Identification

• The Naruto pilot chapter was run in Akamaru Jump in Japan in 1997 to much acclaim. The author, Masashi Kishimoto, was unsure of where to take the series, but finally began serializing the story in 1999. The story has been going strong since, and has more than four hundred chapters to date. The TV anime also has more than 250 episodes, and has taken on quite an international presence. It has been dubbed in over 20 different countries, including France, Mexico, Korea and Germany. The Naruto franchise has also been the subject of many successful game series including the Uzumaki Chronicles, Ultimate Ninja, and Clash of Ninja.
  
  

Significance

• The Naruto series is extremely significant as it is one of the most popular anime ever. Second only the Dragon Ball Z series, Naruto has a huge international presence, and has come to symbolize the medium. Naruto is also one of the longest running manga ever, and has had a tremendous effect on sales of the magazine that serializes it, Shonen Jump. The manga version has also sold in huge numbers in the United States, and sales of the Naruto franchise account for 10% of all Manga sales in the country. Naruto Volume 7 also won a Quill award in 2006 for Best Graphic Novel.
  
  

Time Frame

• Naruto first appeared in 1997 as a test chapter in Akamaru Jump. The series did not begin proper serialization until 1999, and has been going strong ever since. The anime has been separated into two parts: Naruto, and Naruto Shippuden. The original series ran from 2002 to 2007, and consisted of 220 episodes. The second series, Naruto Shippuden is ongoing and began in 2007. So far there are 83 episodes of the second series.
  
  

Misconceptions

• Although the Naruto series is primarily targeted towards young boys, it's Japanese fans cross all ages and genders. Many western audiences perceive the anime medium to be childish, however there are many mature themes that come up in Naruto. Themes like death, grief, and betrayal permeate the series' plot, and there is a lot of intense violence in the series. It should be noted that there are "uncut" versions of the series for sale in the US, but these are only recommended for teen audiences.
  
  

Warning

• Naruto is one of the most pirated anime, due to it's international popularity, and there are several websites devoted to free downloads of the anime. However, even though Naruto does not originally come from the US, copyright laws are international, and downloading this title off of an unauthorized website can be cause for prosecution.