Naruto creator reflects on groundbreaking manga series

Plus, view some exclusive content below.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY:Narutohas had a massive impact on the manga community.

From your perspective, how have you seen this genre shift and evolve in your time associated with it?

MASASHI KISHIMOTO:Manga was already starting to trickle outside Japan when my series started.

So I dont know that I can take credit for the spread [of manga].

Originally, manga was this little niche industry, only appreciated by fans even in Japan.

Now most laypeople are aware.

What are you most proud of when you think back on your work?

Did you ever thinkNarutowould be as big a success as it was?

I was actually able to work onNarutoand bring it to a successful conclusion.

Not in terms of a commercial success, but to complete the story I had envisioned.

That is one of the things Im most proud of.

What was the most challenging moment or experience of working onNaruto?

It was very important for me to show Naruto is capable of forgiving anyone, even his enemy.

But I didnt want to do that in a battle scene.

I wanted Naruto to convince Pain verbally, that Pain should change his ways and they could reconcile.

I wasnt able to take time off, and I had to sit through the pain.

Not only has manga expanded globally, but manga style has expanded.

Especially with the development of high quality digital tools, the artistic side of manga has become much easier.

WithNarutocomplete, whats ahead for you?

I definitely think that some of the overarching themes inNarutoare not defined by any one particular culture.

And that theme inNarutois something people can relate to.

[Now thatNarutois complete] I plan to go to Hawaii, first of all.

And I do have an idea in mind for my next project.

Unfortunately, I cant really talk about it yet.

I definitely also want to get some quality time with my kids.