Masashi Kishimoto’s legendary work, Naruto, has heavily inspired the anime industry very much. His work led the anime world to grow to extreme levels and gain international recognition. Not only that, the series also inspired a lot of other manga artists for their individual works.
The tale of Naruto Uzumaki is one of the most interesting storylines, but the one thing that separates it from other anime and manga series is the action sequences that Kishimoto designed in a way that captivated the audience. It was a mixture of hand-to-hand combats and energy techniques.
However, even legendary manga artists like Kishimoto drew inspiration for the action sequences in Naruto, from another mangaka. In an interview, Kishimoto revealed that he was heavily inspired by Hiroaki Samura, the creator of Blade of the Immortal which is also one of the best mangas ever been created.
Masashi Kishimoto Drew Heavy Inspiration from Hiroaki Samura’s Blade of the Immortal
In an interview at New York Comic-Con which was later shared by AnimeNewsNetwork, Kishimoto stated that he was heavily influenced by creators like Akira Toriyama. But for the action sequences in Naruto, he took inspiration from Blade of the Immortal, created by Samura-sensei which later on became one of the biggest advantage for Naruto.
He stated:
“I think Samura-sensei really taught me about the craft of manga making, in terms of what’s cool. Especially in terms of splash scenes, he really taught me the importance of splash scenes. In his splash page scenes, a lot of times he doesn’t focus on the faces of the characters – he usually focuses on their hands. He taught me how one can focus on the hands and how important expressions using just hands can be.”
Masashi Kishimoto stated that Samura’s work taught him the importance of splash scenes in battles and fights. He explained that Samura usually focuses on hand gestures during splash scenes which worked in the favor of the manga and thus it became an important influence on the manga creator and later on Naruto.
Blade of the Immortal by Hiroaki Samura
Samura is recognized for Blade of the Immortal, as well as several other short stories. Blade of the Immortal is a Japanese manga series that takes place in Japan during the mid-Tokugawa Shogunate period. It follows the cursed warrior Manji, who must murder 1,000 bad men in order to reclaim his mortality.
Manji is a proficient rōnin who possesses a critical advantage: a rare poison is the only wound that may kill him. It was announced on March 23, 2008, that the manga would be adapted into an animated television series. The show was broadcast from July 13 until December 28, 2008, and was a big hit.
Blade of the Immortal was known for its fight and action sequences, which is what inspired Kishimoto for Naruto’s battle scenes. Although it majorly focused on hand signs it was a vital part of the Naruto fights and the story in general.
You can watch Naruto on Hulu.
