Toy Tuesday: The Best Naruto Toys
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It’s almost impossible to tell which manga series are going to be popular and which are going to be genre-defining, but Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto is definitely the latter. The story of a young ninja trainee who wants to be the very best and also hosts a nine-tailed fox demon inside his body that gives him terrifying power is really just an excuse for increasingly dramatic fights against cool enemies with wild powers. But it’s brisk, fun, and hyper-kinetic enough to inspire an anime series, video games, a sequel, a very memeable way of running and, of course, toys. Here are 11 of our favorite Naruto toys.
Naruto Nendoroid
Good Smile’s Nendoroid line is a staple of these round-ups, and for good reason. No other company combines the big-headed anime style with paint detail and poseability quite like they do. Their take on the spiky-haired boy ninja comes with all the bells and whistles you’d expect, including a translucent stand so you can pose him in a bunch of different moves straight out of the manga. It also boasts an exclusive nine-tailed fox backdrop so you can show those foes what’s what, as well as effect parts for his Rasengan and Rasenshuriken moves and multiple swappable hands.
Get it at Amazon.com
Tobi Funko Pop
Naruto has a number of deeply cool character designs, but one of the most unsettling is the bizarre Obito Uchiha, at one time a member of the Uchiha clan who was left for dead but taken in by the villainous Madara Uchiha, inheriting his plan to remake the world and force people to live in peace. He shows up later as “Tobi,” wearing a mask with a spiral pattern that obscures his hideous deformed face. That mask is actually the body of a powerful Zetsu, but explaining it all would take more words than we have here. What needs to be said is that this is one of the weirdest-looking Funko Pops ever, so you should get it.
Get it at Amazon.com
Tamashii Nations Gaara Figure
One of the trademark moves of boys’ fighting manga is the progression from rival to ally. It happens a bunch in Naruto, and one of our favorites is Gaara. The heir of Sunagakure has a mystical beast bound inside him just like Naruto does, but he uses his abilities in a different way – to control sand from his hometown which he totes around in a massive gourd. He’s able to use the substance to form all kinds of objects, and this Tamashii Nations figure comes with a big beefy sand hand for squishing the life out of his opponents, as well as two interchangeable faceplates and a transparent stand.
Get it at Amazon.com
Megahouse Hinata Figure
Originally a member of the rival Team 8, the heiress to the Hyuga clan was earmarked as a romantic partner for Naruto from almost the very beginning of the series. Hinata Hyuga starts out as somewhat of a retiring personality against the larger-than-life characters of the series, but after nearly being killed during her Chunin exam she finds inner strength and decides to train harder than ever before. This is a great PVC sculpt from the masters at Megahouse, replete with incredible detailing on Hinata’s hair and outfit.
Get it at Amazon.com
Tamashii Nations Sage Mode Naruto Figure
It wouldn’t be a shounen manga if the main character didn’t have an escalating series of transformations he could go through to gain more and more power. In the world of Naruto, “Sage Mode” lets a ninja meld his inner chakra resolves with the base power of nature itself, allowing them to tap into incredible abilities. Oh, but if you screw it up you turn to stone forever, no big deal. Bandai’s Tamashii Nations line is high-end action figure brilliance, and their take on Naruto in Sage Mode is as dope as you’d expect, with tons of accessories and points of articulation.
Get it at Amazon.com
Kakashi Hatake Figure
You know we love a big sword around here. This PVC figure from Megahouse isn’t poseable, but why would you ever want to move Kakashi out of this position? Kakashi of the Sharingan is the leader of Team 7, an incredibly perceptive and terrifying fighter who has absorbed the secrets of 1000 jutsus from his foes. He’s one of the first father figures that Naruto has in the series, and his love of sleazy erotic novels along with his laconic disposition makes him one of the more popular characters in the whole thing.
Get it at Amazon.com
Tamashii Nations Rock Lee Figure
Kishimoto’s favorite character to draw, Rock Lee is a lot of fun because he doesn’t use all of the wild and crazy jutsus of the other ninjas in Naruto, instead training himself to the pinnacle of basic hand-to-hand combat. And it works! Rock reps Konohagakure like a boss and has taken part in some of the series’ best throwdowns. As you’d expect from Tamashii Nations, this is a crazy poseable figure that has multiple interchangeable face parts for different expressions, eight different hands, and more. We defy you to find a martial arts pose you can’t make with this one.
Get it at Amazon.com
Naruto Shippuden Board Game
While there are seemingly dozens of Naruto video games, a real ninja knows that true competition comes across a table with your friends. The Naruto Shippuden board game, produced by YOKA Games, is a cooperative challenge that lets 2-6 players each take on the identity of one of the series’ many ninjas and face off against the Akatsuki, who are ravaging villages in search of Jinchuriki. Players need to coordinate strategy as they split up to face their foes on the way to the final showdown. Lots of unique enemies and a brisk playtime make this one a solid pick for game night.
Get it at Amazon.com
Banpresto Naruto Grandista Figure
What this statuette from Banpresto lacks in articulation, it more than makes up for in detail and style. Rendered in a slightly more realistic mode than the other items on this list, the figure stands nearly a foot tall and boasts some seriously high-end sculpts. Reviews note that the hands on this figure are ridiculously well-done, and the translucent Rasengan effect in his right hand looks super cool. The figure comes with a pair of faceplates with different expressions as well.
Get it at Amazon.com
Tamashii Nations Sasuke Uchiha Figure
When we first meet Naruto, he’s got one main rival, as is traditional for shounen manga: Sasuke Uchiha. The raven-haired ninja is cold, aloof, and precise, everything our hero is not, but as the narrative progresses the two develop a grudging respect for each other. That is, until Sasuke abandons his teammates for the dark side under the tutelage of the malicious Orochimaru. Everything works out in the end, but it’s rough for a while. This exquisite figure of Sasuke’s appearance from the second half of the manga – and the Shippuden anime – comes with special chidori effect pieces.
Get it at Amazon.com
Boruto Plush
What do you do when your heroic story is all told but there’s still juice left in your franchise? Introduce a kid, of course. Ukyō Kodachi and Mikio Ikemoto were given the go-ahead by Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto to keep the story going with a new protagonist, Naruto and Hinata Hyuga’s son Boruto. With many of his dad’s personality traits combined with a somewhat spoiled upbringing, he still has a lot to learn about the perils of the ninja life. Take young Boruto home with this eight inch plush rendition, perfect for practicing your jutsu on.
Get it at Amazon.com