Naruto voice actor Junko Takeuchi has revealed her all-time favorite scene from the anime franchise.
As reported by Comicbook.com, Takeuchi, the voice of Naruto Uzumaki, reflected on the final scene between Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akimichi and their sensei Asuma Sarutobi among her most treasured moments from Naruto: Shippuden. She shared that only the voice actors for the four characters remained at the studio to record the scene while they sent the other cast members home. “The staff also took the initiative to do things that they thought were better even if it required a lot of time and effort, and I think this is the result of the human touch,” Takeuchi said.
Naruto Experienced a Resurgence Thanks to Its 20th Anniversary
Throughout 2022, fans have celebrated Naruto on the anime’s 20th anniversary. Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto released exceptional illustrations featuring various characters from the longtime anime to commemorate the special occasion. “Anime’s 20th anniversary!! Sending everyone a “Thank you” through the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!!!,” Kishimoto wrote on Naruto’s official website. Japan also plans to open an art gallery celebrating the monumental Naruto anniversary.
In addition to exclusive artwork, Studio Pierrot, the producer behind Naruto, also reanimated dozens of iconic scenes from the original anime and its sequel series Shippuden. Featured moments include Sakura Haruno and Lady Chiyo’s battle against Sasori and Naruto and Sasuke Uchiha’s first climactic duel. The 10-minute video garnered over 15 million views since its release in October 2022.
While Kishimoto’s manga began serialization in 1999, the Naruto franchise continues to live in both print and digital media. In November 2022, Sasuke’s Story—The Uchiha and the Heavenly Stardust debuted its official English translation after releasing in August 2019, exclusively in Japanese. The spinoff manga follows the moody Sharingan user and his relationship with Sakura before Boruto: Naruto Next Generations.
The sequel anime focuses on Boruto, Naruto and Hinata Hyuga’s son, and his adventures with other children of the original characters. In addition to Boruto, other characters include Sasuke and Sakura’s daughter Sarada, Shikamaru and Temari’s son Shikadai, Ino and Sai’s son Inojin and other children like Metal Lee and Chōchō Akimichi. Boruto also allows Naruto to achieve his lifelong dream of becoming the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, but not without facing several formidable opponents along the way. Unlike Naruto’s ability to control the Nine-Tailed Fox, Boruto also possesses mysterious powers from his connections with Momoshiki and Kinshiki Ōtsutsuki.
The entire Naruto franchise is available to stream on Hulu. The Naruto manga is available in English from VIZ Media.
Source: Comicbook.com
