When he created Naruto, Kishimoto looked to other shōnen manga as influences for his work and tried to make his characters unique, while basing the story on Japanese culture.[9]The separation of the characters into different teams was intended to give each group a particular flavor. Kishimoto wanted each member to have a high level of aptitude in one skill and be talentless in another.[10] He found it difficult to write about romance, but emphasized it more in Part II of the manga, beginning with volume 28.[7] He introduced villains into the story to have them act as a counterpoint to his characters' moral values and clearly illustrate their differences.[11]
