Forget Dragon Ball, Naruto’s Creator Just Revealed The Anime’s True Inspiration


Dragon Ball has served as the inspiration for countless anime and manga, and one of the most notable and most obvious is undoubtedly Naruto. Not only does Naruto greatly resemble Goku as a hyperactive, dimwitted kid with blonde hair, a big appetite, and an incredibly kind heart, but the wider world of Naruto is always alive with fantasy and a feeling of adventure, albeit not as whimsical as Dragon Ball, and the overlap between them is impossible to deny.

The influence Dragon Ball had on Naruto and Masashi Kishimoto in general can’t be denied, and sure enough, it’s something Kishimoto has spoken about time and time again in the decades since Naruto was first published. However, it’s just been revealed that there’s another story that was just as influential on Naruto’s development, if not more, and in retrospect, it’s nowhere near as surprising as a person would think.

How Spider-Man Helped Create Naruto’s Story (We’re Serious)

Tobey Maguire using his webshooters in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man

As big an influence as Dragon Ball was on Naruto, something that might have been equally important was, of all stories, Spider-Man. To build hype for the new Spider-Man movie, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Disney+ released a documentary on the history and legacy of Spider-Man titled Generations: The Evolution of Spider-Man, which included creators discussing how Spider-Man inspired them. Surprisingly, Masashi Kishimoto was part of the documentary, and he said he loved Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man and was inspired by it to write villains with genuine reasons for being evil.

Back when my wife and I were dating, when she was still my girlfriend, the very first movie we saw on a date was Spider-Man. It left a huge impression on me. With Spider-Man, I once analyzed in my own way what makes it so interesting. Parker is Parker, and having a double life as Peter Parker and Spider-Man, the anguish of that is something I find really appealing about Spider-Man. Also, the duality of the villains. And so in Naruto, in my own work too, the enemies aren’t just evil from the start, they are carrying something that makes them that way. It’s something I consciously try to portray as well.

Masashi Kishimoto talking about Spider-Man in Generations: The Evolution of Spider-Man

Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man would have shortly preceded the debut of the Akatsuki, and while some of them are evil simply for the sake of being evil, members like Itachi, Pain, and Obito are all given sympathetic motivations and well-developed arcs that make it easy to understand why they’re evil, which, in turn, makes them great villains for the story. The Akatsuki are even structured as the sort of gathering of supervillains Spider-Man would have to fight to save the world, so the similarities are even harder to deny.

The Akatsuki aren’t the only villains to fit the Spider-Man mold, of course; Gaara and Kimimaro, the pre-timeskip villains with the most development, also conform to that idea, and Sasuke’s journey as an anti-villain throughout the post-timeskip era arguably captures the idea even better than the Akatsuki. These ideas aren’t technically unique to Spider-Man, but they’re still a major hallmark of the franchise, and it’s clear that Naruto got a lot out of that to craft some truly amazing villains and characters in general.

Spider-Man’s Relationship With Naruto Embodies Everything Great About The Franchise

Marvel's Spider-Man looks at the camera in front of a spider web
Marvel’s Spider-Man looks at the camera in front of a spider web

It’s easy to see how Spider-Man influenced Naruto’s writing when looking at the Akatsuki and other Naruto villains, and that, of course, is nothing new for the franchise. For decades, fans around the world have been drawn to Spider-Man not just for its fun stories and action, but for how great a character Peter Parker is, with his struggles to balance his personal life with the responsibilities of being Spider-Man always making him feel relatable and genuinely fun. There’s never been a superhero more influential and impactful than Spider-Man, and Naruto is just one of many examples to follow suit.




















Friendly Neighborhood Assessment · MCU Era
Tom Holland’s
Spider-Man Trivia

🏠Homecoming2017

✈️Far From Home2019

🌌No Way Home2021

😈VillainsSinister…

🤖MCUAvengers

01

Before getting his own solo film, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut by being recruited by Tony Stark to help in a massive superhero conflict. In which MCU film did Holland first appear as Spider-Man?




02

In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter faces a blue-collar salvage contractor who turned to arms dealing after being shut out of the Chitauri cleanup by Damage Control. Using an alien-tech wingsuit, he becomes one of Spider-Man’s most grounded villains. Who is he?




03

Tony Stark built Peter a high-tech suit loaded with features Peter didn’t even know about, including an AI assistant that helps him in combat, provides tactical analysis, and even gives dating advice. What name does Peter give this AI?




04

In Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter encounters a seemingly heroic figure who claims to be from an alternate Earth, battling elemental creatures across Europe. In reality, he’s a disgruntled former Stark Industries employee using advanced holographic drones. What is his real name?




05

In one of the MCU’s most shocking mid-credits scenes, J. Jonah Jameson broadcasts doctored footage from Mysterio’s final moments that completely upends Peter Parker’s life. What does this broadcast reveal to the entire world?




06

With his identity exposed and his loved ones under threat, Peter seeks help from a powerful sorcerer to cast a spell that would make the world forget he is Spider-Man. Peter’s constant modifications to the spell cause it to fracture the multiverse. Which sorcerer casts this spell?




07

Throughout all three films, Peter’s loyal best friend serves as his “guy in the chair,” helping with tech support and keeping his secret. In No Way Home, this character even discovers he can open magical portals using a Sling Ring. Who is Peter’s best friend?




08

At the emotional climax of No Way Home, Peter makes an enormous personal sacrifice to save the multiverse. Doctor Strange completes the spell, and when it takes effect, Peter is left completely alone. What does the final spell do?




Assessment Complete
Your Spider-Sense Rating

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Are you an Avenger — or just a friendly neighborhood bystander?

In the almost 30 years since Naruto first debuted, it has become one of the most popular and influential anime franchises in history, and that makes it all the more appropriate that it got there by taking after equally influential franchises like Dragon Ball and, just as importantly, Spider-Man. Even with both franchises being so old, it’s safe to say that Naruto and Spider-Man will continue to influence the world and each other for years to come, and with how amazing they’ve continued to be, that’s nothing but great to see.



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