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[x] Viewing entries with tag: naruto
5 Shippuden Myths Debunked!
9/16/2013

 

Gaara’s tattoo

Ever wonder what Gaara’s tattoo means? Despite his attitude growing up, the tattoo on his forehead reads “Love”. Although he hasn't always embodied this state of mind, as a toddler Gaara was a very kind & lovable boy; it was hard for him to keep these qualities due to forthcoming experiences. Finally having mastered the hatred in his heart, Gaara has tons of love to give: he’s a respectable leader who’s paid his dues. Sort of a strange birthmark though, isn’t it? And so is this next one.

 

Gaara’s eyes

The question everybody’s always wondered: does Gaara wear eyeliner? Some say no, that they’re just bags due to his lack of sleep caused by the Shukaku back in part one of Narutoif he were to sleep, he’d somehow get possessed by the one tail. Even though he had clearly stated that he didn't sleep for this reason, the notion of his bags makes no sense to me because bags only appear under the eyes. He also doesn't have Shukaku in him anymore, so it would make no sense to still have these marks. In truth, Kishimoto designed Gaara to look similar to the Tanuki, the Japanese raccoon dog, which would also explain why he carries a gourd. The one tails also has dark rings around his eyes that travel down his face, so it could be because he was born with the shukaku inside him that he has those features. I also have my own personal take on this matter: in Ancient Egypt, kohl was worn around the eyes as a means to prevent sand from entering them. Being that Gaara is of the Sand village, wouldn't it make sense for him to have those dark circles around his eyes? Is it a coincidence? Probably not.

 

Kurenai’s eyes

I’ve mentioned before that Kurenai’s eyes seem like they may be a kekkei genkai of some sort. It’s obvious at this point she’ll never get any form of character development, or even a backstory on her. All we know is that her father had the same eyes. So, does Kurenai have doujutsu? The answer is no. They’re simply red eyes. She’s a bore, isn't she?

 

Seven Ninja Swordsmen’s teeth

It becomes clear to us over time, as we encounter all the ninja swordsmen of the mist, that they all have one thing in common, aside from their destinies as swordsmen of the mist: they all have shark teeth. So, what’s the big idea? Is it a sign that from birth they were meant to wield one of the seven legendary swords of their village? Maybe, but most likely not, especially considering Kakashi took his good pal Zabuza’s sword as a token of war (look at him handling that toy like it’s nothing ♥_♥) Their shark teeth are a stylistic choice from Kishi that only add edge to their reputation as assassins, and demon-like personas!

 

Naruto’s whiskers

Naruto was born with three stripes on each cheek that resemble whiskers. I guess we could say that these are actual whiskers in a sense, but they’re more like birthmarks. Just like Gaara, these are markings made by his tailed beast, the Kyuubi, who happens to be a fox. Naruto’s tattoos actually grow in thickness and length the more he transforms into kyuubi form.

Is there anything about the characters or environments in Naruto that's gotten you puzzled? Like, aside from Kakashi’s mask?

My Favorite Opening & Ending Themes
6/03/2013

I feel like I've been being a bit of a Drama Queen the past two weeks in the sense that I've been posting, what I call, heavy content— there’s been a lot of emotion and opinions poured into my last couple posts, in relating the discussions to reality. I’m a bit drained from it, so today I just want to share something I enjoy very much from the show.

Mondays can be such a drag: you either have to go back to school or work (if you don't like what you're doing). I’m not one to talk (although I wish I were), because the days don’t mean much to me right now: school is out, and I’m jobless. Anyway, I thought, why not share a piece of my happiness with you? Here are my favorite opening and ending themes from Naruto Shippuden. I also provided the full versions of the songs. My favorite has got to be Michi (To You All)-Aluto. I just get the feels when I listen to it— there’s a nostalgic feeling of something my mind can’t really pinpoint. Besides, I always think of Konoha Gakuen Den, which I enjoyed watching very much.

Happy Monday.

Ending 1: Nagareboshi-Shooting Star

Ending 2: Aluto-Michi (To You All)

Full version!

Ending 12: AZU-For You

Full version! (My favorite version)

Opening 4: Inoue Joe-Closer

Full version!

Opening 7: Motohiro Hata-Toumei Datta Sekai

Full version!

