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| == Plot overview == | == Plot overview == | ||
| {{Expand-section|date=January 2008}} | |||
| As the ] of the series, Naruto is present in every arc and typically plays a prominent role for its duration. During Part I, Naruto's involvement in the plot is relatively indirect, as he spends his time improving his ninja abilities and pursuing his own goals while the overarching events occur elsewhere. During the ], Naruto is introduced to ], a criminal organization that seeks to extract the ] from his body. Though ] drives them off during this first meeting, Akatsuki's interactions with Naruto become a more central conflict in Part II. It is not until the ] that Naruto takes a direct part in the plot, joining a team of ninja dedicated to stopping ] from joining forces with ]. Naruto and Sasuke ultimately have a one-on-one battle, though neither is able to bring themselves to finish off the other. The two go their separate ways, but Naruto does not give up on Sasuke, leaving Konoha with Jiraiya for two-and-a-half years of training to prepare himself for the next time he meets Sasuke. | As the ] of the series, Naruto is present in every arc and typically plays a prominent role for its duration. During Part I, Naruto's involvement in the plot is relatively indirect, as he spends his time improving his ninja abilities and pursuing his own goals while the overarching events occur elsewhere. During the ], Naruto is introduced to ], a criminal organization that seeks to extract the ] from his body. Though ] drives them off during this first meeting, Akatsuki's interactions with Naruto become a more central conflict in Part II. It is not until the ] that Naruto takes a direct part in the plot, joining a team of ninja dedicated to stopping ] from joining forces with ]. Naruto and Sasuke ultimately have a one-on-one battle, though neither is able to bring themselves to finish off the other. The two go their separate ways, but Naruto does not give up on Sasuke, leaving Konoha with Jiraiya for two-and-a-half years of training to prepare himself for the next time he meets Sasuke. | ||
Revision as of 04:53, 14 January 2008
Fictional character
| Naruto Uzumaki | |
|---|---|
| Naruto character | |
| File:Naruto-Opening01 222.jpgNaruto Uzumaki by Masashi Kishimoto | |
| First appearance | Naruto manga chapter 1 Naruto anime episode 1 |
| In-universe information | |
| Relatives | Minato Namikaze (father, deceased) Kushina Uzumaki (mother, presumably deceased) |
Naruto Uzumaki (うずまき ナルト, Uzumaki Naruto) is a fictional character from the Naruto universe created by Masashi Kishimoto as the main protagonist for the media franchise, which consists of a series of manga, anime, soundtracks, OVAs, movies, video games, and other collectibles. In the story, Naruto is a young ninja who encases the spirit of a demonic fox that attacked his village around the time of his birth.
Creation and conception
When creating Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto incorporated into the character a number of traits he felt made for an ideal hero: a straightforward way of thinking, a mischievous side, and many of the attributes possessed by Son Goku from the Dragon Ball franchise. He also made sure to keep Naruto "simple and stupid," since he doesn't like smart characters. Naruto himself isn't modeled after anyone in particular, being conceived as childlike with somewhat of a dark side as a result of his harsh past. Despite this, he is always positive, making him unique in Kishimoto's eyes.
Naruto's wardrobe is based on clothing Kishimoto wore when he was younger; using a preexisting design wouldn't have made Naruto unique whereas something original would have made him stick out too much. The orange coloring of his costume is used to make Naruto "pop," with blues often being used to complement the orange. Because Naruto is associated with spirals, swirl patterns are incorporated into his costume. Initial illustrations of Naruto had him wearing boots, but Kishimoto substituted these for sandals since he likes drawing toes. The goggles that Naruto used to wear were also replaced with a forehead protector, because the goggles themselves were too time consuming to draw.
