Milan Records released a re-recorded version of one of the first iconic Naruto theme songs, Asian Kung-Fu Generation’s “Haruka Kanata.” The track has been newly re-recorded for the first time since its 2003 release, and the new version is now available on all the major music platforms. It is the first offering from the group’s forthcoming Single Collection album releasing on July 31 (a 33-track collection of the group’s iconic singles, released in celebration of the 20th anniversary of their major label debut).
The theme song was the second opening for the Japanese version of Naruto and the third opening for the English dub version of Part I of the Naruto series, being used in episodes 26-53. You can check out the original music video or the anime opening below.
Naruto Opening 2 – “Haruka Kanata”
Asian Kung-Fu Generation (stylized as ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION) is a four-piece band formed in 1996. They first released Destructive Amplifier in 2002 and made their major debut a year later with the same title. In 2003, the band launched NANO-MUGEN Fes. and annually expanded their project scales. The band invited overseas artists like Weezer, Manic Street Preachers and more to introduce their fans to a wider range of genre.
Naruto is a manga written by Masashi Kishimoto. It began serialization in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump in September 1999 and ran for 15 years until November 2014, ending with a total of 72 volumes. Studio Pierrot animated the anime adaptation, which premiered in October 2002 and ran for 220 episodes. The anime was followed by a sequel titled Naruto Shippuden, which ran for 500 episodes.
There is also the sequel Boruto: Naruto Next Generations manga, originally written by Ukyo Kodachi. Masashi Kishimoto later took over the story, which has illustrations by Mikio Ikimoto. The manga started in the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 2016 but moved to V Jump in 2019.
Part 2 of the manga titled Boruto: Two Blue Vortex began in August 2023. The Boruto: Naruto Next Generations anime adaptation began broadcasting in April 2017, while the anime went on a break in March 2023.
Source: Press Release, VIZ YouTube
© Masashi Kishimoto, Scott / Shueisha, TV Tokyo, Pierrot