Comment below if there’s one you favor, I want to know! 

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Psychology of Sasuke
5/20/2013

Wish I knew who the artist is.

Sasuke’s become a powerful ninja with a heart of stone, hasn’t he? Some of us still liked him when he was with Orochimaru, because we still saw a little bit of Konoha in him those times he wouldn’t finish off his opponents in training, and that time he killed Orochimaru after having gained the power he needed, before that monster could use him. Yes, perhaps  he was a little annoying with his ‘emo’ complex, but it was tolerable. Once Sasuke finished Orochimaru, he suddenly became ruthless, and that will of fire  that had remained in him burned out from the darkness within which he chose to cage himself, and at that point we couldn’t recognize him anymore, so we hated Sasuke. His being was just too ugly to look at, and too annoying to bear anymore.

When I look at Sasuke, I see a little boy— that little boy who lived a happy childhood and enjoyed the company of his talented older brother, whom he strived to be like. All his life he’s been protected by Itachi: Itachi’s made sure Sasuke took the right steps into achieving his full potential in time, with time. Plus, there were things Itachi never wanted Sasuke to know (like the true reason he wiped out their clan). Hence, some things were always kept secret from him, so he never saw reality for what it truly is. For the most part, Itachi had constructed most of Sasuke’s reality for him. So, since Madara came along and flipped everything, he’s lost; he has no real nindo   despite the fact he thinks he knows what he’s doing. Sasuke’s lost because at first he wanted to avenge his clan by murdering his brother. Now, he wants to destroy Konoha for making him  kill his brother (that was his own decision), because he thought Itachi’s actions were his own, when in fact he was used by the village.  The result is a naive young man wrapped up in credulity whose superiority complex leaves him thinking he’s in control of everything.

But, hey sasuke, I get you; I can empathize. As the youngest of my siblings, I’ve been “protected” all of my childhood too. You’re not so tough though— you’re a sensitive muchachaaa. After all the pain you’ve been through, and you’re strong willingness to regain what you’ve lost, you’re living under a shell you’ve constructed from steel, which you call “The Darkness”.  And maybe you do have a nindo after all, but let’s not call it a ninja way, because restoring your clan is an act of Love that doesn’t require battling any other shinobi; it has to do with dealing with some tough inner demons, forgiving those who hurt you, and accepting what has happened. You’re naive; a reflection of childhood innocence, because your loving older brother put you under his wings for too long, even after his death. So, your childhood is what you are, because it’s all you know. Who could blame you for that? And maybe that’s the point of your character anyway. You’re that adult that’s had everything handed down to them, or that person who never learns from past experiences and repeats the same mistakes, or that someone who puts the weight of their past negative experiences on another, and they severe that bond because they’ve been hurt in the past sort of like what you’re doing with Naruto.

Well, while the whole ninja world couldn’t care less about whether Sasuke were to die, at least there’s one person who understands him: Naruto. Old team 7 wouldn’t mind welcoming him back with open arms.  People like Sasuke need a friend like Naruto who can open their eyes and hearts. They need a friend who will grab them by the hand and lead them out of that shell of theirs.

 Little Sasuke's so cuuute.

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Today, I picked 7 female characters that I believe would make Shippuden more thrilling, and perhaps more interesting if they were given more of a chance to shine in battle.

1.Karui

Judging from her personality, Karui seems brawny; she’s very brave and expresses a tough demeanor, but her strength has not been put to any use yet, except for knocking sense into her teammate Omoi, which is nothing but comedic relief. It gets annoying after a little while.

2.Kurenai

This one’s done absolutely nothing. Okay, well, there was that time in the first series when she was present in that Kurama filler, and that other time when she & Asuma fought Itachi & Kisame, but she only made one move and it failed. She’s a sensei, yet she’s the only one who had hasn't proven her full potential to us. What's more, she has an ocular jutsu that’s forever a mystery. (at some point we see her father with the same eyes, so it must be a kekkei genkai).  Well, she’s pregnant so it’s too late, but I wanted to see what those eyes were made of.
 
