Masashi Kishimoto made his debut in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1999 with Naruto, Naruto became a big hit with both boys and girls. Kishimoto added a modern flavor to the ancient world of Japanese ninja to make it a popular novel. It will become an anime series airing on Japanese networks this fall. To date, with the release of all 13 volumes of the graphic novel, this title has sold 12 million copies. Kishimoto has received the Hop Step Award.