THE NINJA WAY

An exhibition at RCB Galleria chronicles Naruto's arduous path from an outcast to a respected leader

- STORY: SUWITCHA CHAIYONG

Written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto, the Japanese manga Naruto has been popular since it was first published in Weekly Shonen Jump in September 1999. The manga follows the story of orphan boy Naruto Uzumaki who overcomes deadly battles with rivals and confronts his past to become Hokage (chief) of Konoha no Sato (Hidden Leaf Village).

The manga kicks off with an attack on Hidden Leaf Village by Kurama, a deadly powerful nine-tailed fox. To protect the village, Naruto's parents Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze sacrifice themselves and decide to seal Kurama inside Naruto (their newborn baby) and he becomes the host of Kurama.

Since Naruto is the host of the beast, villagers despise and fear him. Naruto grows up alone with no parents and friends. To gain attention from others, he becomes a troublemaker. However, despite causing trouble, Naruto's goal is to become Hokage so he can be accepted and gain the respect of others.

To pursue his dream, Naruto attends a ninja academy where he is grouped into Team 7, which includes teacher Kakashi Hatake and teammates Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha (Naruto's best friend and only survivor of the Uchiha clan massacre). Naruto takes readers and viewers through Team 7's training, dangerous missions and adventures. As a ninja student, Naruto learns the meaning of friendship, team work and perseverance. The manga is a story of self-growth and self-discovery of a boy from a nobody to a great leader.

Naruto's popularity extends beyond Japan, with a total global circulation of over 250 million copies and distribution in more than 60 countries and regions (sales outside Japan exceeded 100 million). Although the last episode of Naruto released in 2014 and the animation series ended in 2017, Naruto's popularity has never faded.

Toby Lu, director of sales and marketing at River City Bangkok, who is also a fan of Naruto said that the character inspired him.