3.Karin
When Karin was first introduced, I thought she was going to be sort of a force to be reckoned with. I actually kept this notion until the time Sasuke fought with Danzo.When Sasuke deemed her useless, this idea that –because of her strong ability to sense the presence of chakra and transmit it to others– she was strong completely dissolved. I mean, what was she doing just standing there? Could she have attempted to help Sasuke? Yes. It probably would have backfired, but at least we'd know she has some guts. She's just tsundere with nothing much going for her.
 
4.Anko

Anko was seen in battle a few times, but she’s been knocked down without much hardship. She works as part of a staff under the hokage, and she leads dangerous missions, so obviously she’s highly skilled. She can do better.

5.Hana & Tsume Inuzuka

I really like Hana and Tsume Inuzuka. These two are very minor characters who are part of Kiba’s family. Hana’s the older sister and Tsume is the mother. We’ve seen little of them, being so minor and all, but I wish their presence was as common as Ino, Choji and Shikamaru's parents. Generally, I'd like to see members of the Inuzuka clan use more than just Fang Rotating Fang, or Double-Headed Wolf.
 
6.Shizune

Shizune’s abilities were revealed in the first series in a confrontation with Orochimaru & Kabuto. She’s a medical nin who seems to specialize in poison techniques. I love that she thinks fast and acts quick, and I would have liked to see what she’s fully capable of in battle that time with Orochimaru & Kabuto.

7.Konan

After the Pain arc, it was expected that Madara would battle Konan to the death over Nagato’s Rinnegan. It would have been interesting if she had survived somehow and contributed to the war. Her status as a highly skilled shinobi was well represented but I wanted more of her. Her jutsu was so unique! In my opinion, she should have joined the Allied Shinobi Force.
 
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Hi Elites ! I couldn’t stay away for an extra week. I missed you too much & I’m itching to talk to you about this week’s topics.

Okay, let’s talk about the Hyuga clan. More specifically Hizashi & Neji Hyuga.  We witnessed their story in the first series, but I want to talk about them, because their story was the first element of Naruto that I connected to.

So, in episodes 60-63 of Naruto, we are introduced to the Hyuga clan: they possess a uniquely strong, very sought after Kekkei Genkai,  the Byakugan (an ocular jutsu that enables them to see chakra points). This clan has a head family and a branch family. Hizashi, Neji’s dad, and his twin brother Hiashi were both born into the head family, but since Hiashi was born first he got to inherit the birthrights of the head, while Hizashi moved down to the lesser branch.  In reality, when social classes are divided by ancestral rights & duties, this is called a caste system.

As members of the branch, Hizashi & his son Neji were predestined to protect the head family, especially against those after the unique limits of the Byakugan. People of this branch share a curse mark that symbolizes who they are as members of the clan, and their worth— which is of lesser value. A cursed seal technique is used to tattoo it on their forehead, and is only used by the head family. Neji mentions that the mark symbolizes a caged bird, and represents those bound within an inescapable destiny.  In real life, when a specialized mark is placed on someone permanently, this is called human branding. Branding was used during many cases of slavery throughout history—most recently American and European history—and as part of distinguishing lower castes in certain caste systems. It has its positive roots in history as well, but that isn’t the focus. In whichever case branding is used for, people subjected to it are bound by that symbol which represents their worth in society.

 
 This most importantly allows others of higher status to have control over you and to make decisions for you. This is shown in episode 62, where Hiashi suddenly activates the curse mark on Hizashi as punishment for having thoughts of jealousy against him. When the curse mark is used against someone, it destroys the brain cells and can even kill them. It also seals the full potential of the Byakugan, and only disappears after death.

Seeing the story of Neji’s childhood gave us a look into the basics of how caste systems work. I had read about caste systems before, like the life of an Untouchable  which was to perform duties that higher castes will not do, which entailed anything dirty (cleaning latrines, taking care of dead bodies, etc.), but watching a lower caste perform their duties, being subjected to punishment, and speaking of the notion of being ‘free’ really deepened my understanding of it all.

The most touching part of the story for me was when Hizashi had chosen to die in the place of his brother; he chose to be the sacrificial demand that would evade war with another village. He, for once, wanted to make a decision for himself, which happened to be the fate of his life. By freeing himself from the curse, he became a free bird.

It makes me wonder how many real-life slaves and caste members had dared to chase freedom from their chains.

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