awinterrosesstuff

[awinterrosesstuff]

Sun & light symbolism in Naruto

I found some old posts from when the manga was still ongoing, and apparently, it was common for readers and viewers to think of Naruto as a "moon boy" who represented the full moon.

There was no doubt in my mind when I was reading the manga that Naruto was always connected to the sun and light. So imagine my surprise when I discovered those posts discussing other interpretations. To begin, let's look at a design of Hinata that Kishimoto made early on.

As you can see, Naruto is drawn in the background with a sun symbol above his head. Additionally, Hinata’s name apparently means "sunny place" or "a place in the sun". Considering that Hinata has always admired Naruto and that he is the source of her strength, I like to believe her name perfectly matches her arc in the story.

Just in case, I don't ship Naruhina, but it's hard to deny the intention behind this work.

I think Naruto’s color palette also perfectly fits his sun symbolism. He’s blond, wears bright colors like orange, and his chakra is yellow, as he mentioned to Jiraiya. Even when he masters Kurama's chakra, it remains yellow with a hint of orange. These colors are strongly associated with the sun, symbolizing warmth and light—certainly not the moon. In contrast, Sasuke's color palette consists of dark blue and purple, and his chakra is also a dark purple. Interestingly, while yellow and purple are complementary colors on the color wheel, blue and orange are complementary as well.

Anyway, let's continue... Remember the fight between Gaara and Naruto? There's a chapter titled "The Two... Darkness and Light", and the chapter cover reflects this theme as well..

Do I really need to explain it ? It's only the second arc, and Kishimoto has already established him as 'the light' and 'the sun.'

At the very end of the Pain arc, there’s this powerful panel with the sun behind Naruto. This image is incredibly significant because it marks a pivotal moment: when Naruto is finally perceived as a hero by the entire village.

Everyone cheers for him. He’s finally achieved one of his greatest dreams: being accepted. It’s incredibly significant that Iruka is the one narrating this moment, as it was Iruka who first made Naruto feel loved and accepted. Iruka’s kindness and belief in Naruto were pivotal in shaping who Naruto became. Without Iruka-sensei’s support and encouragement, Naruto might not have found the strength to pursue his dreams.

Kishimoto has been consistent with Naruto's connection to light and the sun throughout the series. A key moment of this is when he "uses" Karin to describe the difference between Sasuke and Naruto's chakra. While Sasuke’s chakra feels darker and colder, Naruto’s is described as "bright and warm".

These words are directly associated with the sun, highlighting the contrast between the two characters. In a way, they are written as opposites, but also as complementary forces. Karin’s description of Naruto's chakra as "bright and warm" perfectly aligns with this symbolism. This serves as a clear reinforcement of Naruto's role as a beacon of hope and light in the story.

There is also this panel just after Naruto forcefully takes a part of Kurama's chakra.

It's litterally a sun symbol in his right palm.

I don't know what Kishimoto needs to do for everyone to understand, but he also uses this motif with Naruto's two suns (his parents). Naruto’s parents, Minato and Kushina, are his two suns, providing him with the strength, guidance, and love that propel him forward.

And now, back to Sasuke and Naruto...

They're yin and yang, moon and sun, darkness and light. This chapter cover particularly highlights all their symbols — including their color palettes. Everything. Even Hagoromo's staff represents the sun for Naruto and a crescent moon for Sasuke.

Then this parallel...

He isn't even subtle... or this one

Notice that the moon is colored in black, and the circle has what seem to be "rays". (I just noticed that Sakura isn't even drawn in this panel, just Naruto and Sasuke.)

It doesn't come out of the blue. Naruto has always been connected to light and the sun. Or did they suddenly expect Naruto to become the full moon ? It doesn't make sense. Maybe Ashura was the full moon (because I've seen that argument), but that's not Naruto's case. They’re not the same person. This is something he claimed just before he went to fight Sasuke for the last time.

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I’ve always wondered how would fugaku and mikoto react to Sasuke and Naruto if they ended up together 😮💜

I’m kinda in the middle of Fugaku and Minato both keeping their sons apart, they’re homophobes in Konoha😔 or not saying anything and sorta happy they’ve found each other.

Kushina is a hopeless romantic imo! She’d be so happy that Naruto loves someone so much. I’m not too sure on mikoto since her character wasn’t developed s much 😢💜

Anyways love ur posts 💕💕

Hi anon !

Your question is interesting.

First, everything would be quite different. If Kushina were alive, the Kyubi incident wouldn’t have happened. Naruto would be officially known as the Hokage's son. Kushina and Mikoto were on friendly terms, and it seems they wanted their sons to be friends. Perhaps the two of them would have known each other even before attending the academy.

