Naruto's Symbolism & Mythic Roots Aren't Just Cool, They're Key to Understanding the Series

Summary Naruto's mythology ties and symbolism enhance the series, foreshadowing key events and adding depth to characters and jutsu.

Understanding the religious inspirations behind Naruto's power system and character names adds layers to the story.

Masashi Kishimoto's love for animals is evident in the series, with their historical significance and ties to folklore influencing key aspects.

Naruto is a surprisingly complex anime with many different inspirations, callbacks, and references to religions and mythologies from around the world, and this aspect is key to understanding the series. It is also important to understand how certain references foreshadow certain events.

Masashi Kishimoto has used mythology since the beginning of the series. Throughout the 700 chapters of the masterpiece he created, he borrowed heavily on aspects from religions and put his own twist to it.

Related 10 Best Moments In Naruto That Capture The Magic Of The Series Naruto is a story of epic proportions filled with exciting battles and character moments – but a select few truly stand above the rest.

Foreshadowing Became Much Easier

Mythology Hinted At Future Developments

Although Naruto has many plot twists, it became easier to understand the direction the story was going with a little knowledge of mythology. The use of Izanagi was a tell-tale sign that another powerful jutsu that countered it would be introduced. Izanagi and Izanami are brother and sister deities believed to have created the Japanese archipelago and many other deities. The existence of Izanagi in Naruto implies the existence of its counterpart, Izanami. Indeed, Izanami is the only counter for the powerful Izanagi, an ability that casts a genjutsu on reality itself, although at a huge cost.

The introduction of Kaguya was also hinted at using the oldest Japanese folklore, Tale Of The Bamboo Cutter. The story is about Kaguya-hime, a princess who is from the moon and descended to Earth as a baby, discovered inside a bamboo stalk. When the lore of the Sage of Six Paths was expanded upon and the moon and a woman with rabbit ears were mentioned, the foundation for Kaguya as a villain was being built, and her eventual introduction came later.

The Power System Is Heavily Inspired By Religion

In Naruto, there are five primary elements: fire, earth, water, wind, and lightning. This is from the Bhuddhist concept of the basic elements that make up the universe. They are known as Godai or the Great Five. These elements constitute the basic chakra elements that a shinobi can use to perform ninjutsu. Furthermore, the Taoist Ying and Yang that is fundamental in Naruto's chakra system is spread throughout the series, most notably in the seal that was given to Naruto and Sasuke to seal Kaguya.

Many jutsu names are also from mythology, most notably the Sharingan's abilities. In Shinto, Izanagi created three deities following his return to the underworld. Amaterasu, Sasuke's fire ability, was the God of the Sun, Tsukuyomi was the God of the Moon, and Susano was the God of the Seas and Storms.

Kamui is the name of the god of the Ainu people, a tribe that lives in Northern Japan.

Itachi's ridding Sasuke of Orochimaru heavily mirrors the tale of Susano roaming the world. Susano met an old couple whose daughters were killed by an eight-headed serpent. After making a deal with them, he agreed to kill the monster and so laid a trap and cut down all its heads with a sword. Itachi did the exact same thing, using his Susano to cut all of Orochimaru's eight heads using the powerful sword and then sealing him away.

The six Pains that Nagato controlled symbolize the paths from Buddhist cosmology that centers around the belief in reincarnation. They are Deva, Ashura, Human, Preta, Narak, and Animal, and a person is reincarnated in one depending on their accumulated karma. Nagato's power to revive the dead must have also come from this belief, as the Rinne Rebirth was indeed the power he used to revive the villagers he had just killed.

The Naming Of Naruto Characters Potrays Their Personality

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The name Naruto Uzumaki already gives a clear indication of the personality of the character. Uzumaki means vortex or spiral, and Naruto is a coastal city in Japan famous for its whirlpools. Naruto's chaotic and fun personality perfectly matches the meaning of his name, and his other name, Namikaze, which means wave, also hints at his nature. His most iconic move, the Rasengan, also works under the concept of the whirlpool.

The iconic Ino-Shika-Cho trio have their names grounded in reality and demonstrate how efficient they are. It is named after the winning card hand in the Hanafuda game, similar to a full house in poker. Because of the team's incredible chemistry and teamwork, they were always a solid bet that got things done when needed, and were sometimes the trump card, especially in the Fourth Great Ninja War when they showed up multiple times.

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The series has a lot of foreshadowing, especially regarding Itachi Uchiha, but understanding his name gives a slight clue into who he truly is. The name means weasel, and this animal is associated with death and misfortune, a fitting name for a character that killed his clan. Furthermore, there are some beliefs that weasels hypnotize their prey, much like Itachi's powerful genjutsu and Tsukuyomi abilities that are feared.

Kishimoto Loves His Animals

Animals Played A Big Role In The Series

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It is no secret that Masashi Kishimoto loves including animals in his series, and in fact, Naruto's first design was that of a fox. The series not only has many animals, but they all have historical and mythological significance. Toads are very important characters in the series, as they taught Naruto and Jiraiya the Sage Mode and helped them as summons. Because of the Tale of Jiraiya The Gallant, ninjas and toads have often been associated with each other, and it was from this folklore that inspired the Legendary Sannin trio of Tsunade, Orochimaru and Jiraiya.

Hiruzen's sidekick and summon, Monkey King Enma, is based on the same character and story that inspired Goku; Journey to the West. The gold-banded staff he wields is taken from the character Sun Wukong, and both wear a tiger pelt.

Related Dragon Ball, Naruto, And One Piece Were All Inspired By the Same Epic Story While it's known that Journey to the West inspired Dragon Ball, the classic Chinese epic also influenced One Piece and Naruto.

Naruto is one of the biggest anime ever, and it exposed many people to the vibrant culture of Japan and religions around the world. It also made for an interesting take on existing characters and tales while still honoring the original. Naruto's symbolism and mythological roots give it an extra layer of depth that fans can come to appreciate once they put the series under a microscope.