Naruto creator says Marvel’s Spider-Man ’left a huge impression on me'
Masashi Kishimoto, creator of the internationally acclaimed manga series Naruto, revealed that Marvel’s Spider-Man franchise significantly influenced his creative work. Speaking in an interview for the Disney Plus documentary Generations: The Evolution of Spider-Man, Kishimoto discussed how Peter Parker and the Spider-Man character left an indelible mark on his approach to comics.
The promotional documentary, released ahead of Spider-Man’s theatrical debut, features interviews with cast members, crew, and creative figures who have shaped the web-slinger’s evolution in live-action film. Kishimoto’s participation highlights Spider-Man’s cultural reach beyond Western audiences, demonstrating the character’s global impact on storytellers across different media formats.
Kishimoto recalled that his early exposure to Spider-Man came through film, noting that the experience held personal significance. The creator attributed part of his artistic inspiration to these formative encounters with Marvel’s flagship character, suggesting that Spider-Man’s themes of responsibility, personal struggle, and heroism resonated with the sensibilities that would later define Naruto’s narrative approach. His willingness to publicly credit Spider-Man reflects the interconnected nature of global popular culture and how characters and stories from one medium can profoundly influence creators working in entirely different storytelling formats.