Viz seems to be moving rather quickly to insure that Naruto will have a mass market of items on the horizon this fall when the anime begins airing on Cartoon Network. They just recently signed a deal with mall staple Hot Topic to sell “junior girls T-shirts, men’s T-shirts, and men’s hoodies as well as NARUTO branded stickers, pins, patches and headbands” in their stores this Fall. Viz’s website will also offer online apparel purchasing.

Could a licensing deal with a toy maker be next on the horizon? I hope so, lets hope the deal with Bandai may extend to some of their larger 6 inch figures they released in Japan. The limited Bandai line included Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke, and they featured great sculpting and multiple points of articulation. If such a line could be brought over and greatly expanded, the fan base will eat them up.