In the classic '90s beat 'em up videogame series "Streets of Rage," the second and third entries into the series, Streets of Rage 2 and Streets of Rage 3, feature a ninja-type enemy. Whilst executing one of its frustratingly effective evasive manoeuvres, the ninja, whilst moving away and leaving behind a trail of after-images whilst doing so, can be audibly heard saying "Ninpo: Kage-bunshin no Jutsu" i.e. Ninja Art: Shadow Clone Technique. While this videogame is indeed a Japanese videogame, and it was indeed targeted at the presumably youthful male Japanese demographic, a demographic that may have also consumed manga and anime, and may have indeed been influenced by the manga and anime available at the time, it is nonetheless, a mere videogame and not a Japanese anime or manga. The illusory/genjutsu form of the shadow clone technique in Naruto, as demonstrated by Sakura, generates after-images but that disappears later on in the show as nobody uses the technique. In One Piece, the Soru technique originally generated after-images, but I believe that was only used on occasion, and even then, only at the time of its introduction. I think after-images are still seen in DBZ even as late as the Cell-Saga. IIRC, they appear in Goku's fight with Cell however, that part of DBZ was done entirely in the '90s. I cannot remember what it was but I recall seeing a different anime where a character used shadow clones and they were indeed of the Naruto-variant and not of the after-image variant but I do not recall what it was. I do recall my reaction though: "Naruto changed the Shadow-Clone technique." It may be unfounded but this is my suspicion: that after Naruto, not only did the traditional shadow-clone technique get abandoned in favour of Naruto's version, but after-images were abandoned entirely and that Naruto is responsible for this shift. I know you guys have consumed more anime than me, both 90s and 00s, so tell me, what are your thoughts on this speculation of mine?