Naruto Shippuden the Movie 2: Bonds
劇場版NARUTO-ナルト- 疾風伝 絆 (Naruto: Shippuuden Movie 2 - Kizuna)
- Action
- Adventure
- Fantasy
- Episodes
- 1
- Duration
- 1 hr 32 min
- Aired
- Aug 2, 2008
- Status
- Finished Airing
Synopsis
A sudden aerial assault by ninja from the Land of Sky reignites an old grudge with Konohagakure, throwing the village into chaos. Naruto Uzumaki is eager to join the defense, but his path is diverted by Shinnou, a enigmatic doctor who needs help saving a badly injured man. On the way to get the patient treated, Naruto crosses paths with Amaru, a sharp-tempered youth from a nearby village who has come seeking Shinnou’s aid.
As the attackers pull back to regroup, Tsunade sends a small squad—Sai, Shikamaru Nara, and Kakashi Hatake—to hit the enemy’s base, while Naruto, Sakura Haruno, and Hinata Hyuuga are assigned to escort Shinnou and Amaru on their travels. Elsewhere, Orochimaru sets his own plan in motion, ordering Sasuke Uchiha to capture the doctor for his knowledge of reincarnation techniques. When the escort team begins to uncover the darker reality behind the conflict, hidden agendas collide, and Naruto presses forward to stop the fighting and its devastating fallout.
Otaku Consensus
Bonds is received as a solid Shippuden-era theatrical detour, with Hajime Kamegaki’s direction benefiting most from character interaction, suspense, and villain designs that viewers repeatedly single out as more distinctive than routine movie-only opposition. Its weakest point is pacing: the early scene transitions are a common complaint, with the setup feeling rushed and occasionally forced before the film settles into its action rhythm.
Why You Should Watch
Watch Bonds if you want Naruto in compact theatrical form: team tactics, airborne set pieces, Shippuden-era tension, and a self-contained crisis that does not demand a long filler-arc investment. It scratches the same itch as the Bleach movies in the way it gives a familiar battle-shounen cast a bigger temporary battlefield, but its appeal is more mission-based than tournament-like; Studio Pierrot leans on recognizable Naruto movement, squad roles, and Yasuharu Takanashi’s harder Shippuden music language. The strongest hook is the cross-cutting ensemble structure: Naruto, Sakura, Hinata, Sai, Shikamaru, Kakashi, Sasuke, and Orochimaru all have narrative gravity without turning the film into a recap reel. If you want fan-service character proximity without parody or chibi detours, this is the clean, action-forward Naruto movie pick.
Key Characters
- NNaruto Uzumaki
The film uses Naruto less as a pure power fantasy and more as the emotional pressure point for its title theme, which is why viewer praise often centers on his interactions rather than only his fights.
- SSasuke Uchiha
Sasuke’s presence gives Bonds a rare theatrical snapshot of Shippuden-era Sasuke operating under Orochimaru’s agenda, making him feel like a parallel thread rather than a routine cameo.
- SShinnou
Shinnou stands out among Naruto movie originals because the film ties him to medical knowledge and reincarnation techniques, giving the antagonist side a more specialized hook than raw battlefield strength.
- AAmaru
Amaru is the movie’s emotional wild card, with a sharp temperament that keeps the escort-team dynamic from settling into standard rescue-mission politeness.
What Makes It Stand Out
- 1
Studio Pierrot handles the film as a feature-length Naruto production, with Tetsuya Nishio credited for character design and Hirofumi Suzuki serving as animation director alongside assistant animation directors Masaya Oonishi and Masako Tashiro.
- 2
Yasuharu Takanashi, the composer associated with Naruto: Shippuden’s heavier sound, scores the film, while Yasunori Ebina is credited as sound director, giving Bonds a direct audio link to the TV series’ post-timeskip identity.
- 3
The movie is structurally busier than a simple Naruto-only side story, splitting attention between an escort team, a strike team, and an Orochimaru-Sasuke thread.
- 4
Its conflict uses aerial assault and ship-related spectacle, a notable shift for a ninja franchise better known for ground-based squad combat; AniList’s tags reflect this with Terrorism, War, and Ships alongside Shounen, Ninja, and Super Power.
- 5
Audience metrics place it in the broadly watched middle tier of Naruto films: 7.29 on MyAnimeList from 163,630 votes, 69/100 on AniList, and 352 AniList favourites.
Fun Facts & Trivia
- Fun fact 1
- Bonds is the second Naruto: Shippuden theatrical film but the fifth Naruto movie overall, which is why coverage and databases may frame it differently depending on whether they count the pre-Shippuden films.
- Fun fact 2
- The Japanese title Kizuna translates to Bonds, making the English title a direct thematic rendering rather than a loose localization.
- Fun fact 3
- Masashi Kishimoto is credited as original creator, while Hajime Kamegaki directs; the film is a Studio Pierrot production rather than a standalone studio spin-off.
- Fun fact 4
- Junki Takegami is credited for storyboard work, placing a long-running Naruto franchise writer in the film’s planning pipeline.
- Fun fact 5
- Shingo Yamashita appears in the key animation credits, an interesting staff note for animation fans tracking individual animators through major shounen productions.
Studios
- Studio Pierrot
