The world of Shinobis, created by Masashi Kishimoto, has been entertaining fans for a very long time. The tale of Naruto Uzumaki, although it might have ended, is still considered one of The Big Three, and there is hardly any other manga series that can be compared to the likes of Naruto. The series sits at the top of both the anime and manga industry.
This is why the entire Naruto franchise, composed of manga, anime, and other aspects, is worth more than 10 billion dollars. It is one of the biggest franchises in the world, both in terms of monetary value and fanbase. However, the same cannot be said about its creator, Kishimoto, who has been working on the franchise since 1999.
Although Kishimoto is one of the biggest manga creators in the world who created a franchise worth billions, his net worth is quite low compared to his fellow mangakas, Eiichiro Oda, and Akira Toriyama. The impact that Naruto has had on the manga and anime industries should have increased Kishimoto’s net worth significantly.
Naruto is Worth 10 Billion Dollars
When Kishimoto started Naruto in 1999, it was just a manga that revolved around the world of ninjas and clans. However, the narrative earned so much recognition that Studio Pierrot decided to make an anime series on the story, which started in 2002. From there on, the growth of the franchise did not stop, and it went on to spread its branches into video games, merchandise, movies, spin-offs, etc.
The series became one of the biggest anime franchises in the world with an estimated value of 10.3 billion dollars since its creation. And while Naruto ended in 2017, the franchise still continues to generate revenue in the form of the sequel spin-off series Boruto, video games, streaming platforms, etc.
Compared to other manga and anime franchises, Naruto sits at the 11th spot in terms of net worth in the whole world. This is truly a big achievement, as it is above major manga and anime series like Bleach, Digimon, Beyblade, Astro Boy, etc.
Masashi Kishimoto’s Net Worth is Too Low Compared to Naruto’s Earnings
As mentioned above, the Naruto franchise is worth over 10 billion dollars, earning revenue from multiple sources. However, the net worth of Masashi Kishimoto is around 27 million dollars which is too low compared to his creation.
As of now, he ranks at number 8 on the list of the richest manga creators in the entire world.
Although it is not a small number, compared to the net worth of the Naruto franchise, Kishimoto’s net worth doesn’t seem feasible. One of the main reasons for this is the methods through which mangakas earn money. A major part of their income comes through the weekly and monthly publishing magazines that release their work.
The earnings from these magazines are too low even for well-established manga creators like Kishimoto. Plus, there are a bunch of contracts and conditions that the manga creators have to sign in order to get their works released, and they cut off a huge chunk of revenue that is generated from their work.
As of 18th August 2024, you can watch Naruto on Hulu.
