Naruto Shinden Series

Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Naruto True Legend, Itachi Shinden, Sasuke's Story, Koumyou-hen, Book of Bright Light, Daylight, Anya-hen, Book of Dark Night, Midnight, Raikou-hen, Book of Sunrise, Naruto: Itachi's Story

Japanese: NARUTO -ナルト- 真伝シリーズ

More titles

Information

Type: Light Novel

Volumes: 3

Chapters: 11

Status: Finished

Published: Sep 4, 2015 to Nov 4, 2015

Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Theme: Martial Arts

Demographic: Shounen

Serialization: None

Authors: Kishimoto, Masashi (Art), Yano, Takashi (Story), Towada, Shin (Story)

Statistics

Score: 8.38¹ (scored by 5,471 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #270²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #1773

Members: 13,778

Favorites: 332

Available At

Official Site

8.38

Ranked #270Popularity #1773Members 13,778

Light NovelKishimoto, Masashi (Art), Yano, Takashi (Story), Towada, Shin (Story)

Add to My List

Volumes: /3

Chapters: /11

Edit
Synopsis

The story will focus on the brothers who have eyes that see through to the truth and who live on the threshold of hope and despair. Itachi's past and Sasuke's future will be made clear.

Edit

BackgroundNaruto Shinden Series was published in English by VIZ Media from November 1, 2016 to March 7, 2017.

Edit

Related Entries

More characters
Characters

Uchiha, Itachi

Main

Uchiha, Sasuke

Main

Uchiha, Shisui

Supporting

Uchiha, Mikoto

Supporting

Karatachi, Yagura

Supporting

Uchiha, Izumi

Supporting

Uchiha, Fugaku

Supporting

Biwa, Juuzou

Supporting

Chino

Supporting

Oyashiro, En

Supporting

Reviews

Aug 3, 2018

nicolaa1011

Recommended

The Itachi Shinden novels are definitely worth the read. I can't say the same for Sasuke Shinden, though.

Itachi Shinden, as most of long-time Naruto fans may think, is just narrating how Itachi eventually got to the decision of killing his own clan. There's actually more to it than that. Not only does the novel dwell more on what Itachi was thinking at the time, but it also gives new perspectives to characters like Fugaku (Itachi's father) and even Shisui. How Shisui's family is doing and how he awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan is explained in the novels, for example. How Shisui died in the novels is ...

Open

Gift

Oct 14, 2017

wabbajackov

Recommended

sasuke's book wasn't necessary. itachi's books were amazing and gave a new insight into his backstory and really fleshed out his characters inner turmoil much more than in the anime. the English translation had a few doubled words and misspellings but it didn't take anything away from how good it was.

the books looked into alot more than i thought they would and they changed my opinion on the tsukiyomi. the book made me realise that it is probably not a good thing to have happen to the world while during the anime i was confused as to why people opposed it so much

Open

Gift

Dec 31, 2021

abystoma2

Mixed Feelings

Whether the original work is good or bad, if it has a light novel spin-off, that spin-off is almost always weaker than the parent title. As low as my expectations were, turns out this is not the case with Naruto Shinden. Though I should probably disclose right from the start that I’m not exactly a fan of the Naruto franchise.

The first two volumes technically aren’t a new story – they are expanded, more detailed (and a bit changed) events that we already know happened. So perhaps don’t read beyond this point if you don’t want to get spoilers for Naruto, a story that I ... otherwise assume you’re already familiar with as you’re reading a review for its side story. Now that we have the spoiler warning out of the way, let’s continue. These volumes cover the story of Itachi, from his very early childhood to the moment he decided/got dumped into slaughtering his clan. This already makes the story more interesting than the main one, as Itachi is simply more interesting protagonist with more interesting philosophy then Naruto’s “UOOOOOOH, FRIEEEEEEENDS” or Sasuke’s “UOOOOOOH, REVEEEENGE”. The writing style is engaging enough to keep you reading and gives you more insight into the characters’ minds.

