“The Last: Naruto the Movie” What we know!

With the last two manga chapters of Naruto coming out next week, the countdown has begun on ‘The Last: Naruto the Movie’. Let’s take a look at what we know about the latest animated film installment, set to hit theaters on December 6, 2014.

This post contains spoilers for people who haven’t read the latest Naruto manga!

The Naruto manga series has been going on for about fifteen years and Masashi Kishimoto has done a great job keeping fans interested in the yellow-haired ninja all over the world. With only two more chapters left to go, there are a lot of things that need to be resolved. I think that’s why ‘The Last: Naruto the Movie’ came into being. I wouldn’t be surprised if the final panel of the last manga chapter showed Naruto becoming Hokage. My speculation is that the up-coming movie will be used to tell the audience what transpired during the time-skip and how Naruto got to become Hokage.

According to Anime News Network, the story takes place two years after the Fourth Great Ninja War and it directly links to the Sage of the Six Paths and Kaguya. A descendant of the Sage, Toneri Otsutsuki, kidnaps Hanabi Hyuga while the moon begins to descend towards Earth, ready to destroy everything on impact. Naruto, Sakura, Shikamaru, and Sai set out to help Hinata rescue her kidnapped younger sister.

The plot sounds easy enough to understand and I believe it will be the first Naruto movie that can be considered canon. The trailer for the film has been released and it has me excited about Naruto’s new adventure. Even though the plot looks promising, the greatest treat is watching the new character designs for the cast. I personally love what Kishimoto has done with Ino, Tenten, and Shino. It is also obvious from the trailer that Naruto and Sasuke will survive the aftermath of their battle shown in manga chapter 698.

The tagline for the film reads “The last episode; a first love”. Now, I know that must’ve excited fans who like to ship Naruto characters. Judging by the plot of the film I really think Naruto will end up with Hinata in the end. The film’s story revolves around the Hyuga’s and the trailer also contained a lot of hints: Naruto looking at Hinata in a romantic manner, a flashback of a kid Naruto saying something to a crying Hinata, and Hinata falling down a cliff with Naruto’s red scarf in her hands. Maybe the gift Hinata will give to Naruto, as a token of her love during the Winter Festival, is the red scarf we see him wearing in the film?

With Hinata and Naruto becoming a couple, the only major ship left is Sakura and Sasuke. Will those two end up together as well? I personally feel that they have a lot to talk about before they can even consider becoming a couple. The fact that they both tried to kill each other is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to their relationship. I’m looking forward to seeing Sakura Haruno’s growth as character in the new film.

People who will get to see the film in theaters, in Japan, will also be getting an official book that serves as a spin-off of the Naruto: The Official Character Data Book series. It will also include a manga drawn by Masashi Kishimoto.

There’s also a lot of talk concerning Naruto’s New Era Opening Project which will mark the fifteenth anniversary of the manga series. Do you think the series will continue after a time-skip with a grown-up original cast? I wouldn’t mind reading such a manga if the story is good enough.

What do you think of The Last: Naruto the Movie? Are you excited about the plot? What did you think of the new character designs? Let us know!

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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