Naruto Uzumaki

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Modèle:Infobox animanga character Modèle:Nihongo is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Naruto created by Masashi Kishimoto and the main protagonist of the franchise. In the series, Naruto is a young ninja who encases the spirit of a demonic fox that attacked his village around the time of his birth.

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Creation and conception

When creating Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto incorporated into the character a number of traits he felt made for an ideal hero: a straightforward way of thinking, a mischievous side, and many of the attributes possessed by Dragon Ball's Son Goku. He also made sure to keep Naruto "simple and stupid," since he doesn't like smart characters. Naruto himself isn't modeled after anyone in particular, being conceived as childlike with somewhat of a dark side as a result of his harsh past. Despite this, Naruto is always positive, making him unique in Kishimoto's eyes.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref>

Naruto's wardrobe is based on clothing Kishimoto wore when he was younger; using a preexisting design wouldn't have made Naruto unique whereas something original would have made him stick out too much.<ref name="Ora-bayo">Modèle:Cite book</ref> The orange coloring of his costume is used to make Naruto "pop," with blues often being used to complement the orange.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref> Because Naruto is associated with spirals, swirl patterns are incorporated into his costume.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref> Initial illustrations of Naruto had him wearing boots, but Kishimoto substituted these for sandals since he likes drawing toes.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref> The goggles that Naruto used to wear were also replaced with a forehead protector, because the goggles themselves were too time consuming to draw.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref>

In the Japanese versions of Naruto, Naruto often ends his sentences with the addendum "-ttebayo" (which gives a similar effect to ending a sentence with "you know?"). Kishimoto wanted to give Naruto a childlike phrase, and "dattebayo" came to mind. It compliments Naruto's character, and serves as a verbal tic that shows he's kind of a brat.<ref name="Ora-bayo"/> Throughout the beginning of the series, the English anime replaced "-ttebayo" with the phrase "Believe it!" to mirror the effect, as well as to match the character's lip movements.<ref name="ANNAnimeReview"> Bertschy, Zac

     (2006-03-24)
   
.    Naruto Dub.DVD 1 - Review 
. Anime News Network

. Retrieved on 2007-12-24. </ref> The phrase has since fallen out of use aside from promotional use.

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Character attributes

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Background

Naruto was born the son of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki.<ref name="Parents">Modèle:Cite book</ref> His name was inspired by the main character of his godfather Jiraiya's book, Modèle:Nihongo, a persistent ninja who Minato and Kushina intended to raise him like.<ref name="Name">Naruto manga chapter 382, pages 7-11</ref> Soon after his birth the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox attacked their hometown of Konohagakure, leaving destruction wherever it went and killing many of the ninja that tried to stop it. In order to stop the fox's attack Minato sealed it within Naruto's body, giving Naruto access to its great power at the cost of Minato's life.<ref name="Uno">Modèle:Cite book</ref> Before his death, Minato requested that Naruto be viewed as a hero of the village rather than a container for the fox. Many villagers chose to ignore this request, leading to the enactment of a law forbidding anyone to speak of Naruto as the fox's host.<ref name="Dos">Modèle:Cite book</ref>

With his father dead and his mother presumably sharing the same fate, Naruto has never known his parents. Although knowing that Minato sealed the fox within him, Naruto is currently unaware of their relation to each other. Despite this, Naruto is the spitting image of his father and many characters confidentially find the two have a number of other similarities. The abilities he learns and begins to utilize as he gets older are also reminiscent of those used by both of his parents during their lives.<ref name="Parents"/>

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Personality

Image:NarutoUzumaki Shippuden.jpg

Naruto as he appears in Part II

Having been an orphan for all of his life, Naruto has always needed to look to others for attention. At the start of the series, many villagers outwardly hate him for being the container of the demon fox and refrain from socializing with him. To force them to acknowledge him, Naruto acts as a prankster and commits various misdeeds throughout the village, though this only furthers the villagers' perception of him as a menace.<ref name="Uno"/> Wanting both recognition and respect, Naruto's dream has become to gain the title of Hokage, the village's protector, hoping that it will bring him both of his greatest desires.<ref name="Dos"/> As the series has progressed, many characters have reached the conclusion that Naruto will someday be an excellent Hokage.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref><ref>>Modèle:Cite book</ref>

To further him along the path to Hokage, Naruto is depicted as having a fierce determination; whenever faced with a challenge, Naruto looks at it from a positive perspective, puts his all into it, and guarantees that he can complete the task. This often results in him promising more than he can live up to, such as stating that he would be able to perfect the attack, Rasengan, in three days.<ref name="Rasengan">Modèle:Cite book</ref> In these situations where Naruto is unable to meet his own expectations, he readily asks anyone for help in achieving the goal.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref> Even if unsuccessful in fulfilling his promise, Naruto maintains the belief that he will someday complete the task he has been set, such as vowing to someday return Sasuke Uchiha to Konoha at the end of Part I.<ref name="Promise">Modèle:Cite book</ref>

