Victory Roads

Please do not read this is you are planning to watch the Naruto series! I warn you, there are plenty of spoilers below.

Naruto. A name you hear about a lot when kids speak about it, or maybe a millennial brings up their childhood, or maybe you just love eating Ramen. Either way, you may have heard this name once or twice in your life.

Yep, Naruto Uzumaki. This show has really shown a lot of imagery that could very well mirror the everyday events of today – almost as if it was foreshadowed by the creators. Nonetheless, the positive messages taught in this show give it its full value and is what makes this anime a great one to watch.

For those who are currently watching, keep going. For those who haven’t started, give it a chance. You’ll see it more than just a cartoon, but as a show with meaning. The episode I quote above made me truly believe in the power of Naruto’s story and how it can relate to the everyday struggles of depression.

Depression can be derive from any source. This could be from a breakup you had, maybe you just got let go of work, maybe you are anxious about how you look and you think people don’t like you. Sometimes it’s a battle against yourself. Naruto, as a child, has to face this reality. A boy who grew up with no parents and was a delinquent. He made trouble and started to act up because all he wanted was attention. Most of his classmates will never understand his true feelings because they have the blessing of parents that take care of them and motivate them.

In today’s society, we never take into account about what other people might be going through – whether they shows signs of depression or not. Naruto learned to hold a smile in the midst of all of the hatred he received. Kids called him weird, dumb, stupid, for what? Because he didn’t have parents? This isn’t a choice that children get to have. Naruto didn’t. I didn’t. My brothers haven’t. Many of my friends haven’t. It starts off tough.

Specifically and Metaphorically, Naruto fights “Pain” as his enemy in episode 175. Pain is a character whom was a refugee during the great ninja war (could be compared to world war 1). He fended for him and his friends, stealing food to eat, living in caves, etc. Anything he could do to help l, he would. He lost his parents during the Great War, where as a group of The enemy Shinobi (Ninja) broke into their home, although it was clear that the Pain and the family should have vacated the war zone. Pain and his family heard the Shinobi plundering any food they could find in the kitchen. Attempting to sneak out of the home, Pain accidentally alerted the ninja by knocking over a vase as they were escaping. Cautious, the Shinobi rushes to the noise and found his family. Pain’s father attempts to protect the family and gets stabbed in the chest in the process. The mother was later killed and Pain was next. Luckily, Pain has a secret power that worked to kill these Shinobi – the power of the rinnegan. The power of the rinnegan has been told to have similar powers of god, which can be used for destruction or creation, just by the force of power coming from the holder of this power.

Fast forward, back to the fight between Naruto and Pain, Naruto fights and fights and is able to weaken Pain to the point of death. Naruto falls back. He understands that hate is not the correct way to settle things in this world because “hate brings more hate”. Instead, Naruto fought Pain’s with the power of his words. Naruto spoke with Pain, Sympathizes with Pain, and proves to Pain about the dangers of how the world may be if pain and Hatred drives the world. Pain has already killed the many people that Naruto knows and loves and is able to still sympathize with Pain. On his final breath, Pain uses his powers to bring all of the dead back to life. Those who fought against Pain during the fight, who died, has been given a second chance at life.

This is a fictional story. There are times where people may want to hurt or kill, in this world, because they are getting picked on, harassed, or disposed. For those who are currently experiencing this, please keep your head up. Not a day goes by where I look back into the times where I felt this weird feeling… Even in middle school, where I had friends, and still felt as if no one cared. To this day, I am past college and have a small group of friends that loves the things I love. Most importantly, they care, the understand, and they motivate. They are like the friends I have always wished for in my life. Even better, I have a girlfriend who not only wants to better herself, but to better me as well. Not a day goes by where I felt this weird feeling….. of pain and overcome the depths and evil of pain to understand that happiness is found by the little things. Your little group of friends, your relationship, a fun car, etc. Thank you Pain, and most importantly, thank you Happiness.