Unlike many heroes, Naruto truly becomes best friends with his inner demon who turns out to have been inspired by Godzilla King of the Monsters. Known as Kurama to his true friends, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox is a being of great power who can create tsunamis or shatter mountains with a single swipe of its tail. While sharing Naruto’s body, he began as an inner antagonist before becoming Naruto’s closest ally in his quest to change the ninja world. Being trapped inside of a teenaged boy is a difficult position for the most powerful of tailed beasts. No longer connected to his awesome might, at first Kurama’s power would only leak out of Naruto whenever the child became agitated or threatened. It took several years before Kurama and Naruto would settle their differences and create a bond as true friends.
The creation of Godzilla was a metaphor for the death and destruction caused by the use of atomic bombs on Japanese shores. To date, Japan is the only country forced to deal with the pain caused by the American doomsday weapons. In the 1954 film, a mere nine years after the war, Godzilla is born of nuclear tests conducted by the United States military. The radioactive giant rises with terrible destruction in the world’s first kaiju film.
In an interview with Nippon, creator Kishimoto Masashi shared how Godzilla inspired Naruto and the creation of Kurama the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. Kurama’s introduction in the first chapter of Naruto mirrors Godzilla’s. The nine-tailed fox wreaks havoc on the day Naruto is born, killing many in its rampage. Among the victims is Naruto’s father who was the Fourth Hokage and strongest ninja in the village. Before he dies, the Hokage manages to imprison the beast’s powerful essence inside the newborn. Naruto would grow up as a lonely orphan shunned by his village with no idea why. Both he and Kurama would soak up years of hatred as a result.
In the interview with Nippon, Kishimoto states:
“The entire story of these tailed beasts started out as a simple way for me to get the fox into my manga,” said Kishimoto. “I loved Godzilla. I just wanted to draw a monster—something big that I could place in a battle. That’s why I decided to introduce the kuchiyose no jutsu, the summoning skills that let ninja call forth the weapons they need, or call a creature to their side to aid them in a fight. My intent from the start was to bring forth gigantic beings with these skills.”
Kishimoto’s desire to connect Naruto to Godzilla inspired more than just tailed beasts. It also brought about the entire summoning methodology that shapes the ninja world of Naruto. Also, Kurama’s change mirrors Godzilla in a deeper way. The King of the Monsters began as a villain in the 1954 film but slowly changed to become a more heroic force of nature. As his mandate changed, even Godzilla’s origins have shifted over the years to make him a friend to humanity rather than a villainous menace.
After 15 years, Naruto has come to a close, yet the story of Kurama and adult Naruto continues with Naruto’s son in the ongoing manga series Boruto. Perhaps Kishimoto will inspire new creators in the same way that Godzilla inspired him. As Kurama and Naruto became best friends, so too did Godzilla become humanity’s friend, rising from the sea as a benevolent king rather than a tyrant.
