The Studio Pierrot YouTube channel has uploaded the “ROAD OF NARUTO” PV in celebration of the Naruto anime’s 20th anniversary. The video is a 10-minute compilation of modern reproductions of various noteworthy scenes from both Naruto and Naruto Shippuden, including Naruto’s fight with Neji, Jiraiya’s death, and Pain’s destruction of Konoha.
Accompanying these scenes is a medley of the series’ opening songs, allowing fans to once again listen to songs like FLOW‘s “Go!!!,” Ikimonogakari‘s “Blue Bird,” and KANA-BOON‘s “Silhouette.”
The main staff credits for the “ROAD OF NARUTO” PV includes Yoshifumi Sasahara (Akudama Drive assistant director) as director, Gorou Sessha (Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World director [as Masaharu Watanabe]) as storyboarder, Tetsuya Nishio (Naruto co-character designer) as chief animation director, Hiromasa Ogura (The Irregular at Magic High School the Movie: The Girl Who Summons the Stars) as art director, and Shinya Oda (Re-Kan!) as photography director.
The TV Tokyo website previously released a set of visuals to celebrate the anime’s 20th anniversary.
The first Naruto anime aired from October 2002 to February 2007, while the sequel Naruto: Shippuden aired from February 2007 to March 2017. Hayato Date (Gunjou No Magmell) directed Naruto, while Naruto: Shippuden involved multiple directors including Date, the late Osamu Kobayashi (BECK), Chiaki Kon (Sailor Moon Crystal Season 3), Toshinori Watabe (Teppen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!: Laughing ’til You Cry), and Mazahiko Murata (To Your Eternity). Hirobumi Suzuki shares character design credits with Nishio on both shows.
The anime are based on Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto manga series, which ran from 1999 to 2014 with 72 tankoubon volumes. The manga was serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump with the tankoubon volumes published under the Jump Comics label. A sequel series titled Boruto began in 2016 and has inspired its own anime series adaptation.
Aside from the manga and anime series, there have also been Naruto anime movies, light novels, video games, and stage plays. Naruto‘s popularity has also led to crossovers with Fortnite.
Source: Studio Pierrot YouTube channel