In the Japanese versions of Naruto, Naruto often ends his sentences with the addendum "-ttebayo" (which gives a similar effect to ending a sentence with "you know?"). Kishimoto wanted to give Naruto a childlike phrase, and "dattebayo" came to mind. It compliments Naruto's character, and serves as a verbal tic that shows he's kind of a brat. Throughout the beginning of the English anime series, the dubbers replaced "dattebayo" and -ttebayo" with the phrase "Believe it!" to mirror the effect, as well as to match the character's lip movements. The phrase has since fallen out of use aside from promotional benefit.
Character outline
Background
Naruto was born the son of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki. Soon after his birth, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox attacked their hometown of Konohagakure, leaving destruction wherever it went. In order to stop the fox's attack Minato sealed it within Naruto's body, giving Naruto access to its great power at the cost of Minato's life. Before his death, Minato requested that Naruto be viewed as a hero of the village rather than a container for the fox. Many villagers chose to ignore this request, leading to the enactment of a law forbidding anyone to speak of Naruto as the fox's host. With his father dead and his mother presumably sharing the same fate, Naruto has spent all of his life as an orphan, never knowing the love (or identities) of his parents.
Personality
Having lived without a family for all of his life, Naruto has always needed to look to others for attention. Because he is initially viewed only as the container of the demon fox, many villagers are unwilling to pay him this courtesy. To force them to give him their recognition and respect, Naruto's dream has become to gain the title of Hokage, the village's protector, hoping that it will bring him the attention he desires. In his quest to become Hokage, Naruto displays a fierce determination in any situation, putting his all into everything and guaranteeing that he can complete a task. This often results in him promising more than he can live up to, such as stating that he would be able to perfect the attack, Rasengan, in three days. In these situations where Naruto is unable to meet his own expectations, he readily asks anyone for help in achieving the goal. Naruto's efforts have proven successful as the series has progressed, as many characters have reached the conclusion that Naruto will someday be an excellent Hokage.
Since his introduction, Naruto's determination has resulted in some of his traits rubbing off on those around him, such that in Part II his teacher, Kakashi Hatake, notes this to be Naruto's unique power. This trait has caused Naruto to be a catalyst for change amongst many characters introduced in the series, whose beliefs and views are completely altered as a result of their interaction with Naruto. Neji Hyuga learns that fate is not predetermined and that people can choose their own destiny. Gaara discovers that true strength is found in fighting for one's friends, not for one's self. Tsunade is shown that the seemingly impossible can become a reality and that dreams really are attainable. These changes that other characters experience serve as the moral for the part in the story they take place in, and subsequently become the creed for the particular character's life.
Through his ability to change others, Naruto has gained the friends that he lacked during his childhood, each of whom he holds very dear. Sasuke Uchiha, the character Naruto considers to be his closest friend, defects from Konoha at the end of Part I. Naruto does all in his power to stop Sasuke so as to bring him back home and to save him from the life he is choosing. Though Sasuke escapes and becomes labeled as a traitor, Naruto is unwilling to think of him as such and readily lashes out at anyone who speaks poorly of Sasuke. Sakura Haruno, Naruto's long time crush, is just as affected by Sasuke's defection as Naruto. Being in love with Sasuke, Sakura pleads for Naruto to bring Sasuke home, which Naruto swears to do despite his own feelings for her. Even after his initial failure, Naruto keeps this promise to Sakura as his lifetime vow, placing her happiness before his own well-being.
Abilities
As the container of the Nine-Tailed Fox, Naruto has access to its great chakra reserves. In addition to allowing him to rapidly recover from injuries, the fox enables Naruto to perform jutsu that someone of his skill and rank would ordinarily be incapable of using. While portions of the fox's chakra are constantly being mixed with Naruto's own, Naruto can draw upon large amounts of the fox's reserves if need be. This is most commonly accomplished by submitting to rage and allowing the fox's power to leak out and consume him. As its influence grows, the fox begins to manifest itself through a fox-shaped shroud that surrounds Naruto and that has an ever-increasing number of tails. With each tail Naruto is given a drastic increase in strength, such that with only four tails he is a match for the likes of Orochimaru. Consequently, the fox's violent personality begins to supplant Naruto's own as the number of tails increases to the point that he can no longer distinguish between friend and foe. Because of the danger he poses to those he cares for in these situations, Naruto has begun to limit his own usage of the fox's power.
