In this next post in our series, A Geek’s Guide to Life, I pass you on to your new guide, Jeremiah Ukponrefe of Novel Cave, to show you the lessons he learned about self-acceptance from Naruto.
Naruto is the story of a boy with a 9-tailed demon fox sealed inside him and chronicles his journey as he strives to become Hokage while facing off against powerful enemies. The journey that he takes throughout the series is one of self-acceptance which is a journey that I found myself taking along with him.
There are two characters within the show who taught me the most about self-acceptance: Naruto and Rock Lee.
Rock Lee is unable to use ninjutsi or kenjutsi, which are ways for ninjas to transmute their chakra into unique attacks. This is considered a shortcoming, but Lee is able to overcome this flaw through intense training and instead focuses on Taijutsu which puts emphasis on physical attacks. Rock’s character showed me that even when one has great flaws that at first glance would be considered drawbacks, they can be used as an opportunity to grow and become strong in other ways.
The payoff of Rock Lee’s tenacity after accepting his flaws is shown when he faces off against Garra who is perceived as an individual impossible to get a hit on since he has a protective layer of sand that surrounds him at all times. At a critical moment, Rock Lee reveals that he had been fighting with weights on his body the whole time for training purposes. Once he takes them off he is able to get a hit on the enemy. This memorable scene from the series highlights the importance of accepting your strengths and using them to an advantage.
When Naruto was an infant the 9-tailed demon fox Kurama was sealed inside of him. The fox was known as the beast that almost destroyed the village, and having it placed within his body made the people of the village shun and hate him. At the start of the series Naruto is clearly distressed about how the demon fox has affected his life. As time goes on he learns to accept the entity, and he eventually uses its power to fight enemies. This was a pivotal part of the series as it showed that there may be things about yourself that one does not like that you cannot control, but, like Rock Lee, if you embrace them it makes you stronger. At the time I was in middle school unsatisfied with my height, but this is where I got the idea that I just need to accept who I am.
Throughout the series Naruto learned that self-acceptance was more of a personal journey instead of being something that others can give you. He had been dealing with disapproval regarding his dreams of becoming Hokage, and despite what others believed he pushed to achieve that goal himself. This was a lesson in self-acceptance because it showcased that even if others around you think you can’t do a certain thing, if you love yourself to say that you CAN, it could happen.
The series is sprinkled with typical enemies who are perceived as “unbeatable” by the series heroes at first encounter, but they are able to defeat them once they accept their personal limitations. Team 7 is Naruto’s “squad” who he goes along on missions with. One of them comprises of escorting a bridge builder which is when they face off against Zabuza. He is an enemy stronger than any of them had faced. At first Naruto and Saskue try to take him on by themselves, but it becomes apparent that they lack the power to do so. The group then comes to work together and they are able to defeat him. This showed that I need to accept the fact that when I have goals in my life which will have a huger undertaking of setbacks, I must embrace the fact that I am not perfect and will need the help of others.
At many times Naruto is well aware of his drawbacks. During the Chunin exams, which is a period where the characters are attempting to graduate from the rank of Genin to Chunin, Naruto takes a test based on academia—one of his weak points. He does not do very well; once the time limit is finished he makes it clear that he knows that he is not good at tests, but that will not stop him from achieving his goal of becoming Hokage. This scene was a lesson in becoming aware of my flaws but knowing that I cannot let them stop me from achieving my goals. This applies to my writing as I am aware that I have many areas to work on, but I can’t let the prospect of being weak in certain areas stop me from my goal of becoming a writer.
Naruto teaching me self-acceptance moved out of the realm of the show and into the real world. When I first watched anime it was not considered a “cool” thing to enjoy amongst my group of friends, and I was afraid that I would be ridiculed for enjoying it. What changed my mindset was watching how the fandom was able to express their love of the show and manga, despite the negative things that others might have said about them. It was admirable to watch and because of it I was able to learn that if I enjoy something it is my responsibility to accept it. It was the beginning of leading me to be a more open person, able to stand by my beliefs and passions.
After this period I was able to embrace the fact that if I enjoy something then it is my responsibility to accept who I am. This had lead me to being a more open person making it so I am able to stand by my own unconventional beliefs about our world, and that I don’t have to be ashamed of what happens in my personal life. If I like anime I’ll say it, I love to write and I no longer have a problem with sharing my ideas.
Naruto has taught me many things, both through the struggles that the characters go through during their journeys of self-acceptance to the way that is showed me that I should be proud of my interests. The show has done a lot for me; it was the first anime that I watched and if you are searching for fiction with a message of self-acceptance, Naruto has got you covered.
Jeremiah Ukponrefe is both a writer and stand up comedian. His articles can be seen in various guest posts all around the internet, he is currently working on his first novel, and his stand-up is mostly at open mics.
Now this is deep level anime analysis. Great work!