Have you ever met an over-enthusiastic anime lover who’s constantly into your ears, putting thoughts in your head about starting an anime series? It’s not like they’ll shut up after going once. These guys are consistent and, they don’t give up before driving you crazy to the point where you’d say, “Okay, fine! I’m watching it.” Yeah, pretty sure we’ve all met them, and in case you still haven’t, Hello! Nice to meet you. I am one of them.
When it comes to anime, there are basically two types of people. 1- who watch and appreciate anime and know it’s the best thing ever 2- who haven’t even watched a single anime series and whine it’s overrated without even giving it a try
You know better which category you fall under and if you belong to the second category and are still reading this article, kudos! There’s hope that you can still be a man/woman of culture. Jokes apart! You should seriously start if you still haven’t and, what better anime than the OG itself! ~Naruto, rated by many as the best show (not just anime) ever.
If you’ve been following anime especially, the shounen, then you already know there’s a constant debate going on which is the greatest shounen ever: is it Naruto, One Piece, or Bleach?
Well, every weeb has a different opinion. Since you are reading my blog and have already read the title, you know what we will be talking off.
Naruto, it is!
In this article, I will not be talking about Naruto as a show in general. If truth be told, it is just not possible to summarize the greatness of that show in a mere blog column articulated by any living mortal. No! I am not exaggerating. It is that great! Anyways, not to drift away from the topic. We would be talking about Naruto Uzumaki as a character and what sets him apart from countless other heroes.
Naruto is a very familiar name worldwide regardless of whether or not one has seen the series or not. Naruto is a brand, a brand with infinite potential and possibilities. His most weighty and consequential achievement, however, is not in concern to the series itself. It has to be how he managed to attract heaps of new fans to the anime verse and made them a life-long Otaku. Okay, enough of build-up already. Let us skip to the segment, where we discuss why he truly is the GOAT when it comes to protagonists.
SAD, HEARTBREAKING, DEPRESSING BACKSTORY:
I have seen and read countless movies, series, and books but, none has a past darker and more depressing than Naruto had. Orphaned minutes after his birth, Naruto did not have a single person in his life, which he could address as family. He never even got to see what his parents looked like or even what they were like when they were alive. Imagine he had no idea what it feels to be loved and cared for by his father and mother. To make things worse than they already were, he was the one who took the blame for the murder of his own parents. Yes, every villager blamed Naruto, an infant who was barely a few minutes old.
It is needless to say, but people despised him, hated him, abused him, and bullied him whenever they saw Naruto roaming alone in the streets. The poor lad was hardly aged 5 when he faced all these hardships from his years of infancy.
Living alone in a rented apartment with no reserves of money, countless nights he slept empty stomached. Every month he got a pension which was only sufficient to buy Ramen (noodles) and, that’s all that he ate his entire childhood. Imagine sleeping all alone in a house filled with nothingness, pious stillness, and no one to love, care and look after.
FRIENDLESS, ALONE, ISOLATED:
We have talked about how the adults in his village used to despise him. But it was not like the children in the hidden leaf enjoyed Naruto’s company. From a very young age, the thought that Naruto was a monster who killed his parents along with thousands of other people got planted in their brains. Naturally, he had no one to adhere to as a friend for a very long time. Though he did everything he could to make people like him, talk to him, and play with him, he still couldn’t change their brain-washed perception of his.
Naruto soon became an attention-seeker, a notorious kid who started pulling silly pranks in an attempt to capture everybody’s attention. Even though he never meant any harm yet, the people took his doltish, childish exertions in the wrong way and ended up loathing him even more than they already did.
No parents, no family. No friends, hated by everybody. Naruto for you!
UNREQUITED LOVE:
So far, I guess you guys have already realized that it’s not easy being Naruto. If you thought being a lonely orphan with no friends has to be it. Like no one can take more pain and affliction than that, right? Well, what if I tell you that’s not it! He also happened to be a one-sided lover.
Although that girl (Sakura) is one of the most hated characters in the entire series yet for Naruto, she was everything he ever wanted. (After becoming the Hokage, of course!) It was an absolute shame that she never really acknowledged his love even though she knew the full extent of his love. Well, to her defense, she loved someone else (Sasuke Uchiha) who was also supposed to be Naruto’s biggest rival. No matter what he did, and trust me, he did a lot! It was all in vain because she never even gave Naruto a chance.
NOW, GO AND WATCH!
Now that you know the background guide of who Naruto is and what he went through in his childhood, you’re more than ready to stop anything else you are doing and binge-watching the most extraordinary saga there is. How this young, lonely, not-so-bright orphan became the greatest, most loved, and admired shinobi (ninja) to have ever existed is what you’ll get to witness in the Naruto starring short, just 720 episodes long epic. It might sound like a daunting, mammoth, and intimidating number to cross at the moment. But trust me, once you start and especially once you finish, only then you would realize how trivial that number is.
In Naruto, unlike most of the animes, the side characters in the series have proper and conventional arcs, screentime and, approbation. Several other great characters barring Naruto, are considered to be the heroes of their way. The list includes Itachi Uchiha (who many consider better than Naruto himself), Kakashi Hatake, Jiraiya, Might Guy, Gaara, and many others. Each character’s arc has been done utmost justice and given equal recognition.
In the end, all I can say is watching Naruto is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that you’re going to savor and cherish till the sweet release of death from this morbid life. So, stop making excuses and go binge-watch Naruto!
Dattebayo!
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