The LEGO Group may launch a model based on the Ichiraku Ramen Shop from the globally beloved manga series Naruto.
Twin brothers David Escalona and Diego Escalona created a LEGO concept model for the Ichiraku Ramen Shop from renowned manga series Naruto. They have submitted it to LEGO Ideas multiple times and been rebuffed multiple times – but this time, the LEGO Group has decided to spend extra time considering it for official release!
That is promising news, as sets placed in what the platform calls ‘the Parking Lot’ have had success – Downton Abbey and The Old Man and the Sea were both in limbo state before being announced for official release.
That means that Ichiraku Ramen Shop could become an official set. The brothers believe that the consistent location where many emotional moments from Naruto occur would be a fitting location for a LEGO set inspired by the manga. It is where Naruto embarked on his journey to become a ninja after being encouraged by his academy teacher.
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Written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto, the manga series debuted in 1999 and ran until 2014 across 72 volumes. It has been adapted into animation. With more than 250 million copies in circulation, it is one of the best-selling manga series of all time.
Naruto Uzumaki is a young boy from the Hidden Leaf Village and considered a troublemaker at the ninja academy. He dreams of becoming the leader of the village, known as the Hokage, and the number one ninja – despite the doubts of the adults around him.
The Escalonas’ concept model is based during the Land of the Waves arc, just before the Chunnin exams as it is their favourite part of the epic story. It uses approximately 1,600 and suggests eight minifigures that would complement the set perfectly – Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha Sakura Haruno, Hinata Hyuga, Kakashi Hatake, Teuchi Ichiraku, Ayame Ichiraku and Iruka Umino.
“We are very proud of the overall new building design,” they told Ideas. “We have created it in a way that it can be opened to access the interiors. The time we spent thinking about this mechanism and the modifications needed in the roof was totally worth it. As we mentioned previously, this gives the set a lot of new playability!
“The ramen and the way we have represented it is also noteworthy. The easiest and simplest way to do it would have been by creating a sticker or decal for a 2×2 round tile. But, for us, that was really flat and simple. We decided to go one step further and reimagine this food in a more creative way. As a result, we created up to six ingredients in separated tiles so they could be combined in different ways. Not everybody likes ramen with the same ingredients, right?”
Ironically, a bowl of ramen is also coming to the Ideas theme soon!
Three new sets have been announced from the third 2025 review – Kimonos, Jumanji and Universal Monsters.
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