Naruto Uzumaki is the primary protagonist of the series. He was the first character  created by Kishimoto during his initial conception of the series, and  was designed with many traits from other shōnen characters, including  Son Goku of the Dragon Ball franchise. In the series, Naruto is a ninja  affiliated with the village of Konohagakure, and has ambitions of  becoming Hokage, or the leader of the village.