Before readers the world over had the chance to fall in love with Naruto, the ramen-loving ninja had quite a different job in his author's original idea. Fans these days are familiar with Ichiraku Ramen, the noodle shop that Naruto often visits for a good meal and a break from his missions in Konoha village. However, in the original conception of the character and his story, this shop played a far more pivotal role in the plot.
Masashi Kishimoto has mentioned several times, like in this famous interview with Fuji TV's Kendo Kobayashi, that his manga went through drastic changes before reaching its final form. After being inspired by the ramen restaurant at his college, Kishimoto originally planned to write the story of a young apprentice at a ramen shop who would butt heads with the older chef. Clearly, after the idea was rejected, Kishimoto decided to maintain some elements of it in Naruto, including the main character's love for ramen (which was also the inspiration behind Naruto's name) and his frequent visits to Ichiraku's shop.
Naruto Was Originally A Ramen Chef, Not A Ninja
When Naruto was first pitched, Kishimoto envisioned the story of a boy who stumbled across a ramen shop and was taken on as an apprentice. The story would've focused on character growth through the antics of the boy as he trained under the chef's guidance. Shonen Jump rejected the idea as it didn't fit the shōnen genre at the time. Kishimoto accepted this and reworked the idea. By 1997, he successfully published a pilot of Naruto as a one-shot about a shape-shifter on the hunt for human friends. This plot was further influenced by another Kishimoto one-shot, Karakuri, and the ninja story fans know and love was officially born.
Fans can clearly see the impact that the ramen shop from Kishimoto's college days had on him. Threads tying Naruto back to its origins remain through the existence of Ichiraku Ramen, Naruto's love for the dish, and his name itself. This enduring influence means that the original story still has the potential to see the light of day, perhaps even in the very magazine that first rejected it. The shōnen genre has evolved since the initial pitch; gone are the days when the plots must focus on combat as their driving force. In Akane-banashi, for example, Akane's quest for revenge centers instead around the development of her skills in rakugo, a traditional Japanese form of comedy.
The Original Naruto Was Ahead Of Its Times
Other newer manga focused on cooking like Naruto once was are now finding their footing in the world of shōnen, too. Food Wars! took the world by storm following its anime debut. Like Akane-banashi, the action driving the story comes in the form of extreme cooking competitions and Soma's dedication to becoming a renowned chef. The series still engages with many tropes associated with the shōnen genre - rivalries, tournament-like competitions, and plenty of drama - without any focus on old-school physical combat.
Naruto is beloved by audiences the world over, so perhaps Shonen Jump did the right thing in rejecting Kishimoto's original idea and encouraging him to come up with something different, yet it's still a shame that Kishimoto's initial plan for the manga never saw the light of day. Naruto fans can only imagine could an alternate universe where they could witness their favorite ninja's antics at his original job: ramen chef.
Source: Kishimoto Fuji TV interview translated on Narutopedia.
