"I'd Like to Depict It in a Manga Someday." Masashi Kishimoto and Mikio Ikemoto's Interview in France Published!

In August of 2024, the publisher Kana* held an event in Paris, France called "KONOHA EXPERIENCE".

As part of that event, Masashi Kishimoto and Mikio Ikemoto took the stage to speak with French fans.
Excitement ran high in the packed venue as guests gave the two a thunderous welcome and a standing ovation!

KONOHA EXPERIENCE kept up the excitement from start to finish, and included an interview segment where the two manga creators answered questions from fans.
Now we're sharing the questions and answers from that segment with all the Naruto fans out there via this special article!

Be sure to check the end of the article for a video showing the creation process of the event's panel illustration!

*Kana is the French publisher of the Naruto and Boruto manga series.

—Before we get into the interview, can I ask how the two of you are liking Paris? Have you been enjoying yourselves?

Kishimoto:
It's been a lot of fun. After arriving in France I've been sightseeing in Paris, drinking great champagne, eating delicious French food...I've been in full vacation mode! Being here with everyone has got me back to business, though!

Ikemoto:
I've been eating so much food—probably a little too much...I'm honestly a bit worried I might gain weight!


—Mr. Ikemoto was an assistant from the very beginning of Naruto's serialization, so the two of you have been working on the world of Naruto together for a long time! Boruto is more of a collaborative work, so how have things changed in that regard?

Kishimoto:
It was a completely different workflow. For Naruto, I was in charge of both the story and the main illustrations while Ikemoto helped with things like illustrating backgrounds and drawing shadow doppelgangers.
For Boruto, Ikemoto is completely in charge of the story and main illustrations. It really is Ikemoto's manga.


—Naruto was quite a long series, and Boruto already has quite a few volumes to its name. Over that long process, have you found anything you like or dislike doing when it comes to creating manga?

Kishimoto:
I like drawing backgrounds, Japanese scenery, and animals. I struggle when it comes to drawing female characters though.

Ikemoto:
I think I actually do pretty well with drawing female characters, but I really can't deal with drawing shadow doppelgangers.

Kishimoto:
That's probably because I made you draw so many back in the day (laughs). There was even a scene with around 1,200 of them, so I'm not too surprised.


—I'm sure you're aware, but Naruto is one of the most popular manga protagonists in France. Even among the broader category of fictional protagonists, he's regarded as one of the most popular characters across multiple age groups. Naruto ended some time ago, but what do you think about its enduring popularity?

Kishimoto:
It's been about 10 years since Naruto ended, but I'm so touched to still be getting such an enthusiastic welcome from all the fans here. Thank you all very much. You almost brought me to tears on stage earlier. I really, truly, cannot thank you all enough.


—Naruto is probably one of the most well-known ninja stories in existence, but was there any specific moment when the extent of its popularity really hit you?

Kishimoto:
I mean, I never expected it to run so long at the start, nor did I expect it to become so popular in countries outside Japan like France. When I see the reactions of fans such as you all, I can really feel how beloved Naruto is, and that brings me a lot of joy. However, nothing ever goes well all the time, and I've had to remind myself over the course of the series not to get carried away with excitement or, conversely, get bogged down in despair. One thing I learned from creating Naruto was how to maintain my own equilibrium despite the current situation, and still live in a healthy manner throughout the series' ups and downs.


—Mr. Kishimoto has previously stated that when he was creating Naruto he was influenced not only by other anime, but also by Chinese movies, particularly ones featuring kung fu. Have you been influenced by similar things while creating Boruto?

Ikemoto:
While I did watch a lot of kung fu movies as a child, I stopped watching them as I became an adult. Then I saw The Matrix and also heard how it had taken inspiration from Jackie Chan and kung fu movies, which helped me rediscover my childhood love for them. So I'd say I was pretty heavily influenced by it.


—One of the unique things about Boruto is that there's a certain elegance to its character designs. How do you balance creating impactful fight scenes and dynamic movement with the intricately detailed costumes you've created?

Ikemoto:
I often hear things about how elaborate my style is or how hard it must be to draw so many minor details, but to be honest with you, it's not always that hard. In the same vein, just because a design is simple doesn't mean it's easy to draw. It does take time to add details, but liking the design you're drawing helps keep your motivation up. The complicated character designs have actually been a big source of motivation for me as I draw the series, so I can't say they're "difficult" to draw. Also, when I design a character, I start by developing their personality and how they think. Deciding what they wear only comes after that. "What would this character choose to wear?" is something I often ask myself since I think clothing is very representative of one's personality and mental state. Even if someone doesn't tend to care too much about fashion, that will be reflected in what they wear as well. So being particular about character designs and outfits is something that's very important to me.

—Mr. Ikemoto, while we're on the topic of personalities and mental states, there have been observations about how the antagonists in Boruto don't have the same sense of humanity that Naruto antagonists did. The readers aren't shown their pasts or what drove them down their current paths. Can you tell us a little bit about your thought process when it comes to creating enemy characters in Boruto?

