Classic theatre patrons and Shakespearean aficionados may know their thees and thous, but they may be less familiar with the manga genre, otherwise known as Japanese graphic novels. But millions of fans around the world are quite familiar with the story of Naruto, an orphaned ninja who dreams of becoming the leader of his village. Faced with challenges coupled with moments of enlightenment, Naruto and his companions have enthralled international followers for more than 25 years through graphic novels, television shows, movies, and, now, a larger-then-life concert coming soon to the Ellie Caulkins Opera House.

NARUTO The Symphonic Experience

In a 2008 Los Angeles Times interview, Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto explained how he based the self-titled, knucklehead ninja on his childhood.

Kishimoto stated, “The only image I had in mind was a character who was a naughty boy. I was a poor student, but unlike Naruto, I was the type of poor student who gave up easily and pondered things that weren’t worth pondering. I wanted Naruto to be different. He was created based on my self-image of my own childhood, but different from how I really was.”

Other manga and anime like Dragon Ball, Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, Ninku, and more also inspired Kishimoto.

The Naruto manga sold 250 million copies worldwide, and 2024 marked the series’ 25th anniversary. The manga also paved the way for an anime television series which aired from 2002 to 2007 with 220 episodes followed by movies and spin-off shows.

Now, NARUTO: The Symphonic Experience brings the popular anime to life on stage with a live orchestral band rendition of Toshio Masuda’s original score and clips from the show projected on a big screen.

Whether you’re a true fan or someone who’s never heard of Naruto until now, dive in and learn the ins and outs of the series — including the plot, characters, how Masuda created the score, and more.

Story

Naruto is the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a knuckleheaded, prankster ninja in training who strives to become the Hidden Leaf Village’s lead ninja, aka Hokage. However, Naruto is treated as an outcast because, through no fault of his own, the spirit of the Nine-Tailed Fox lives inside him.

The Nine-Tailed Fox, a spiritual deity, wreaked havoc on the Hidden Leaf Village — leaving nothing but death and destruction in its path as the local ninjas tried to defeat it. The only way to stop the beast was to seal it within Naruto, who was only a baby. Naruto’s parents also died defending the village from the fox demon.

Fast forward 12 years later, Naruto must develop his ninja skills and learn to harness the Nine-Tailed Fox’s power to become a better fighter.

Some ninja skills include using complex hand gestures to summon animals or other beings, cloning themselves (aka the shadow clone jutsu), managing stored energy called chakra, and mastering weapons (throwing stars, kunai knives, and more). Naruto’s Nine-Tailed Fox has unlimited chakra levels — giving him a considerable advantage in battles.

After graduating from the academy, he’s paired with an unlikely squad: Sasuke Uchiha (frenemy and ultimate rival), Sakura Haruno (his crush), and Kakashi Hatake (sensei and guide). These four go on ninja missions together to test their strength, teamwork, and morale.

Characters and Cast

Naruto has a diverse ensemble of characters, such as:

• Naruto Uzumaki: The show’s lead character with a headstrong attitude who would put his life on the line for his friends and village. He’s determined to become Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village one day.
• Sakura Haruno: Naruto’s love interest and the most intelligent ninja in the group (with a short temper). Her skills help her study and learn the ways of medical ninja training from Lady Tsunade. She also has a crush on Sasuke.
• Sasuke Uchiha: The introverted bad boy who begrudgingly becomes Naruto’s best friend and greatest rival. Sasuke’s older brother, Itachi, killed the entire Uchiha clan, and Sasuke has plotted revenge ever since.
• Kakashi Hatake: Kakashi, aka “The Copycat Ninja,” is known for his ability to “learn” anyone’s fighting style and use it against them in combat. Although he’s always late to meetings and enjoys risqué novels, he leads Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura on many missions and offers semi-helpful guidance.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi: The third Hokage of the Leaf Village, Sarutobi was a wise, older man who sacrificed his life saving the Leaf Village from the threat of one of his old pupils, Orochimaru. He even gave Naruto some sage advice on a few occasions.
• Jiraiya: One of the three legendary Sannin ninjas. He mentors Naruto with different legendary ninja moves, including the Rasengan. Naruto also nicknames Jiraiya the Pervy Sage for his love of beautiful women and for writing risqué novels that Kakashi reads.
• Lady Tsunade: Another one of the three legendary Sannin ninjas, who was also known as the Legendary Sucker for her risky and failed gambling habits. After the death of the Leaf Village’s Third Hokage, Jiraiya and Naruto go on a mission to find and convince Lady Tsunade to take up the mantle. She accepts the position after getting into a fight with Naruto, a scrap with Orochimaru, grappling with some PTSD over a past lover, and sobering up.
• Orochimaru: One of the main villains in Naruto, Orochimaru was the third member of the three legendary Sannin ninjas. He went rogue and abandoned the Leaf Village. He also became obsessed with snakes and (literally) took Sasuke under his wing.

Other characters include:

• Rock Lee
• Shikamaru Nara
• Gaara
• Might Guy
• Itachi Uchiha
• Neji Hyuga
• Hinata Hyuga
• Iruka Umino

Music

Toshio Masuda original score is the basis of NARUTO: The Symphonic Experience. He created the music for all four seasons of the Naruto television series and the first three movies: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow, Legend of the Stone of Gelel, and Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom.

Crunchyroll interviewed Masuda in 2021 about creating music for the iconic series — mixing rock music with Japanese instruments like shamisens, taikos, tsuzumis, shinobues, and more.

He stated: “It would be more exciting if there was a memorable music cue for a specific “here and now!” scene throughout the series. For example, “I Said I’m Naruto” and “Go Go Naruto!” from Naruto Original Soundtrack, “Sexiness” for Jiraiya, and “Thunder Break” from Naruto Original Soundtrack 2.

“All of the characters in Naruto have very distinct personalities, so I rarely had to worry about them when I was writing the music,” Masuda continued. “However, I had to be careful not to overdo it and made sure not to let the image of the song take precedence. I was a big fan of Naruto myself and I sometimes tended to put too much feeling into it. That’s why I tried not to lose my objectivity.”

Follow-Up Shows and Movies

A follow-up show called Naruto: Shippuden aired from 2009 to 2017 with 501 episodes depicting Naruto’s life from adolescence to adulthood.

In 2017, the Naruto lore expanded with Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, detailing the story of Naruto and his son, Boruto. The show spanned from 2017 to 2023 with 293 episodes.

A mini-series called Rock Lee & His Ninja Pals showcased different adventures from Rock Lee’s perspective. This show had 51 episodes and ran from 2012 to 2013.

Naruto also has inspired a ton of movies, such as:

• Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow
• Legend of the Stone of Gelel
• Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom
• Naruto Shippuden the Movie
• Bonds
• The Will of Fire
• The Lost Tower
• Blood Prison
• Road to Ninja
• The Last
• Boruto: Naruto the Movie

Both diehard and newbie fans can embrace the Naruto phenomenon in concert at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House on April 1.

DETAILS
NARUTO: The Symphonic Experience
Apr 1 • Ellie Caulkins Opera House
Tickets