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{{mergeto|List of major Naruto characters}}
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Naruto Uzumaki
Naruto character
File:Naruto-Opening01 222.jpg
Naruto Uzumaki by Masashi Kishimoto
First appearanceNaruto manga chapter 1
Naruto anime episode 1
In-universe information
RelativesMinato 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 Naruto media franchise. While creating Naruto, Kishimoto kept it in mind to keep Naruto's character "simple and stupid" while giving him many attributes of Son Goku from the Dragon Ball franchise.[5]

In the story, Naruto is a young ninja from the village Konohagakure who encases the spirit of a demonic fox that attacked his village around the time of his birth. His primary motivation throughout the series is to become Hokage, or in other words, the village leader of Konohagakure. During the beginning of the series, Naruto was a simple-minded prankster who wished for acceptance. However, as the series progresses, Naruto develops into a more much mature character, although he still retains some of his childhood traits. Naruto appears in all of the series' films, as well as other media related to the franchise, including video games and OVAs.

Several anime and manga publications have provided acclaim and criticism of Naruto's character. While many reviewers consider him one of the most memorable anime and manga characters in history, he has been viewed as a stereotypical manga and anime protagonist comparable to many other protagonists in other shōnen manga.[6][7] Nevertheless, Naruto has remained highly popular with the Naruto reader base, placing high in several popularity polls.[8] Merchandise based on Naruto has also been released, including figurines and plush dolls.[9][10]

Creation and conception

When creating Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto incorporated into the character a number of traits he felt made 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 does not like smart characters. Naruto himself is not 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.[5]

Naruto's wardrobe is based on clothing Kishimoto wore when he was younger; using a preexisting design would not have made Naruto unique whereas something original would have made him stand out too much.[11] The orange coloring of his costume is used to make Naruto "pop," with blues often being used to complement the orange.[12] Because Naruto is associated with spirals, swirl patterns are incorporated into his costume.[13] Initial illustrations of Naruto had him wearing boots, but Kishimoto substituted these for sandals since he likes drawing toes.[14] The goggles that Naruto used to wear were also replaced with a forehead protector, because the goggles themselves were too time consuming to draw.[15]

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 is kind of a brat.[11] Throughout the beginning of the English anime series, the dub replaced "dattebayo" and "-ttebayo" with the phrase "Believe it!" to mirror the effect, as well as to match the character's lip movements.[16] 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.[17] Soon after his birth, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox attacked their hometown of Konohagakure, leaving destruction throughout the village. 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.[18] 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.[19] With his father dead and his mother presumably sharing the same fate, Naruto has spent all of his life as an orphan, not knowing who his parents were.

Personality

File:NarutoUzumaki Shippuden.jpg
Naruto as he appears in Part II

With no family to speak of and the villagers of Konohagakure always showing him animosity for being the container of the demon fox, Naruto has never had a source of love or attention.[18] Wanting that which he has lacked all his life, Naruto's dream is to become Hokage, the village's protector, hoping that it will bring him the villagers' recognition and respect.[19] To help him gain this title, Naruto possesses a fierce determination, always confident he can complete a given task with relative ease.[20] 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.[21]

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.[22] Gaara, after being defeated by Naruto in battle, discovers that true strength is found in fighting for one's friends, not for one's self.[23] 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.[24]

Through his ability to change others, Naruto has gained the friends that he lacked during his childhood. Among the many friendships he has formed, none are more prominent in the series than those he has with his two teammates: Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno. With Sasuke, Naruto shares a highly competitive relationship that he likens to brotherhood.[25] Though Sasuke betrays Naruto and the rest of Konoha at the end of Part I, Naruto maintains his attachment to Sasuke, readily lashing out at anyone who speaks poorly of him.[26] With Sakura, Naruto possesses a deep dedication to her, rooted in the crush he has had on her for years. Naruto's commitment to Sakura is such that he places her happiness above his own, no matter what injuries he may sustain in helping her.[27]

