Inkworks and Panini are releasing the first series of Naruto Trading Cards in the U.S. to hobby dealers on March 29th.  The 72-card set covers the first 19 episodes of the Naruto anime series, which appears on the Cartoon Network where it is the #1 series on cable and satellite with 12-17 year-old males. Since the Naruto anime debuted last September Viz Media's Naruto graphic novels have been dominating graphic novel sales in bookstores, and any retailer selling the Naruto graphic novels should seriously consider carrying the Naruto Trading Cards as an impulse item. The Naruto Trading Cards come in generous 9-card packs with a suggested retail price of $1.99.  Given the popularity of the property it was a foregone conclusion that Inkworks would distribute the Naruto cards in the mass-market, but the cards won't be released to the mega-retailers until June or July.

In addition to the 72-card regular set (Inkworks guarantees that there will be a set in every box), there are 28 'chase' cards in four different levels of rarity.  The chase cards series include a set of nine Ninja Warriors foil cards, a six-card Friends & Foes foil-on-foil set, a six-card die-cut foil Superdeformed subset, three box loader cards (1 per box), and four different promo cards, one of which was given out at the GAMA trade show, another of which is available now via the Inkworks Website, while another will be part of a 'write-in' promotion in the May issue of Shonen Jump, and a final card will be included in the first issue of Viz's Naruto Collector Magazine.

Inkworks is supporting its Naruto Trading Cards release with ads in Shonen Jump and in Viz's Naruto Collector Magazine.  In addition Inkworks is manufacturing a high quality Naruto Trading Cards Album (SRP $19.95), which features a six-color silkscreened image printed on a deluxe padded vinyl binder with enough room for several series of Naruto Trading Cards.  The Naruto Trading Cards are part of a major rollout of licensed Naruto merchandise in 2006 including toys from Mattel, a collectible card game from Bandai in April, two series of DVDs from Viz, and statues from Toynami.