[Part 1] "Ichiban Kuji Naruto Chunin Exams Arc" Pre-Sale Interview! Thoughts Behind the First Pre-Shippuden Arc Naruto Figures!

The long-awaited Ichiban Kuji Naruto Chunin Exams Arc prizes will be available starting 4/25 (JST)!

We interviewed the director of this project, who goes by the handle "Toothbrush"!

Part one of this interview will focus on the figures obtainable from prizes A to E, along with the Final Prize!

—First up, can you share the process involved with getting these products finalized?

Toothbrush: Since its debut all the way back in 2009, the Ichiban Kuji Naruto series always featured Shippuden or movie tie-in character designs. However, when looking at all the different merchandise we've released in recent years, we realized that we would need to expand our lineup to include products from the pre-Shippuden arc going forward. This part of the story is a fan-favorite, so we felt a lot of pressure when adapting the characters into proper products. But we hardened our resolve, put our heads together, and came up with a plan we could be proud of!

—You almost sound like Naruto when he decides on his shinobi way!

—What issues or difficulties did you encounter in the production process?

Toothbrush: I can't really say we had any serious problems, however we did run into an issue with the main draw of this Ichiban Kuji, the MASTERLISE series figures. Specifically, their size.
In past Ichiban Kuji, the MASTERLISE figures for the Naruto series had a uniform height of about 24 to 25 centimeters. After agreeing on creating figures of Naruto characters in their childhood forms, we knew we had to scale down the size of the figures for balance.
In order to avoid giving off the impression that the prizes were decreasing in volume somehow, we went the extra mile to expand the number of available figures in the lineup while also adding other smaller figurines and prizes to the prize pool.

—Can you tell us a bit about the figures found in Prizes A to E?

Toothbrush: We put a lot of thought in the molding process in order to clearly differentiate the pre-Shippuden figures from those of the Shippuden series. We also focused a lot of effort on crafting the accessories worn by each character so they could appear as lifelike as possible.
In particular, we focused on replicating the texture of the headbands and bandages found on all the characters in the lineup. To achieve this, we molded and painted the accessories to make them appear as real as possible!

—The accessories on these figures are quite detailed! Are they all made out of the same materials?

Toothbrush: Yes, exactly the same! The different textures are brought about through coloring and coating. But we also make use of a digital processing technique for the accessories as part of our hybrid creation process!

—How did you decide on the poses for the figures in Prizes A to E?

Toothbrush: We chose the poses for these figures by referencing the famous scenes of the Chunin Exams arc.

—Are the poses of Prize A Naruto and Prize B Sasuke taken from the finals of the Chunin Exams?

Toothbrush: You got it! They're taken from the scene where Sasuke returns from his training and shares some words with Naruto!
Though due to various constraints, we had to keep Sasuke in his regular outfit...
Naruto and Sasuke acknowledge each other as rivals, and promise to meet each other in the finals...
Of course we had to go with this fiery scene!

—Does Prize C Nara Shikamaru have an original pose?

Toothbrush: So in the Chunin Exams arc, Shikamaru doesn't really have a scene or pose that translates well into a 3D figure... While we were brainstorming what to do, a modeler came up with the idea for this pose, and we decided to run with it!

—Well, Shikamaru often makes this pose over the course of the series. Combine that with his perfectly replicated facial expression, and we can almost hear him grumbling his "troublesome" catchphrase!

Toothbrush: Right? In the end I think we were able to give him the coolest possible pose we could think up!

—Prize D is, of course, Lee with his signature fighting stance!

Toothbrush: Yes! We knew we had to choose a pose from his fight against Gaara. After all, this scene was the one that brought the most excitement to the preliminaries for the third exam!!

—What scene did you have in mind for Prize E's Neji?

Toothbrush: We decided on the pose he makes at the start of his fight against Naruto in the finals.
We attempted to replicate the fearless smile that creeps onto his face as he underestimates Naruto, assured of his own victory.

—Moving on, can you tell us a little about the Gaara figure slated for the Final Prize?

Toothbrush: In past Ichiban Kuji, Gaara has been available as a figure in his Shippuden appearance. However the Gaara that appears in the pre-Shippuden arc—especially during the Chunin Exams—is almost an entirely different character, so we had to rethink his design from the ground up.

Toothbrush: We partly chose it because this scene is just cool, but we also felt that it clearly reflected Gaara's character and personality during the Chunin Exams arc. A cruel boy who mercilessly ends lives without a second thought, whose only concern about his merciless killing is that he needs an umbrella to avoid covering himself in blood... This one scene completely encapsulates Gaara's character!

—Gaara holding an umbrella is also a novel sight!

Toothbrush: Yes, I believe it's the first time this scene has been made into a figure!
It was a really satisfying challenge for us!

This concludes Part 1 of the interview!
Part 2, where we'll be going over the other various products available from Prize F and onward, is scheduled to go up tomorrow 4/24 12:00 PM (JST)!