Naruto most commonly takes advantage of the fox's chakra through the Shadow Clone Technique, which creates any number of physical copies of the user. Though most ninja only create a limited amount of clones due to the large amount of chakra required, Naruto can create hundreds of clones at once due to the limitless potential fo the demon fox. Though having found a number of uses for the clones, such as scouting and overwhelming opponents, Naruto's most practical usage of the technique is in combination with the Rasengan, a concentrated ball of spinning chakra that grinds into whatever it contacts. When performing the technique Naruto creates shadow clones to help him form the attack, one Naruto providing the chakra and the others spinning it into shape. In Part II, Naruto takes the combination of these two abilities to a new level, using the clones to help him infuse the Rasengan with his wind elemental chakra. This new ability, called the Wind Release: Spiraling Shuriken (風遁・螺旋手裏剣, Fūton: Rasenshuriken), which damages what it hits on a cellular level. Though this level of damage is useful against opponents, the hand he is performing the technique with is damaged as well, making it a double-edged sword.
Plot overview
 | This section needs expansion. You can help by making an edit requestadding to it . (January 2008) |
As the main character of the series, Naruto is present in every arc and typically plays a prominent role for its duration. During Part I, Naruto's involvement in the plot is relatively indirect, as he spends his time improving his ninja abilities and pursuing his own goals while the overarching events occur elsewhere. During the Return of Itachi arc, Naruto is introduced to Akatsuki, a criminal organization that seeks to extract the demon fox from his body. Though Jiraiya drives them off during this first meeting, Akatsuki's interactions with Naruto become a more central conflict in Part II. It is not until the Sasuke Retrieval arc that Naruto takes a direct part in the plot, joining a team of ninja dedicated to stopping Sasuke from joining forces with Orochimaru. Naruto and Sasuke ultimately have a one-on-one battle, though neither is able to bring themselves to finish off the other. The two go their separate ways, but Naruto does not give up on Sasuke, leaving Konoha with Jiraiya for two-and-a-half years of training to prepare himself for the next time he meets Sasuke.
In Part II, Naruto receives less attention than he did in Part I. As other characters begin to receive additional development and the plot begins to cover multiple incidents across large distances, Naruto's role in the story is considerably lessened. Upon his return to Konoha, Naruto begins to more actively deal with the Akatsuki threat. He first saves Gaara from Akatsuki's clutches, and in a subsequent arc proves instrumental in the downfall of Kakuzu. Most of Naruto's actions, however, are dedicated to finding and retrieving Sasuke. He and the rest of his team are briefly able to locate Sasuke during the Sasuke and Sai arc, but Sasuke's rapid development leaves them no match for him. After creating his new jutsu, Naruto and company try once again to find Sasuke, and are currently in the process of following Sasuke's trail.
Appearances in other media
Being the titular character, Naruto has appeared in all the Naruto movies thus far, plus the additional OVAs that follow. In the first Naruto movie, Team 7 is assigned to escort Yukie Fujikaze, the secretive actress of a movie character Naruto becomes obsessed with, to the Land of Snow to film the movie's sequel. Yukie, however, turns out to secretly be heir to the throne, and by the first movie's end Yukie, who has acquired her throne, awards Naruto with an autograph. The second movie begins with Naruto, Sakura, and Shikamaru Nara delivering a lost pet to its village, where through a chain of events they eventually get involved with a war between Sunagakure. In the third film, Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, and Rock Lee are assigned to escort the prince of the Land of the Moon to his land, though once they reach the nation, the throne has been seized by the noble Shabadaba. In the fourth movie (first of Naruto: Shippūden), Naruto becomes the guard of Shion who predicts his death. Although the only way to escape from his death is by escaping from Shion, Naruto decides to challenge the prediction and stay with her. A fifth film, which also takes place in the Shippuden timeline, is currently in development.
