Naruto Anime Analysis

Season 1: Episode 11

Source: Wikipedia

"The Land Where a Hero Once Lived"

While Naruto and Sasuke try to outdo each other in their tree-climbing practice, Sakura accompanies Tazuna and is astonished by the poverty and fear in the Land of Waves. Following dinner, Sakura asks about Inari staring at the torn family photo on the wall, but the boy runs off with his mother, Tsunami, chasing after him. Tazuna then explains that the man torn from the picture, named Kaiza, was once a hero in the Land of Waves whom Inari looked up to. When Gato arrived, Kaiza was executed by Gato's men to serve as an example to anyone who opposes Gato, which traumatized Inari greatly. Moved by the story, Naruto resumes his training with the intent to prove to Inari that there are still heroes in the world."

Analysis

The theme of pain and suffering is evident in this episode. For example, there is poverty and fear in the Land of Waves caused by Gato's evil actions; hence, people are experiencing pain and suffering. Moreover, it also explains why Tazuna wants to build the bridge to help his village. Another example of the theme of pain and suffering is the death of Kaiza, a hero whom Inari looked up to. Inari experienced pain and suffering because Kaiza wasn't just a hero to him but also a father figure in his life. Gato is shown to be one of the cruellest characters in this episode in the sense that he ordered the execution of Kaiza so that he could control the people in the Land of Waves. He was driven by the pursuit of power, which would lead to his downfall.

Naruto is moved by the story he heard about Kaiza because he knows what it's like to not have a father or a father figure. Although he and Inari share this one similarity, Naruto keeps having a positive attitude towards life, which is why he wants to prove to Inari that there are still heroes in this world. In other words, Naruto is a round character who seems like a real person going through hardships yet finding the strength to move on with life.

The lesson from this episode is that so much of our happiness depends on how we look at a situation and how we deal with it, just like Naruto, who faced hardships but didn't allow them to affect his view of life.