Samurai are of almost equal fame to ninja, and in pop culture, in some ways, they seem like the opposite of ninja -- forthright instead of sneaky. Are there any powerful samurai in the world of Naruto, or are ninja the overwhelmingly dominate power in this world?
I do have a few samurai characters: Zouri and Waraji (although they're kind of "lame" samurai). But there are way too many samurai manga out there, so to stay original I'll continue the ninja stories.
The character Jiraiya, who appears in Naruto, is based on a legendary ninja. Is Naruto inspired by any other particular legends?
Jiraiya is about the only character who is like that; the others are all original.
Your work seems to have a science fiction influence. Approximately speaking, what is the level of technology in the world of Naruto?
Actually, the world of Naruto doesn't differ very much from our present time. Television, refrigerators and air conditioners exist in the world. The only exceptions are weapons and explosives, which I've decided to set in a much earlier era. That's why you don't see firearms in the world of Naruto
