Naruto is one of the most well-written manga in the history of anime. Masashi Kishimoto’s magnum opus began in 1999 and ended in 2015. It became a pillar of the anime and manga industry and guided it to its boom period. Naruto Uzumaki’s journey is pretty emotional and inspiring, but initially, Masashi Kishimoto had thought of a different plot for his magnum opus.
The initial plot was nothing like the one the fans experienced today. It was simpler and had no fancy stuff. It has been almost a decade since Kishimoto sensei revealed this fascinating fact about Naruto’s original plot. The idea was discarded by the editor, but Kishimoto sensei did include the idea in Naruto and carried it on throughout.
Ichiraku Ramen Guy Was Supossed To Be The Main Character
The Ichiraku Ramen guy is one of the most beloved characters in the Naruto franchise. Even though the entire village was against Naruto Uzumaki and treated him as an outcast after the Nine-Tails rampage, the Ichiraku Ramen guy was the only one who was not bothered by that. He always welcomed him and treated him as one of his customers. The Naruto fandom will be shocked to know that was originally the plot was supposed to be based on him.
During an interview, Kobayashi revealed Masashi Kishimoto’s original plan for Naruto. He said,
“Apparently he started out wanting to write a story about an old guy who owns a ramen shop, and a young boy comes by, or something uninteresting like that. Other things also got mixed in with that like a story, which was supposed to be spectacular, and it was about straightening up their lives and other emotive plots…”
Even though there was no name for the ramen guy, it had a similarity with the Ichiraku Ramen. The boy who came by the shop was Naruto Uzumaki. But the plot was not that impressive, and Kishimoto sensei was told to change it by his editor. There were several trial-and-error stories until Naruto finally came out. Since Masashi Kishimoto never lost hope and always tried his best, the story was named Naruto.
Masashi Kishimoto Included The Ramen Guy In Naruto
Masashi Kishimoto’s first idea for his magnum opus was the ramen guy and the boy. Even though the idea was discarded, Kishimoto was never over it. He included the concept in his magnum opus. The ramen shop became a place where the main protagonist and his friends bonded. Naruto Uzumaki’s favorite food is ramen. So, when he married Hinata Hyuga, Teuchi, the Ichiraku Ramen shop owner, gave him a lifetime free ramen card.
The ramen story is Masashi Kishimoto’s first love, and he could never leave it. He was also heavily inspired by Akira Toriyama’s creative style. After the story was discarded, the editors mentioned that it was not something they were looking for and would not work with the Weekly Shounen Jump series. Ultimately, went with the ninja theme, but to stand out, he made his protagonist blonde.
Almost 25 years since Naruto’s serialization began, it has reached the peak of popularity. Even though the anime ended in 2017, there seems to be a stop to the rise in its fanbase. Thankfully, Masashi Kishimoto decided to include Teuchi as a side character instead of the protagonist.
