Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto is told from the perspective of the young and brave protagonist. It is through Naruto’s eyes that we discover the shinobi world and its various adventures.
While fans are quite satisfied with this arrangement, Masashi Kishimoto often thinks of a more experimental approach to the story. In a 2015 interview with Anime News Network, Kishimoto revealed that he often thinks about how the shinobi world would look from the perspective of other characters, especially one that is close to the hearts of every fan.
Which character’s perspective did Masashi Kishimoto want to retell Naruto from?
In the interview, Masashi Kishimoto was reminded that most of Naruto is told from Naruto’s point of view, as he is the central character. However, there are a lot of interesting and quirky characters in the series, so which character would he choose for the role?
“I suppose one possibility would be to write the story from Sasuke’s perspective, or even the mentors, the teachers, especially like Jiraiya, because there’s a generational difference there too.”
Given that we already have Sasuke’s Story to serve as his POV, the top pick is Jiraiya for such a role. And deservedly so, he is an extremely powerful character in Naruto who paved the protagonist’s life.
A retelling from Jiraiya is bound to be a blast given his funny antics, but fans have reason to suspect that it could receive an adult rating.
Why did Masashi Kishimoto choose Jiraiya’s perspective to retell Naruto?
Masashi Kishimoto explains his thought process by introducing Jiraiya first. He claims that Jiraiya is not arrogant but rather overconfident. He is also boisterous and extremely skilled.
“But there was a time when he was still young, when he didn’t really know much and he was kind of dumb too. So it’d be interesting to show that contrast.”
Kishimoto also thinks that because Jiraiya grew up in a time when the present jutsu techniques were still being developed, it would be fun to show the gap between the ages.
The mangaka compares his idea to Oshin, an action-historical drama about a woman who rises to wealth from destitute conditions.
“It kind of triggers this thought in you, ‘Oh, how did she get there?’ That’s the kind of story I think would be fun to draw.”
Apart from the gap, fans would also love to know Jiraiya’s perspective on how he brought up Naruto. He was almost a father figure to the protagonist and had a tremendous impact on the story itself.
You can read the Naruto manga on Viz Media, and the anime is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
