Shippuuden: Never Go Back

I will never give up... I will never go back on my word. I'm going to take you back!

Can someone who can't even save one of his friends become Hokage? What do you think, Sasuke?

Shippuuden Omake + extra photos from Ajisen Ramen


BEFORE YOU SAY "IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE A KUNAI"

Sorry if I come off sounding anal, but jeez, is it so hard to read a bit of the Artist's Comments before commenting?

Some of you may recognize the pose from the second opening sequence of Naruto: Shippuuden. You might also be wondering why I have a katana instead of a kunai. Well, we were only doing a trial photoshoot because my costume wasn't complete - and one of the things I was missing was my kunai.

So I went for a sort of Uzumaki artbook look since in the illustrations there, Kishimoto sometimes draws them with swords and scarves and other accessories. Added in some red Kabuki face paint, as well. I'm not sure what other Naruto fans will have to say about this but at the very least, it was my way of throwing in a little originality to a series that's considered overcosplayed.

Oh, and it's not supposed to be an action shot. Our main reference was this: [link]

There's also a similar illustration in the Uzumaki artbook which Kishimoto described this way:

"I wanted to express the concept of the main storyline, where Naruto and Sasuke come into conflict, in a single image. Since they know each other so well, they aren't showing hostility even as they cross blades. They look rather calm. I thought that if I gave them obviously antagonistic expressions, it would come off as too deliberate. By hiding their feelings, I hoped the calm atmosphere would seem chilling."

I rather like how this turned out, though I'd like to do an accurate recreation during the proper photoshoot. For those of you who might be wondering - this was shot outdoors, we were standing on a grassy hill. Tracy used a Canon EOS 400D with a 50mm f/1.8 II lens.

myself as Uzumaki Naruto
Miguel as Uchiha Sasuke
photography by Tracy Monsod ~13idiotbox

_{Naruto: Shippuuden trial photoshoot series:}
Are You Ready?
Distance
Never Go Back
Ichiraku Scheme
Before The Storm
Daybreak at Konoha
The Will of Fire

Shippuuden Omake + extra photos from Ajisen Ramen

Naruto © 岸本 斉史 (Kishimoto Masashi)