Naruto Author Explains How He Writes His Villains

One of the most noteworthy aspects to Naruto’s storytelling is in the redemption of its antagonists.

Naruto would encounter an enemy, fight, and find common ground with that foe.

The main event for France’s Naruto event sheds both familiar and new light into how different the writing style for Naruto and Boruto are.

In the August 25th press conference, Masashi Kishimoto and Mikio Ikemoto  reveal some key details in their writing process. Among the important questions raised involved how Kishimoto wrote his villains.

COMPLETE TRANSLATION OF THE KISHIMOTO-IKEMOTO LIVE INTERVIEW

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Question: Is Naruto a work that promotes the idea that villains are not inherently evil?
Kishimoto: I believe everyone is good at heart, but that their environment and experiences can change them. It’s difficult to define what is good or evil, and it’s the people around them who guide young people. Naruto is a work full of master-student relationships and leaves it up to the reader to judge.

Kishimoto also mentions that the most difficult part was the conflict between Pain and Naruto, as both characters had valid arguments. He expresses doubts about who was right, but ultimately finds satisfaction to those questions in the ending of Naruto and Sasuke’s story as both Naruto and Sasuke grow to form their own conclusions through their experiences as friends and rivals.

The interview also looks at how different Boruto’s villains are compared to the Naruto series.

Question: Speaking of character and emotional state, in “Boruto” we know less about the villains’ pasts… Have you become less forgiving toward enemies?
Ikemoto: In “Naruto,” the antagonists had clear goals and reasons for opposing the heroes, and Mr. Kishimoto fully realized that concept. As for the battles, I couldn’t add more to it. I wanted to create villains who are different from those in the “Naruto” era. I prefer irrationality in villains and wanted to show their differences compared to the enemies in “Naruto.”
Kishimoto: In “Naruto,” I focused more on the lighter side, while lkemoto is facing much more complex challenges. Please support him as he navigates this difficult situation…

Kishimoto admits that he praises Ikemoto’s approach, viewing it as more complex and challenging the usual expectations on how to win a battle the right way.

Of note, Kishimoto mentions that his approach to writing villains with understandable motivations (such as Nagato/Pain) allows readers to judge for themselves how to respond to greater, environmental or systemic evils.

In the interview, the term “irrationality” does not necessarily mean “crazy” or “mentally incoherent” but “unreasonable” or cannot be reasoned with in the same way Naruto is able to talk it out with his enemies, which the fans call ” talk-no-jutsu”.

About Naruto

Naruto is a hit shonen manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto, serialized from 1999 to 2014 at Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Magazine. Having sold over 250 million copies of its 72 volumes in circulation, Naruto is one of Japan’s most recognized media franchises. The story of Naruto centers on the eponymous protagonist and his journey to become the strongest ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village, the Hokage.

About Boruto

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is the sequel to the Naruto series, serialized from 2016 to 2023, originally written by Ukyo Kodachi and illustrated by Mikio Ikemoto. Masashi Kishimoto supervised the series and became the writer in 2020. Boruto is serialized in Shueisha’s monthly magazine, V Jump. Boruto is about Naruto’s son Boruto and his battle against Kara and his fate as a vessel of the alien Otsutsuki clan. Boruto: Two Blue Vortex is the sequel to Boruto, serialized in 2023 and currently has 13 chapters as of writing.

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