ForNaruto’s fanbase, there’s a love-hate relationship with one trope from the series—but I think that without it,Narutowould have faded into obscurity.“Talk no Jutsu"is the name that’s been jokingly given toNaruto’s emphasis on talking things out and coming to a peaceful resolution. Naruto’s easygoing charm and headstrong resolvemake him charismatic enough to win over practically anybody, andseveral “fights” within the franchise are won without any violence at all.
Of allNaruto’s plot devices, “Talk No Jutsu” has become one of the most divisive. Even individual fans are usually divided about it. On one hand, it’s key to the empathetic core of the franchise that makesNarutofeel as warm and thrilling as it does. On the other, it starts to feel repetitive with time, and it can be grating—particularly when some opponents who don’t seem deserving of redemption nonetheless receive it. Nonetheless,this trope is essential toNaruto’s identity as a franchise, and without it, it would have been forgotten.
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Like howmany aspects ofDragon Ballfeel dated because of its influence, the concept of the “power of friendship” is nowadays disregarded as a lazy cliché. Few franchises could be more directly implicated in that accusation thanNaruto, whose story has always centered around belonging, peaceful resolution, and empathy. The trouble, though, is the paradox of influence at play here:Narutoisn’t representative of the “power of friendship” cliché; “power of friendship” has become a cliché in partbecauseofNaruto’s overwhelming influence.
In the 1970s and 1980s, although there were certainly elements of friendship and camaraderie evident in major shōnen series likeDragon Ball, the focus was still very much on one particular character’s greatness and narrative. The shōnen of the late ’80s and ’90s would gradually start to place more of an emphasis on something beyond justgroup interactionsorcombinations. Theinseparabilityof the primary character from those who grant them support becomes a primary concern.
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One major milestone here wasJojo’s Bizarre Adventure’s third part, Stardust Crusaders: a buddy-trip blockbuster action adventure where, although protagonist Jotaro Kujo is clearly given the spotlight, his team shines as critical support.This dynamic is mirrored in series likeYu Yu Hakusho, too: Yusuke Urameshi is the main concern, without a doubt, butthe role of friendship becomes far more important. Early shōnen binaries of good/evil or friend/foe start to melt away as the protagonist’s social position becomes much more important.
Togashi’s radical follow-uptoYu Yu Hakusho,Hunter x Hunter, would take this even further with multiple protagonists and a dynamic central team. The legendary Chimera Ant arc shows a new side of shōnen where absolute evil melts away and enemies are given complex motivations and emotions. The difference between villains in, say,Yu Yu HakushoorStardust Crusadersis profound compared to later shōnen. Shōnen writers slowly began to depict a new kind of narrative with a much greater emphasis on emotional depth.
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This is whereNarutoreally starts to come in. Shōnen’s gradual shift from morally concrete stories centered around extraordinary individuals, as well as the broader emotional spectrum shōnen became capable of representing, cleared a space for franchises with more emphasis on world-building, empathy, and characterization.NarutoandOne Pieceappeared as two realizations of this new possibility. WhereOne Pieceexcels at world-building,Narutofocused on its character exposition.
ForNaruto, gone were the days when a villain could be just inherently evil.
WhileNarutoandOne Piececertainly influenced one another,Narutowasn’t intended to be a world-sprawling adventure with incredible detail likeOne Piecewas.Narutoplaced all of its bets on two core ideas: the first is to make sure that the themes get through to the reader, no matter what; and the second is to make sure thatcharacters have tangible reasons and motivations for their behaviors, choices, and beliefs. Kishimoto was even willing to undermine the values and image ofNaruto’s main village, Konoha, in order to make its villains more believable.
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Narutopresents a world whereanyonecan be “reasoned with”, even if one might not win them over. ForNaruto, gone were the days when a villain could be just inherently evil; friendship and antagonism, love and hate alike were deliberate choices made in response to one’s situation. The deeply troubled and troubling political backdrop creates a situation where, if someone looks at the comment thread for—let’s just say—an article arguing that a character like Danzo isn’t a villain, fans vehemently take sides for and against it.The discussion is endless.
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So maybe it’s only a natural result that, likewise,Naruto’s own discussions seem endless—whether it’s Naruto with Sasuke and Pain, Kakashi with Obito, or Hashirama with Madara. The concept of dialogue, duality, and ambivalence toward the “right” perspective always takes priority inNaruto. This quality is what madeNarutoso unique, andit’s indelible from its success. Viewers become attached because, like all ofNaruto’s characters, they must “buy in” to an opinion on the world, its lives, and its structures. Strictly speaking, it’s impossible to watchNarutopassively.
InNaruto, the most important moments aren’t where characters show their brute strength; it’s where they show their deepest vulnerability.
This was essential to Kishimoto, who wrotecharacters representing underrepresented readers. For example, inJojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Dio’s villainy is directly connected to his upbringing in Victorian slums. Young fans from poverty might identify with Dio, but also likely find him flat. Dio is wonderful and shows the real drive for power that such destitution can create. However,he lacks emotional complexityor, to an extent, the “reasoning capacity” of characters from “normal” backgrounds.
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By contrast, like Konan or Sasori,Naruto’s characters are always psychologized and made empathetic—which in turn empathizes with readers of similar backgrounds. Kishimoto has been explicit about this, and empathy is at the heart of the franchise. The critically unique and identifying idea inNarutois that everyone can be understood, and everyone is worth understanding. It’s no wonder that such a series would catch fire.Naruto, like its title character, relentlessly exudes an inimitable warmth and earnestness, even where its supposed ideals most fall apart.
InNaruto, the most important moments aren’t where characters show their brute strength; it’s where they show their deepest vulnerability. Any battle shōnen could show something like Naruto and Kurama going all-out against Pain, but onlyNarutowould show Naruto going to speak with Nagato in an attempt to kill him with kindness. Love it or hate it, I thinkNaruto’s emphasis on the fact thatanyonecanspeak with sincerity—that there’s a true strength in friendship and understanding—is the thing that has always set the series apart, and it’s why it succeeded.
Naruto
Naruto is a franchise spawned from the manga series penned by Masashi Kishimoto that began in 1999. Generating several tv series, games, movies, and more, Naruto follows the exploits of a young outcast ninja harboring the spirit of a demon fox who seeks to become the Hokage, the leader of his ninja village, to break the stigma against him. Upon the conclusion of the initial series, Naruto expanded into Boruto, following many series protagonists' children and returning faces.