Since his introduction, Naruto's determination has resulted in some of his traits rubbing off on those around him, such that in Part II his teacher, Kakashi Hatake, notes this to be Naruto's unique power.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref> This trait has caused Naruto to be a catalyst for change amongst many characters introduced in the series, whose beliefs and views are completely altered as a result of their interaction with Naruto. Neji Hyuga learns that fate is not predetermined and that people can choose their own destiny.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref> Gaara discovers that true strength is found in fighting for one's friends, not for one's self.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref> Tsunade is shown that the seemingly impossible can become a reality and that dreams really are attainable.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref> These changes that other characters experience serve as the moral for the part in the story they take place in, and subsequently become the creed for the particular character's life.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref>

Through his ability to change others, Naruto has gained the friends that he lacked during his childhood, each of whom he holds very dear. Sasuke Uchiha, the character Naruto considers to be his closest friend,<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref> defects from Konoha at the end of Part I. Naruto does all in his power to stop Sasuke so as to bring him back home and to save him from the life he is choosing.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref> Though Sasuke escapes and becomes labeled as a traitor, Naruto is unwilling to think of him as such and readily lashes out at anyone who speaks poorly of Sasuke.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref> Sakura Haruno, Naruto's long time crush, is just as affected by Sasuke's defection as Naruto. Being in love with Sasuke, Sakura pleads for Naruto to bring Sasuke home, which Naruto swears to do despite his own feelings for her.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref> Even after his initial failure, Naruto keeps this promise to Sakura as his lifetime vow, placing her happiness before his own well-being.<ref name="Promise"/>

Naruto's personality is, by and large, childish in nature. Kishimoto frequently tries to show this when illustrating Naruto, such as depicting him mimicking a turtle like a child might do on the cover of Naruto manga volume 10.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref> Food is a major component of Naruto's life, with ramen being his favorite. As such, ramen is typically the only thing Naruto will eat and he can often be found dining at a Konoha ramen shop when he's not away on a mission.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref> As a remnant of his prankster days, Naruto has a number of perverted tendencies. This results in his first original ability being the Sexy Technique, which transforms him into an attractive naked woman that he utilizes to distract other males.<ref name="Dos"/> Most recurring of his childish tendencies, however, is Naruto's thickheadedness, as he is slow to notice, if ever, what is obvious to others. This is best seen in his relationship with Hinata Hyuga; Hinata has had a crush on Naruto since they went to ninja school together.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref> Though Hinata's feelings for Naruto are obvious to most characters, Naruto only considered her tendency to blush when around him as "weird".<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref>

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Abilities

Image:Kyuubi Naruto2.jpg

Naruto in a one-tailed fox shroud forming the Rasengan

As the container of the demon fox, Naruto has access to its great strength. Prior to learning of the fox's presence within him the only utilization of its abilities are his rapid recovery from injuries and fatigue, though Naruto never considers this odd.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref> Once learning of the fox Naruto begins making better usage of its advantages, specifically by performing jutsu that someone of his skill and rank would ordinarily be incapable of using.<ref name="Uno"/> To do so, Naruto must tap into the fox's reserves. He can submit to rage, allowing the fox's power and violent personality to leak out and influence him.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref> Conversely he can enter his own subconscious, meet with the fox, and ask (or demand) for a donation of its strength.<ref name="Summon">Modèle:Cite book</ref>

As time has gone by and the seal keeping the fox within him has weakened, Naruto has gained additional access to the fox's power. As he draws upon more and more of the fox's strength the fox begins to manifest itself through a fox-shaped shroud that surrounds Naruto. The level of strength Naruto is tapping into is indicated by a number tails that appear with this shroud. For the first three tails Naruto can maintain control over his mind. At the fourth, Naruto loses all sense of self and the fox takes over, readily attacking friend and foe alike.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref> Though Naruto can prove an equal match for the likes of Orochimaru at this level, the danger he poses to those he cares for has caused him to limit his own usage of the fox's power.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref>

Naruto first takes advantage of the fox's presence with the Shadow Clone Technique, which creates any number of physical copies of the user.<ref name="Uno"/> Because the user's current level of strength is evenly distributed amongst all of the clones, most ninja only create a few clones to keep from depleting their chakra. Because Naruto has the near-limitless chakra of the demon fox, he can create hundreds (and on occasion, thousands) of clones at once without worrying about tiring out.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref> He has found a number of uses for these clones, such as overwhelming an opponent and scouting a large area in a short period of time.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref> His ability to summon toads in battle also relies on the fox's reserves, as he can only summon larger toads with the fox's help.<ref name="Summon"/>

Rasengan, a concentrated ball of spinning chakra first created by his father, is Naruto's "trademark" jutsu.<ref name="Rasengan"/> When performing the technique Naruto creates shadows clone to help him form the attack, one Naruto providing the chakra and the others spinning it into shape.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref> Naruto uses the clones for simplicity's sake, whereas most other characters perform it singlehandedly. While devastating by itself, capable of grinding into whatever it touches and causing great damage, Minato created the Rasengan with the intention of infusing it with his own elemental chakra.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref> He was unable to do so prior to his death, but Naruto has since begun to complete his work. Through repeated training with his shadow clones, Naruto has been able to infuse the Rasengan with his wind chakra.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref> This has resulted in the creation of the Modèle:Nihongo, which damages what it hits on a cellular level. Even though it is extremely effective at defeating opponents, the hand he is performing the technique with is damaged in the process. Should he continue to use this technique, Naruto will eventually be unable to perform any more jutsu.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref>

