


#27)īefore I jump into the dirty list of everything that is wrong with Naruto, I want to make it clear that despite its flaws, Naruto is very close to my heart and I will always go back to reading it. In 1999, a serialized version of Naruto began publication in Weekly Shōnen Jump and quickly became a hit. In 1998, Kishimoto premiered as a Weekly Shōnen Jump artist with a serialized version of Karakuri in Weekly Shōnen Jump, but it proved unpopular and was canceled soon after. This was followed in 1997 by a pilot version of Naruto (NARUTO-ナルト-), published in Akamaru Jump Summer. This earned him the Weekly Shōnen Jump's monthly "Hop Step Award" in 1996, granted to promising new manga artists. Kishimoto's first work as a manga artist was Karakuri (カラクリ?), which he submitted to Shueisha in 1995. Two of his former assistants, Osamu Kajisa (Tattoo Hearts) and Yuuichi Itakura (Hand's), have also gone on to moderate success following their work on Naruto. His younger twin brother, Seishi Kishimoto, is also a manga artist and creator of the manga series O-Parts Hunter (666 Satan) and Blazer Drive. Masashi Kishimoto (岸本 斉史 Kishimoto Masashi) is a Japanese manga artist, well known for creating the manga series Naruto.
