Some anime have inspired romantic fanfic and erotic fantasies such as NarutoBut there's something that's always bothered me. Despite being a battle shōnen at its core, since so many of Naruto's characters share the spotlight, so do their love stories. Naruto's unrequited love and Sakura and Sasuke's slow-burn relationship have become iconic in their own right.
Like Dragon Ball, I used to watch Naruto every now and then when it was on as a kid. I always liked the storyline, but I never watched it again. A few years ago, my partner, who is a huge Naruto fan, wanted to watch Naruto Shippuden again. We watched it all together, then the original series. I find the way Naruto presents his own relationships annoying. as we watched together. A quote from Kishimoto made me realize why.
Kishimoto's Shame About Romance Explains Naruto's Bad Relationships
Some relationships still show Naruto's romantic potential
In an interview translated by redditor u/OrganicDinosaur, Kishimoto said the following about Naruto's romance:
[Interviewer:] In the original work, the depiction of complete (/true/actual) love is almost non-existent, especially Naruto's love, it's hard to imagine, right?
[Kishimoto:] Personally, when I draw images of love, I become shy/embarrassed. So in the original work, I avoided depicting it.
This statement surprised me, because some of Naruto's relationships are actually very well written, showing Kishimoto's abilities. He is a family man himself, so it's no surprise that he can write heartfelt interactions in a refreshing way. These great relationships are What exactly makes Naruto's bad relationships so annoying?.
For example, the most relatable couple is Shikamaru and Temari. They naturally met, but faced each other in the Chunin Exams and developed a mutual respect and healthy admiration for each other, while also pushing each other to become stronger. Their personalities are balanced, with Shikamaru being laid-back and intuitive, and Temari being more calculating and proactive. Their relationship develops naturally and gradually.and the way their feelings for each other develop seems very realistic.
However, for Kishimoto's relationships to work, they don't have to be realistic, or even “real romances.” The relationship between Tsunade and Jiraiya is spectacular. The two once worked together in the legendary Sannin squad. When Tsunade's boyfriend, Dan Kato, died, she left the Shinobi life before eventually being brought back to Konoha to serve as Hokage. There, she and Jiraiya would support each other. Their long history provided them with perfect chemistry and deep understanding of each other.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya has always loved Tsunade, who even pushed him to train in the Frog Village. However, he never acted on it. First, because he was always traveling, He felt he wouldn't be able to give her the attention and support she needed.. Furthermore, he is wary of taking advantage of her weakness after the death of her brother and her first love, especially since they were both close friends. These motives are extremely altruistic.
Love doesn't always have to hurt
But Naruto doesn't show it often.
The tragic trend continues in Naruto, unintentionally painting a bleak picture of love. Almost every character in the story faces rejection and loss in love.. For young audiences who have no experience with romantic love, this is not ideal.
It works thematically because Naruto emphasizes overcoming adversity, but It's starting to feel like the subtext is that love has to be painful to be “real.”. Naruto first tolerates and competes with Sasuke for Sakura, then promises Sakura that he will bring Sasuke back to Konoha. Sakura is fully aware that Naruto's promise was partly out of love, and eventually betrays him with a fake confession in an attempt to save him.
Naruto's confused, angry reaction to Sakura's baseless confession is heartbreaking. This element of struggle and tragedy can create some of the most beautiful, touching, and devastating moments in the entire series. Hinata's selfless sacrifice for Naruto during the Pain Arc is another example in the same vein. At its best, Naruto skillfully uses tragedy to touch the heart by demonstrating the strange mix of selfishness and altruism that drives us all more than we'd like to admit.
However, as Naruto, Sakura, Hinata, Ino, Karin, Obito, Tsunade, Nagato, Konan, and many others all suffer tragic love affairs, it's starting to feel forced. Even a little sinister. The fact is that there are those rare lucky moments when you love just one person and that person loves you back. There are still challenges; it just means you overcome them together. The shared devotion that allows you to overcome life's hardships together is just as precious as the individual overcoming of pain and loss that Naruto describes.
Naruto's relationships often hurt the story
The romantic tragedy doesn't weaken the story. However, there's something else that makes it a big deal. To illustrate, take Neji's controversial death, which was meant to solidify the relationship between Naruto and Hinata. In another interview, Kishimoto described his motivation as feel sorry for Hinata if she is not rewarded for her devotionCombined with the metaphor that love is inherently painful, the idea of a well-deserved reward at the end of the story can be interpreted as encouraging harmful or toxic relationships for young readers.
The beauty of Tsunade and Jiraiya's relationship is that, although his love was tested over time, he was never ultimately “rewarded” by coming to her. The reward is connection.instead of the vague idea of love. The fan-favorite relationship between Sakura and Sasuke never developed for me, because it seemed motivated by the wrong things.
Sasuke refused Sasuka's advances for a long time. He could not deny that he had cared about her from the beginning, and he had saved her life many times. However, he had have no intention of having a romantic relationship with her—or anyone, for that matter. His main focus is revenge for the death of his clan and family.
Sakura, however, make yourself miserable by refusing to move on. Her constant attempts to force herself on Sasuke's side frustrated him, and the resulting toxicity broke her heart multiple times. I don't know if stubbornly refusing to give up on a schoolmate is worth it, to be honest; at least, the case Naruto makes isn't convincing enough.
It's frustrating to watch their relationship play out because How they hurt each other is never really mentioned.. Sasuke insists on being alone, and he has so much trouble opening up and interacting with others that he becomes dismissive and sometimes aggressive. Meanwhile, Sakura is outwardly caring and always well-meaning, but her stubborn insistence on pairing up with Sasuke makes her struggle to understand him, making him feel even more alienated. Fortunately, the sequel fixes their relationship at least a little.
Kishimoto aimed Naruto at a younger audience. Childhood and adolescence are times when people often experience first loves, romantic rejections, and early relationships. These can be difficult for this demographic, so it's natural that those readers would gravitate toward stories like Naruto, where young characters deal with romantic issues in a way that reflects their relative inexperience.
That's completely understandable, but That doesn't stop me from being frustrated with characters who hardly ever communicate in a straightforward manner.. Naruto really needed more emotional depth in this aspect, beyond the anguish and devotion of one person. I think that's where Kishimoto's shamelessness comes into play.
If you think about it, it's silly to be ashamed of love. Love comes in many forms, and it's one of the few universals of humanity. At the same time, I can understand Kishimoto's hesitation.. For me, talking about love is talking about love for me. Love is an abstract prompt, where a seemingly simple response says more about us, our personal beliefs and needs than we ever realize.
Unrequited love and tragic loss mean that love is prevented from communicating its existence. Naruto has some beautiful relationships that show It can do so much more. Those bright spots are one of the countless reasons why I love Narutoand it's a shame the movie didn't try harder to convey love.
