Naruto fans have something to look forward to as the popular ninja anime series celebrates its 20th anniversary. A special concert called Naruto The Live will be held in Japan on Sept. 2 and 3, featuring seven bands that performed the opening and ending theme songs for the show. Voice actors Junko Takeuchi and Noriaki Sugiyama, who played Naruto and Sasuke respectively, will host the event. Tickets are already on sale.
Naruto Reveals Lineup
In addition to the concert, the animation studio Pierrot, which adapted the Naruto anime, is creating four new episodes to commemorate the anniversary. Though details are scarce, it has been confirmed that the episodes will premiere on Sept. 3 in Japan.
Despite the show concluding years ago, Naruto fans continue to express their love and appreciation for the franchise through their own content creation, particularly through cosplay. Fans have been sharing their cosplay photos, such as a Redditor’s take on Kakashi Hatake and a prominent cosplayer’s recreation of Minato Namikaze.
Merchandise companies are also capitalizing on Naruto’s ongoing popularity by releasing various products. HEX Collectibles released a limited-edition, two-foot-tall statue of Madara Uchiha for a hefty price of $805. MegaHouse is accepting preorders for figures that transform Naruto and Sasuke into Wind and Thunder Gods respectively.
The Naruto franchise, created by Masashi Kishimoto, began as a manga in 1999 and concluded in 2014. Studio Pierrot’s anime adaptations aired over 700 episodes from 2002 to 2017. The series has become a prominent member of the shōnen genre’s Big Three alongside One Piece and Bleach.
Naruto and Naruto Shippuden can be streamed on Crunchyroll and Hulu, and the manga is distributed in North America by VIZ Media.
