You asked for it.
Well, a bunch of you did, at least. And now you’re getting it. As announced by Jason DeMarco and the official Toonami tumblr, an old friend is returning to new Toonami: Naruto is back. Next Saturday, 12:30. Here’s a promo:
The show ran on the original Toonami block on Cartoon Network from 2005 until the block’s cancellation in September of 2008.
If you’ve never seen Naruto, based on the long-running (still ongoing) Shonen Jump manga, it’s about a boy named Naruto Uzumaki, who, when he was very young, was used to trap a creature known as the Nine-tailed Demon Fox inside of him by his hometown’s leader, the Hokage, to protect the town of Konoha. He is mistreated by his town as he grows up, but he retains his dream of becoming Hokage himself. Along the way, he makes friends with various other ninja in and around Konoha, such as teammates Sasuke and Sakura, on his way towards achieving his dream of the most powerful ninja, and leader, of his village.
The manga, created by Masashi Kishimoto, premiered in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1999 and continues to this day, and the series aired in Japan from 2002-2007, replaced with an ongoing sequel series, Naruto: Shippuden. The show was a Toonami mainstay throughout its final few years.
The show originally aired on Toonami edited for content, since it was still Cartoon Network and the block aimed at its original demographic. Now, the network and demo has changed, and it’s Adult Swim, Saturday nights, and the show will air for the first time fully uncut.
So, if you’re a Naruto fan, rejoice. You get your show back on Toonami, and you get it uncut. Happy Thanksgiving to you.
Remember to keep an eye on us, our friends at ToonamiFaithful, and Toonami Central (as well as @ToonamiCentral and @ToonamiNews on Twitter) for more Toonami news. More things like this, more things like other shows, more things like awesome podcasts. Plenty more things Toonami.
Naruto starts next Saturday, December 1st, at 12:30.
Only on Toonami.
