title Naruto came naturally to him. It is surprisingly easy to get into Naruto without any prior knowledge. Despite the myths and otherworldly lore surrounding the anime, reading Naruto feels like coming home.
Masashi Kishimoto Wanted To Link Naruto To The Real World
A fan brought up a question regarding Kishimoto’s attention to detail when trying to bring reality into a series set in a fantastical world. Setting an example, the interviewer stated that chapter #1 of Naruto featured electric poles in the background, and he felt that this little detail linked the series to the real world.
Kishimoto agreed and said that he used the method of throwing in elements from the real world into the story, further stating that making a fantastical world feel real is not easy. Bringing up the example of train stations in Harry Potter, Kishimoto commented that it becomes easier to fathom if the fantasy world is connected to the real world in some way.
Masashi Kishimoto Bridged The Gap Between Fantasy and Reality In A Sensible Way
In a similar context, Kishimoto said it is difficult to connect the fantasy world to the real world if the story occurs in a completely fantastical world. He suggested that making the characters in the fantasy world face the same types of problems as in the real world helps to build a connection between the readers and the narrative.
Having similar problems will allow the readers to build empathy towards the characters, which is important to draw them into the story. Kishimoto states that a common mistake is to give characters the kind of struggle that only occurs in their world. If the readers fail to connect, they will lose interest.
Kishimoto stated:
“Once you make an emotional connection to a character, even if something totally fantastical happens, you can still feel reality in the story. That’s why you don’t want to start off with a fantasy world and fantasy themes right off the bat—the reader will be lost.”
In contrast, Togarashi said that he prefers it when the first page itself is packed with information about the new world, even going as far as to say that it is his favorite despite being warned by his editors!
