Naruto — Emotional Isolationism and the American Dream

Constant fighting, powerful monsters, and fart jokes, all the making of perfect teenage boy entertainment. But while such characteristics may appear to headline the appeal of Naruto, such characteristics are also shared by many other Shonen style anime — an anime with a heavily action-based plot focused on appeal to the young male audience — and by many popular American cartoon such as Teen Titans Go, Ben 10, and many more. So, what made Naruto in particular so popular among young boys in America? I believe that the parallels between Naruto’s story and that of the American dream alongside Naruto’s deep analysis of masculine emotion and its obstacles is what separates Naruto from the pack. But how did Naruto, a Japanese anime, come to dominate the American market?

Winnie the Pooh or Family Guy. This was what, generally, the American cartoon entertainment market once existed as. The choice was either child-dominated shows centered around themes of good behavior or mindless, edgy, mature-oriented cartoons designed to provide adults with a quick laugh. On one side of the spectrum was a show that few adults could ever hope to find genuine enjoyment in, and on the other were shows that most parents would be insane to let young children watch. There was a massive hole in this market, a desire for a cartoon that inspired thought and emotion beyond a quick laugh and could entertain both the adult and the older-adolescent audience. Thus, anime, with its humor, action, and intriguing plotlines, lent itself naturally to this void. (Seale 19) The first anime to truly dominate in Western culture was the Dragon Ball franchise, which, like Naruto, is a Shonen style anime. And while it was rather revolutionary to have a Japanese show establish itself so firmly in the United States, I would argue that this advancement was not nearly as revolutionary as it may have seemed. Long before Dragon Ball, American entertainment became intensely focused on action and violence. From western shooters like The Wild Bunch to action thrillers such as Bullitt, violence was a long-established tradition in American entertainment. (Brown 14) Thus, Shonen style anime, which originally and continuously dominates in comparison to other genres of anime, naturally lent themselves to American entertainment culture.

Real men don’t cry. As much as our society has processed away from such an obviously ignorant statement, much of the sentiment behind this statement still remains. Take, for example, these lyrics from John Mayer’s 2003 hit Daughters: “Boys, you can break, you’ll find out how much they can take, boys will be strong and boys’ soldier on…” In American society, the view of men as emotional soldiers is incredibly prominent, especially because many men in America pridefully uphold this standard. Images of courage become blurred with ideals of emotional suppression. Perhaps this is part of the reason that the suicide rate in America is significantly higher among men. In Naruto, young American boys can see strong, powerful boys but also the strong emotions they feel. Through the brother characters of Sasuke and Itachi, American boys are shown the great downfalls to which emotional suppression can lead. Furthermore, through the main character of Naruto, his relationship with Sasuke, and with other boys in the show such as Shikamaru, the importance of facing and dealing with negative emotions is demonstrated.

At Naruto’s birth, the nine-tailed fox, a powerful monster which nearly destroyed his home village, is sealed inside of him, an event which also killed Naruto’s parents. Because the beast that nearly destroyed the Hidden Leaf Village is sealed within Naruto, he is hated and shunned by the village. With no parents or friends and hated by his village, Naruto begins his life in absolute poverty, both financially and emotionally, clinging to the hope that one day he will become the Hokage, the head of the village. By beginning his life in such a position, Naruto’s journey possesses is primed for the positional climb of the American dream and to display the emotional fortitude, intelligence, and vulnerability to grow as a man. The true key, however, to this journey is the deuteragonist, Sasuke Uchiha, of the powerful Uchiha clan. At the age of seven, Sasuke returns to the Uchiha’s section of the village to find his entire clan slaughtered and his older brother, Itachi, standing at the heart of the massacre with a bloodied sword. Then, through a sort of mind-control, Itachi then forces Sasuke to watch his parent’s murder many times over and tells Sasuke that to achieve enough power to take revenge on his older brother, he would have to kill his best friend. This begins the journey of Naruto and Sasuke, broken and alone, each with their hearts set on a single goal.

Through Naruto and Sasuke, boys watching the show experience two sides of the coin of masculine emotion — the choice to embrace and grow through pain or the choice to suppress such emotion. Throughout the series, Naruto is constantly crying out to the emotions of his friends and enemies alike and constantly looking to the common tragedies that they have experienced. And when it comes to shared experience, no one connects to Naruto as much as his best friend, Sasuke. Sasuke, however, is quiet and arrogant, dismissing the aid of those around him, insistent that his own prowess is all he needs. As the series progresses, we see Naruto become a stronger, kinder, and happier man, but we also see our strong protagonist as he breaks down, overcome by the pain in his heart. When Naruto meets his father for the first time, he punches him, and breaks down crying, asking why his own father would curse him with the nine tailed fox. In this state of vulnerability, Naruto is able to work towards conquering the hate in his heart, and becomes stronger, both physically and emotionally, for it. Perhaps the greatest display of love triumphing over hate comes when Naruto, through the power of a mystical waterfall, is faces the challenge of defeating the anger within himself, which comes in a form identical to Naruto. Rather than taking to violence, Naruto embraces this vessel of hate, comforts him, and thanks him for helping him grow strong. Sasuke, though also incredibly powerful, continues to grow more and more depressed and hateful, a path that eventually leaves him utterly broken as his quest for revenge, once achieved, leaves him with nothing. Through this stark contrast, young men watching are led to examine their own emotions, to look towards the paths of Naruto and Sasuke as they decide their own journey and are driven towards emotional vulnerability. As one article, which investigates the use of Naruto in conversational model therapy, describes, “Naruto was saved from his own ostracized suffering through the power of relatedness, a power which Naruto would later use to save others from their own suffering. The ability to relate to our client’s feelings and form a positive therapeutic alliance is well known to be predictive of positive therapeutic outcome (Coleman & Neimeyer, 2015), and Naruto consistently shows the application of this skill.” (Halovic 20) In Naruto, a boy can find admiration for the incredible hero that Naruto becomes, but this admiration is inseparably tied to the heartache, isolation, vulnerability, and love that defines him.