Abilities

File:Kyuubi Naruto2.jpg
Naruto in a one-tailed fox shroud forming the Rasengan

Because of the demon fox within him, Naruto has access to its great chakra reserves, allowing him to perform jutsu that someone of his rank would ordinarily be incapable of using.[18] Though portions of the fox's chakra constantly mix with Naruto's own, Naruto can forcibly draw upon its reserves by submitting to rage.[28] Once doing so the fox's power begins to consume Naruto, creating a fox-shaped shroud around him complete with a number of tails indicating his current level of strength. While each tail drastically increases his fighting potential, Naruto begins to lose his sense of self as more tails appear.[29] Because he can quickly become a danger to those he cares for in these situations, Naruto has begun to limit his own usage of the fox's power.[30]

Naruto's most frequent usage of the fox's chakra is when performing the Shadow Clone Technique, which allows him to create hundreds of copies of himself at any given time.[18] In addition to using these clones to overwhelm his opponents, Naruto often uses the clones to help him form his preferred form of attack: the Rasengan. By using the copies of himself to spin and mold his chakra into shape, Naruto can form the Rasengan without the hassle required to make it single handedly.[31] Though powerful by itself, capable of grinding into whatever it contacts, Naruto takes the attack a step further in Part II by infusing it with his wind elemental chakra.[32] After using his clones to help him create the new technique in a fraction of the time, Naruto attains a variant of the Rasengan, called the Wind Release: Spiraling Shuriken (風遁・螺旋手裏剣, Fūton: Rasenshuriken), which does damage on a cellular level.[33]

Plot overview

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 leading role 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 he 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 Rasengan, Naruto and company try once again to find Sasuke, and are currently in the process of following Sasuke's trail. However, they are interrupted by Tobi of Akatsuki.

Appearances in other media

Being the titular character, Naruto has appeared in all of the series' 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.[34] 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 during the Shippūden 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.[35] To help him find Naruto goes to a forbidden zone with Konohamaru in order to find it. In the second OVA, Team 7 escorts a ninja named Shibuki, the leader of his village, to his home at Takigakure.[36] 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.

Naruto is a playable character in all of the Naruto video games. In several games, it is possible to unlock and play a version of him enhanced by the Nine-Tails. 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 video game series, 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 enough that he imitated one of them for the manga cover of volume 26.[37]

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.

In the 62nd episode of the Gintama anime, Gintoki Sakata, the series' protagonist, is shown saying "dattebayo" while reading an issue of Weekly Shonen Jump with Naruto on the cover.

Reception

Naruto has ranked within the Top 5 characters in every official Shonen Jump popularity polls, making first place twice[8] and 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.[38] There has not been another official poll since 2005. Due to the popularity of Naruto, several pieces of merchandise have been made into his likeness, such as plush,[10][39] key chains,[40] and numerous action figures,[9] in both his Part I and Part II appearance.

In an interview with Maile Flanagan, who does the voice acting for Naruto in the English dub, states that while she had no idea who Naruto was at first, she was thrilled to be chosen for the role of Naruto, who is currently her favorite character in the Naruto 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.[41]

