Since Naruto’s debut in 1999, the story of the eponymous ninja outcast has been told across hundreds of manga volumes, three different anime series and countless games and other media tie-in products.
Maile Flanagan, the voice actor for Naruto in the English dub, attended MCM Comic Con London this past weekend to meet and greet fans and talk to press about some of her favorite lines, what it was like growing up with the character and the upcoming live-action adaptation from Lionsgate:
How do you handle endlessly hearing people scream “Believe it!” in your face?
Maile Flanagan: I take it as a compliment…I love it! They like the show! That’s cool. Another fan.
When fans meet you at conventions, they ask you to do their favourite lines. What are some that mean the most to you?
Maile Flanagan: “I don’t run and I don’t quit: that’s my Nindō – my Ninja Way!” I like this phrase because it can apply to anything. And, because a lot of people have big, emotional connections to this show, I hear a lot of wild, personal stories. I’ll give you an example: there was this guy at a convention and he walked up and he said “Do you remember me?”and I said “I’m sorry, did I meet you?”
Then, he said: “Yeah, you met me when I was in a wheelchair…because of a terrible car accident.” And he had all of these operations and…he was watching Naruto in the hospital and everything else. And, um, he said: “I was that guy and you told me then that I was going to walk again.” And, like, he watched Naruto for inspiration and, [then] he was right here…walking again. So, that was kind of cool…yeah…
What do you think is unique about your interpretation of the character? Something that only you bring to Naruto?
Maile Flanagan: My voice, I hope! [laughs] Yeah, I mean…it’s a little bit different in that in Japan they have some different ways of speaking and emoting that we wouldn’t do in the States. So, I think that I bring that uniqueness to the character. Like, I’m not trying to do their voice…I just do my voice.
Are you in touch with the other voices of Naruto in different languages? Maybe with Junko Takeuchi who voices him in the original Japanese?
Maile Flanagan: At one point we were supposed to meet at New York Comic Con, but then something came up. So, we did a virtual meet and greet instead. But, I would love to meet Junko —I think she’s amazing.
Viewers have been following Naruto since he was a child and now we’ve reached the point where he has a child himself, Boruto. How was it for you to see the character grow?
Maile Flanagan: As a father…[laughs] It was great! I got to go through his childhood with him…most cartoon characters, you know, they stay the same age. Bart Simpson has been the same age, but [with Naruto], I got to experience all these different emotions. So, growing up with him was really fun. Some sad moments on the way, though…like the Jiraiya stuff, yeah…
So, together with One Piece and Bleach, Naruto was amongst the so-called “Big Three” – a term used to describe Shōnen Jump’s three most popular running series. What do you consider to be your “Big Three”?
Maile Flanagan: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit…Law & Order: Criminal Intent…that’s two out of three! [laughs] Uh, I don’t watch anime, so if you’re asking for anime…I watch a lot of sports! I loved Veep…I didn’t want it to end! I love Abbott Elementary, that’s in my top. I think for me to watch some anime would be good, but I also feel like I’d be a little too critical.
Why do you think Naruto and other anime like it went mainstream?
Maile Flanagan: Because it’s cool! Before, anime was sort of the bastard stepchild of animation and now they just started a division at Warner Bros. or somewhere that was specifically for original anime products. I think anime is wildly imaginative and very much controlled by the creator and not by a network…which makes a big difference. It seems to me that a lot of American studios meddle, whereas, I feel like, in Japan, all the power lies with the creator. And that’s what makes it interesting: it doesn’t feel censored.
With news of a live-action Naruto film in the works at Lionsgate, can you talk about how close do you think they have come and whether or not it is even a good idea for them to ever do it?
Maile Flanagan: Both good questions. I think it will come, but…several people have called me over the years and it never happened. However, I think after the success of the Netflix adaptation of One Piece, I think they’re wisening up. I just think that it’s really hard to tackle…I think it would be a good live-action series because I don’t know how you condense so many episodes into a two and a half hour movie. Maybe someone can figure it out, but…sort of like Harry Potter…there’s a lot…so maybe you do four movies? I don’t know. Hopefully I’ll get to play a peasant in the background with the hood on or something.
I’ll be the weird American peasant in the Japanese village. [laughs] God, please! Dare to dream! That’s what I want to do. If they don’t put me in there in some weird way, I’ll be highly disappointed!
Do you have anyone in mind you’d want to play Naruto?
Maile Flanagan: Oh god, no. I don’t know who would have those skills. I mean, they would definitely have to be an Asian person—let’s not screw that up! You know, I would have to go with a young actor that’d also have martial arts skills…he might not even be born yet! [laughs] I did this movie called My Babysitter the Super Hero and I worked with a lot of stunt guys…they were very, very good.
But, to get a good actor who is also exceptional at stunts is really hard. I’m sure they’ll do a worldwide casting and Naruto will probably be…someone they found somewhere. Yeah, I can’t wait, to be honest. We’re all gonna wait like years because how can you even film it?
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is out now on Blu-Ray, DVD, and digital and available for streaming on Crunchyroll.
