November 10, 2014 went down as one of the darkest days in manga fandom history as popular manga Naruto finally came to an end. The manga has brought joy and tears to fans over the past 15 years, so to send off the series and express gratitude to its creator, Masashi Kishimoto, fans around the world have taken to the internet with messages of thanks and fan art. And among them is a series of renditions of Naruto characters so beautiful and realistically portrayed that we almost had to get out our box of tissues again.

Drawn by Canada-based artist ‘Sakimi chan’, who is best known for her gender-bending Disney character portraits, these re-imaginings of the cast of Naruto are unlike any we’ve ever seen before.

As you might expect, Netizens had nothing but praise for the talented artist:

“Kyaa!! This is super perfection!” “Unbelievable!” “The lips are so sexy!” “This is a blessing!”

Sakimi chan’s paintings not only capture the power and charisma of each of the manga and anime’s characters, but also bring forth their most refined and beautiful sides. This is indeed fan art in its finest form.

The artist has also shared her artistic process with the world via an equally fantastic video detailing how she drew Hinata. From the basic sketches to the finishing touches, the video is not only amazing, but also shows us the amount of time and energy that go into such mastery.

If you want to support Sakimi chan in her art, be sure to check out her profile on crowdfunding platform ‘Patreon’ so that she can produce more beautiful illustrations. Once she reaches her target, she will begin giving workshops on illustration too! We can’t wait.

[ Read in Japanese ]