'Naruto: Shippuden' Anime Series Officially Ends; Naruto Uzumaki Marries Long-Time Sweetheart Hinata Hyuga

"Naruto: Shippuden" episode 500 was aired on March 23 marking its 10 years of soaring high in the small screens. It is considered one of the most popular and successful action anime series in history, which is the sequel to the original "Naruto" anime. In the final and heart-rending episode, Naruto Uzumaki bid goodbye to his fans as he prepared himself to marry her long-time sweetheart Hinata Hyuga.

As Comic Book points out, "Naruto: Shippuden" episode 500 has marked the end of an anime era, where its titular hero Naruto finally married Hinata, who loved her since they were kids. Many fans were crestfallen especially the devoted ones who have been following the "Naruto" series. The poignant episode has caught up with all of the biggest ninjas in Konoha, making the wedding ceremony a success. Everyone was even surprised when Sasuke Uchiha unexpectedly appeared in the episode finale, which has been one of Naruto's goals - to bring him home.

"Naruto" anime took to Twitter through its official account sharing an image of Naruto on his wedding day during the episode finale looking up to the Hokage Mountain in Konoha. The post recounted the origins of the franchise when it initially became an anime in 2002 until "Naruto: Shippuden" premiered in February 2007. "And 14 and a half years to complete story has been going on over here! Take a look at Konoha secret marriage ceremony day "Congratulations"! reads the post.

On the plus side, fans' broken hearts might just be temporary as the "Naruto" franchise continues to entertain everyone with its upcoming anime spinoff. "Boruto: Naruto Next Generations" will premiere next month, which follows the story of a boy named Boruto, the eldest child of Naruto as he enrolls in the ninja academy along with his friends. With the end of "Naruto: Shippuden" series and Boruto's take over, the grieving process might just come easy.

"Naruto: Shippuden" was developed by Studio Pierrot and directed by Hayato Date, which debuted on Feb. 15, 2007 in Japan on TV Tokyo. ABS-CBN in the Philippines was the first TV network to air the first 40 episodes of the sequel outside Japan until March 2008.