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Masashi Kishimoto, the genius behind the long-standing legendary animeNaruto,is a true action film nerd himself. His love for films, particularly action ones, has greatly influenced the style ofNaruto.Many of his sources come from classic action directors and one such name is Michael Bay. The director is known for his explosive films likeTransformersandBad Boys, and Kishimoto somehow drew inspiration from some techniques Bay uses.
Bay’s signature cinematography had intrigued Kishimoto into trying it out for the storytelling aspect ofNaruto, but he dubbed it quite challenging to execute. Michael Bay isn’t the only director who influencedNaruto,and you can see how much Kishimoto truly appreciates films.
How Action Movies Have InfluencedNaruto
Masashi Kishimotomight have written some of the best and most memorable anime characters in history withNaruto,but he also wrote the most thrilling fights and dramatic monologues. These scenes would require a heavy amount of visual impact that would keep emotions and tensions high so the mangaka has drawn inspiration from various filmmakers. From Beat Takeshi to Tarantino, there’s no end to the homages he has brought toNaruto.
The Signature Drawing Technique Masashi Kishimoto Used in Naruto is Why its Manga Fight Scenes are Better Than One Piece
Inan interview with the Los Angeles Times, he explains his love for movies and how they have inspired him to try out new techniques:
I watch a lot of movies, and I tend to be influenced by scenes that intrigue me, that make me want to use the same effects or technique. I once adopted [actor-director] Takeshi Kitano’s technique of shooting objects from a great distance to stifle the emotion in the scene. I like the way Quentin Tarantino creates a scene using a series of close-ups or showing very cool images of a person or people walking on some ordinary street in slow motion. I wish I could achieve that kind of slow-motion effect in manga, but it’s rather difficult to draw; the only things we can play with are tones of black and white. I also like Michael Bay’s technique of shooting a scene against the background light. I’d like to try this in manga, but again it would be rather difficult.
While he does acknowledge the limitations of manga, there’s no reason to believe his love for their movies didn’t translate to the anime. It is challenging to replicate the same techniques employed by those filmmakers, but it’s his understanding of them that has shaped the visual narrative ofNaruto.
Movies vs Manga: How Kishimoto Still Let The Inspiration Flow inNaruto
While the manga medium ofNarutofeels totally different from the movies Kishimoto aspires to emulate, the influence is still felt and present. The bold contrast and shading he uses in pivotal battles, like withNaruto vs Sasuke, give off the same strong lighting cinematography inMichael Bayfilms.
Boruto Manga Seemingly Confirms Masashi Kishimoto is Desperately Trying to Create a Villain as Badass as Nagato
Bay’s signature explosions and high-intensity action sequences are mirrored inNaruto’s fight scenes. The exaggerated movements and powerful visuals might be typical of a shonen anime, but are also very much a norm for movies like Transformers. Kishimoto has learned how to truly create a spectacle, with some help from Michael Bay.
Naruto: Shippudenis available on Crunchyroll.
Bidisha Mitra
Articles Published :802
Bidisha is an Anime Content Writer at FandomWire with over 700 published articles. With over 7 years of writing experience, she’s versatile and adept. When she’s not writing, she’s also a voice actor on the side.Bidisha is currently continuing to learn Japanese and gets more fluent everyday. Her expertise is One Piece, Bungo Stray Dogs, and Haikyuu, but has been watching anime for over a decade. She was previously a Content Writer reviewing the latest Kpop music.
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Masashi KishimotoMichael BayNarutoNaruto Shippuden
