Naruto’s Masashi Kishimoto has confirmed how one of Yu Yu Hakusho’s early villains inspired the ninja series’ most iconic abilities.
According to ScreenRant, Kishimoto drew inspiration from Suzaku, the leader of the Four Holy Beasts, when creating Shadow Clone Jutsu (aka Kage Bushin no Jutsu) – Naruto Uzumaki’s most recognizable move. At the end of Yu Yu Hakusho’s “Maze Castle”, Yusuke Urameshi confronts Crimson Sparrow, who created seven clones of himself to attack Detective Spirit from multiple angles. In Naruto, the famous shinobi wearing the orange shirt can create more than seven copies of himself.
The information was originally revealed in an interview that appeared in Naruto 10 Anniversary Chronicle Book Mini, and Kishimoto described what he found impressive about the work of mangaka Yu Yu Hakusho Yoshihiro Togashi. “His way surprises the reader,” he said. “The way he is able to create unexpected scenes that can show the threat the enemy represents, Naruto’s Kage Bushin no Jutsu is heavily inspired by Suzaku’s technique in Yu Yu Hakusho. The idea of turning the images then into reality was so creative, I was so excited and thought ‘how are they going to beat this guy.’”
Kishimoto’s Naruto manga debuted in Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1999, appearing in the magazine until 2014. It is considered one of the Big Three of the shōnen genre and stands alongside two other members — Tite. Kubo’s Bleach and Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece — is one of the best-selling manga series of all time with over 250 million copies in circulation worldwide. Studio Pierrot adapted Kishimoto’s work into two anime adaptations — Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden — that first aired between 2002 and 2017.
Although the manga ended nearly ten years ago and the second anime series ended about five years ago, Naruto remains a cornerstone of the pop culture scene. For example, a commemorative concert, Naruto The Live, will be held next month, in which many popular bands will perform the show’s famous opening and ending theme songs.
The Yu Yu Hakusho manga serialized in Shōnen Jump from 1990 to 1994, and Studio Pierrot’s anime adaptation of Togashi’s story was first aired between 1992 and 1994. The plot centers on Yusuke, a high school student. high school delinquent who gains great power and responsibility after death while trying to save a small child.
Both sets are available to stream on Crunchyroll.
Source: ScreenRant