The upcoming Naruto live-action movie can learn a lot of things from the manga and the anime, including what elements and storylines it should not adapt from the source material. A live-action Naruto movie from Destin Daniel Cretton was announced to be in the works on February 24. The Shang-Chi director, who was originally attached to Avengers 5 before exiting the project and is also helming the Wonder Man series for Marvel, will have the difficult mission of bringing Masashi Kishimoto’s best-selling manga to live-action for the first time.

Naruto is one of the most popular manga and anime series of all time, having accumulated millions of fans around the world since its debut in 1999. The anime series consists of 720 episodes, of which the first 220 are referred to as “Part 1.” While live-action anime adaptations tend to be hit or miss, Netflix’s One Piece season 1 showed that it can be done. Still, the Naruto movie will have to solve a lot of challenges when covering Naruto Uzumaki’s journey.

8

The Naruto Movie Should Develop Sakura’s Character More

Sakura was not well handled in the anime.

Sakura is one of the most important Naruto characters, yet both the manga and the anime did not treat the character as well as she deserved. Naruto had a problem regarding the development of female characters, particularly compared to their male teammates. Although having Sakura feel that she was falling behind Naruto and Sasuke is an essential part of her story, the Naruto movie should give Team 7’s brightest ninja her time in the spotlight. Sakura only trains with Tsunade during the time skip, but that doesn’t mean she cannot be a key character who joins the action in the movie.

Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow, the first of many non-canon Naruto movies, is a great example of how to write Sakura regardless of her limitations as a kunoichi in the pre-time skip era. Despite not having a kekkei genkai like Sasuke’s Sharingan or a virtually unlimited amount of chakra like Naruto, Sakura can still be part of great action sequences that highlight her intelligence and chakra control. Sakura’s feelings toward Sasuke are very important, but they should not be the only thing defining the character in a movie.

7

Kakashi’s One Thousand Years Of Death Technique

Not every Naruto joke will land.

Anime humor does not always land in Hollywood live-action adaptations. Even the English dub of anime series sometimes struggles to translate the meaning and the humor of certain jokes. Kakashi’s infamous One Thousand Years of Death technique is a great example of it. First shown during Kakashi’s Team 7 trials, the One Thousand Years of Death move saw Kakashi putting his fingers on Naruto’s butt, followed by Naruto leaping into the air in pain. This, like many other moments in Naruto, was played as a joke both in the manga and the anime.

As famous as this scene is, it might not work quite well in live-action. There are plenty of other Naruto visual gags and jokes that might not translate well into a live-action movie either, including but not limited to Naruto and Konohamaru’s “Sexy Jutsu” battle. That said, even without the One Thousand Years of Death scene, the Naruto movie should still add humor to Kakashi’s character. Kakashi’s first interaction with Team 7 is a pivotal moment in the series and includes a lot of small character moments that continue to define this team for years to come.

6

The Naruto Movie Should Make Use Of The Saga’s Retcons

Naruto Shippuden retroactively changes the story a lot.

The Naruto film has a big advantage over the anime – the former can take advantage of the latter’s retcons. As with any long-running manga series, Naruto is full of retcons caused by ideas and concepts that were introduced much later in the story. For example, the fact that Gaara’s Shukaku was one of the Tailed Beasts was a retcon. Originally, Gaara was tied to a sand demon. Another example is Danzo’s influence over the Leaf Village, which, in theory, has been happening since the original series but is only addressed in Naruto Shippuden.

Other key retcons and twists that changed the series in retrospect include the origins of the Leaf Village, the truth behind Itachi’s actions, and the role of Tobi in the Nine-Tails attack that cost the lives of Naruto’s parents. The Naruto film should make the most of these retcons and incorporate them earlier in the story, which does not mean it should spoil things right from the start. For example, in a potential scene depicting the Nine-Tails attack, the movie could drop some hints regarding the involvement of Tobi, thus setting up future storylines.

5

Naruto’s Anime Pacing Should Not Be The Basis For The Movie

Naruto Part 1 has terrible pacing.

Part 1 Naruto had terrible pacing, particularly the first couple of arcs. Although anime series from the 1990s and early 2000s had an overall slower pacing compared to recent hits, getting through Naruto’s first few episodes was particularly difficult. For every fantastic scene like Naruto and Sasuke fighting Haku, there was a boring, repetitive sequence or a series of flashbacks. This was naturally not a problem with the manga, where the story is told just like the creator envisioned. Hopefully, the Naruto movie won’t be inspired by the structure and the pacing of the anime.

