One of Naurto’s most iconic story arcs was never supposed to happen.
According to an interview with series creator Masashi Kishimoto, the mangaka was adamantly opposed to writing a tournament arc but was forced to by his editors at Shōnen Jump. Kishimoto’s original plan for the series was reportedly slower-paced and uninterested in the rest of Naruto’s classmates, an approach the creator still wishes he could’ve stuck with. However, Shōnen Jump wanted quicker storytelling and bigger fights that brought together fighters from numerous villages, leading to the proposal of a tournament arc. Despite Kishimoto’s claim that it would kill him to write one, his editor told him to “do it even if it kills him,” and so the Chunin Exam arc was born.
The Importance of Naruto's Chunin Exams Arc
The Chunin Exams featured some of Naruto’s most memorable moments. They introduced some its most well-known characters, from Gaara and the Hidden Sand Village to Orochimaru and the Hidden Sound. It’s difficult to imagine the series without the arc, given how integral it became, with the format also serving as the basis for the Boruto movie and one of the spinoff’s most well-regarded arcs. The Chunin Exams also led to the death of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, paving the way for introducing characters like Tsunade and Jiraya, who are beloved among fans and readers might not have met without the damage sustained by the Leaf Village during the arc. That said, given Kishimoto’s track record, it’s likely he would’ve found a way to tell the story fans know and love in different but still engaging fashion.
Although some fans lost faith in Kishimoto’s abilities with the release of Boruto, which has been devisive since its debut, even the most critical have changed their tune in recent weeks with the developments seen in the latest manga chapters. Readers went as far as to dub Chapter 79 “better than My Hero Academia and One Piece combined,” which may be intentionally hyperbolic but does show that, given time, Kishimoto is still one of the best storytellers in the medium. The mangaka will get to prove this once again with the impending Naruto one-shot centered on the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. Naruto’s father placed first in a fan poll to determine which character would get their own manga, beating out Kishimoto’s personal pick Kurama, the Nine Tails.
A release date for the Minato one-shot has yet to be announced, but fans can check out the latest chapters of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations through its North American publisher, VIZ Media.
Source: Comicbook.com