It's true that social norms and expectations would play a role. Is Sasuke the heir in this AU, or is Itachi well and never got his illness? But Naruto is going to be the Hokage's heir...

I’m not sure how to answer you, but I’m sure Kushina would really like Sasuke—he’s such a cute and nice kid. I’ve seen some fan art where Sasuke admires Kushina’s hair, and honestly, I could totally see that! With Kushina as a guide, Naruto would likely be this carefree kid who enjoys pranking people, with a little rebellious side. But he’d also be well-behaved and more socially aware. So, I think Mikoto would like Naruto too.

Honestly, Naruto's spontaneous nature would certainly surprise Fugaku, but over time, he would likely accept him as Sasuke’s friend, especially since Naruto is the Hokage's son in this AU.

Their friendship would surely be accepted and appreciated. It’s clear that Naruto and Sasuke would care about one another in this AU as well. As for romantic love... well, social norms are important.

There are also important questions... how much would Konoha be different under Minato's rule ? Would the Uchiha and Minato/Kushina say "We don't care about social norms and expectations, our kids will marry whoever they want" ?

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I don't see people talking much about her. So I wanted to make a post about her character. There is little to say about her, but Kurenai is the definition of "deserving better".

She was the only female Jonin sensei and seemed like a great mentor. She was very fond of and proud of her students. One example of this is when she's watching Kiba fight Naruto. Throughout the match, her thoughts are filled with praise for Kiba, and she trusts that he will win.

She's also very attentive to Hinata. She seems to be supportive of her student's little crush and seems to help her when needed.

I think she really comes across as a big sister to Hinata. It's clear that she pays a lot of attention to her, noticing both her efforts and her potential—something Hiashi never really did (except maybe during the war arc).

Through Kurenai's perspective, you learn about Hinata's time on her team, her desire to improve, and the efforts she puts in. Kurenai is crucial in this regard, as she's not only Hinata's sensei but likely understands her better than Hinata understands herself.

It's interesting to note that it’s not Shino who comments on the fight or the development Hinata was going through. It really seemed like Kurenai and Hinata were going to have a strong relationship in the following chapters. And then, well, what happened? A few interactions with Asuma (where they seemed to have some form of friendship until we later learned they were together) and then Kurenai was defeated by Itachi in a genjutsu.

In the second part of Naruto, the poor woman was reduced to a plot device for Asuma and Shikamaru. But what about her students? You know, the ones she cared so much for—Kiba, Hinata, and Shino—the ones she encouraged, trained, and supported whenever she could? Why is it Shikamaru who "accompanies" Kurenai to her hospital visits ? Where are Kiba, Hinata, and Shino ? Why is it Shikamaru again who saves and protects Kurenai during the Pain arc ? Okay, I guess Kiba and Shino had an excuse since they were fighting alongside their parents, but where was Hinata during the attack ? She's the only member of the Rookie 9 (excluding Sasuke and Naruto) who wasn’t involved in that part of the arc. Wouldn't it have been nice if Hinata was there for Kurenai, accompanying her to safety instead ? I mean, they had such a sweet relationship in the first part, and then in part 2... well, nothing !

I really think Kurenai deserved better. She spent years training and leading Team 8, and she truly deserved more interactions with her students in part 2. It would have added more depth and nuance to their team dynamic. Instead, they feel a bit forgotten. The explanation for her absence is literally "Kurenai can't be a kunoichi anymore, she's a mother now." I get that in shinobi culture, young mothers may not be expected to fight, but that doesn’t mean she couldn’t have appeared here and there to offer advice or simply interact with her students.

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I'm glad you guys are doing well, I hope your days are much better. What do you think of these characters Izuna, Shisui, Itachi and Fugaku?

Hi anon !

Sorry for the late answer. It's been a tough day.

I don't have a strong opinion on Izuna. Even now, I can't think of anything to say about his character. As I mentioned in another post, the story of Hashirama and Madara is mysterious, and the same can be said about his character.

I feel like Shisui is really 'hyped' by the fandom, despite not having much screen time in the manga. I can understand the appeal around him, though. Being Itachi's only friend (or at least his only known friend) makes him interesting, I think. He also had a strong reputation in the shinobi world, and his genjutsu was quite powerful. Ao even considered Shisui 'a formidable foe' and will never forget his chakra color. How old was Shisui at the time ? Probably not older than a teenager, right ?

Danzo made sure to destroy Shisui's eye, something Tobi wanted (the power of that Sharingan seems really interesting). Shisui's eye was able to break the Edo Tensei, and Kabuto also wanted it for himself. Itachi mentioned that Shisui knew there were people (like Danzo, Tobi, and Kabuto) who would fight to take his eyes. Even Bee called him the 'most powerful genjutsu user.' With all of this, you have to admit that Shisui could have been a great character to elaborate on. But I think it's also part of his charm that we don't know much about him (except that he shares the 'same integrity' as Naruto). I'm personally interested in him, but I have a hard time imagining him as a fully fleshed-out character. He seems to lack 'negative traits,' which makes it hard to see him as truly real.

