During the 1990s, new manga author Masashi Kishimoto sought to write a one-shot chapter that would feature Naruto as a chef, but this version never made it to print.

Following the second chapter, Kishimoto introduced the other protagonists, but with bad relationships, including with Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto's constant rejected affections for Sakura Haruno.

[3] Although Goku was a major influence to Naruto, Kishimoto was more attracted by Dragon Ball character Krillin, as he comes across as more human than the protagonist for displaying flaws that made the readers easier to accept in a similar fashion to his mentor Iruka Umino.

[11] After fans likened Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura to the three main characters from the Harry Potter fantasy books, Kishimoto noted that both trios began their careers in a classroom, though he added that the similarity was unintentional.

However, as time passed on, the manga author made touches to Minato's face shown in the Hokage Mountain in Konoha to make them more similar to Naruto with an emphasis on their spiky hairs.

As a result, Kishimoto created Nagato as a war victim who would kill Jiraiya, and act as Naruto's nemesis so he would understand the tragedy that Sasuke had experienced.

After being recommended by his editor to give the protagonist a rival, Kishimoto wrote Sasuke with influences from Takehiko Inoue's Slam Dunk manga, which was famous for dealing with rivalries.

The final clash between Sasuke's Chidori and Naruto's Rasengan moves involved references from other scenes of the series to give the viewer a bigger emotional impact.

[15] When Sakura was introduced, Kishimoto did not think of her as Naruto's future wife: he saw them as being friends and teammates, although once Hinata had appeared, the author thought of forming a love triangle between the three characters.

[55] Introduced as a 12-year-old orphan boy with blond, spiky hair and blue eyes, Naruto Uzumaki graduates as a ninja from Konohagakure while bonding with his teacher, Iruka Umino.

[61] Naruto is an orphan who has a dangerous fox-like entity known as Kurama the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed within his body by his father, the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, the leader of the Hidden Leaf Village, at the cost of his own life and that of his wife, Kushina Uzumaki.

[62][63] In an attempt to become a ninja, Naruto is horrified to learn of his Jinchuriki nature but finds acceptance from his teacher, Iruka Umino, whom he views as a father figure.

[63][68] When Sasuke leaves the village to join Orochimaru's forces to obtain the power to kill Itachi, Naruto, on his insistence and promise to Sakura, becomes part of a rescue team to retrieve him.

[70] After his two and a half years of training, Naruto returns to Konoha (the Leaf Village) and begins to deal more actively with the Akatsuki by saving Gaara from their clutches.

[76][77] When they face off, Naruto is pinned to the ground with iron rods and loses control of the Fox's chakra when Hinata Hyuga nearly dies protecting him.

[87] After sealing Kaguya with the cooperation of the rest of Team 7, Naruto ends up having to fight Sasuke due to their conflicting views regarding the ninja world's future.

[105] In the final one, Konoha Hiden, Naruto marries Hinata after asking his former mentor, Iruka Umino, to take the place of his father for the wedding.

[137] Naruto's character was analyzed by GameSpot's Joe Dodson, who noted that despite having an "ideal" life, he still suffered from severe isolation,[138] although he was praised for his optimistic personality by Carl Kimlinger of Anime News Network (ANN).

[144] Manga author Nobuhiro Watsuki compared Naruto with Himura Kenshin and Monkey D. Luffy due to how they follow the ideals of not killing their opponents.

[145] My Hero Academia author Kōhei Horikoshi praised the portrayal of Naruto in the manga for his parallels with Sasuke, with an early example being the protagonist's inferiority complex over his teammate for feeling weaker, which leads to him stabbing himself in the hand to remember not to run away from his fears.

[146] Writing for Popular Culture in Counseling, Psychotherapy, and Play-Based Interventions, Lawrence Rubin states that while Naruto has an optimistic and hyperactive personality, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox (Kurama) within his body symbolizes his negative emotions.

Rubin feels that Naruto's fights with enemies who try to bring harm to the Leaf Village further motivate him to become a powerful shinobi and a "complete and mature person."

Rubin concludes that Naruto's character development is similar to that of a modern American hero, the type who accidentally becomes better during a series and is able to build or restore peace.

Born, writing for DOAJ journal ASIANetwork Exchange, regards Naruto as a complex post-modern hero, showing "great heart."

As a result of losing Jiraiya, Naruto seeks to accomplish his mentor's wish of ending wars and the cycling of hatred, making Kishimoto capable of embodying the character more with the reader while maturing in the process.

[152] Tejal Suhas Bagwe from Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment for the Degree of Masters of Arts in English describes Jiraiya's death as the "loss of innocence" Naruto goes through, paralleling his life with Gaara, Sasuke, and Madara.

[153] Similarly, Anime News Network stated that thanks to Naruto's newfound pacifism when dealing with his quest of revenge and the rejection of violence, the story managed to become a "masterpiece".

[155] Antônio Guilherme Bernardes Galletti from the University of São Paulo notes Boruto: Naruto the Movie becomes complex when the protagonist learns of the shinobi code his father and master use, which was also compared to the samurais' bushido while developing a sense of individuality when deciding what to do with his life when growing up.

[156] Tata Ardiansyah from Universitas Islam Negeri said Pierrot expanded Naruto's family life in Boruto not only with the characters from the 2015 movie but also his new adopted son Kawaki, who grows to admire and love him despite his initial antiheroic characterization.

[157] Anime News Network also addressed how in Boruto, Naruto's adult characterization resulted in admiration from new characters such as Sarada, who wishes to succeed him as the leader of the village and protector of the younger ninjas.