Maile Flanagan, the legendary voice behind Naruto Uzumaki in Naruto since 2002, attended MegaCon Orlando 2024 to participate in panels and meet her dedicated fans at the event. CBR's C. M. Ramsburg sat down with Maile Flanagan at the convention to discuss Naruto's lasting impact, anime's mainstream popularity, and what she looks forward to in the future. She also details her own con experiences and some of her favorite elements of the series.

CBR: Is this your first time at MegaCon Orlando, and how are you enjoying it so far this year?

Maile Flanagan: It's not my first time. It's either my third or fourth time. Mostly, I black out because it's so busy and crazy. I can't even remember last year coming here. Like none of the details. The hotel doesn't look familiar or anything. So, it's a pleasure being here. It's one of my busiest conventions. As you can see, the line is now four and a half hours long.

You have been the voice of Naruto for over two decades. How have you managed the pressure and demands of being one of the world’s most popular anime protagonists for so long?

Flanagan: No one's ever said it like that. That makes me feel old. That's not something I think about on a regular basis. In fact, at these huge (conventions), it can be almost overwhelming because the fandom is so great, and they're appreciative, and it means so much to so many people. It's gotten bigger and bigger and bigger. Most shows kind of drop off after a while, and this one has exploded. Like during the pandemic, it got bigger. I would have predicted that could never ever happen, but it sure has. Lucky me.

As someone who is a veteran in this industry, how do you think the anime industry has changed over the years and what changes have you noticed in its mainstream popularity?

Flanagan: I've noticed that it is mainstream now. Whereas when it started, it was kind of a niche market and nerds knew about it, not a bunch of jocks or beauty queens. Now, it's just across pop culture. What I've noticed in the industry is that a lot of young animators do mainstream stuff in an anime style. What's funny for me is I get called into auditions a lot, and sometimes I think they just call me in to meet me. Because they grew up with Naruto and they're usually dudes. Thank God there are more women and diversity now, but a lot of dudes in their 30s. So it kind of seeps over into everything now. It's everywhere. I get pictures from Paris and India from my friends. They'll be like "Look who I'm with", pointing at a cardboard cutout. I think they're proud of it. I can't wait to go to Tokyo. I hope one day to meet my counterpart. She does a remarkable job.

With the recent success of the One Piece live action series on Netflix, do you look forward to Naruto receiving a live-action movie?

Flanagan: I have heard rumors for years about a movie. I have gotten whispered phone calls from Hollywood offices, saying you're not allowed to say anything. But it never happens. I think certainly, it makes it a little more worth it. I think that they might be able to envision actually producing a movie more because of that. I haven't seen it, so I don't know what it is. I hear it's good. I don't watch anime and I don't watch One Piece. I don't know how they're going to wrestle this beast into a single movie. I think the first problem was that these old crusty executives didn't get it, right? And now it's cool. Like it's even cooler than some other stuff. So they also get the value of it. I've never seen so much merchandise for a property as I have. If you think Star Wars is everywhere, it's not. Naruto is everywhere. There are spatulas! The merch alone is crazy.

Naruto has an incredibly dedicated fan base. Do you ever read fan theories and are there any particular ones that have stood out over the years?

Flanagan: No. First of all, it's tricky because if you do a Google search on it or put on an alert, people accuse you of stealing their ideas. Like if you think I could find that somewhere on the worldwide web, where you wrote a single sentence about Naruto riding a toad, good luck. I don't for that reason, because it's not my thing. I like the story that the creator created and the writers write and the animators animate it. So there's no reason for me to do it. I'm not saying I never looked at it because people show it to me. I have been impressed by several things. I don't want to talk myself out of a job.

Do you have a favorite Jutsu?

Flanagan: Shadow Clone Jutsu. I could be back at the hotel sleeping an extra hour. I could go out and have a couple of beers while someone signs here.

If you had the chance to voice any other character in Naruto besides Naruto, who would it be?

Flanagan: It would be crazy, but Choji. Choji is a good one, solid. He eats, I like eating. A lot of mouth noises, those are fun.

What legacy do you think Naruto will ultimately leave behind?

Flanagan: Screaming? I meet some remarkable people with crazy and hopeful stories. For example, right before I interviewed with you here, a guy came up to me. He was very emotional. He looked to me like he was probably in his late 20s, although I don't know anybody's age anymore. But he said he had been attacked by a couple of dogs, a pitbull and a rottweiler. He showed me the scars, and he spent a long time recovering in bed without being able to move. Naruto was the only thing that got him through it. He teared up a bit. He said, "Yeah, I couldn't walk and couldn't do anything" but now he was walking and talking to me. To him, it was a really cool moment and I think it was an even cooler moment for me. Because people tell me these very personal stories.

Sometimes they're just funny, or sometimes it's "Hey, man, you helped me get through basic training," which happens a lot. Or nursing school. Once, I had three nurses in a row, and I was like, "Are you guys together?" They were like "No, why?" I was like, "Because you just three said, 'You helped me get through nursing school.'" So, I do hear those stories. It's weird. I'll do a convention in Orlando, come back six years later, somebody's like, "Do you remember me?" I do remember a lot of people, but it's tough. But then they'll be like "This is me," and they were in a wheelchair six years ago. The funniest thing is when someone says "I met you when I was pregnant, and this is my baby" and they're like five years old or older now, or they say "I met you 18 years ago and this is my 17-year-old kid." That's a trip.

Where can fans hope to see you next, whether at another con or event or in a future project?

Flanagan: I have a lot going on. It's a really exciting spring for me. Convention wise, I'm all over the place. You can find that information out on Twitter, X, or whatever. I should say on TikTok, but I always feel like "Oh my god, I have to look decent. I don't want to look decent." Anyway, I'll be at a lot of conventions this year. Chicago, South Carolina, Boston, White Plains, New York, Brooklyn, Toronto. I think I have 22 this year. I'm in a show premiering. Next Tuesday is the first of the second season of Not Dead Yet. I'm on camera. It follows Abbot Elementary. It's a great show. So I'm filming that currently. I filmed it on Friday and at 6am on Monday, I also have to film it.

I'm in a show that premieres in two weeks on Adult Swim called Royal Crackers. I'm a series regular. I play Matt. Guess who he is? A teenage boy. It's very good. It's not for children. Adult Swim, so it's very adult. Which is kind of fun to do. And I'm in a scary movie that's going to be in theaters in April, but I'm not sure I can talk about it. But I'll give you a hint: Catholic. It's just my voice, but it's a live action. Figure it out. As a final note, those are things to look forward to. I'm doing a lot of these fan expos, so you can go on their website. Thank you to all the fans for being great and showing up and waiting a long time.

Naruto, Naruto: Shippuden, and Boruto: Naruto Next Generations are now streaming on Crunchyroll.