Pushing Mind and Body to the Limit for the Live Series' Conclusion! Interview with Stars of Live Spectacle NARUTO ～The Shinobi Way of Life～!

Masaki Nakao (Naruto Uzumaki)
Born on November 27th, 1996. Known for his stage play roles such as Sohaya no Tsurugi in Musical: Touken Ranbu and Atsushi Sendo in Tokyo Revengers, and a variety of other TV and movie roles.

Ryuji Sato (Sasuke Uchiha)
Born on January 17th, 1995. Known for roles such as Yuji Itadori in the Jujutsu Kaisen stage play, Hikaru Zaizen in the second season of Musical: The Prince of Tennis, and various other roles in popular 2.5-dimensional productions.

—The current production marks the conclusion to the Live Spectacle NARUTO (hereafter, Live NARUTO) series, how are you feeling about that?

Masaki Nakao (hereafter, Masaki): I've been a fan of NARUTO for a long time, and getting involved with these stage productions has only increased my love for the series. I've met a lot of great people, and my role in these plays has been a really formative experience for me. I've always been looking forward to putting on the concluding act, and when I think about how this will be my last time performing alongside my fellow Live NARUTO cast members, I'm even more determined to give it my all as we see this to the end!

Ryuji Sato (hereafter, Ryuji): The other day, when we did shooting for the visual, I found myself grieving the series' end as opposed to enjoying a sense of accomplishment for all we've done. It really does feel sad that my role as Sasuke Uchiha, which has been a constant in my life these past eight years, is almost over. So I want to commit myself to doing everything I can as Sasuke to make this finale a worthy conclusion for Live NARUTO.

—Looking back on your time with Live NARUTO, what moments stand out to you the most?

Masaki: For me, it's singing the last song of each performance, "The Shinobi Way of Life". There's a feeling of strength and support from all my comrades in the final scene after we've fought through everything together. It really reflects the story of NARUTO, and I'm filled with happiness every time. The amount of movement required is physically and mentally demanding, but I think performing like that is our way of doing battle!

Ryuji: This is more about an actor than the series, but what I remember the most is the scene from the last play where Seijiro (Seijiro Nakamura), who plays Madara, fights against the five Kage. During the stage combat rehearsals for that, he was so fast no one could keep up with him (laughs).

Masaki: He's like a real Madara (laughs).

Ryuji: He is! Seijiro is so incredibly fast, I can't help wondering how Masaki, Yui Ito who plays Sakura, and I are going to fare in our fight against him near the end of the current play (laughs).

Masaki: We're definitely going to get told to move faster (laughs).

Ryuji: He was so fast it was scary—I remember being genuinely afraid. Are we going to be able to keep up? (laughs)

Masaki: I've always envisioned Naruto as a straightforward person charging after his dreams, so I don't think my portrayal of him changed, but I feel more impassioned to play Naruto as he takes a huge step toward his ambition. He's steadily maturing, now bolstered by the love of his parents and surrounded by friends. At the end of the previous play, when the Allied Shinobi Forces faced off against the Ten Tails, I felt like I was experiencing a whole new stage of my time as Naruto. At the end of NARUTO, he achieves his dream of becoming Hokage, and I'm full of excitement for that moment.

Ryuji: Sasuke never expected to see Itachi in the land of the living again, and their encounter ends with him experiencing the pain of losing his brother all over again. I think watching what is essentially Itachi's death for the second time is a bit of a turning point for Sasuke, and results in him wondering what he should do going forward—that's where he is at the end of the last play. When he goes on to meet the previous Hokage and decides on a course of action, he's not exactly going to move in a positive direction... The path leading up to his final fight with Naruto will grow darker and darker, and part of me's actually a little scared of acting it out.

—If you two could pick any character to play, who would it be?

Masaki: I'd try Sasuke! He's really cool, and the total opposite of me so I think it'd be fun. I see Naruto and Sasuke as two sides of the same coin, since as Naruto himself realizes, their "roles could have been reversed". So I guess what I'm saying is I'd like to try playing the "other side". I'd really like to act out that last scene with Itachi, and have Shinji (Shinji Rachi, who plays Itachi) poke my forehead.

