Introduction
If you know me, you know how much Naruto means to me and the characters I like. ๐
Yes, Shisui Uchiha is one of my favorites despite his little screen time. He deserves a blog post for himself.
Naruto is the Anime that had the most impact on my life.
Storyline
There are multiple elements in the story of Naruto.
The main element is Naruto Uzumaki's journey from an outcast and an orphan to becoming the Hokage (leader of his village).
Growing up, Naruto dreamed of becoming the strongest Ninja and Hokage. Everyone shall know his name and no one should disrespect him.
Naruto had a powerful creature sealed within him, the Nine-Tailed fox. As a result, the village shunned him and no one wanted to be near him.
As a small kid already, he was living alone in sadness:
In the scene below, Naruto asked the Hokage at the time a question:
I won't spoil too much, but there were reasons why Naruto couldn't know about his parents. Many didn't. The few that did know had to keep it a secret, such as the elders of the village and people that knew Naruto's parents.
Naruto's journey is an adventure of multiple different elements. Against all odds, he became the Hokage and the hero everyone had nothing but respect and gratitude for.
Why the greatest?
Naruto is the greatest Anime I've watched.
Not just because of the entertainment, but also its impact on my life.
All the lessons I've learned.
My story in short (at the time I'm writing this):
How I got impacted
Parents
I became appreciative of having parents. Seeing Naruto made me realize the blessing of having parents.
The hardships, sadness and grief an orphan must go through. Every day of his life. Knowing he could sacrifice the entire world, but still wouldn't be able to see his mother and father.
Self-belief
Naruto inspired me to believe in myself.
True self-belief is pursuing your dreams relentlessly.
It doesn't matter if every soul of the world discourages you from doing so.
It doesn't matter what people say.
It doesn't matter how discouraged you may feel.
You believe in yourself so strongly that people begin calling you a fool.
Your circumstances and the people around you don't define what you are or where your destination is, you do!
Never give up
This ties back to believing in yourself.
But whatever happens, you don't ever fucking give up!
Hard work
Naruto's relentless work ethic.
You work hard every day.
Every day is the same, a day to grow and become better than your past self.
A true failure is someone whose past was better than their current self. That's a state of failure.
Naruto worked hard and pushed himself to the limit. He fainted and ended up in the hospital numerous times.
However, he kept pushing through relentlessly.
In the Naruto series itself, you'll find many hard-working individuals.
An example would be Rock Lee:
Optimistic
Naruto is optimistic and extremely positive.
Turn the negativity towards you into positivity. Use the negativity and turn it into fuel. When someone brings you bad news, you smile and focus on the next moves.
You always look at the chess board with a bright face.
Forgiveness
Naruto forgave countless individuals and helped them become better. Instead of pointing a finger and bringing someone down after defeating them, you give them a hand to better their lives.
To better their lives for themselves and the people around them.
In his world, Naruto wasn't just a force of goodness. But a force that made sure the goodness compounds exponentially.
Personally, I forgive, but I won't forget. I want to die with a clean heart where I hold no grudges.
I won't forget because I will never let myself get fooled or betrayed twice. Then I'm the fool for letting it happen repeatedly.
Loyalty
Naruto loved the people close to him. He loved the people that were there for him when others weren't. Naruto remembered the real ones. He showed them love and gave back.
A special moment that comes to mind is when Naruto was going to get married and have his wedding. He asked the first person who had believed in and supported him since childhood, Sensei Iruka, if he could attend the wedding as his father.
Humility
When Naruto became Hokage, he didn't become arrogant and angry towards the people that didn't believe in him. He could've easily turned his back and made them suffer.
He remained humble and understood that he wouldn't be in the position he was in if he didn't face the adversities he did.
He remained kind, positive and forgave those who had anything against him.
When you peak at the top, continue being a force of goodness, not someone who can't control their emotions and start pushing people down instead of lifting them up.
Characters
This section will be concise, but I want to share characters from whom I've learned a thing or two besides Naruto.
Sasuke Uchiha
Pursuing revenge can make you incredibly strong
Revenge will make you realize how empty you feel in the end
Revenge starts the cycle of hatred and never leads to good
To be focused on your goals means spending more time thinking and less time talking
Sakura Haruno
Shisui Uchiha
Be a kind mentor
Put your family first
Understand the honor of your name
Be kind and playful with children
Work relentlessly hard
Be disciplined
Lift people up when they feel down
Do good in the shadows
Itachi Uchiha
Take care of your younger siblings
Be loyal to your mentor
Think before you speak
Speak when necessary
Be humble
Never underestimate your enemies
Be mature, at all times
Be calm in stressful situations
Minato Namikaze
Be a good parent
Sacrifice everything for your children
Keep innovating and pursue self-education
Take care, protect and be kind to your wife
Be fearless
Look after your people
Never blame others
Hold yourself accountable to the limits
Be polite and respectful, even towards people you dislike
Jirayia
- Balancing seriousness and humor
Kagami Uchiha
Tobirama Senju
Strong leadership with innovation and organization
Take responsibility for your role
Be pragmatic in your decisions
Be a realist
Kakashi Hatake
Always move forward no matter how many stones life throws at you
Never let your comrades die
Be wise with your decisions
Be a good leader and mentor
Teamwork will make the team better than the sum of its parts
Rock Lee
Work hard
Don't let disadvantages and people define you
Believe in yourself
Be relentless
Always strive to be better than your past self
Persevere through pain and hardships
Might Guy
Asuma Sarutobi
Conclusion
Yes, you should watch Naruto!
I know with deep certainty that replacing my high school years with watching, studying and analyzing Naruto would've been much more beneficial for me.
