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The anime and manga world has seen many instances where the story or the character is inspired by a real-life individual or scenario. The perfect example of this is Eiichiro Oda’sOne Piece,which has taken inspiration from almost every major historical event or character. However, what fans might not know is that even Masashi Kishimoto’sNarutohas such a character.
AlthoughNarutois set in a fictional world of Shinobis, it still has a real-life-inspired character that is a particular fan favorite. This character is none other than Jiraiya, the legendary Sannin, and the mentor of the protagonist Naruto. Jiraiya is one of the most popular characters in the series who contributed a lot to the development of the narrative and the main character.
Kishimoto once revealed that he might be the only character in the entire storyline that is based on the legendary masterless samurai, Jiraiya, fromKatakiuchi Kidan Jiraiya Monogatari.Aside from him, all the other characters are originally written by theNarutomanga creator.
Masashi Kishimoto revealed the inspiration behind Jiraiya’s character
Many years ago, during an interview withShonen Jump, theNarutomanga creator was asked about the various aspects of his magnum opus and his process behind creating them. While talking about it, Kishimoto was questioned about any other character besides Jiraiya who was inspired by a real-life scenario or historic folklore.
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Kishimoto stated:
Jiraiya is about the only character who is like that; the others are all original.
According to the manga creator,Jiraiya is the only characterwho was referenced from another piece of the story and the rest were original characters. While he did not name the book or the narrative, it is safe to say that the character of Jiraiya came fromKatakiuchi Kidan Jiraiya Monogatari.
Both characters have a lot of similarities and while their core storyline and character developments are different, fans can still connect the two with each other.
A deep dive into the original Jiraiya
Masashi Kishimoto’sinspiration for Jiraiya’s character comes from the popular Japanese folklore tale,Katakiuchi Kidan Jiraiya Monogatari,which came out in the 19th century. The protagonist ofKatakiuchi Kidan Jiraiya Monogatariis also named Jiraiya, and he also rides toads just like Jiraiya fromNaruto. Not only that, he can also transform into a toad himself.
Katakiuchi Kidan Jiraiya Monogatariis a novel that contains the journey of Jiraiya and his thirst for revenge against his former master, Rokuyaon Gun, who is responsible for the death of his family. The story is divided into two parts with five books each, making it one of the biggest revenge stories in history.
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Both Jiraiyas are quite similar, and while one portraysthe role of a mentor to the protagonistof the series, the other is motivated by revenge against his former mentor. While Kishimoto has not officially confirmed this, the other two Sannins inNarutoalso feel quite similar to the characters inKatakiuchi Kidan Jiraiya Monogatari.
Narutois available to watch on Hulu.
Tarun Kohli
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2957
Tarun Kohli is the Senior Anime Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,900 published articles. He currently specializes in critiquing One Piece and other Shonen anime. A passionate fan of the genre, his love for thoughtful analysis reflects his genuine appreciation for the art of anime. His deep understanding of anime culture has earned recognition from industry figures such as Adi Shankar and the creators of Blood of Zeus.
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