Naruto is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village.
Naruto is the fourth best-selling manga series in history having 250 million copies in circulation worldwide in 47 countries and regions, with 153 million copies in Japan alone and remaining 97 million copies elsewhere.
After the sucess of the manga, it was quickly adapted into an anime series, which is loved by many all over the world. The anime is split into two main parts, Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden. The first part, directed by Hayato Date and produced by Studio Pierrot and TV Tokyo, premiered in Japan on October 3, 2002, and concluded on February 8, 2007 after 220 episodes on TV Tokyo. The second part, developed by Studio Pierrot and directed by Hayato Date, is the sequel to the original Naruto anime. It debuted on Japanese TV on February 15, 2007, on TV Tokyo, and concluded on March 23, 2017.
The series was also adapted into eleven theatrical films, which futher expands the story of Naruto.