Is there a reason why MC bias in Naruto is so bad? Is it really because of the self-inserts? In other manga/anime you don't get people blindly hating a character like Sasuke while loving someone like Itachi, Naruto or Kakashi because other fandoms know and accept when the MC is *wrong*. I just don't get how people like Naruto, Hinata and Gaara are so popular when they represent everything we abhor in real-life?
It's hard to answer your question without delving into the idea of "self-inserts." In short, people identify with the notion of being unpopular and considered less worthy or skilled than others, so they often feel more sympathy for characters that show similar traits to them.
Most people perceive their self-worth to be higher than what the rest of the people around them attribute them (or at least, the one they consider other people attribute to them), as they want to believe that their talents aren't recognized by their peers (either because their comrades felt threatened by them or because others considered themselves superior by diminishing them). Gaara in itself (sad background included) isn't enough to win the fandom's love, as he achieved such status by succumbing to Naruto's worldview, pledging loyalty and care to the character most people likely identified themselves with.
Sasuke is quite literally the opposite of most of them, he's talented, good-looking, and smart; he doesn't need to look for ways to validate his value as that is quite literally what everyone around him does over and over again. His specific background (UCM), while tragic, doesn't take away this recognition, which makes readers sympathize less with him as life isn't as "hard" for him because he's well-regarded, something Naruto, Gaara, and Hinata aren't -making their life harder.
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Naruto re-read XXVI
Chapters covered: 209 - 217 Twentyfourth Volume of the manga
Site used: https://manga4life.com/manga/Naruto (VIZ translation of the manga)
Disclaimer: This is intended as a list and simple observations of the topics that particularly interested me in the aforementioned chapters, in that sense, do not expect a linear -or totally deep- analysis.
Tumblr’s update doesn’t allow me to attach more than 10 pictures, therefore, all of them will be LINKED. Apologies.
306) Hinata appears on the Chapter’s cover, her hands are dispositioned in her usually anxious manner but she’s seen smiling, she seems to be waiting. It’s unclear what she has to do with it.
307) Shikamaru states that it’s “against his code” to strike a lady (x), despite her being a kunoichi and the one that’s confronting him and keeping him from reaching and helping Naruto. Yet, because Tayuya doesn’t fit the “definition” of what a woman is (she’s on her Lv2 stage, which shapes her human form to something more monstrous), he’s okay with using violence to defeat her (she blocks his attempt regardless).
Now, I know that this particular aspect of his character is, as I’ve said before, to establish Temari as his romantical interest (x), she doesn’t break his preconceived notions, as some believe, she simply becomes the sole exception to his mentality, yet having a shinobi not willing to take an enemy seriously nor strike them down for the sole premise of their gender it’s strategically dangerous, and a person with such “moral code” can’t be leading an entire platoon of people (x).
308) Shadow Paralysis consumes a big portion of the user’s chakra, and again, it works by how much chakra the enemy possesses (x), as Tayuya increases her horns’ size (she increments her chakra by accessing further stages of the seal) and his shadow-strangle-technique is forced back.
309) Sasuke’s body, which has been sealed inside a dark fog to prevent him from dying after taking Seishingna Pills, seems to be ready and re-emerges (x):
“Seishingan pills (x), apparently, the Curse Mark Orochimaru gave his pupils (including Anko, likely she never took Seishingan pills and that’s why we never see her transformed into a “monster-like” figure like the Sound Four or Sasuke) boosts their strength but it’s only in the First Stage. This medication awakens the Seal’s power, raising it to its Second Stage, but the moment the Seal develops, the Curse eats away the user’s body, which if left unattended will surely kill them. To prevent this from happening, the user must acclimatize their body to the Seal’s power and Cursed effect for an extended period of time; the Sound Four want to prevent Sasuke from dying using a barrier Jutsu to control the side effects -inducing him into a comma of sorts.” (x)
310) When Sasuke wakes up, he ignores Naruto’s attempt to return to Konoha. Naruto, remembering Sakura’s plead, tries to follow (x), gets almost killed by Kimimaro and saved by Lee (x), whose shinobi career was saved by Tsunade (x).
311) Ino is the next one, appearing on the cover of CH 210 (x).
312) Kimimaro states that Lee isn’t as “easy” as the others, it’s unknown if he’s referring to the rest of the team or to Naruto specifically (x)
313) A little explanation of how a Jönin squad lost against the Sound Four (x), Tsunade sent an entire group of Gënin (with no backup) against a team that she was told won against full-fledged shinobi. She even attaches Sasuke’s value as a Sharingan Wielder (she doesn’t even mentions him by name, but the doujutsu he possesses); Jönin and Chünin were sent either to missions to gather wealth for the realm or to Konoha’s border to monitor possible dangers to avoid war –strange how a village decimated by destruction and whose numbers dwelled considerably after the invasion relies on small groups of shinobi keeping guards to avoid armed conflict instead of trying to solidify a political nexus in between Konoha and potential invaders. It’s likely more a plot device introduced by Kishimoto to give the gënin squad a chance to fight strong enemies without Konoha’s elite interfering but it doesn’t change the fact that, bureaucratically, Tsunade made a mistake as not only she sent gënin with immense potential (the Hyuga prodigy, the Nara and Akimichi heirs and the nine tails Jinchuuriki) to a dangerous situation that goes beyond their capabilities but also compromised further Konoha’s military and political situation.
314) Lee escaped Konoha’s hospital and found Naruto fighting Kimimaro (x) so following the trail of the team is possible and more gënin could be sent as support to guarantee a better success rate at recovering “the Sharingan”, is Tsunade unaware of how many gënin Shikamaru took? Lee consumed Tsunade’s alcohol which makes him particularly violent (x).
