In 2009, Yoshihiro Togashi, the creator of Hunter x Hunter and Yu Yu Hakusho, and Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto, sat together for an interview. It was to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Naruto and the interview was later shared in the Naruto 10th Anniversary Chronicle Book Mini.
During the interview, both legendary manga creators shared their opinions about each other’s works and also talked about their experiences while working on their own masterpieces. Kishimoto also explained what kind of inspiration he received from Togashi’s works and how he used it in Naruto.
During the interview, Kishimoto talked about what he found interesting about Togashi’s mangas and how one of his characters became the inspiration behind Naruto and his famous shadow clone technique. The character in the discussion was Suzaku, the leader of the four saint beasts. His Prism of Seven technique laid the foundation for Naruto’s Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Masashi Kishimoto Talks About the Character That Inspired Naruto’s Shadow Clone Jutsu
The interview between Kishimoto and Togashi was later translated and shared by @MrGenial11 on Hunter x Hunter Wiki. Kishimoto confessed that before starting Naruto, he was a big Yu Yu Hakusho fan. He also admitted that Togashi’s work inspired a lot of aspects of Naruto and the one thing that Kishimoto found interesting in his work was his way of surprising people.
Kishimoto stated:
“His way of surprising the reader, First of the way he can create unexpected scenes that can show the threat that the enemies represent, the Kagebushin no Jutsu of Naruto is strongly inspired by Suzaku’s technique in Yu Yu Hakusho. The idea of having after-images be real was very innovative, I was excited and thought “how will they beat this guy”.”
Yoshihiro Togashi’s method of surprising his fans by introducing unexpected threats from enemies was quite evident from Suzaku’s Prism of Seven technique. Although Kishimoto was heavily inspired by the technique and used it quite extensively, it also became one of his biggest regrets.
Similarities And Differences Between Prism of Seven and Shadow Clone Jutsu
The Shadow Clone Jutsu in Masashi Kishimoto’s series is a part of Naruto’s identity. Although it was created by Tobirama Senju, the second Hokage of Konoha, it was deemed a forbidden technique because of the amount of chakra it consumed. However, Naruto having Kurama gave him unlimited access to chakra. Thus this technique became the perfect weapon for Naruto.
Prism of Seven, on the other hand only allows Suzaku to split himself into seven clones. But it gives all the clones, the same amount of power as the original body. It is the second of Suzaku’s Black Secret Techniques and only someone with high demon skills can use this technique. Additionally, when the copies revert back to the original body, they can heal any injuries that the original body received in combat.
Although there are many differences between the two techniques, the concept of making a clone or an after-image into a real entity is the base of both techniques and Togashi was the first manga artist to introduce this.
You can watch Naruto on Hulu.
