Naruto, Vol. 5: The Challengers [Paperback]

Masashi Kishimoto (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 7, 2004

Naruto is a ninja-in-training with a need for attention, a knack for mischief, and sealed within him, a strange, formidable power. His antics amuse his instructor Kakashi and irritate his teammates, intense Sasuke and witty Sakura, but Naruto is serious about becoming the greatest ninja in the village of Konohagakure! In the course of their training, student ninjas Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke have fought deadly assassins, learned incredible feats of magic and martial arts, and danced along the brink of death. Now they're facing the most terrifying challenge of all: exams. The three ninjas-in-training have signed up for the Journeyman Ninja Selection Exams, which they must pass if they ever want to advance to the rank of full-fledged shinobi. They learn too late how grueling and dangerous the exams are. If the tests of skill, stealth, and battle prowess don't kill them, their fellow junior ninja will. And, since the three pass or fail as a group, they're only as strong as their weakest link...Naruto!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Masashi Kishimoto made his debut in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1999 with Naruto, which became a big hit with both boys and girls. Kishimoto added a modern flavour to the ancient world of Japanese ninja to make Naruto one of the most popular series in Japan.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: VIZ Media LLC (December 7, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591163595
• ISBN-13: 978-1591163596
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,422 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Author/artist Masashi Kishimoto was born in 1974 in rural Okayama Prefecture, Japan. After spending time in art college, he won the Hop Step Award for new manga artists with his manga Karakuri ("Mechanism"). Kishimoto decided to base his next story on traditional Japanese culture. His first version of Naruto, drawn in 1997, was a one-shot story about fox spirits; his final version, which debuted in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1999, quickly became the most popular ninja manga in Japan.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exam hell, March 3, 2005

By 

Zack Davisson "japanreviewed" (Seattle, WA, USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Naruto, Vol. 5: The Challengers (Paperback)

Nothing is more Japanese than the written exam. High school students usually don't get graded on daily work, but instead can study all year for a single test that is close to 100% of their grade. If you fail it, then try again next year.

In "Naruto 5," all the genin (jr. ninja) who hope to advance to chunin (journeyman) must sit a written exam. The catch is, each team passes or fails as a team, using their combined score. If Naruto fails, then Sakura and Sasuke go down too. Naruto's only hope is to cheat, but anyone getting caught cheating is immediately failed, along with his team. A great story, showing Naruto's unique psychological strengths in a tense situation.

Of course, Viz does a great job with this book as with all the Naruto series. My only complaint is that the entire series is in black and white, and the colored parts of the series are also rendered in black and white. I wish they would get as close as possible to the Japanese original, including the colored sections.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars CHUNIN EXAM FIRST ROUND, January 2, 2008

By 

Sesho "www.sesho.libsyn.com" (Pasadena, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Naruto, Vol. 5: The Challengers (Paperback)

Cell 7 is getting prepared for the first round of the Chunin Exam to become journeymen ninja but first things first. Rock Lee challenges Sasuke to a one on one match before the test even starts! Naruto and company are a little intimidated by the assemblage of ninja at the Exam since a lot of them are not rookies like their team. Naruto almost wets himself when he finds out the first round of the Exam is a written test. We all know and even HE knows he's not exactly the brightest lightbulb in the room. There are 10 questions with a value of 1 point each with the total points of each team being the combined score of all three members. What makes it a bit tricky is that the ninja are not told what score it takes to pass. If any team member gets caught cheating, 2 points will be deducted from each member. If you lose all 10 points you fail and will be asked to leave. Sakura has no problem with the questions since she is the smartest on her team but Naruto and Sasuke are going to have to figure out some way to get the answers from other examinees without getting nabbed.

The reader is caught just as much off-guard as Naruto's team when you find out that the first item of business for the Chunin exam is a 10 question written test. I was expecting some sort of slam bang tournament in which fighters duke it out. What Kishimoto is able to do in Volume 5 is to give a hint of each ninja's powers without giving too much away as they use their various abilities to cheat without catching the eye of any of the proctors. Well, actually, some do get caught, but nobody worthwhile. Kishimoto also introduces two important relationships. The first is that between Sakura and Yamanaka Ino, who appear to be rivals for the affections of Sasuke (even though he hasn't shown interest in either). The second is that between Naruto and Hyuga Hinata, a shy girl that Naruto thinks is a freak, but she has an unuttered crush on him. Great character designs, art, and writing.

5.0 out of 5 stars My son loved it., May 24, 2010

By 

J.Bowen (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Naruto, Vol. 5: The Challengers (Paperback)

My son loves this series and said he wouldn't speak to me if I didn't leave a review for this book. He said he loved the action and the fights.