Fans of Naruto, the hit manga series that graced the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump magazine every week, were dealt a heavy blow back in November 2014 when the epic series ended after 15 years.
While they may have closed the book on the manga series, thankfully it’s not the last chapter in the Naruto franchise, as all our favourite characters will be returning, this time on stage in a live action spectacular set to tour Japan from 21 March 2015.
Billed as a musical that covers the breadth of the manga series from volume 1 – 27, the organisers are promising plenty of dance, songs, drama and acrobatics on stage. The following cast images give us a first look at the amazing costumes we can expect to see, including impressive attention to detail that brings each character out of the manga world to live and breathe among us.
▼ Kōdai Matsuoka as Naruto
▼ Ryūji Satō as Sasuke
▼ Yui Itō as Sakura
▼ Kenta Suga as Gaara
▼ Yuuki Kimisawa as Kakashi Hatake
▼ Kazuhiro Hirakawa as The Third Hokage
▼ Hidekazu Ichinose as Iruka Umino
▼ Tatsunari Kimura as Kabuto Yakushi
▼ Asahi Uchida as Zabuza Momochi
▼ Miho Imamura as Haku
▼ Yoshiaki Umegaki as Jiraiya
▼ Hiro Yūmi as Orochimaru
The stage show begins at the AiiA Theater Tokyo from March 21 to April 5, followed by a short run in Fukuoka (April 10-12), then Osaka (April 17-19), Miyagi (April 23-25), and a return to Tokyo from April 29 to May 10.
The show will head overseas to Macau’s Venetian Theatre from May 22 to 24, followed by Malaysia’s Malaysia International Exhibition & Convention Centre from May 30 to 31, and Singapore’s Resort World Theatre from June 6 to 7.
Tickets for the first shows in Tokyo went on sale on Sunday, 25 January, with later dates due to go on sale in April. For a sneak peek at what to expect, check out the video below!
Source: ITmedia
Images: Naruto Stage （C)ライブ・スペクタクル「NARUTO-ナルト-」製作委員会2015