When Masashi Kishimoto first introduced us to the Ninja World, this legendary trio of Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were nothing but children. They were far from the powerful forces that they have grown up to be. Actually, the original Team 7 consisted of inexperienced genin stumbling to find their footing in a world of high-stakes ninjutsu.
Naruto often plunged into reckless mistakes, Sakura’s smart nature did not translate to a great amount of prowess on the battlefield and Sasuke, with all his seemingly quiet confidence, concealed a deep wellspring of emotional turmoil. It was this very vulnerability that easily made the journey compelling, as they worked through issues such as friendship, rivalry, and self-discovery to forge the legendary heroes of the Naruto Saga.
Akatsuki’s Ruthless Ambition Forged Naruto‘s Unstoppable Heroes
In a shocking interview, Kishimoto mentioned that the brutal organization, Akatsuki, came to be the very catalyst for changing Naruto‘s iconic trio. Leaders like the mysterious Pain, the cunning Itachi, and the ruthless Kisame made for a greatly contrasting element to the vulnerable Team 7, compelling them to confront limitations and ignite their inner strength.
With malicious plans of the Akatsuki Organization getting into full gear to destroy the Ninja World, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke would be forced into battle with their worst flaws and doubts. This shifted the scene for a life-changing journey that shaped them as strong heroes who dispelled the darkness.
Because Naruto and his group were so weak as genin in the first part, so he wanted to make them stronger in the second part. This is especially because he introduced the Akatsiki, who are all Jonin level, so he had to make the main cast stronger too.
The Akatsuki was really the key point, for which Naruto took its first turn. The promise of limitless potential brought many weaknesses into the original main cast and forced character development on the creator’s part.
Kishimoto’s Deliberate Makeover of Naruto‘s Main Cast, Increasing Their Power Scale
Masashi Kishimoto used the opportunity of time-skip, from Naruto to Naruto Shippuden, not just to power up the main cast, but also to revamp their iconic looks. He streamlined the young ninja’s appearance, losing the swirl on the arm and thickened collar that obstructed facial expressions during action sequences.
Since he didn’t like the swirl on the arm of Naruto’s jacket, and also his thick collar in Part 1 got in the way of his face in action scenes. So he drew a small collar and dropped the swirl. He also added the headband with the long tails at the back so they would stand out and flutter during action scenes.
The new design gave it a sleeker collar and sported the same headband with flowing tails to develop a dynamic visual effect in intense battles. This much-needed makeover signaled the growth of characters that would increase their status as the most feared ninjas. It also evolved Kishimoto’s sense of detail to fashion out a thrilling visual narration.
So to conclude, the development of Naruto‘s main cast was a necessity in the Shippuden arc, and the Akatsuki was definitely the most suitable catalyst to trigger this change. At the same time, Masashi Kishimoto used the time-skip not only as an accelerator for the characters, but also as a set of well-thought-through changes, setting up future developments in the narrative and the stage for the most epic moments of the series.
You can watch Naruto on Crunchyroll.
