The look of Naruto and the guys from Team 7 became mega famous and easy to recognize, right? But they almost had a very different look. Back in the early 2000s, a series guide in Japan showed some clothes that, wow, were pretty out of fashion. If they had gone with these ideas, the vibe of the series would be different, for sure.
There’s a Naruto book, Rin no Sho, which was written by Masashi Kishimoto, the guy who created everything. This book talks about the first 119 chapters of the manga. There are four of these books, but so far, no English version.
This guide came out in 2002 in Japan and has a lot of drawings, character information and other things about the manga. Rin no Sho shows that Naruto and his gang went through several versions before arriving at the definitive look that we know – both in the manga and in the anime. Good thing, because one of the first styles they had was kind of bizarre.
The Naruto gang had a very 90s, early 2000s feel. And you can see that Kishimoto made the right choice by giving the series a unique style. Sakura, for example, had a pop star look from that time, showing her belly. Naruto came full of chains, even with a headset, and his hair was very different, none of that classic spiky look. But his face didn’t change much. There are people who thought these were the original looks of Team 7, but the prototype Naruto is almost the same as the one in the first chapter, so these designs were more of Kishimoto’s fun.
Mangakas sometimes draw characters in different situations or alternative worlds, so it could be that these designs were just an idea that didn’t happen.
Naruto and Sakura changed a little, but the one who changed the most was Sasuke. The design isn’t bad, but it doesn’t really match the Sasuke that everyone likes, it looks more like Shino Abarame. Sasuke’s more closed vibe appears in the look, but it seems like an exaggeration.
The cool thing about Naruto has always been how the characters are designed. Kishimoto’s drawings are amazing and remain strong to this day. Naruto continues to be a hit, even years after it ended, and a lot of this is because the series isn’t stuck in a specific era. It’s kind of strange in Boruto, for example, to see a ninja Nintendo Switch, you know? These old looks probably weren’t even considered for real, but if they had gone with them, today the series would look very dated.
Naruto is a huge success in anime and manga, largely because Kishimoto’s drawings never go out of style. Since the series began in 1999, it doesn’t seem to have aged. To say that the characters’ timeless look is part of Naruto’s success around the world is not an exaggeration. Naruto’s orange jumpsuit, Kakashi’s mask and Akatsuki’s clothes are icons that transcend time. That’s why Naruto is one of the top anime and manga, because Kishimoto’s style is eternal.
