Spider-Man, the friendly neighborhood superhero from Marvel Comics, has an anime counterpart that resembles the character’s popularity and his ‘flashy’ tactics. In fact, both have been a part of fan fiction for decades but have never shared a page.
From the work of Masashi Kishimoto, Naruto Uzumaki resembles the motto of “with great power, comes great responsibilities.” He embarks on a mission to become a Hokage and constantly tests himself in order to be better able to protect his friends. Similarly, Spider-Man is always ready to save the day and is just one call away for the Avengers.
Naruto Uzumaki shares more similarities with Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man compared to other versions of the character played by Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland.
Naruto Uzumaki, the Anime Counterpart of Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man
In Sam Raimi’s trilogy, Peter Parker is introduced as a science nerd who often got bullied in high school. He often got picked on by Flash Thompson and his gang but that changed when got bit by a genetically modified spider. Possessing superhuman strength and agility, Parker used his powers to save New York and became a national hero.
Tobey Maguire‘s character of Peter Parker was alienated by his college mates. His loneliness is mimicked by Naruto Uzumaki, who was ostracized by his village after his mother trapped a Tailed Beast inside him. People questioned his powers and were fearful of Naruto, a similar reception initially given to Spider-Man, but both eventually proved themselves to be of good character.
Also Read: Marvel Fans May Not Know Naruto Uzumaki’s Unwanted Connection to Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man
Comparing the two characters, we will get more similarities between them. Both Naruto and Spider-Man pushed themselves to the limit to become the best. Spidey desired to be ‘Avengers-worthy’ and modified his fighting techniques as well as web shooters while Naruto persevered to gain knowledge of different ninja abilities and learned to tame the inner beast inside him.
Both Spider-Man and Naruto can be hilariously talkative at times. They find humor in the most serious of action sequences. After all, they begin their respective journeys as amateurish teenagers in the comics and later become responsible adults.
Naruto mangaka Masashi Kishimoto Adores Spider-Man
Masashi Kishimoto has been a fan of American TV series and movies such as Star Wars, Batman, and Iron Man. Another Marvel character that is to his liking is Spider-Man. When asked about his opinion about Naruto being the most cosplayed character than Spidey in the 2005 New York Comic Con, Kishimoto replied amicably, as documented by Fanverse:
“I love Spiderman. But I’m happy that my main character is blond and blue-eyed since it makes it easier for Westerners to identify themself with him.”
Kishimoto’s cheeky reply didn’t garner much attention as the topic moved further towards Naruto. Nonetheless, a more recent shout-out to Naruto Uzumaki was given by The Amazing Spider-Man #15 issue, when Spidey threw a manga titled ‘Ramen Ninja’ on Venom and set it ablaze. It is clearly a parody of Uzumaki due to his love for ramen in the manga along with the identical cover picture.
