The Naruto anime turned 20 years old this year, and a special art gallery to commemorate the Naruto 20th anniversary just opened in Japan. Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto provided a new illustration to celebrate the occasion. The art showcases Naruto as he appeared early in the show as well as his older incarnation from its end.
Check it out below. The original Naruto 20th Anniversary piece of art will be exhibited in the space itself, which is called Naruto the Gallery.
ギャラリー開催を記念して、
『#NARUTO』の原作者・岸本斉史先生より、
描き下ろしのイラストをいただきました🎉少年ナルトと大人になったナルトがウインク…！
成長を感じられるイラストにぐっときますね✨
ギャラリー会場内に展示いたしますので、お越しの際は是非ご覧ください。#NARUTO #ナルト pic.twitter.com/qqKivYpWZQ— NARUTO THE GALLERY／NARUTO THE LIVE【公式】 (@naruto_20th) December 5, 2022
The illustration also includes a message from Masashi Kishimoto. In it he says:
“Congratulations on the opening of Naruto the Gallery! I’m looking forward to enjoying the anime’s 20-year history! Even as the original creator, the anime has influenced me greatly, and I took my own inspiration from watching it.”
Naruto the Gallery is a special exhibition located in the UDX building in Akihabara, Tokyo. Its grand opening is set for December 10, 2022, and it’ll remain open through January 31, 2023. Within the event space, attendees can see exhibits celebrating iconic moments from the anime, as well as production material from the show and other art. There’ll also be exclusive Naruto 20th Anniversary merchandise on offer.
Many of the items on sale are built around the gallery’s bespoke poster art, which depicts Naruto and his friends as seen in Naruto Shippuden facing off against their greatest foes, including Akatsuki, Madara Uchiha, and Orochimaru.
The items at Naruto the Gallery range from merchandise goods like acrylic standees, keychains, towels, and buttons, to posters, apparel, and even specially packaged snacks like Baby Star-brand Instant Ramen and chocolate. Some of the more novel Naruto 20th Anniversary items include special sets of chopsticks marked with emblems based on Sasuke, Naruto, Itachi, and Minato, a tissue paper container made to look like a can full of paper ninja seals, and a cable organizer that looks like Orochimaru.
Studio Pierrot, which produced the show, also released a celebratory montage of scenes in October 2022.
The Naruto and Naruto Shippuden anime series are available to stream on services like Crunchyroll and Netflix. A spin-off, Boruto, is ongoing.
Published: Dec 6, 2022 07:30 am