A new naruto The promotion has been gaining traction thanks to its cheerful protagonist’s dark new look, but Sasuke wears it better. The new illustration is part of the promotional material for JUMP Festa 2025. JUMP Festa is an annual event organized by Shōnen JUMPthe renowned manga journal and home of naruto, Bleach, One pieceand countless other beloved franchises. Crunchyroll reports that JUMP Festa 2025 will host 42 events on different stages from December 21st to 22nd, 2024.
Each stage event is dedicated to an individual franchise. This year’s JUMP Festa sparked controversy with hugely popular franchises like One punch man, Black Cloverand naruto missing from dashboard listings. However, while naruto There is no panel in progress for JUMP Festa 2025, it still gets into action with an original illustration showing a line-up of narutoNaruto’s most recognizable faces ready for the funeral in stylish black outfits – and Naruto’s iconic rival is giving him a run for his money.
Loaded with references, the illustration touches nostalgic hearts
The Chara, an anime-centric merchandise store, shared the illustration on a tweet anticipating a future Naruto Shippuuden delivery of goods to JUMP Festa. naruto will still have a stand at the event, and the illustration will probably precede the announcement of available products. With the unifying “Black Coordinate” theme guiding the character designs, the merchandise is likely to be exclusive, though possibly available online for a limited time.
The reformulations see Shippuudenis released in monochromatic outfits, and while they’re easy on the eyes, they’re more than just eye candy. The “Black Coordinate” theme sees the opportunity for your clothes to be ingeniously transformed into chalkboards, as white details mark the characters’ iconography. Sasori is accessorized with chains; Kakashi, with his dogs. This follows a recent trend for Naruto—for example, its remake of memorable 20th anniversary scenes – as the franchise heavily capitalizes on nostalgia.
The rivalry lives on as Sasuke’s immaculate drip completely surpasses Naruto
The Will of Fire Apparently Doesn’t Apply to Clothes
If the recent attention given to Attack on TitanMikasa’s post-credits scene with Mikasa’s gothic redesign is an indication that fan bases love nothing more than a macabre makeover. Naturally, Naruto is no exception. Seeing the character known for his optimism and idealism dressed in such a dark way is shocking, but he pulls it off: the interplay of the brown belt and blonde hair with the monochromatic base outfit is visually striking. Rightfully so, Naruto has captivated eyes and imaginations with the surprising redesign.
However, Sasuke still comes out on top. It’s more than an emotional association between the dominant black aesthetic and the bad mood and solemnity that Sasuke’s character has always represented; Sure enough, Sasuke looks more natural in his clothes than Naruto, and it looks close to his aesthetic in the manga and anime. However, the simplicity of the all-black use punctuated, for example, by the silver buckle and the dark blue strap of the belt is cohesive. Meanwhile, the contrasts in the length of the robe with the shirt and pants are distracting, providing visual interest.
Both characters look sharp, but Sasuke comes out far ahead of Naruto in terms of style. Anyway, the “Black Coordinate version.” The redesigns are fantastic, and it’s great to see characters like Itachi and Sasori on equal footing – although the exclusion of fan favorites like Sakura should give hope for future products. If the illustration proves anything other than Sasuke’s stylistic prowess, it’s that narutoThe next product launch is something to keep an eye on.
Sources: @thechara_2014 (X)