Chapter 367 Implication on Naruto's Theme

[gamer82987]

*Possible spoilers, and my analysis using the overt insinuation between Jiraiya and Tsunade
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After reading the latest chapter, it left me with an irking feeling. Seishi Kishimoto's theme that attracted me to Naruto is the concept that a boy from nothing can achieve anything. The concept that the main character has no hereditary gifts, or hereditary traits struck my own personal story. The quintessential underdog story. I personally related the concept to my family's own story rising from poverty, as any story by itself is meaningless unless the audience can connect to the characters in a personal level.

This latest chapter just threw out my interpretation of the theme, this latest twist in the Naruto saga equates the main character with being born with the potential as his father gives him a hereditary lineage similar to the Uchiha or Hyuuga clan. I liken this to genetic traits that determine how strong or how smart we are (example:if the parents are MENSA members, more likely than not, their offspring will be MENSA material).

It's like all this rooting for his hard work to surpass the privileged was just to play with our emotions as I feel that Naruto is part of the privileged few.

I also started to look for examples in the Naruto saga that might support this "privileged" claim. My strongest example was in the Chunin Exams after Orochimaru sealed the Kyuubi's chakra, not allowing Naruto to access his other chakra bank. Naruto was still able to create many shadow clones tied with a transformation jutsu. Which led me to believe that Naruto's hereditary trait might be his immense chakra reserves even without the Kyuubi.

It just seems so passe to make Naruto the 4th's offspring. I myself wanted to believe in the past that the 4th and Naruto was somehow related. In retrospect it's like rooting for the women to be good at shopping, why ask for something that they can already do well. This recent twist almost takes away Naruto's underdog qualities. Naruto is no longer the underdog in my eyes, and this recent twist changes his character from a character that can achieve any goal he sets for himself; to a character that is too ignorant, unwitting, or just unable to control his overwhelming potential akin to Sasuke's character earlier in the story.

In the interest of full disclosure I am not a big fan of Sasuke's character.
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[gdupninja]

he is still a from nothing to something story. while those other characters had people wiping therye ass(not literaly) he had no one. he grew up by himself with no love and still became a great ninja. that sounds pretty good to me

[KingSoze]

Well I guess having a monster sealed inside you doesn't make you anything special or give you any advantages that don't make you the underdog....

Naruto "cheats". He has an advantage over all but 8 other ninja (less now).

If this story was truly about hard work and etc. it would be called Rock Lee: The Springtime of Youth!!!

[gdupninja]

haha! good 1. yeah but the demon is what makes him the underdog. now matter how strong he is until he does something like save the village hes still gonna be hated by all the other villagers. he grew up shunned and thought of as a monster. him succeding is a good enough story 4 me

[Yamakawa]

I think all 3 of you bring good points.

For me, the story was eventually going to go this way. I believe that the underlying theme is that you are what you make yourself (regardless of your heredity traits). Check out all those rich kids who have had generations of the "right stuff" in terms of material wealth and "superior genetics". They end up wasting their potential by spending the wealth their ancestors amounted, getting drunk and high. You bet their genetic traits are going to get weaker.

At the same time, someone who's had to work through harsh environments to succeed in life, will likely end up copulating with someone who’s worked hard to get where they are in life. I’m no genetic researcher, but if they surpassed the last generation of their ancestry, their off-spring will be even stronger.

So how does all this relate to the Naruto theme? Well, it is now revealed that Naruto has all the “right” heredity traits, but none of the nurturing that a young boy needs. So, he worked hard to realize his potential despite all of the hurdles along the way (having the Kyuubi sealed inside him being a major one, both physically and socially). Just because we suddenly found out what his genetic disposition is like now, shouldn’t take away from the underdog theme. (Incidentally, developmental psychology research indiciates that an infant who lacks the touch of a loving parent and a young child who lacks the attention from family members will have significantly lower IQ, that may account for Naruto's "not so smart" persona)

Gamer82987, you are probably the one who is upping the genetic potential in your heredity line. Congratulations and keep working hard. You’re only ‘bout to turn 20 so you’ve still got a long ways to go, just like Naruto.

[g7_gomitat7]

The fourth was a genius on many levels:
intellect
caring for others
physical capability
ninjutsu capability

Above all, the fourth possessed a stunning ability never to give up.
By far, the only things Naruto got from numero cuatro were
that and the Kyuubi among the other traits like hair style as well as smile.

Furthermore, Naruto was heavily depressed and rejected by his entire community. The triumph of Naruto is his endless determination to care. Notice how Gaara took his whole jinchuriki experience, he endlessly did not care in effect loathing everyone. Although his main objective is hokage status, he really is going for the most caring position in Konoha of all, to protect Konoha until death.

Hence, I do see some reasons for changing your mind about the manga's direction, but in the larger picture, Naruto is in fact on a world scale, the common person who through pain and endurance makes it through.

[Zero]

Meybe he has some of 4 gens but he is much more simillar to his mother (in the end he dont get the true potential of fourth but only his mother. from 4 he got his blond hair and little look it sems ) but still he dont have familliy stil he was able to do something of nothing (to master kage bunshin in a 1 - 5 hours that is potentiall of his mother, rasengan in month that is potential mother nad father (he need clon to help) so the fact that he was having parents (everyone have it )what are special dont mean that he will be special as jiraya say that the 4 potentiall was 1 on decade max so naruto could not have it all but he got some of this and that whould be all he is still that boy...

[Keso]

Naruto has his mothers charcteristics I really havn't seen her go bonkers yet. so I really don't think she is. I mean the 4th was a real chill person some of that must have transfered into Naruto meaning that his mother must have been a real nut case

[Alterno]

The story remains the same, you have to consider that naruto is totally the opposite of Minato Namikaze who is considered a genious that only borns once each decade. Naruto being Yondaime's Hokage son, don't change the fact that everything have been harder for him. Don't change the fact that he failed 3 times in the academy, don't change the fact that he worst jutsu was bunshin not jutsu, don't change the fact that he was and maybe still is hated by the villagers of Konoha.

[blindSharingan]

I have to say that knowing who is parents are doesn't really change the direction of the manga. There really wasn't any doubt that there was a connection between Naruto and the 4th, as soon as his image was shown. The 4th possesses no real hereditary trait, not like a Sharingan or byakugan. No doubt the 4th was a great ninja, but that was only because he worked hard and had the drive to become so. Naruto was a child without and friends or family and through all this adversity still managed to develop his skills quite a bit. IMO since the point where Naruto was able to use his Kyuubi power he hasn't been an underdog, using such an ability on any ninja gives him a very clear advantage.