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Part in the story

As the main character of the series, Naruto is present in every arc and typically plays a prominent role for its duration. During Part I, Naruto's involvement in the plot is relatively indirect, as he spends his time bettering his ninja abilities and pursuing his own goals while the overarching events occur elsewhere. During the Return of Itachi arc, Naruto is introduced to Akatsuki, a criminal organization that seeks to extract the demon fox from his body. Though Jiraiya drives them off during this first meeting, Akatsuki's interactions with Naruto become a more central conflict in Part II. It is not until the Sasuke Retrieval arc that Naruto takes a direct part in the plot, joining a team of ninja dedicated to stopping Sasuke from joining forces with Orochimaru. Naruto and Sasuke ultimately have a one-on-one battle, though neither is able to bring themselves to finish off the other. The two go their separate ways, but Naruto does not give up on Sasuke, leaving Konoha with Jiraiya for two-and-a-half years of training to prepare himself for the next time he meets Sasuke.

In Part II, Naruto receives less attention than he did in Part I. As other characters begin to receive additional development and the plot begins to cover multiple incidents across large distances, Naruto's role in the story is considerably lessened. Upon his return to Konoha, Naruto begins to more actively deal with the Akatsuki threat. He first saves Gaara from Akatsuki's clutches, and in a subsequent arc proves instrumental in the downfall of Kakuzu. Most of Naruto's actions, however, are dedicated to finding and retrieving Sasuke. He and the rest of his team are briefly able to locate Sasuke during the Sasuke and Sai arc, but Sasuke's rapid development leaves them no match for him. After creating his new jutsu, Naruto and company try once again to find Sasuke, and are currently in the process of following Sasuke's trail.

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Appearances in other media

Being the titular character, Naruto has appeared in all the Naruto Movies so far, plus the additional OVAs that follow. In the first Naruto movie Naruto becomes a fan of the Princess Fuun, a character from a movie he recently saw, and he ends disappointed after seeing that her actress Yukie Fujikaze has a closed personality and does not like fans. As Yukie is also a princess in the real world Team 7 is assigned to escort her to the Land of Snow. As the mission goes on Naruto starts know more about her until she calls him his guardian and then signs him an autograph. During the movie Naruto is inserted in his stomach a machine that avoids his use of chakra and that would make hard his encounter against Sotetsu Kazehana. However, he defeats him after using the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox chakra to destroy the machine. In the fourth movie (1st of Shippuden) Naruto becomes the guard of Shion who predicts his death. Although the only way to escape from his death is by escaping from Shion, Naruto decides to challenge the prediction and stay with her.

In the 1st OVA Konohamaru asks Naruto Uzumaki red four leaf clover, which is supposed to grant any wish as Konohamaru is in love with a girl. To help him find Naruto goes to a forbidden zone with Konohamaru in order to find it. They eventually get it with the help of Sasuke and Sakura. In the 2nd OVA Team 7 escort a ninja named Shibuki, the leader of his village, to his home at Takigakure. Naruto and Sasuke fight against the missing-nin that stole and drank "Hero's Water". They are able to defeat him teaching a lesson to Shibuki. In the 3rd OVA Naruto enters the tournament Jonin vs. Genin in order to create a rule helping him to become a Hokage. During the event he fights with Sasuke against Kakashi but they are both defeated and Naruto loses his crystal. In the OVA showed before the first Naruto movie during a sports competition Naruto has to use the toilet throughout the entire OVA, only to be prevented in each attempt by his fellow Genin and his own mistakes.

In Ultimate Ninja 2 and Naruto: Narutimate Hero 3, a variant called Green Beast of Konoha Naruto (that in one episode he fantasized about being) is playable. He is given his own variations of Rock Lee and Might Guy's trademark techniques named after himself.

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Character reception

Modèle:Expand Naruto has ranked within the Top 5 characters in every official Shonen Jump popularity polls, making first place twice<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref> and he was in the top two in the first five polls. However, in the sixth poll two years ago, Naruto has lost his Top two status, below the characters Deidara and Sasuke Uchiha.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref> There has not been another official poll since the poll of 2005.

IGN, a popular multimedia and reviews website, highly praises Naruto, often calling him one of the most memorable anime and manga characters in history, commenting on the fact that he has developed from the lonely rebel during the series' beginning.<ref>http://anime.ign.com/articles/834/834323p1.html</ref>

Gamespot, a popular videogames website, comments that Naruto Uzumaki leads the ideal teenage life as he is a ninja and eats all he likes, but on the other hand he has no parents and he is shunned by the people of his village.<ref>Franchise Player: Naruto</ref>

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