The animation industry is divided between a limited number of animation studios, where each one of them has an outstanding collection of anime series. While some are renowned for their plot, and some for their animation, among so many studios comes Studio Pierrot which has a history of producing some excellent shonen titles. The studio’s collection is massive and equally impressive as it has created anime series like Tokyo Ghoul, Black Clover, Naruto, Bleach, and many more.
However, Studio Pierrot would have lost its impressive anime collection, had the studio failed to pay its loans. The studio had used the intellectual property of different anime series, which also included Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto. Although Pierrot used it to finance its projects which generated massive profits, but its chilling to think that the beloved Naruto series would have ended up in a different animation studio.
Studio Pierrot Used The Intellectual Rights of Different Anime Titles To Fund Their Projects
Naruto is easily one of the most renowned and heartfelt anime series out there, which is immensely loved by fans for its plot, especially the dark and depressing beginning of one of our favorite anime protagonists. Moreover, the world created by Studio Pierrot is unique as it creates an intriguing visual contrast that appeals to the eyes.
In addition to a unique world, the series takes place in a world of ninjas who have mastered the arts of various ninjutsu techniques that would make it hard to showcase boring fights. However, the same studio would not have created the iconic series if they failed to pay their loans.
During an exclusive with Borderless, Keirou Itsumi, the managing director of Naruto’s Studio Pierrot, shared that during his time as a banker, he wondered “‘Is it possible to evaluate something that is invisible, such as intellectual property rights, and connect it to finance?’ I started working on it.” However, if a studio failed to pay back its loans, the bank would sell those rights to another company and reclaim the debts.
Itsumi talked to Yûji Nunokawa, the founder of Pierrot, and suggested to him that he could use the anime titles as collateral to get the working capital for the business. Studio Pierrot used this method to finance a number of their projects, resulting in a bigger capital alongside other investors. Nevertheless, Keirou Itsumi never mentioned that Studio Pierrot used Naruto as collateral to take a loan, but it is intriguing to think that the fans of the renowned shonen anime would have had a different experience had the studio failed to repay its debts.
Masashi Kishimoto Struggled To Write a Fitting Ending For The Pain Arc in Naruto Shippuden
The Pain Arc in Naruto Shippuden is one of the most popular and fan-favorite arcs, as the Six Paths of Pain destroyed the Konoha village, taking down anyone and anything that came in their way. The arc featured massive character growth for our protagonist, but achieving the popular wasn’t easy as Masashi Kishimoto experienced many sleepless nights.
The editor didn’t want a protagonist who was hell-bent on killing Pain so that he could avenge Jiraiya, who was a father figure to him. However, during an interview, shared by @AshitanoGin on X, Kishimoto stated that he decided to break the cycle of hatred and revenge for a greater character development. He said,
“In the end, Naruto talked it out and decided to forgive his opponent. So, Sasuke is a character who can’t forgive, and Naruto is one who can. Once it’s decided that the characters are that way, it must move forward in that direction. Even if you know that it will be painful going in that direction, as a writer you can’t just do whatever you want. If you try to force things, the readers will know..”
Nevertheless, Studio Pierrot had done an outstanding job in animating the arc, as it remains one of the best chapters featuring Pain, whom fans love to sympathize with.
Naruto can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
