Summary
Naruto's Team 7 transform into samurai warriors in official artwork that offers a compelling twist on the iconic ninja story. The Land of Iron remains the only place in Naruto where samurai traditions still exist, adding a mystical touch to the story. Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto's unique vision subverted traditional roles, showcasing the power of the shinobi against the influence of the samurai.
While shinobi were widely considered the exact opposite of samurai, a new official part Naruto art shows that Konoha's Team 7 has no problem playing the role of an ancient Japanese warrior when the situation or mission calls for it, leaving fans to imagine what would happen if creator Masashi Kishimoto told recast the iconic ninja story as a samurai classic.
The artwork used as the background for the May 2024 calendar was posted to Naruto's official X account, @NARUTO_into-en, and was given to Naruto fans as a gift.
The work, which uses the classic Ukiyo-e art style popular during Japan's Edo period (1603-1868), features members of Team 7 – Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura – wearing the armor and equipment of a samurai . The depiction of group members as higher-ranking samurai is shown by the ornate and unique markings and decorations on their helmets and headgear.
Naruto's Samurai are as talented as his Shinobi
Samurai only play a small role in Naruto's story
Although historically, samurai were the more common warriors used in inter-state conflicts in Japan, they rarely exist in Naruto. Instead, shinobi are a fighting force used for conquest, defense, and security. Indeed, the only relevant – and described – The samurai force in Naruto are warriors from the Land of Iron.
Introduced in the Five Kage Summit Arc, the Land of Iron stands out from other nations by continuing to rely on samurai for security and defense. Unlike other nations – such as the Fire Nation of Konoha – that had moved away from this traditional Japanese practice, the Iron Nation not only maintained samurai dominance as its military force but also abandoned purely official shinobi usage.
The Land of Iron stands alone as the only community where samurai reign supreme, and like the ninja of Japan's true history, the men and women of the Land of Iron hold a mystical reputation, belongs to another world. However, the samurai of the Iron Kingdom were not the typical historical version of the warrior. Like other ninjas, they also have the ability to use chakra and access the countless abilities it offers the user. Generally, their chakra is applied to swordsmanship – an ability that most real-life samurai rely on to survive.
Kishimoto never wanted a typical Samurai in his Ninja story
Kishimoto's reversal of the role of samurai in Japanese history probably stems from the Naruto author's original idea of creating a truly “one-of-a-kind” ninja story. While he expressed this point most through the non-traditional aspects of shinobi in the story, such as Naruto's blonde hair and blue eyes, another aspect was placing shinobi in positions power and influence they never held – and in turn, shrinking the power and influence of the samurai.
This official artwork returns balance to the Naruto-Verse by depicting samurai at the forefront of the history, traditions, and customs they hold in Japanese culture and history. It's a mesmerizing take on the real past, turned upside down Narutothe non-traditional idea that shinobi rule the world.
Naruto available from Manga Plus and on Viz Media.
Source: account @NARUTO_into-en