Naruto exhibition celebrating 20-year legacy of anime coming to Dubai

The show will include life-sized installations and never before seen works of art

Naruto The Gallery will features immersive life-sized installations and exclusive artworks. Photo: Akiba

For the first time ever, UAE fans of the manga and anime series Naruto will be able to experience the story of the young ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village through a popular exhibition making its way to Dubai.

The exhibition, Naruto the Gallery, will travel from Tokyo and will run from Friday to April 6 at The Concourse Convention Centre, near the Dubai Outlet Mall.

This is the official debut of the exhibition outside east Asia and has been created to celebrate the 20-year legacy of anime and its influence in Japan and around the world.

“We are truly honoured to bring Naruto the Gallery to Dubai as its next destination,” the exhibition gallery committee in Japan said.

“Through this exhibition, we hope to provide as many fans as possible with an opportunity to immerse themselves in the rich history and legacy of Naruto."

Featuring immersive life-sized installations and exclusive artworks from the manga series, the exhibition will showcase how the animation and storytelling techniques were used to illustrate the themes of the story and characters' journeys.

From the vibrant landscapes of Konoha, also known as Hidden Leaf Village, to some of the series' most memorable battles, as well as intimate details of the character development and portrayals, the exhibition is aimed to entertain both fans and those who are new to the world of Naruto.

The exhibition will have on display authentic artefacts and original artwork, including never-before-seen concept art and materials used in creating the series, such as rare behind-the-scenes content from significant scenes from the series' origins.

The interactive displays will allow fans to engage with some of those scenes by immersing themselves into Naruto’s world. There will also be limited-edition memorabilia and merchandise, too.

Naruto was originally a Shonen Jump Manga – a type of Japanese comic that is published weekly in a magazine. As a genre, Shonen Jump Manga places a lot of emphasis on plots driven by high-stakes action and adventure with themes delving into friendship and perseverance.

The series follows the story of the ninja Naruto Uzumaki, who overcomes deadly battles with rivals while confronting his difficult past in order to become the chief Hokage, or leader, of Hidden Leaf Village.

The manga quickly gained popularity for its intricate world-building, fleshed-out characters and exploration of themes, particularly friendship.

Naruto became widely popular outside of Japan, with the manga spanning 72 volumes, distributed in more than 60 countries and regions with sales outside of Japan exceeding 100 million copies, making it one of Japan’s best-selling manga series of all time.

The anime adaptation of the manga series aired in 2002, followed by a second series Naruto Shippuden in 2007, which aired until 2017. Since then, there have been 11 animated feature films that have been released.

Naruto The Gallery will run from Friday to April 6 at The Concourse Convention Centre. This is a ticketed event starting at Dh60