Is The ‘Naruto Run’ Really Quicker Than Sprinting? We Finally Have The Answer!

What is ‘Naruto Run’?

We need to clarify something here before you go and share this with your scientist friends. If you’ve never been a fan of Japanese comics, it’s not likely that you’re familiar with the ‘Naruto Run’. This unusual method of running comes from the manga series called Naruto, written and designed by Masashi Kishimoto, one of the genre’s most famous authors.

In Naruto, a group of ninjas, including a ninja that the series is named after, run with their arms dangling and almost flying behind them as you can see in the tweet below. This style of running has since become a phenomenon outside the world of manga and has even found a place in our day to day lives recently on social media.

Timesaving or an urban legend?

On the Because Science channel on YouTube, Kyle Hill set out to answer a question asked by millions of internet users: does doing the Naruto Run really make you run faster? As it turns out, although the characters from the series move really quickly, no high-level athlete has ever tried to recreate this technique to get the upper hand in their races.

To finally clear up this debate, Kyle Hill called up Jeneba Tarmoh, American Olympic Champion for the women’s 100m sprint during the London Olympic Games in 2012. After trying both running styles and techniques over a short distance, the results were conclusive. The ‘Naruto Run’ is just a myth and wouldn’t help any athlete reach their goals. In fact, putting your arms behind you like this actually makes you up to 3% slower. The mystery has finally been solved!!