PHOTOS: Naruto’s 20th Anniversary Gallery Provides a Nostalgic Platform for Die-Hard Fans
(Photo: Alicia Haddick)
While Naruto as a franchise started life in 1999 within the pages of Shonen Jump, it was the 2002 anime adaptation that took the franchise from hit manga to a worldwide phenomenon. It was thanks to the anime the orange ninja went from a scrawny kid to a near-mascot for Japanese pop culture around the world. Throughout the 2000s and even today, Naruto is recognizable to even those who hadn’t heard of Japanese animation, and its success fundamentally changed the industry as it charted its path to stardom.
In October 2022, the Naruto anime celebrated two decades with a major exhibition in the heart of Akihabara. Naruto the Gallery promised a celebration of a series the world has come to embrace as its own, and its tracing through the history of this seminal series serves as a trip down memory lane for the fans who choose to visit.
(Photo: Alicia Haddick)
Before even entering the exhibit itself, a video bombards the senses with a flurry of fan-favorite scenes from the opening episodes of the show. Watching Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto train with Kakeshi and go on their first missions whisks you back to the show’s simpler moments while reminding you just why it hooked audiences all those years ago. It’s a loud, almost aggressive introduction, but one that sets the tone for what’s to come.
The entrance of the gallery is then set as a celebration and look back on the series. Beyond a bombardment of fan-favorite characters comes message boards from creator Masashi Kishimoto and those most involved with the anime’s production, sharing their feelings on a series they’re so deeply intertwined with.
(Photo: Alicia Haddick)
Perhaps disappointingly, considering the steep entry price, the exhibit is light on behind-the-scenes insight into the creation of the series. It feels like a blind spot for an anniversary-marking event such as this to not shine a light on the final product, with only a few character sheets for the main cast on display without key animation drawings or production insight throughout the entire event hall.
Instead, large displays featuring stills from the anime, rubble depicting the destruction of their battles and screens with old and newly-created celebratory animations by freelance animators are featured. With just enlarged screencaps and episode summaries to mark the journey Naruto takes on his over-700-episode journey, it’s tempting to call the event a disappointment, although a few standout displays did help to mask these blind spots.
(Photo: Alicia Haddick)
(Photo: Alicia Haddick)
One of those was an unpainted replica of Naruto’s village in the second room of the exhibit, standing beneath a scale replica of the Hokage Rock that looks down on the Hidden Leaf Village. Landmarks from the school to Naruto’s favorite ramen shop are lovingly recreated, with a display alongside it showcasing the considerations that went into animating and bringing these areas to life.
(Photo: Alicia Haddick)
(Photo: Alicia Haddick)
The other came on some of the many screens adorning the exhibit. While many of these resorted to a replay of older highlights from the series, others hosted celebratory mini-animations from well-known independent animators pioneering some of the best music videos and animated sequences in modern Japanese animation. Some aped iconic memories, while others spoke to the emotions connecting people to this iconic franchise. Ai Nina, most recognized for her work on the animation for YOASOBI’s Yoru ni Kakeru music video, joined names like que, Sugimoto Kosuke (LiSA’s Non Non), Kadowaki Kohei (22/7’s Kakusei) and Morie Kota.
In the end, it’s hard not to feel at least a little disappointed about much of what else was on display. Even attempts to create immersive experiences that brought you further into the world of Naruto, such as the four-wall projection through the story near the end of the exhibit, felt like a pale imitation of other immersive exhibits like those seen at the recently-concluded Sailor Moon Museum.
(Photo: Alicia Haddick)
It did offer a refresher and retrospective look at a beloved series, but it feels like an important show like Naruto deserves better than this. Card game promos on entry and an admittedly varied merchandise selection don’t make up for this. As an even more noteworthy exclusion in spite of the series’ global popularity, no translations outside of Japanese for the text of the exhibit are offered for those who can’t read the language.
Ultimately, even with some highlights, it’s an exhibit for diehard fans only. Luckily, with Boruto’s story ramping up in intensity and other 20th anniversary celebrations including a concert on the way, there is still a big year for fans of the ramen-loving ninja.
Alicia Haddick is a freelance features writer for Crunchyroll. If they aren’t watching anime or way, way too many movies, they’re probably outside taking photos or listening to their favorite idol groups. You can find them sharing their other work on anime, gaming and films and rambling on just about anything over on their Twitter account @socialanigirl, or on Letterboxd.
