The moment you've all been waiting for has arrived. I'm going to finish talking about Naruto today!
*Yeah! Other assorted crowd noises. Woo hoo!*
Thank you, thank you. You're all too kind.
*clears throat*
Well, I left off with Naruto vs. Gaara. This appropriately leads us into the next battle of fists and ideals alike: Naruto vs. Sasuke. How is it appropriate? That must be what you're wondering as you sit in your comfy chair and read my thoughts via electronic networking. Well, my little lovlies it is appropriate for several reasons which I will gladly share with you now.
First off, Naruto and Gaara are mirror images of each other. Secret weapons for the villages that created them, instruments of mass destruction and terror, persistent and reliable fighters, good and evil. Through their battle, Gaara is able to see the mistakes of his past and is able to repent from his senseless killings and seek a new path of acknowledgement and love. He manages to accomplish this by the way. He becomes Kazekage. The wisest, most powerful, and respected member of the Sand village.
If you'll remember to my last post this is the same goal that Naruto aspires to, just in a different village. Like I said: mirror images. So how does this lead into Sasuke? Because it's Naruto's next major one on one fight for one, and for another because Sasuke is Naruto's polar opposite. Where Naruto has endless amounts of perseverence, Sasuke has endless amounts of talent. Naruto has a demon beyond his control trapped in his body, Sasuke has the ability to control the demon but no access to it. Naruto grew up in isolation working for people to acknowledge him, whereas Sasuke was always appreciated and loved as a genius but was twisted into an avenger when his older brother murdered his entire clan. Naruto fights for the love and protection of his friends, while Sasuke cares only for revenge. They have had two major clashes in the series thus far, and I am basically crapping my pants in excitement for the third installment.
What I love about their fights and about their relationship is Naruto's refusal to treat Sasuke like an enemy. Even though he is fighting with his friend he is also fighting for their friendship. He absolutely refuses to lose Sasuke to the darkness his friend willingly embraces. Going so far as to make an (seemingly) unkeepable promise to bring him back, no matter how long it takes.
What's more, despite being narrowly defeated by Sasuke in their first major battle, and being completely owned by him in the second, Naruto only vows to try harder. I can't help but admire a character that has zero quit inside of him. And the one track-minded determination to follow through with his oaths. Chasing down sasuke is behind every action Naruto takes throughout the series. Even before Sasuke goes rogue, Naruto considers him a rival to be overtaken. However, the title "rival" does not necessarily imply enemy. And even after the schism between the two friends, enemies isn't the proper term to describe the most complex and intriguing relationship in the series.
Even later on in the series, it turns out that the battle between the two is a predestined event. Apparently, they are both descendants of the "Great Rikudo Sage" the founder of the ninja world and the first to harness the power of Chakra, which ninja use to perform their techniques. As the legend goes, this great sage passed his powers on to two of his progeny. To his elder son he gave the Rikudo's eyes, which implied intelligence and skill. The elder brother believed that the strength of his ninja techniques would be the key to saving the world. The younger brother received the Rikudo's body, which gave him relentless perseverance and stamina. The younger brother believed that Love would be the key to the world's salvation.
These two brothers were the founders of the two most powerful clans in the ninja world.These clans eventually formed an alliance to create the Leaf village where both Naruto and Sasuke are from. This alliance was split however when Uchiha Madara, leader of the Uchiha (Sasuke's) clan, and Hashirama Senju, the first Hokage, clashed over their new village's policies.
Just as the brothers of the past fought about the key to saving the world, so did the leaf village founders, and finally their successors are carrying on the same tradition.
So I suppose in addition to the sick artwork, epic themes, and ultra nerdy ninja concepts I also appreciate this Manga's treatment of history. You have to know where you come from to appreciate what you have, and the Mangaka (author and artist) certainly shows this understanding in his work.
Well, I hope I've at least convinced one or two of you to give this series a try. If nothing else you can easily waste a couple of hours getting lost in this unique and engrossing mythology.
