Naruto 101

The story of Naruto is a popular shounen manga written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The title is also named after the main character Uzumaki Naruto in which the story revolves around his life as a growing ninja and his dream to be become Hokage--the strongest ninja in the village.

Naruto was first published in 1999 at the weekly Shounen Jump magazine. With the adaption of the manga it has well over 360 chapters and 200 episodes and still on-going with the new sequel, Naruto: Shippuden. The story of ninjas, missions and going through everyday life with new friends has sold over 71 million copies in Japan alone. Becoming one of the most popular manga series in North America, the anime soon came. The anime was first broadcasted during October 3, 2002 on terrestrial TV Tokyo and Animax. Naruto's debut in America was on the telivision network, Toonami at September 10, 2005.

The series still continues without any signs of stopping anytime soon.

The series begins not with Naruto, but twelve years before during a time of war in their village of Konohagakure when the nine-tail fox demon attacked the village. Sacrificing his own life, the Fourth Hokage sealed the demon within the newborn baby boy in the village, dying in the process--and that boy was none other than Uzumaki Naruto.

Growing up as an orphan Naruto was also ostracized by the village people, hating him for they thought he was the actual demon in human form. By growing up in such a way, Naruto wanted to have people knowing him rather than being forgotten. By doing so he did pranks and other troublesome deeds around the village--even if it was bad attention, he was still being known. Even with all of his loud arrogant boastings, Naruto dreams to become the village's next Hokage.

Everything changed though when Naruto graduated from the ninja academy and became a genin by using the latest technique he learned, Kage Bushin no Jutsu (Multiple Shadow Clone Technique) to save his teacher Umino Iruka. By becoming a genin he was placed in Team Seven with his one-sided love, Haruno Sakura, his rival, Uchiha Sasuke and their sensei, Hatake Kakashi. From there, Naruto and his new comrades face the harsh world of a ninja, and aiming for their dreams every step of the way.

What does NaruSaku stand for? Naruto & Sakura of course! Like most pairings in Naruto, couple names always happened to be mixed together. Cute, right? For more information and bascis of the actual characters, click on the pictures below!