Naruto (ナルト ? ) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto . It tells the story of
Naruto Uzumaki , an adolescent ninja who searches constantly for recognition and dreams of becoming the
Hokage , the ninja in his village who is acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of all. The series is based on a one-shot manga by Kishimoto published in the August 1997 issue of Akamaru Jump .
Naruto was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine from the 43rd issue of 1999 to the 50th issue of 2014, with the chapters collected into seventy-two tankōbon volumes by Shueisha. The manga was later adapted into a television anime produced by Studio Pierrot and
Aniplex . It premiered across Japan on the terrestrial TV Tokyo and other TX Network stations on October 3, 2002. The first series lasted 220 episodes, while Naruto: Shippuden, a sequel to the original series, has aired since February 15, 2007. In addition to the anime series, Studio Pierrot has developed eleven movies and several
original video animations (OVAs). Other types of merchandise include light novels, video games, and trading cards developed by several companies.
