Masashi Kishimoto

Masashi Kishimoto
岸本 斉史
Born (1974-11-08) November 8, 1974 (age 50)
Nagi, Okayama, Japan
Alma materKyushu Sangyo University
OccupationManga artist
Years active1997–present
EmployerShueisha
Notable workNaruto
Children1
RelativesSeishi Kishimoto (twin brother)
AwardsQuill Award (2006)

Masashi Kishimoto (岸本 斉史, Kishimoto Masashi, born November 8, 1974[1]) is a Japanese manga artist. His manga series, Naruto, which was in serialization from 1999 to 2014, has sold over 250 million copies worldwide in 46 countries as of May 2019.[2][3] The series has been adapted into two anime and multiple films, video games, and related media. Besides the Naruto manga, Kishimoto also personally supervised the two canonical anime films, The Last: Naruto the Movie and Boruto: Naruto the Movie, and has written several one-shot stories. In 2019, Kishimoto wrote Samurai 8: The Tale of Hachimaru which ended in March 2020. From May 2016 through October 2020 he supervised the Boruto: Naruto Next Generations manga written by Ukyō Kodachi and illustrated by Mikio Ikemoto. In November 2020 it was announced that he had taken over as writer on the series, replacing Kodachi.[4]

A reader of manga from a young age, Kishimoto showed a desire to write his own manga, citing authors Akira Toriyama and Katsuhiro Otomo as his main influences. As a result, Kishimoto spent several years working to write his own shōnen manga for Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine which he was a fan of.[5]

  1. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (October 4, 2002). NARUTO―ナルト―[秘伝·兵の書]オフォシャルファンBOOK (in Japanese). Japan: Shueisha. p. 205. ISBN 4-08-873321-5.
  2. ^ 「ＮＡＲＵＴＯ―ナルト―」作者・岸本斉史さん 新連載『サムライ８（エイト）八丸伝（ハチマルデン）』スタート 君も完璧じゃなくていい (in Japanese). Yomiuri Online. May 3, 2019. Archived from the original on May 4, 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  3. ^ "MANGA Plus: Interviewing editors". MANGA Plus. Shueisha. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  4. ^ "Masashi Kishimoto Takes Over as Writer for Boruto Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  5. ^ Kido, Misaki C. (January 2012). "Interview with Masashi Kishimoto (Creator of Naruto)". Weekly Shonen Jump Alpha (1–30–12). Viz Media: 118–121.