Top 10 Times Naruto Appeared In Other Media

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be looking at the most notable times the knuckleheaded ninja did a Naruto run into other shows, games, or merchandise.

“Rick and Morty” (2013-)

The apple fell very, very far from the tree on this one. Thanks to one of Rick’s wild experiments, Morty and Summer’s kid isn’t exactly what you’d call the spitting image of his parents. Instead, he’s ginormous, capable of mass destruction, and lives in the depths of space. But, despite all that, Summer looks up at her kid and decides there’s only one name that fits. Honestly, we aren’t sure whether Naruto should be flattered or offended. At the very least, she seems to think it’s a term of endearment. But, the jury’s still out on everyone else.

All Elite Wrestling

In the “Naruto” universe, Rock Lee’s the guy to look for if you want to see some slick hand-to-hand combat. In the real world, though, there’s another Lee to keep your eyes on. Keith Lee, to be precise. If the wrestler’s Instagram is any indication, he's quite the anime fan. And, even better, he’s brought that passion into the ring on more than a few occasions. Whether you’ve seen “Naruto” or not, watching a wrestler make their entrance in an Akatsuki hoodie is just plain cool. Thankfully, Keith Lee usually makes the franchise proud by coming out with a win - and that’s without any jutsu!

“Donkey Konga 2” (2004) & “Donkey Konga 3” (2005)

There’s quite the lineup of songs in this “Donkey Kong” spinoff. Amid all the covers,“Naruto’s” third ending theme, “Viva Rock,” also snuck its way in. People clearly liked it, too, since the next game doubled down on the crossover. There, you could tap to the beat of two more “Naruto” songs. And, despite the hardware limitations, they sound pretty damn great. Don’t go rushing to boot up your old copy, though. The first Naruto track only appeared in the Japanese copies of “Donkey Konga 2,” and the third game never even got a worldwide release.

“Pokémon Black 2” (2012) & “Pokémon White 2” (2012)

An artist’s inspiration can come from the strangest of places. Like, for instance, an anime villain. In “Pokemon Black 2” and “White 2,” a trainer on route 5 starts a battle by claiming that “art is explosions.” Anyone who’s ever seen “Naruto: Shippuden” will recognize that as an homage to Deidara’s iconic catchphrase. Although, in his case, the Akatsuki member means it a bit more literally. See, despite the trainer’s words, his Pokemon doesn’t even know the move “explosion,” which feels like a major missed opportunity. But, all things considered, Deidara should just be happy he made it into a “Pokémon” game in the first place.

“The Cleveland Show” (2009-13)

This episode sees the Brown family go to Comic-Con. A convention means cosplay, and cosplay means a whole load of unofficial cameos. The most obvious one of all comes from a group of nerds waiting in line for a panel. Smashed right between an Ewok and Chewbacca, someone’s dressed up as the one, the only, Naruto Uzumaki. The outfit itself is pretty good, but that’s where the similarities between him and Naruto end. When the cosplayer has to choose between staying with his pals or getting the last seat at the panel, he abandons his friends faster than you can say “Rasengan.” Guess Naruto’s ninja way doesn’t apply to cosplayers.

“Fornite” (2017)

He’s fought in actual shinobi wars, and this still might be the biggest battle royale Naruto’s ever taken part in. Luckily, he isn’t alone. When the Hokage-to-be finally dropped in “Fortnite,” he brought the whole of Team 7 with him. There’s just nothing better than shooting through an enemy as a four-man squad of Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, and Naruto. Especially since you can teabag with custom Naruto emotes, too. The collaboration was such a hit that, a year later, “Fortnite” dropped a second wave of skins featuring Hinata, Gaara, Orochimaru, and Itachi. Who knew ninjas would be so handy with guns?

“NBC Sunday Night Football” (2006-)

Gaara, step aside. There’s a new Kazekage in town, and his name is Jamaal Williams. While he probably doesn’t have the power of a tailed beast, he was a pretty solid running back for the Detroit Lions. But, instead of calling himself a mere athlete, Williams used his 2023 player intro to announce that he’d become the first “swag” Kazekage. In or out of universe, that’s a bold claim to make. But, Williams had nothing to sweat about. Considering he’d go on to break the Lions’ record for touchdowns in a single season, he really might be a Kage on the football field.

“Robot Chicken” (2005-22)

Just like in the source material, this satirical interpretation of Naruto just wants to lead his village. But, this version gets there a whole lot quicker. Rather than a decade-spanning anime series full of action, heart, and character growth, “Robot Chicken” throws Naruto into a totally-original and copyright-free Ninja Exam! He still fails, but because his Dad’s a big donor to the school, Naruto gets to command Konoha anyways. That's it, that’s the whole scene. It’s only a few minutes long, but it still manages to land some seriously funny blows to the franchise. Although, from “Robot Chicken,” we shouldn’t have expected anything less.

“The Boondocks” (2005-14)

To this day, Orochimaru’s first encounter with the vengeful Uchiha is one of the franchise’s coolest fights. It’s spawned an endless number of homages and ripoffs, including all the way in “The Boondocks.” Even though this version is a two-on-two, entire bits of the original scene are still recreated with painstaking attention to detail. At a certain point, it feels like “Naruto” music should start playing in the background. Unfortunately, the remake doesn’t go that far. But on the bright side, this masterfully crafted action scene is still plenty entertaining the second time through.

“Gintama” (2006-18)

Turns out, Gintoki is a massive weeb. In particular, he likes the manga about a young, immature ninja who stops a villainous group of shinobi from taking over the world. No, not “Naruto” - it’s the legally distinct “Beruto.” Surprisingly, that cheeky gag isn’t even the most overt “Naruto” reference in the series. In fact, it’s practically an outlier. More often than not, “Gintama” makes fun of “Naruto” right to its face, namedrops and all. Some of it is innocent fun, some of it is biting criticism, and some of it is blink-and-you’ll-miss-it easter eggs. Either way, it’s a good thing that Naruto knows how to take a joke.

Where do you want Naruto to do a teleportation jutsu to next? Let us know in the comments below!