What Is A Naruto Run And How Is It Linked To Area 51?
The worlds of Naruto and formerly top secret government bases don't often collide, but when they do, it's usually because of Facebook events with titles like Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us, which boasted over 2 million "going" RSVPs.
So, assuming you know what a Facebook event is, let's tackle the basics. What is a Naruto run, you ask? According to Metro, "a Naruto or ninja run is a style of running in which person or character runs leaning forward with their arms stretched out behind them." This goofy, impractical stance became a meme after the anime series Naruto premiered in 2002, featuring the titular character sprinting hither and thither like a rigor-mortised Usain Bolt.
If you aren't familiar with Area 51, its an Air Force base about 150 miles from Las Vegas notorious for claims that it houses extraterrestrials and other top secret technologies, according to Time.
So why would anyone Naruto run at Area 51?
USA Today reports that what started as a satirical Facebook event by 21-year-old student Matty Roberts ballooned into a legitimate music festival, dubbed Alienstock, which (sort of) went down on September 20-22, 2019, in Rachel, Nevada, the closest habitation to Area 51.
The explosive popularity of the Facebook event also caught the attention of the U.S. government. Roberts spoke to the FBI not long after the event gained traction: "They asked me a laundry list of questions," said Roberts. "Basically, their main concerns were about anybody that was sending death threats that were actually credible and anybody that was actually trying to radicalize this thing. People that think it's legitimately serious -– that we're actually going to show up and storm the base. People who are planning to bring guns and things. There's been a few of those people pop up, so I've just sent them to the FBI."
According to NY Mag, the Air Force also had a non-serious briefing on Naruto running, but between Roberts and the FBI's efforts, they weren't too concerned. Probably because they knew the aliens would protect them. Also because getting people to reply "going" to a Facebook event is one of the best ways to make sure they don't actually attend. In the end, a handful of people showed up in Rachel for Alienstock, but "Storm Area 51" was largely a flop.