Now, you might have noticed that I have mentioned two volumes. But wait, this entry has three volumes, doesn’t it? Correct you are. It is a stumbling block of this novel series. The protagonist switches to Sasuke, and the story becomes uninteresting uninspired average filler. In case you're wondering how could the quality of the writing took such a hit, the author of the third volume is actually a different one than for the previous two, so there's that. Unfortunately I can’t exactly ignore this volume existing, so unfortunately it brings down the higher score I was going to give to Shinden.

Well, I can’t, but you can. If you’re not a completionist, I’d suggest just skipping the 3rd volume. Then again, if you want to read this you’re likely a Naruto fan and therefore used to such fillers, so you might as well read it.

------------------------------
Footnote:
I feel the need to voice my dissatisfaciton of the official English translation by VIZ. I keep hearing how the translations from English to other languages can be a lawless land, and this is an example. Why would you make a translation if you decide to just not translate some words? It's not Konohagakure, it's Hidden Leaf Village. Argue as you want that keeping the original name keeps the "foreign" flavor, but making the name understandable to those who don't speak Japanese adds considerably more flavor to the actual story. This is almost on the level of "Just according to keikaku".

Open

Gift

More stacks

Interest Stacks

Naruto Readlist

by KyarTonediZzZ

36 Entries · 8 Restacks

Light Novels and Novels published in Poland

by Daddy-Lucifer

32 Entries · 14 Restacks

Light Novels published in Brazil / Light Novels publicadas no Brasil

by KietaTeenRomance

38 Entries · 13 Restacks

More recommendations
Recommendations

More news
Recent News

Q4 2019 Anime & Manga Licenses [Update 12/19]

In this thread, you'll find a comprehensive list of anime and manga licensed in the fourth quarter (October-December) of 2019. Fall 2019 anime which were licens...read more

Sep 27, 2019 4:08 PM by Snow | Discuss (33 comments)

North American Anime & Manga Releases for March

Here are the North American anime & manga releases for March Week 1: March 7 - 13 Anime Releases Phantasy Star Online 2 The Animation Complete Collection DVD Pha...read more

Mar 6, 2017 10:25 AM by Sakana-san | Discuss (12 comments)

More discussions
Recent Forum Discussion

Poll: Naruto Shinden Series Chapter 2 Discussion Adames_yh - Jul 9, 2023	1 replies	by CristiLuca140208 »» Sep 1, 2023 4:07 AM
Poll: Naruto Shinden Series Chapter 1 Discussion Adames_yh - Jul 9, 2023	1 replies	by SlimeLordOfRats »» Jul 9, 2023 9:16 AM
Novels to be released in English SeriousSarcasm - Apr 14, 2016	2 replies	by AcbSnakeDemon »» Aug 5, 2020 8:22 PM

Naruto Shinden Series
Naruto: Itachi's Story
Edit

What would you like to edit?

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

Available At

Edit
Synopsis

Related Entries

Visit MALxJapan
MALxJapan -More than just anime-

More characters
Characters

Reviews

Interest Stacks

More recommendations
Recommendations

More news
Recent News

More discussions
Recent Forum Discussion

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreMost Popular Characters

Naruto Shinden SeriesNaruto: Itachi's Story Edit What would you like to edit? SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

Available At

EditSynopsis

Related Entries

Visit MALxJapan MALxJapan -More than just anime-

More charactersCharacters

Reviews

Interest Stacks

More recommendations Recommendations

More newsRecent News

More discussionsRecent Forum Discussion

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreMost Popular Characters

Naruto Shinden Series
Naruto: Itachi's Story
Edit

What would you like to edit?

Edit
Synopsis

Visit MALxJapan
MALxJapan -More than just anime-

More characters
Characters

More recommendations
Recommendations

More news
Recent News

More discussions
Recent Forum Discussion