One Piece live-action is the perfect example of how sticking to the actual source material, the manga, is the way to go. While anime shows are usually more popular worldwide than their manga counterparts, the source material is more often than not the better version of the story. The same applies to Naruto, whose anime was always slowing down things so that it would not catch up with the manga. Flashbacks are fine, but flashbacks within flashbacks and other things from Naruto‘s filler episodes would be way too much.

4

Jiraiya’s “Gag” Should Be Toned Down (Whenever He Appears)

Jiraiya can be much more than just “pervy sage.”

It may be difficult to tone down a character who describes himself as a “super pervert” and is constantly referred to by his apprentice as a “pervy sage.” Still, Jiraiya should not be defined by his “gag” in the Naruto movie whenever the Legendary Sannin appears. Jiraiya is among the most beloved Naruto characters and ranks high in the list of best anime mentors of all time. As such, should the Naruto movie lead into a franchise, it will not take long before the Toad Saga makes his live-action debut.

Jiraiya being a womanizer who likes to go out drinking and spending money is actually an important part of his character in the sense that he is constantly breaking the “three rules of the Shinobi” he came up with. The fact that Jiraya is often portrayed as a comic relief also makes his serious scenes hit much harder. That said, the Naruto anime would sometimes take Jiraiya’s gag a bit too far. There is even an infamous English dub mistake that made Jiraya sound incredibly creepy toward Naruto when they first met.

3

The Leaf Village’s Politics Should Come Into Play Sooner

Danzo should not be saved for Shippuden.

Naruto Shippuden changes the original series in hindsight in many ways, including by revealing a lot of details regarding the Leaf Village’s politics regarding events like the Nine-Tails attack or the Uchiha Clan massacre. There is virtually no event depicted or mentioned in Part 1 of Naruto that is not addressed later in Naruto Shippuden, particularly through the character of Danzon. The Naruto movie should incorporate these storylines earlier and show the inner workings of the Leaf Village. In other words, Danzo should appear as early as in the first live-action Naruto film.

Danzo is a fantastic character, yet much of his story is a giant retcon that asks viewers to pretend he had been part of the series the whole time. This is an issue that the upcoming live-action adaptation can fix by having Danzo and his Foundation appear sooner. The film should also explore the Third Hokage’s flaws, many of which are only revealed in Shippuden, early on. Naruto has great worldbuilding not just in terms of fantasy lore but also regarding the politics of the Leaf Village and the Shinobi world as a whole.

2

The Naruto Movie Should Not Rely On The Anime’s OST Only

Naruto has great tracks, but the film will need its own.

The Naruto anime has an amazing original soundtrack that is part of the reason why the show became so successful. The work of Toshio Masuda in the original series defined Naruto for decades to come and delivered some instant classic themes that will forever be loved by fans of the show, including but not limited to “The Rising Fighting Spirit” and “Sadness and Sorrow.” Yasuharu Takanashi, who composed the Naruto Shippuden OST, delivered equally great tracks. However, as iconic as these themes are, the Naruto film should not rely on them only.

Whether the Naruto movie will even use songs from the anime remains to be seen, as not every adaptation chooses or is even allowed to incorporate themes from the source material. Either way, the film should have its own score and create new themes that speak to the adaptation. Netflix’s One Piece is once again a great example of how to do it. The live-action Netflix anime series included an original score by Sonya Belousova & Giona Ostinelli but also incorporated the anime’s theme, “We Are!”, on a couple of occasions.

1

The Rest Of The “Konoha 12” Should Have Their Time To Shine

Naruto is more than just Naruto and Sasuke.

“Konoha 12” is an unofficial term referring to the twelve main Gennin from Naruto Part 1. This includes Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura from Team 7; Shino, Hinata, and Kiba from Team 8; Rock Lee, Neji, and Tenten from Team 9; and Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji from Team 10. Naruto Uzumaki may be the titular character, but the Naruto universe also includes great supporting characters. Unfortunately, apart from the Chunnin Exams arc, most of Naruto’s Konoha 12 never got their time to shine. Hopefully, the live-action movie will explore the full potential of these characters.

For example, Neji has a complicated backstory that ties into the origins of clan Hyuga and could make for a compelling story in a movie. Likewise, Rock Lee’s recovery after the fight against Gaara and the psychological effects of his injury should be explored on the big screen. If the Naruto film is successful and gets sequels, Naruto’s supporting characters should be a constant presence in the franchise instead of “glorified extras” like the anime, especially Shippuden, would often treat them.