Akira’s influence helped Kishimoto work on his manga

Naruto is one of the most loved Shonen manga ever and has occupied the highest positions in the Weekly Shonen Jump rankings for several years. Masashi Kishimoto is the mangaka of the series based on the events of the blond ninja and has managed to introduce real unforgettable icons for the entire fandom.

With this article we want to report how Akira has acted positively on Kishimoto, who no longer had the inspiration or stimulus to work as a mangaka. Otomo’s manga helped him find his way.

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Kishimoto explained his ties to Akira some time ago with a message addressed to the fans. The magaka has begun talking about his middle school years. At that time he was very focused on baseball and drawing was not his priority. Indeed just when he thought he had overcome the desire to draw, here is Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo makes him retrace his steps.

One day, while he was returning home, he happened to glance at a poster of Akira by Otomo Katsuhiro. Just by looking at itinstantly, this poster had on Kishimoto such a powerful impact that he still can’t describe. She stared at him for over an hour. The protagonist of the poster was Kaneda heading towards a motorcycle with an overhead shot.

“The bike had an amazing design and there were cracks and pebbles in the ground scattered here and there, seemingly at random. That poster looked like the coolest and most original thing I’ve ever seen”says the mangaka. So this poster rekindled the flame of his artistic passion. Every day since then Kishimoto has been drawing the hope that one day he will be able to come close to the standard established by that image.

So Otomo’s Akira broke boundaries and showed the world the potential of anime. But beyond that, he also put Kishimoto back on track. Without the Kaneda poster, there is a real possibility that Naruto would never have existed. The memory of this meeting with Akira is still clear in the mind of the Naruto mangaka after all this time.

Furthermore, Kishimoto is just one of countless mangaka to have been inspired by Akira. Otomo’s legacy extends through the film, which one has to thank for pushing Kishimoto not to abandon Naruto.

Source – Comicbook