When BTV began broadcasting “Narutas Viesulo Kronikos” in 2013, Lithuanian viewers already knew the main character well. They’d spent five years following Naruto Uzumaki’s early adventures on LNK, which started airing the original series in September 2008. The sequel’s arrival marked the continuation of something bigger than just another anime import.
Table of Contents
The Lithuanian Connection
“Narutas Viesulo Kronikos” translates directly as “Naruto: Hurricane Chronicles,” the Lithuanian name for Naruto Shippuden. The translation carries weight. “Viesulo” captures both storm and hurricane, reflecting the turbulent nature of the story better than a literal rendering would. “Kronikos” positions it as an epic record of events worth documenting.
Lithuanian voice actors created a localized version that made Japanese storytelling accessible without subtitles. Families watched together. Kids didn’t need reading skills to follow along. Parents didn’t need anime knowledge to understand what their children found compelling. The dubbing strategy worked because it removed barriers instead of simply translating words.
The Series That Defined a Generation
Studio Pierrot produced Naruto Shippuden under director Hayato Date, adapting Masashi Kishimoto’s manga into 500 television episodes. The anime ran from February 2007 through March 2017 on TV Tokyo in Japan. Lithuanian broadcasts followed years later but maintained the same narrative structure.
The story picks up after a two-and-a-half-year gap. Naruto returns from training with the legendary ninja Jiraiya. His goal remains unchanged: bring back Sasuke Uchiha, his former teammate who abandoned their village to pursue power under the rogue ninja Orochimaru. But the threats have evolved. The Akatsuki organization hunts the Tailed Beasts, powerful creatures that include the nine-tailed fox sealed inside Naruto since birth.
Core narrative threads include:
- Team 7’s reformation with Sai and Captain Yamato replacing departed members
- Sasuke’s quest for revenge against his brother Itachi
- The Fourth Shinobi World War involving all major ninja villages
- Naruto’s transformation from village outcast to respected leader
- The revelation of ancient conspiracies stretching back generations
Character designer Tetsuya Nishio translated Kishimoto’s manga artwork into animation at the creator’s specific request. The visual consistency between source material and adaptation helped maintain the story’s integrity across formats.
Kishimoto’s Vision
Masashi Kishimoto submitted his first successful manga work to Shueisha in 1995. His early career struggled until Naruto debuted in Weekly Shลnen Jump in September 1999. The series ran for 15 years, concluding in November 2014 with 72 volumes and 700 chapters.
Born November 8, 1974, in Okayama Prefecture, Kishimoto grew up watching Dragon Ball and studying the artwork of its creator, Akira Toriyama. He built Naruto’s world around concepts drawn from Japanese mythology, developing the chakra energy system and ninja techniques that define the series. His grandfather’s stories about the Hiroshima bombing influenced how he approached war themes in the manga, writing conflict with consequences but maintaining hope.
The numbers tell part of the story. Naruto sold 250 million copies worldwide across 46 countries by May 2019. Studio Pierrot produced 11 animated films and 12 original video animations beyond the television series. Kishimoto maintained involvement throughout, personally supervising three films and designing characters for video games including Tekken 6.
Why Lithuanian Audiences Connected
The Lithuanian broadcast represented calculated risk. Anime remained niche in Eastern Europe during the late 2000s. LNK’s decision to air the original Naruto series in 2008 tested whether Japanese animation could find mainstream audiences when properly localized.
Five years proved the concept worked. By 2013, when BTV picked up Shippuden, Lithuanian viewers had established viewing habits around the franchise. Online communities discussed episodes. Fan art appeared on local websites. Parents recognized characters their children imitated during play.
The series addressed questions that transcended cultural boundaries. What do you owe the community that raised you? How do you handle inherited burdens you never asked for? When does pursuing personal goals become selfish? Naruto’s journey from orphaned troublemaker to Hokage candidate provided answers through action rather than lectures.
The Franchise Continues
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations launched in 2016, following Naruto’s son through his own ninja training. Kishimoto initially supervised before assuming writing duties in November 2020. The sequel maintains the original’s setting while exploring how peace changes the ninja world.
For Lithuania, narutas viesulo kronikos established anime as viable programming for mainstream television. It demonstrated that dubbed animation could compete with local and Western content when networks invested in quality voice work. The series didn’t just entertain Lithuanian audiences. It opened doors for other Japanese animation to receive similar treatment.
Studio Pierrot continues operating from its Mitaka, Tokyo headquarters. The company founded in May 1979 produces multiple series simultaneously, but Naruto remains its most recognized international work. The franchise proved that proper adaptation and localization could carry stories across continents without losing what made them compelling in the first place.