In the first episode of the Naruto OVAs, Naruto is asked by Konohamaru to help him find a red four leaf clover, which is supposed to grant any wish as Konohamaru is in love with a girl. To help him find Naruto goes to a forbidden zone with Konohamaru in order to find it. In the second OVA, Team 7 escort a ninja named Shibuki, the leader of his village, to his home at Takigakure. Naruto and Sasuke fight against the missing-nin that stole and drank "Hero's Water". In the third OVA, Naruto enters the tournament Jonin vs. Genin in order to create a rule helping him to become a Hokage. In the OVA shown before the first Naruto movie during a sports competition Naruto has to use the toilet throughout the entire OVA, only to be prevented in each attempt by his fellow Genin and his own mistakes.
In Naruto:Ultimate Ninja 2 and Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3, a variant called Green Beast of Konoha Naruto (that in one episode he fantasized about being) is playable. He is given his own variations of Rock Lee and Might Guy's trademark techniques named after himself.
In the Clash of Ninja series of video games, Naruto is playable in various stages of the demon fox's manifestation, all characterized by a red-colored chakra emitting from his body. Masashi Kishimoto liked the presentation of these forms so much that he imitated one of them for the manga cover of volume 26.
In the Naruto Collectible Card Game, most of Naruto's Ninja Cards are very similarly designed. Many of them focus on his being initially weak in stats, only getting stronger after being injured. His abilities focus on this, either making him stronger based on cards in hand or Battle Rewards won by the opponent. He also has had cards pairing him with characters he's aligned with in the series, such as Iruka Umino, Jiraiya, and Konohamaru, as well as cards involving being in play with Sasuke and/or Sakura.
Character reception
Naruto has ranked within the Top 5 characters in every official Shonen Jump popularity polls, making first place twice and he was in the top two in the first five polls. However, in the sixth poll three years ago, Naruto has lost his Top two status, below the characters Deidara, Kakashi and Sasuke. There has not been another official poll since 2005.
In an interview, Maile Flanagan, who does the voice acting for Naruto in the English dub, states that while she had no idea what Naruto was at first, she was thrilled to be chosen for the role of Naruto, who is currently her favorite character in the media franchise. She compares herself to Naruto during the interview, stating that, as a child, she was also hyperactive, and she always tries to do her best, among other similarities between the two. She also states that she is confident she can change her voice to fit Naruto's age after the timeskip in the series.
Several popular websites for manga, anime, video games, and other subjects highly praise Naruto, often calling him one of the most memorable anime and manga characters in history. IGN comments on Naruto developing from the lonely rebel during the series' beginning. Gamespot claims that Naruto Uzumaki living the ideal teenage life, as he is a ninja and eats all he likes, but, on the other hand, he is parentless and is shunned by the other villagers. Anime News Network, however, comments that sometimes (especially in the Chunin Exams) Naruto's fights are not as good as others fought by the Konoha 11.
References
- Kishimoto, Masashi (2002). NARUTO―ナルト―［秘伝・臨の書］. Shueisha. p. 31. ISBN 4-08873-288-X.
- ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2005). NARUTO―ナルト―［秘伝・闘の書］. Shueisha. p. 29. ISBN 4-08873-734-2.
- Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto. Viz Media. pp. 138–139. ISBN 1-4215-1407-9.
- ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto. Viz Media. p. 139. ISBN 1-4215-1407-9.
- Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto. Viz Media. p. 116. ISBN 1-4215-1407-9.
- Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto. Viz Media. p. 135. ISBN 1-4215-1407-9.
- Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto. Viz Media. p. 117. ISBN 1-4215-1407-9.
- Kishimoto, Masashi (2006). Naruto, Volume 1. Viz Media. p. 60. ISBN 1-56931-900-6.
- Bertschy, Zac (2006-03-24). "Naruto Dub.DVD 1 - Review". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2007-12-24.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 367". Naruto, Volume 40. Shueisha. pp. 10–12. ISBN 978-4-08-874432-2.
- ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2003). "Chapter 1". Naruto, Volume 1. Viz Media. ISBN 1-56931-900-6.
- ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2003). "Chapter 2". Naruto, Volume 1. Viz Media. ISBN 1-56931-900-6.
- Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 151". Naruto, Volume 17. Viz Media. p. 139. ISBN 1-4215-1652-7.
- Kishimoto, Masashi (2004). "Chapter 18". Naruto, Volume 3. Viz Media. p. 25. ISBN 1-59116-187-8.
- Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 169". Naruto, Volume 19. Viz Media. p. 131. ISBN 1-4215-1654-3.
- Kishimoto, Masashi (2005). "Chapter 262". Naruto, Volume 29. Shueisha. pp. ? (ch. 262, pages 12-13). ISBN 4-08-873849-9.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: checksum (help) - Kishimoto, Masashi (2006). "Chapter 104". Naruto, Volume 12. Viz Media. pp. 104–105. ISBN 1-4215-0242-9.
- Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 138". Naruto, Volume 16. Viz Media. p. 64. ISBN 1-4215-1090-1.
- Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 168". Naruto, Volume 19. Viz Media. pp. 121–122. ISBN 1-4215-1654-3.
- Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 217". Naruto, Volume 24. Viz Media. pp. 182–184. ISBN 1-4215-1860-0.
- Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 225". Naruto, Volume 25. Viz Media. p. 165. ISBN 1-4215-1861-9.
- Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 218". Naruto, Volume 25. Viz Media. pp. 23–24. ISBN 1-4215-1861-9.
- Kishimoto, Masashi (2006). "Chapter 286". Naruto, Volume 32. Shueisha. pp. 5–6. ISBN 4-08-874039-3.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: checksum (help) - Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 183". Naruto, Volume 21. Viz Media. pp. 58–61. ISBN 1-4215-1855-4.
- Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 236". Naruto, Volume 17. Viz Media. pp. 13–14. ISBN 1-4215-1863-5.
- Kishimoto, Masashi (2006). "Chapter 28". Naruto, Volume 4. Viz Media. ISBN 1-59116-358-7.
- Kishimoto, Masashi (2006). "Chapter 291". Naruto, Volume 33. Shueisha. pp. ?(ch. 291, pages 8-10). ISBN 4-08-874039-3.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: checksum (help) - Kishimoto, Masashi (2006). "Chapter 308". Naruto, Volume 34. Shueisha. pp. ? (ch. 308, pages 14-15). ISBN 4-08-874138-3.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: checksum (help) - Kishimoto, Masashi (2006). "Chapter 315". Naruto, Volume 35. Shueisha. pp. ? (ch.315, pages, 10-11). ISBN 4-08-874273-1.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: checksum (help) - Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 167". Naruto, Volume 19. Viz Media. pp. 102–103. ISBN 1-4215-1654-3.
- Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 339". Naruto, Volume 37. Shueisha. pp. ? (ch. 339, page 4). ISBN 4-08-874338-7.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: checksum (help) - Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 346". Naruto, Volume 38. Shueisha. pp. ? (ch. 346, pages 10-13). ISBN 4-08-874364-4.
- Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). Naruto, Volume 26. Viz Media. p. 1. ISBN 1-4215-1862-7.
- Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 199". Naruto, Volume 22. Viz Media. pp. ? (ch 199, pages 1-2). ISBN 1-4215-1858-9.
- Kishimoto, Masashi (2006). "Chapter 293". Naruto, Volume 33. Shueisha. pp. ? (ch. 293, pages 1-2). ISBN 4-08-874108-6.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: checksum (help) - "Maile Flanagan". Leaf Ninja. Retrieved 2007-12-26.
- "Naruto Reader's Guide". IGN. Retrieved 2007-12-22.
- "Naruto game review". Game Spot. Retrieved 2007-12-24.
- "Manga Review". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2007-12-26.
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