Raruto
Spanish webcomic parodying Naruto, popular in early 2000s internet culture.
Raruto is a Spanish webcomic created by Jesús García Ferrer, known as Jesulink, that serves as a parody of the Japanese anime and manga series *Naruto*. It first appeared online on 30 October 2005 and ended on 6 June 2008. By 2008, roughly 40,000 people in Spain were reading the comic. Jesulink’s fame on the internet grew partly because of *Raruto* and other manga-inspired Spanish works. The comic has been translated into Catalan, Chinese, English, French, Italian, and Portuguese. The first six English chapters were translated by Rik, with later chapters handled by Leecherboy. Jesulink won an award for Best Spanish Artist at an ExpoManga event. *Raruto* has also been featured at Spain’s "Salón del Manga" events.
The project began as a hobby for Jesulink, but over time he felt it became a responsibility, making him careful about how he portrayed characters to satisfy readers. The comic was created to satirize existing anime and manga properties.
The main character, Zumomaki Raruto, parodies Naruto Uzumaki. He is a boy from Torroja village who carries a demon fox inside him. Jesulink named him "Raruto" after the character Laruto (called "Sage Raruto" in Japanese) from *The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker*, his favorite video game series. In Spanish, "raro" means "weird," so the name can be read as "Weirdto." The surname "Zumomaki" is a pun on "zumo" (juice), though the translator notes it makes no sense.
Kuchilla Saske parodies Sasuke Uchiha. He claims to hate "everything, white rice above all." The name "Saske" sounds like the original "Sasuke," while "cuchilla" means "knife" in Spanish.
Margarina Flora parodies Sakura Haruno. "Flora" refers to plants and "flor" to a flower, echoing the original name "Sakura" (cherry blossom). "Margarina" means margarine, and a Spanish brand is called Margarina Flora.
Kagate Kakasi (also written Kágate Kakasí) parodies Kakashi Hatake. "Caca" means feces and "sí" means yes, so the name roughly translates to "yes, poopoo." "Cagate" means to defecate.
The village Torroja parodies Konoha. It is an abbreviation of "toda" and "roja," meaning "all red." The translator admits it makes no sense but sounds funny. "Ja" is pronounced like the "ha" in Konoha, and there is a real Spanish town called Torroja. The Rave Country parodies the Land of Waves.
- Creator
- Jesús García Ferrer (Jesulink)
- Start date
- 30 October 2005
- End date
- 6 June 2008
- Language
- Spanish (with translations in Catalan, Chinese, English, French, Italian, and Portuguese)
- Genre
- Parody webcomic
- Known for
- Parodying Naruto and other anime/manga properties
Lore & Background
Raruto was created by Jesulink as a hobby, but over time he felt it became a responsibility, leading him to carefully portray characters to satisfy readers. The webcomic satirizes existing anime and manga properties. The main character, Zumomaki Raruto, is a parody of Naruto Uzumaki, named after a character from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, with the Spanish word 'raro' (weird) also influencing the name. Other characters include Kuchilla Saske, Margarina Flora, and Kagate Kakasi, each with names that are puns or references to their original counterparts.
The series was available at 'Salón del Manga' events in Spain. As of 2008, about 40,000 people in Spain read the webcomic. Jesulink received an award for being the best Spanish artist at an ExpoManga event. The webcomic's terminology includes parodies such as Bigbosses (Jefazo) for the Hokage, Technica Kagon for fire techniques, and Sharinflan for the Sharingan, among many others.
Reader's Guide
Raruto holds significance as a prominent early Spanish webcomic that helped establish a local fan culture around manga parody. Its popularity, with about 40,000 readers in Spain by 2008, contributed to Jesulink's fame on the internet and demonstrated the reach of Spanish-language fan works. The webcomic's translations into multiple languages (Catalan, Chinese, English, French, Italian, and Portuguese) indicate its cross-cultural appeal. The series' legacy lies in its role as a humorous, affectionate critique of Naruto and anime tropes, and its recognition at ExpoManga highlights its impact within Spanish fandom.
Did You Know?
- The name 'Raruto' was inspired by a character from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and 'raro' means 'weird' in Spanish.
- The character Kagate Kakasi's name translates to 'yes, poopoo' in Spanish.
- The technique 'Technica Kagon, Gran Bola de Fuego' produces a fiery flatulence.
- The webcomic was translated into English by Rik (first six chapters) and Leecherboy (subsequent chapters).
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