Ryuji: I'd like to play Zabuza. He has this line where he says, "Not..another word", with tears in his eyes at the end of the scene where Naruto interrogates him about Haku. It's so cool, and so quintessentially manly that I got chills when I read the manga version. Asahi's (Asahi Uchida, who plays Zabuza) rendition of the character was amazing as well. The scene where Zabuza passes away with his hand on Haku's cheek was incredibly touching, and you could really feel the bond between the characters. I remember thinking I'd like to try acting it myself.

—Are there any particular impressions or memories you have of Team 7, from either Live NARUTO or the original work?

Masaki: I've been playing Naruto since The Tale Of Uzumaki Naruto (2021), but watching the actors who've been together since the first production in 2015, I'm struck by how they can communicate without words. Naturally, Ryuji has collected lots of memories and built up a kind of momentum from when he started playing Sasuke at about 20 years old to now. Then there's Yuki (Yuki Kimisawa, who plays Kakashi), who you can tell is always watching out for everyone, and Yui, who clearly understands her fellow actors so well. As a newer member, I greatly respect them all, and it's been such a welcoming workplace that, strange as it may seem, I feel like we've become more than coworkers.

Ryuji: The original manga created this trio of an energetic guy, a cool guy, and a lone girl, joined by an incredibly strong teacher. It's a pattern you see in a lot of series now, but I think NARUTO's Team 7 was the original inspiration. Sasuke leaves them midway, and a lot of things happen, but everything really gets tied together by Kakashi's line at the end, where he says, "I really...love you guys right now!" There's no words that can do it justice, but I think Team 7 is the epitome of youth and friendship that many people go through life searching for. Every time I read the manga, I'm both moved by and envious of the bonds they share with each other.

—What's something you each found impressive about the other during your time acting together?

Masaki: Ryuji picks up everything so fast! (laughs) His lines, choreography, stage combat, all of it! He's a really smart guy. But for me it takes a lot more time, and I really have to work at it. One time Yuki even joked that we're just like Naruto and Sasuke. Ryuji and I always support each other and help each other improve.

Ryuji: When Masaki was cast it had been about 10 years since we last performed together, and because I only had those memories to go on, I wondered if he'd really be okay (laughs). He had been pretty inexperienced at that point, so I was impressed when I saw how much he'd improved. His singing and movements were all so much better... This is earlier in the story than the current play, but it felt just like that reunion scene where Sasuke's surprised by how much Naruto has grown.

Masaki: I can see that!

Ryuji: Masaki also seemed to have built up an infinite supply of stamina, which shows how much of a hard worker he is.

—I expect your characters will have many interactions in this production, such as the last scene in the Final Valley. Do you have any thoughts on that?

Masaki: I'm looking forward to it! There's so many scenes I'd love to do, and when I think about parts I'm sure will be adapted like the Final Valley fight...it just really drives home how this is the grand finale! Also, I haven't actually had many scenes with Sasuke, so I'm excited for that as well. Team 7 coming together and fighting as a unit, Naruto bringing all his feelings and experiences to bear in his conflict with Sasuke... I feel like shouting "Bring it on!" I'll be whirling across that stage and pushing my body past its limits!

Ryuji: At this point in the story I think Naruto's already the strongest ninja in Konoha. He reunites with the rival he's battled over the years, and they both experience a whole new level of opponent, fighting until neither of them can even throw a punch. I think their minds and bodies get pushed past their limits in that fight, so I hope that Masaki and I can surpass our limits as actors and performers, going all out against each other until we've got nothing left to give.

—Finally, could you say a few words to all the fans around the world who are looking forward to the live series' final production?

Masaki: I've always poured myself into my role with the firm belief that our cast's love for NARUTO won't lose to that of all you fans out there. I've proudly told people how great the Live NARUTO productions are on many occasions, so now that we're at the end I really hope you'll come to see it in person. We'll be working hard on our portrayal of the world of NARUTO, and this is the culmination of many years of effort, so I just know it's going to be something uniquely amazing. In other words, I'll do my best!

Ryuji: The entire cast is pulling out all the stops for this final production, so I think it'll definitely be even more moving than the previous installments. We're all going to do our parts to make this a fitting conclusion to the past eight years! Also, I've always said in previous interviews that I'd make Sasuke the coolest character on stage, but now I'm going to change it up: Team 7 as a whole will be taking that title this time.

—Thank you both very much for your time!

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