Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto (2002-2007): Shonen fun, action, and adventure

if you care about spoilers, then consider this a warning

Masashi Kishimoto’s anime Naruto is a coming-of-age story about a young boy, Naruto, who wants to pass his ninja exam with the hopes of eventually leading his village. Alongside this plot is a parallel story of his frenemy, Sasuke, who is willing to go to the depths of darkness to enact revenge against his brother for killing their entire clan, including their own parents. While there are arcs, just like with any other anime, they are much more tight and cohesive to the point where the show feels like one long story.

Naruto’s unflagging optimism and inherent goodness distinguish him from other shonen protagonists with somewhat darker sides, such as Hunter x Hunter Gon’s self-destructiveness or One Piece’s Luffy’s aversion to heroics. But, at the core, all three exemplify the happy-go-lucky shonen protagonist; the ENFPs among us. 

The pacing starts albeit somewhat slowly. At first, the show follows the adventures of the core team of three–Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura–led by the fan favorite Kakashi sensei.

But the ensuing Chunin exam, wherein the principal three, along with a whole cast of interesting students–the virginal Lee; the sinfully lazy Shikamaru of the strategic mind; the tortured, but brilliant Neji; bug boy; gourmand Choji; Gaara of the Sand but also of The Existential Crisis, among others–undertake a harrowing journey to advance to the next ninja level.

Enter here the series’ villain, Orochimaru, on the hunt for flesh. Naruto isn’t afraid of body horror; Orochimaru is a great villain whose serpentine physique makes one wonder to what extent Voldemort was inspired by him. His accompanying organ music sets the dark, foreboding atmosphere whenever he has his screen time. There is something equally frightening about his desire for young bodies to ensure his immortality. The show seems to be saying something about the possibilities of youth brimming with life and the threat of those who wish to steal from them.

Orochimaru inflicts Sasuke with a curse mark, promising great power to the young boy in exchange for his body, which sets off the trajectory of not only Naruto, but also of Naruto: Shippuden (not so much a separate show, but a continuation of the original; one cannot watch the latter without having watched the former). 

The show establishes a number of parallels, possibly to point out the resonating effects of certain choices. The first one involves the plight of traumatized childhoods. Through their communion and friendship, young men (Naruto, Neji, Gaara) are able to move past their trauma. Sasuke, however, remains the big exception. His whole existence centers on killing his brother Itachi for having murdered everyone in their clan. If Sasuke were to succeed, what would happen to him? How could a person’s entire existence hinge on destroying the life of another? The flashbacks to Sasuke’s childhood and trauma are heartbreaking, but his stubbornness and monomania render him an antihero, the antiNaruto of the series. Will he too finally succumb to the blinding light of good that is Naruto? 

For all its interest in the trauma of the lives of young men, the show conversely does not seem to take young women seriously. Tenten is excluded from the main plot (admission: I skipped most of the filler). Sakura’s singular focus on Sasuke kun hinders her growth. It is only when she becomes aware of her own shortcomings that she asks Tsunade sama to train her. It is compelling, but it also seems like the show believes that Sakura can only thrive under the tutelage of another woman.

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke all end up training with the legendary Sannin, the 3 exceptional ninjas, which brings us to the second major parallel: Jiraiya, Tsunade, Orochimaru with Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke. I assume that Sasuke won’t go the way of Orochimaru, but I have a hard time envisioning how he can come back to the Hidden Leaf Village after such a departure. Maybe I need to sharpen my Sharingan to foresee how it’ll unfold, but I’m more of a Byakugan gal, anyway.