Yahoo.com released their Top 10 Most-Searched List for 2008, and there were the usual suspects like Britney Spears, Barack Obama, and World Wrestling Entertainment -- but guess who beat Angelina Jolie, Lindsay Lohan AND American Idol on this list? Naruto, that's who.
If I have to explain who or what Naruto is here, well, I've just not been doing my job as About.com's manga guide. Masashi Kishimoto's teen ninja has been ruling the manga and anime bestseller charts in Japan, America and most of the manga-loving world since making its debut as a regular feature in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 1999. Almost ten years and 44 volumes (and counting) later, Naruto is still going strong.
As Yahoo's editors describe this manga phenom:
The manga. The game. The anime. Whatever form Naruto Uzumaki takes, the awkward but accomplished young graduate of the Ninja Academy remains the Web's most popular fictional character in seventh place. His peers and enemies also command their own followings, but the complex tale of Naruto (whose name translates to "maelstrom"), the orphaned misfit who craves recognition, resonates with its generation of fans.
VIZ Media, the U.S. publisher of both the Naruto manga and anime series, and licensor of a plethora of video games, toys, clothing, accessories and cosplay gear is gearing up to continue Naruto's popularity in 2009, with online streaming of the latest Naruto anime episodes at Naruto.com and a ramped up release schedule for the graphic novels with 11 new volumes to be released between February and July 2009. With so much ninja joy to come in the new year, who knows? Naruto might even beat Jessica Alba next year!
Image credit: © Masashi Kishimoto
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