Particularities of boys’ manga in the early 21st century - How NARUTO differs from DRAGON BALL

Aug 27, 2026

A comparative analysis examines how early 21st-century boys’ manga uses the “ninja” theme, focusing on NARUTO’s expressive space opened by DRAGON BALL. It contrasts the two works through fight dynamics, three-dimensional bodily action, and martial-arts physicality, then explains NARUTO’s deception-driven tactics. The text details how ninjutsu such as doppelganger, disguise, possession, hallucination, and hypnosis create unreliable “visibility” where clones and illusions mislead both characters and readers. It further highlights the “voice of the heart” (naigo) and its distinct visual speech-bubble conventions as a stylistic device.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Particularities of boys’ manga in the early 21st century

How NARUTO differs from DRAGON BALL

Expressive space and influence from DRAGON BALL

Deception and the unreliability of the visible

Doppelganger jutsu as a combat tactic

Inner voice (naigo) and visual speech-bubble forms

1 Particularities of boys’manga in the early 21st century: How NARUTO differs from DRAGON BALL ITŌ Gō NARUTO is a ninja manga, and the apparent popularity of “ninja” in the west surprises us Japanese a lot. I would like to hear from you why ninja are so attractive to westerners. But let’s turn to our subject. NARUTO is flourishing within the expressive space which was opened up by its precursor DRAGON BALL. Author Kishimoto Masashi has talked several times about DRAGON BALL’s influence on him and his respect for its creator Toriyama Akira. Similarities of the two works are, for example, the visual pleasure derived from depictions of untamed, three-dimensional body movements, as well asthe fights which impress with martial-arts physicality. Yet, this is not limited to NARUTO. The expressive space of Japan’s shōnen [boys’] manga, especially those serializationsin the magazine Shōnen JUMP, extraordinarily drawn out due to endless chains and repetitions of bodies colliding with each other in fights—all of these can be traced © International Manga Research Center, Kyoto Seika University. [http://imrc.jp/](http://imrc.jp/ 9)[ 9](http://imrc.jp/ 9) ITŌ Gō back to DRAGON BALL. The characters’ fights are a matter of life and death. Every single one of them goes to the limit of their abilities, and readers empathize with them. NARUTO’s battles fascinate because of their surprising developments, which unfold when the combatants trick each other with the help of ninja techniques (ninjutsu, or jutsu) and cunning. A character might, for example, be about to fail, but then we learn, that apparently inferior movements were actually clever tactics, serving to generate an advantage over the enemy. In such moments, we as readers, are as much deceived as the characters. NARUTO’s ninja techniques are both magical and supernatural, but besides physical attacks which damage the rival’s body, other jutsu are frequently employed as well, such as disguise, doppelganger, mental possession, hallucination and hypnosis. Especially the bunshin no jutsu (doppelganger technique), that is, splitting oneself up into many illusions of oneself, forms the basis of the ninja techniques in NARUTO. Protagonist Uzumaki Naruto goes to great trouble to acquire what translates as“Multiple Shadow Clone Technique”, which later becomes his specialty. Let’s have a look at one of the battle scenes. At the so-called chūnin exam (which the characters take to achieve a higher ninja rank), Naruto meets Hyūga Neji. Neji tries to find out who the real Naruto is among the dozen of his shadow Fig. 1: NARUTO, vol. 12. pp. 20-21. Fig. 2: NARUTO, vol. 12, pp. 21-23. clones. Yet, his attacks make only clones disappear. Rationally thinking, he decides that the real must be the one who is figthing most defensively, the one with the lowest frequency of attacks. But when turning the page, we see that Neji has been outwitted by Naruto and has attacked yet another shadow clone. 10 © International Manga Research Center, Kyoto Seika University. [http://imrc.jp/](http://imrc.jp/) This is a very simple example, but it may demonstrate how the doppelganger jutsu itself is used as a tactic to lead the opponent astray initially, and then serves to confuse him more by second-guessing his next step. Further it is remarkable, that Fig. 3: NARUTO, vol. 12, pp. 24-25. Fig. 4: NARUTO , vol. 10, pp. 36-37, includingthe last panel of the previous page. everything “visible” in this scene turns out to be an illusion generated by the rival ninja’sskill. Anyhow, both characters and readers are fooled. Or more accurately, things are shown in a way that misleads the reader by means of page layout and panel arrangement. In the NARUTO world, fights almost always have this aspect of deception. Precisely therefore, the ninja-technique world of NARUTO may be determined as a space where the “visible” is not to be trusted. The visible is ever suspect, because it might be an illusion. Ev

FAQs

Why does the text say “ninja” is especially surprising to Japanese readers in the West?

It frames NARUTO as a ninja manga whose popularity abroad prompts reflection on why ninja appeal to Western audiences, then connects that appeal to the series’ expressive fight mechanics.

What similarities between NARUTO and DRAGON BALL does the text emphasize?

It highlights visual pleasure from untamed, three-dimensional body movements and fights that impress through martial-arts physicality, noting that these qualities extend beyond NARUTO alone.

How does the doppelganger (Multiple Shadow Clone Technique) affect battles and the reader’s perception?

The technique can lead opponents astray at first and further confuse them by causing second-guessing, because what appears visible—especially the “real” among clones—cannot be trusted.

Aug 27, 2026

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