315) Kimimaro is very beautiful (x) and his Kekkei Genkai is incredible: It gives him complete control over his osteoblasts and osteoclasts (x); while the human body is composed of two hundred bones, Kimimaro can grow more from every part of his body and pierce his skin in order to use them as weapons against his enemies or defend his organs against attacks; it appears that his skin regenerates as he’s seen without open wounds after the bones disappear. Apparently, according to Kabuto, the Kaguya clan was whipped out by the nation of Kirigakure and Kimimaro was the last survivor (x), Orochimaru states that the clan never left behind the prototypical behaviour of the families during the Warring States Period (x) and when trying to go against a “well-governed body” that likely surpassed their numbers, they found their demise. It’s unclear why they went against Kiri, albeit it wouldn’t be strange if it was a response against the Kekkei Genkai cleansing.
Kimimaro’s death is all the more tragic when we learn he thought Orochimaru will keep him alive by remembering him and having him in his heart (x), yet that turns out to be a wish he will not have, as Orochimaru doesn’t care for him (x). Later on, it’s Juugo the one who keeps his memory alive, as he follows Sasuke when he becomes a cage for him, reminding him of Kimimaro.
316) Continuing from point 314. Tsunade did send reinforcements when she asked for the Sand siblings (x) and they were able to reach all of them in time to save them: Kiba, Shikamaru, and Lee did not win against the Sound ninja, rather, they lost and were saved by the siblings; and while them three are particularly strong as all of them reached the third stage of the Chünin Exams, while the rest of the Konoha Gënin didn’t, why rely on someone at least three days away?
317) “I owe Konoha a great debt.” (x) Considering Shinobis’ nationalistic mindset and how the individuals are linked to their village of provenance it’s not strange that Gaara associates the place of origin of the one that actually saved him to Naruto himself, so by helping Konoha, he helps Naruto by direct association. He likely ignores the fact that hadn’t been for Hashirama, he wouldn’t have become Shukaku’s jinchuuriki, as it was Konoha’s first Hokage the one that decided to cage the tailed beasts inside vessels to distribute their power amongst the newly formed ninja villages.
Temari admits that her actions during the invasion (and her actions now) weren’t of her choosing nor personal preference, as she was/is simply “following orders” (x). It’s established that shinobi do not compromise their moral parameters when performing a mission, as they simply justify their conduct by establishing another person in a higher rank or the structure in place as directly responsible for everything they do; in the same manner, these principles are never to compromise the village’s political gain and military power, so they either morph to fit Konoha’s, get repressed as to them not interfering with the mission at hand, or grow to become a direct opposition to the village’s.
Gaara’s sentence about “how sad it is” that Orochimaru brainwashed Kimimaro (x) is paradoxical considering how his devotion to the Sannin is no different from his devotion to Naruto, Suna, or even Konoha. He gloats about how an entire kin will cease to exist as he’ll kill the last member in lieu of the mission he was given; Kimimaro dying regardless as a consequence of his disease (x, x) –and he did as they admitted they won by mere luck, does not modify Gaara’s overall antithetical behavior as he did not eliminate nor reduced his manners but rather he modified his violent conduct to be in favour of his village and those he considers allies (x) while Naruto, on the other hand, refuses to use killing force.
318) Temari has a summon: a kamaitachi (x) –The kamaitachi, translated from Japanese as the sickle stoat; is a Yōkai from Japanese folklore with a mustelid-like appearance and extraordinary speed. "Kama" is a kind of Japanese sickle, also used with some modifications as a weapon by the peasants of the time. Itachi means weasel. He is always armed with a sickle or according to other versions of such shaped claws, occasionally inflicted cuts or scratches on people for no reason.
Summoning: Quick Beheading Dance (Kuchiyose: Kirikiri Mai)
Ninjutsu, B-rank, Offensive, All ranges
User(s): Temari
Roaring whirlwind!! The rampaging and slashing dance of the Kamaitachi!!
Temari of Sunagakure controls the wind with a massive fan!! She whips up a tempest, and summons a Kamaitachi that rides the winds slashing through everything it touches!! The effects of the jutsu stretch outwards for several hundred metres. The swirling winds also whip up the mowed-down trees and boulders which rain down on the helpless enemy!! It is highly effective when surrounded on all sides or when the enemy is hiding behind a shield. The sole weakness of the jutsu is that it exposes the user’s position.
Source
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Respectfully,I want to address objectively false and misleading claims @instantcrown23
“hinata is just a kid!”
Orochimaru,Danzo,Hiruzen,Konoha elders, Hidan,Deidara,Sasori, Obito, Madara,Kabuto,Kisame—every abusive freak in Naruto universe is “just a child” at some point of their lives.
Nobody climbs out of a womb of a ripe age of 35 and nobody starts committing horrific crimes like supporting slavery when they are newborns.
From the age of 12 years old (yes,12—in most countries teenagers of this age hold criminal responsibility for their actions and can go to jail) hinata is fully responsible for her actions.
From the age of 16 years old,which is the age when in a lot of countries you can already go to an adult prison for your crimes and in all countries the punishment for your crimes is much harder than for 12-15 years old teens,hinata can be judged like a young adult or at the very least,face much more severe punishment for what she does.
I also want to add that children are people,not dolls,and not to be raised like a threat to society they MUST face age appropriate consequences: for example,you are a little bitch to your brother and brother bites back—this is now your fault and your responsibility to handle.
From 18 years old hinata is obviously an adult,from 21 years old there is absolutely no fucking imaginable excuse to soften how disgusting she is.
Stop this weird ped0 play where you act like 37 years old woman with two kids and a husband is a itty bitty newborn baby.
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