Naruto, Sasuke, & Sakura Become Legendary Samurai in Official Artwork

While shinobi are popularly viewed as polar opposites to samurai, a new piece of official Naruto art shows Konoha’s Team 7 having no problem playing the role of an ancient Japanese warrior when the situation or mission requires it, making fans imagine what would happen if creator Masashi Kishimoto was ever to retell the iconic ninja tale as a samurai classic.

The artwork presented as a background for a May 2024 calendar was posted to Naruto‘s official X account, @NARUTO_into-en, and offered to Naruto fans as a gift.

The piece, which uses the classic Ukiyo-e art style that was popular during Japan’s Edo period (1603-1868), features the members of Team 7 – Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura – wearing the armor and gear of a samurai. The image depicts the team members as higher-ranking samurai as expressed by the ornate and unique markings and decorations on their helmets and headwear.

Naruto’s Samurai Are as Skilled as Its Shinobi

Samurai Only Play a Minor Role in Naruto’s Story

While historically, the samurai were the more common combatant used in Japan’s internecine conflicts, they rarely exist in Naruto. Instead, shinobi are the go-to fighting forces used for conquest, defense, and security. Indeed, the only relevant – and depicted – samurai force in Naruto are the warriors from the Land of Iron.

Introduced in the Five Kage Summit Arc, the Land of Iron stands out from other nations by continuing to rely on samurai for security and defense. Unlike other nations – such as Konoha’s Land of Fire – that moved away from this traditional Japanese practice, the Land of Iron not only upheld the dominance of samurai as its military force but also completely abandoned the official use of shinobi.

The Land of Iron stands alone as the sole community where samurai reign supreme, and like ninja in true Japanese history, the men and women of the Land of Iron hold sort of mystical, otherworldly fame. However, the samurai of the Land of Iron, are not your typical historical version of the bushi. Like their shinobi counterparts, they also have the ability to use chakra and access the myriad abilities it gives users. Generally, their chakra is applied to their swordsmanship – the ability that most samurai in real life relied on to stay alive.

Kishimoto Never Wanted the Typical Samurai in His Ninja Tale

Kishimoto’s reversal of the samurai’s role in Japanese history probably stems from the Naruto creator’s original idea to create a truly “one-of-a-kind” ninja story. While he most expressed this point via non-traditional aspects of the shinobi in the story, such as Naruto’s blonde hair and blue eyes, another aspect was putting the shinobi in positions of power and influence they never held – and conversely, shrinking the power and influence of samurai.

This official artwork, returns balance to the Naruto-Verse by depicting the samurai in the historical, traditional, and customary frontline position they held in Japanese culture and history. It’s a mesmerizing hat-tip to the true past, flipping Naruto‘s non-traditional idea that the shinobi rule the world.

Naruto is available from Manga Plus and on Viz Media.

Source: @NARUTO_into-en account