Naruto fans can get ready to rock and celebrate the 20th anniversary of the anime ninja series.
According to Comic Natalie, a special concert, titled Naruto The Live, will be held at Makuhari Messe, Japan on September 2 and 3. The lineup will feature seven bands performing several opening and closing theme songs for the popular show, including Ikimonogatari, KANA-BOON, CHiCO, Anly, and ORANGE RANGE. Junko Takeuchi and Noriaki Sugiyama, the respective voice actors for protagonist Naruto Uzumaki and his rival, Sasuke Uchiha, will be hosting the event. General admission tickets for Naruto The Live have been sold.
The upcoming concert isn’t the only way for the longstanding shōnen franchise to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Pierrot’s anime adaptation; The award-winning animation studio is also creating four brand new episodes. While there are currently few details on the episode’s plot or which fan-favorite characters will return, it has been confirmed that the episodes will premiere in Japan on September 3.
Furthermore, Naruto fans continue to show their appreciation and love for the anime, even though the series ended years ago, by creating and sharing their own content for the franchise, especially cosplay. For example, Reddit user ColdAlliance uploaded their image of Kakashi Hatake, Naruto’s first major mentor and one of Konoha’s most dangerous ninjas. Similarly, popular cosplayer Seanpai Sen posted their accurate rendering of Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, with costumes that accentuate the character’s spiky blond hair.
Several merchandising companies also continue to capitalize on the continued popularity of the Naruto franchise to profit. HEX Collectibles recently released a limited edition large statue of Madara Uchiha, one of the story’s ultimate villains and holder of the eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. The item comes with an amazing price tag of $805 and is over 2 feet tall. Furthermore, MegaHouse is taking pre-orders for two divine figures that can transform Naruto and Sasuke into Gods of Wind and God of Thunder, respectively.
Masashi Kishimoto first published his Naruto manga in Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1999, with the final chapter appearing in the magazine in 2014. Studio Pierrot’s anime adaptation produced over 700 volumes between 2002 and 2017, and the series’ high popularity solidified Naruto as a member of the Big Three of the shōnen genre.
Naruto and Naruto Shippuden are available to stream on Crunchyroll and Hulu, while the manga is distributed in North America by VIZ Media.
Source: Natalie Comics, via Crunchyroll