Masashi Kishimoto
Following the conclusion of "Naruto", Kishimoto became involved in the "Start of a New Era Project" commemorating the manga's conclusion and 15th anniversary. On the last page of the final chapter, "Weekly Shonen Jump" announced that a spin-off miniseries, also authored by Kishimoto, would be released in 2015. The series, "", ran from April to July 2015. Beyond this, Kishimoto was also heavily involved with two canonical movies, "" and "", as he personally supervised both movies, and illustrated several light novels. When asked by Boruto Uzumaki's voice actress Yūko Sanpei to continue making "Naruto" movies, Kishimoto stated that he was taking a break and could not physically do so.
Hinata Hyuga
Kishimoto had originally created Hinata as person who would not fight across the story, but in the end he chose to portray her as a kunoichi. In the making of the series, Kishimoto had decided Hinata would marry Naruto; however, the plot regarding their romance was conceived by screenwriter Maruo Kyozuka. Hinata's design has been modified by Kishimoto throughout the franchise's story in order to fit the character's growth. She is voiced by Nana Mizuki in the original animated series and Stephanie Sheh in the English adaptations. Critical reception to the character has been mostly positive due to her actions in the series and her bigger role in "The Last" — her interactions with Naruto and her engagement in a conflict with the film's villain have been praised. Hinata has also been very popular with the "Naruto" reader base, placing high in polls. Merchandise based on Hinata have been released, including action figures, key chains and figurines.