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 has commented on Naruto developing from the lonely rebel during the series' beginning.[42] Gamespot claims that Naruto Uzumaki lives 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.[43] 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.[6] T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews noted that while Naruto is a "likeable enough scamp", his type of character has been done in many previous anime and manga series.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Junko Takeuchi". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
  2. ^ "Maile Flanagan". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
  3. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2002). NARUTO―ナルト―［秘伝・臨の書］. Shueisha. p. 31. ISBN 4-08873-288-X.
  4. ^ a b c Kishimoto, Masashi (2005). NARUTO―ナルト―［秘伝・闘の書］. Shueisha. p. 29. ISBN 4-08873-734-2.
  5. ^ a b Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto. Viz Media. pp. 138–139. ISBN 1-4215-1407-9.
  6. ^ a b "Manga Review". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2007-12-26.
  7. ^ a b Ross Christina. "THEM Anime Reviews 4.0 - Naruto". T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews. Retrieved 2008-01-27. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ a b Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 199". Naruto, Volume 22. Viz Media. pp. ? (ch 199, pages 1-2). ISBN 1-4215-1858-9.
  9. ^ a b "Part I Action Figure". Naruto Store. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
  10. ^ a b "Part I Plush Doll". Amazon. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
  11. ^ a b Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto. Viz Media. p. 139. ISBN 1-4215-1407-9.
  12. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto. Viz Media. p. 116. ISBN 1-4215-1407-9.
  13. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto. Viz Media. p. 135. ISBN 1-4215-1407-9.
  14. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto. Viz Media. p. 117. ISBN 1-4215-1407-9.
  15. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2006). Naruto, Volume 1. Viz Media. p. 60. ISBN 1-56931-900-6.
  16. ^ 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)
  17. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 367". Naruto, Volume 40. Shueisha. pp. 10–12. ISBN 978-4-08-874432-2.
  18. ^ a b c d Kishimoto, Masashi (2003). "Chapter 1". Naruto, Volume 1. Viz Media. ISBN 1-56931-900-6.
  19. ^ a b Kishimoto, Masashi (2003). "Chapter 2". Naruto, Volume 1. Viz Media. ISBN 1-56931-900-6.
  20. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 151". Naruto, Volume 17. Viz Media. p. 139. ISBN 1-4215-1652-7.
  21. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 169". Naruto, Volume 19. Viz Media. p. 131. ISBN 1-4215-1654-3.
  22. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2005). "Chapter 262". Naruto, Volume 29. Shueisha. ISBN 4-08-873849-9. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  23. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 138". Naruto, Volume 16. Viz Media. p. 64. ISBN 1-4215-1090-1.
  24. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 217". Naruto, Volume 24. Viz Media. pp. 182–184. ISBN 1-4215-1860-0.
  25. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 234". Naruto, Volume 26. Viz Media. pp. 58–60. ISBN 1-4215-1862-7.
  26. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2006). "Chapter 286". Naruto, Volume 32. Shueisha. pp. 5–6. ISBN 4-08-874039-3. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  27. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 236". Naruto, Volume 17. Viz Media. pp. 13–14. ISBN 1-4215-1863-5.
  28. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2006). "Chapter 28". Naruto, Volume 4. Viz Media. ISBN 1-59116-358-7.
  29. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2006). "Chapter 291". Naruto, Volume 33. Shueisha. ISBN 4-08-874039-3. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  30. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2006). "Chapter 308". Naruto, Volume 34. Shueisha. ISBN 4-08-874138-3. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  31. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 167". Naruto, Volume 19. Viz Media. pp. 102–103. ISBN 1-4215-1654-3.
  32. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 339". Naruto, Volume 37. Shueisha. ISBN 4-08-874338-7. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  33. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). "Chapter 346". Naruto, Volume 38. Shueisha. ISBN 4-08-874364-4.
  34. ^ "Naruto The Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
  35. ^ "Naruto Special: Akaki Yotsuba no Clover wo Sagase (OAV)". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
  36. ^ "Naruto Special: Battle at Hidden Falls. I am the Hero! (OAV)". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
  37. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). Naruto, Volume 26. Viz Media. p. 1. ISBN 1-4215-1862-7.
  38. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2006). "Chapter 293". Naruto, Volume 33. Shueisha. ISBN 4-08-874108-6. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  39. ^ "Part II Plush Doll". Amazon. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
  40. ^ "Part I Key Chain". Naruto Store. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
  41. ^ "Maile Flanagan". Leaf Ninja. Retrieved 2007-12-26.
  42. ^ "Naruto Reader's Guide". IGN. Retrieved 2007-12-22.
  43. ^ "Naruto game review". Game Spot. Retrieved 2007-12-24.
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