The anime-manga medium presents creators with boundless possibilities as to what could happen. Masashi Kishimoto made great use of this expansive scope in Naruto. Fights that defy the laws of physics or teenagers who are capable of doing things far beyond their age, Kishimoto pushed boundaries where he could.
As a result, we got the thoroughly enthralling experience of Naruto. However, there was one time when the mangaka was particularly concerned about the wrath of the censor board. He spoke about the subject during an interview explaining exactly what it was that concerned him.
It was a scene from the iconic arc where Shikamaru takes his revenge against Hidan, and here’s everything you need to know about it.
Masashi Kishimoto was concerned about the censor board with this scene
Shikamaru is a fan-favorite character from Naruto and it’s quite evident that Masashi Kishimoto put extra effort into his character arc. All his moments throughout the series were exciting and it was a joy to see him working his brain in magnificent ways. There was one particular scene after Asuma’s death that put Kishimoto in a bind.
During an interview with Fuji TV (translations via Wiki), the mangaka was asked about the scene where Shikamaru smokes a cigarette after his revenge. Kishimoto shared that even though he likes such serious scenes, he can’t put them in a shonen series. Even with that scene, he was contemplating if he should remove it and consulted his editor about the same.
The main cause of concern was Shikamaru’s age as he was still a minor in that scene. As per the advice of his editor, the mangaka went ahead with the scene, knowing that if they find it problematic, he’ll be asked to remove it. Seemingly, he chose to move forward with it, but the scene was censored in the anime and the English version of the manga.
The significance of this scene for Shikamaru
Shikamaru had undergone a lot of emotional stress and anguish during this arc. He lost his mentor whom he deeply cared for. He grieved and then came up with an effective strategy within a short span of time. He single-handedly managed to bury an Akatsuki member, which was a huge achievement. After he successfully defeated Hidan, he lit a cigarette for Asuma.
He might have started smoking during that time in Asuma’s remembrance, which explains why he’d do that. After all, the cigarette was an indispensable part of Asuma’s character. However, it could have been a coping mechanism for Shikamaru as well, something to simply deal with everything that was going on with him. That particular scene brought a close to the saddest and most tragic chapter of Shikamaru’s life.
Naruto is available to read on the MangaPlus app and website.
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