Having an array of characters as big and vast as Naruto can be a little overwhelming, not only for the fans but also for the creator. Maintaining the roles of each and every character, drawing them continuously, and making sure they are up to standard requires precision and focus that only mangakas like Masashi Kishimoto have.
However, even Kishimoto sometimes felt that there were a few characters who became tougher to draw as the story progressed further. He once revealed three core Naruto characters who became a pain for him to draw. So much so that even his editor pointed it out to him and was unhappy with the mangaka.
These three characters were the copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake, Naruto’s rival Sasuke, and Sakura Haruno, the medical aid of Team 7. The Naruto creator even revealed the reason why these characters became so difficult for the manga creator to draw.
Masashi Kishimoto Faced Issues While Drawing Sasuke
In 2015, Fuji TV featured an interview of the Naruto creator with Japanese comedian Kobayashi. This interview was later translated and summarized by KirinNOTKarin98 for the Naruto fandom. During the interview, while talking about Sasuke’s intentions behind leaving Konoha village and his journey, Kishimoto revealed why he became one of the most difficult characters to draw in the entire story.
The summary read:
Kishimoto also explains that there were times when his editor told him he hasn’t properly captured Sasuke’s facial expression to show his character, and sometimes had to redraw him many times.
According to the manga, he was not able to capture the expressions of Sasuke in the series, who was mostly serious and contemplative. Not only that, even his editor at the time pointed it out to Kishimoto and asked him to draw it again. Kishimoto had to redraw Sasuke many times to finally get the perfect facial expression for him.
Other Naruto Characters Masashi Kishimoto Found Difficult to Draw
While talking about Sasuke and the problems he faced in drawing the character, Kishimoto also revealed that there were other members of the iconic team 7 that posed a lot of difficulties for him while drawing. The first one was Sakura, and Kishimoto has been quite vocal about his problems while drawing female characters. And the second one was Kakashi.
The summary stated:
He said that both he and Sakura were always a pain to draw. Kakashi was also difficult to draw facial expressions for since his face is covered.
Although Kakashi’s face was always covered, it posed a difficulty for Masashi Kishimoto because he was not able to portray expressions with a covered face. However, he somehow managed it and made Kakashi one of the most popular characters.
Although Kishimoto faced difficulties in drawing these crucial characters, he powered through them and not only gave them their own individual narratives but also helped them in gaining popularity among manga fans. These characters developed a fanbase of their own and contributed to the overall success of Naruto as an anime and manga series.
You can watch Naruto on Hulu.