Ikemoto:
For Naruto, his enemies always had their own sense of purpose or belief in their goals when it came time to fight. Throughout the course of Naruto, Kishimoto explored so many backstories and origins. You could even say he exhausted all the possible reasons for why people could end up in conflict. So there wasn't any new ground to break there, and it wouldn't be interesting to have an enemy show up that seemed like they belonged in Naruto. So instead, I went in the opposite direction for Boruto and came up with unreasonable antagonists, obstacles that have to be challenged and overcome for the sake of human life itself. I felt it was vital to set them apart from Naruto antagonists.

Kishimoto:
I took all the best ideas for Naruto so I think Ikemoto over here has been having it pretty rough. It's a really difficult series to write, so I'm always in his corner. Everyone, please give him your support as well!


—In the period of time after Naruto finished but before Boruto began, were there any changes to the standards for shonen manga series? Would you say that certain story elements are expected of a series that began in 2024 that weren't necessary when Naruto was first released?

Kishimoto:
When it comes to shonen manga, action and a compelling story are important, of course. There are lots of other factors to keep in mind, but what's vital is that the creator writes from their heart, informed by their own experiences, to create a character that is truly alive to them. They have to be able to get into the heads of their characters. To me, that's an essential element to a good shonen manga. Authors that understand this fact and set out to create long and successful serializations end up naturally writing like this. So I believe at its core, what's expected of a shonen manga hasn't changed.

Ikemoto:
I completely agree with Kishimoto, but I will add that when it comes to shonen manga, fight scenes are especially important. I also believe that antagonists should be just as cool as the protagonist.


—On the topic of enemies, one of Naruto's greatest strengths is his ability to reach out and offer a hand to even his vilest foes. Despite focusing on battles and ninjas, this work seems to hold at its core a belief that no matter how evil they are and how much harm they may cause, villains aren't simply born evil. Would you agree with that statement?

Kishimoto:
I want to believe that fundamentally all people are born good, and the circumstances of their environment are what lead them astray. We change as we grow up. What's important is for children to have adults and mentors around to guide them. Depending on how they are guided, they can be led down paths of good or evil. But even if they're led down an ostensibly evil path, can one really say they become entirely evil? Perhaps not. In the end, defining what is good and what is evil is always complicated, but I think mentors and teacher-student relationships are important. In Naruto there are dozens of mentor-mentee relationships that include characters such as Jiraiya, Kakashi, and even Orochimaru. Are these relationships inherently good or evil? I leave it up to the readers to decide for themselves.

—In the beginning of Naruto there was a lot of emphasis placed on hard work beating out talent as told through the characters of Rock Lee, Guy, and Naruto himself. But afterwards, it was revealed that Naruto was the son of the Fourth Hokage. Did you never consider giving Naruto a normal background, rather than having him be born as the "chosen one"?

Kishimoto:
That's a hard-hitting question, but it does get to the heart of the matter. At first, I wrote Naruto as a character who struggles with his impoverished upbringing. It's something that we have in common. Coming straight out of a rural town, desperately wanting to be recognized, but unable to find anyone willing to give me a shot; I took those feelings that defined my childhood and entrusted them to Naruto. By doing that and by working on Naruto, I slowly but surely began to gain recognition and praise from people around the world. In time, that feeling of wanting to be recognized by others had already been satisfied, and I found myself having some difficulty continuing to write him. While I was struggling with that block, I thought that maybe there could be some avenues to explore with family lineage or blood ties. I also came to realize that the pressure of living up to expectations can also take a heavy toll on a person. So I took that shift in my own mindset and applied it to Naruto. I'd like to depict my conclusions regarding that idea in a manga someday, so please wait patiently for it.


—Mr. Kishimoto, Mr. Ikemoto, were there any aspects of the drafting process for Naruto and Boruto that were more difficult than your other projects? Conversely, were there any parts that you were able to realize completely, just as you imagined them? And can you give us any examples?

Kishimoto:
The most difficult part for me was probably the Pain arc. Pain's logic can be interpreted as righteous, but at the same time so can Naruto's. Since both characters could be seen as right, I really agonized over handling the outcome correctly. That was a really difficult period for me. On the other hand, I'm very satisfied with how the resolution of Naruto and Sasuke's conflict turned out.

Ikemoto:
Unlike Naruto, Boruto was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and had everything he could ever want. Sure there might be some inconveniences that come with your father being the Hokage, but he didn't start off the story with a clear goal like Naruto did. In retrospect, I can see how he might not have come across as an interesting manga protagonist when viewed objectively, at least for the pre-timeskip arc. Then Kawaki, who is Boruto's complete opposite in many ways, entered the story. He served as a driving force for the plot, and you could even say he became the de facto protagonist for some portions of the pre-timeskip arc. Switching places with Kawaki allowed Boruto to shine as a protagonist, so I'm pretty happy with how that turned out.