A Special Thanks To IDW Publishing for the ARC
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had many memorable crossovers over the years that included Savage Dragon, The Ghostbusters, Usagi Yojimbo, Batman, and the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. But this newest crossover was fitting for our favorite Turtle Brothers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto.
It finally happened, the Heroes in a Half-Shell meet the Number One Hyperactive, Knucklehead Ninja, and Team Seven! Teenage Reporter, April O’Neil meets the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, though it is not known what they were meeting about, which made the turtles curious. But, close behind were Shredder and the Foot Clan, who were interested in April’s visit too, and thought that she might hold the valuable information on mutation research being conducted by the scientist Baxter Stockman. With April caught between the forces of the Hidden Leaf Village and the Foot Clan, it can’t be long before the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles show up to lend her a hand!
This special collaboration brought together IDW Publishing and Manga publisher, Viz Media for a unique story idea that blended the strange world of TMNT and the Shonen-style world of Naruto, bringing in writer Caleb Goellner (Sonic the Hedgehog, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Nation, Ghost Cage), and artist Hendry Prasetya (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Girl, God Complex). Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto felt like a filler episode from the TV Anime, one that isn’t considered Canon to the series, but it is still an entertaining story that will make fans of both stories very happy.
An important note to point out for those who aren’t familiar with this is that it collects issues One-Four (which are available in Digital and your LCS). With two worlds colliding, it was a fascinating idea to make New York City into the Big Apple Village, we eventually see something similar later on with the Boruto series in terms of cityscape and in size. As I mentioned previously, while it feels like a filler episode from the anime, I enjoyed the turtles working together with Team 7, but it felt like a missed opportunity to include Orochimaru and Kabuto in this crossover. The reason is that Orochimaru has always been a character who has experimented not only with Jutsu, but also on human test subjects, not to mention using Baxter Stockman, or Shredder, and the Foot Clan to use the Ooze to topple both the Leaf Village and Big Apple Village. Aside from my lengthy observation, writer Caleb Goellner brings his TMNT knowledge to the table and does a great job in being able to reflect each member of Team 7’s personalities perfectly. My only complaint about the story was that it felt rushed, not enough time to build the world around them.
The Turtles and Team Seven may come from different worlds, but each character shares similarities, including Naruto, who shares the same pain the brothers do in terms of wanting the world to accept him for who he is, and view him not as a threat but a friend. Artist Hendry Prasetya’s artwork was one of the best things about this short series, with his illustrative detail in buildings (including how well New York’s transformation into a village was a fascinating idea), and with how many crossovers the turtles have, they seem to find a way to blend in perfectly. The character designs were fascinating, paying homage to Asian and American culture, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke’s appearances offered a clue as to where the trio would be, which is after the Chunin Exams, possibly before the Sasuke Retrieval Arc. In terms of the fights, they were well illustrated, especially the showdown with Shredder (my favorite crossover showdown!)
My final thoughts on this story.. whether you are a fan of either series, or perhaps a new reader, this is the perfect book to add to your TMNT and Naruto Collection. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto will be available on October 7th, which will be available in your Local Comic Book Shop or through an e-retailer. You can pre-order your copy here.
Final Grade:
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