I'll continue with Fugaku. I think I like him. He’s a stern and strict father, but he seems to care deeply for his family. He trusts Itachi and is proud of him, though he puts a lot of pressure on him. According to Mikoto, he was also very fond of Sasuke (who wouldn’t be? He was the cutest child in the world). I feel like Fugaku was a good person in a difficult situation, trying to make his voice heard in a village that often overlooked him. He wanted to be respected and taken seriously. Despite the discrimination, he stood strong and proud. Honestly, being the head of your clan is already tough, but with the added weight of discrimination and hatred, I can't even imagine how difficult it must have been for him.

Now, Itachi. I saved him for last because, honestly, I could talk about him for days. He was one of my favorite characters for a long time. Like his father, he was put in an impossible situation, torn between his clan and his village, with everyone trying to 'use' him in one way or another. He had to mature quickly. Did he even have a proper childhood? I think, after Shisui's death, he reached a point where he couldn’t make a good decision anymore. There’s a lot of tragedy in his character. I don’t think he could have made the right choice—probably because it was Hiruzen’s responsibility, in my opinion. I’m not sure how to explain it, but I think he must have hated himself quite a lot. Dying at Sasuke's hands felt like a punishment, and it was honestly really messed up. In my mind, Itachi wasn’t a very stable person. At least, when he came back as Edo Tensei, he realized his mistakes and gave Sasuke the real closure he needed (poor boy really did need it). Itachi’s character is so complex, which is why I like him.

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Hello everyone !

This will work as a sort of introduction to my blog and myself.

You will realise that awinterrosesstuff is a multifandom blog. I don't plan anything and post according to how I feel at the time. At the beginning, the focus was on moodboards. But quickly, I started sharing my thoughts on movies, tv show and manga. I reblog contents that got my attention.

If you don't like my posts, just ignore them or filter the tags. I don't have the energy for fandom drama. I tag my posts properly. So if you can't engage in a discussion respecfully, know that I will probably block you. Otherwize, I'm open to conversations with people who accept I think differently.

Ask and request are open obviously. It's always interesting to read your thoughts. And many people had me thinking on things that didn't cross my mind before in previous asks.

I also wanted to do this post for my hashtags. I listed the tags I use the most, you can click if you're interested.

Mythology

Greek mythology

Norse mythology

Egyptian mythology

Celtic mythology

TV/Books

Buffy

Charmed

ASOIAF

Naruto

Naruto ask

Naruto moodboard

Naruto meta

Others stuffs

Moodboard

Reblog

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Hello, good evening.For me, Shingeki no Kyojin is a masterpiece. From beginning to end. Its ending was wonderfully realistic. It made me cry in some scenes. But in the end, everyone has their opinion. They can complain or thank Isayama for this great work.

Hello !

I had to search for the title because in my country, it's not the same. I have a few friends who liked SnK. But they have different opinions on the ending.

You're absolutely right. Everyone is allowed to their opinion. Opinion just has to come with respect.

Thanks for telling me the right title, I didn't know it.

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Good morning.How are you doing?I'm fine, although I don't understand why a lot of people in the fandom are fine with Sakura being such an empathetic person who never does anything wrong. To me she's a very selfish and rude person.I don't understand why Kishimoto is happy with Sakura's popularity outside of Japan. It's in bad taste. That's why I've always preferred characters like Konan, Tsunade and Mei Terumi.

Hi anon !

It's been a bit difficult these days, but overall I'm fine. Thanks for caring. I hope you're well.

First, thanks for the ask. It's always interesting your thoughts on the fandom and characters/stories.

Is she really that popular? I have every Naruto manga, and I was never impressed by her results in the polls. Maybe she's more liked now. I live in Europe, and I never had the feeling she was particularly popular. As for the NarutoTop99, I think the results were a bit skewed. The most voted character (Minato) got a manga. Also, people could vote for the same character every day.

There’s an interview out there (I think I saw it in one of the mangas) where Kishimoto says he has his own reasons for being fond of Sakura. Inner Sakura was one of those reasons. After her match with Ino, I thought, naively, that it would be her way to break out of genjutsu. Anyway, Kishimoto knows perfectly well that she’s (or was) very unpopular. Also, popularity doesn’t always equate to quality.

I know there’s this claim going around that Sakura is very empathetic, and I strongly disagree with it. I mean, her first confession to Sasuke is a prime example of why I feel this way.

She's saying "revenge won't make me happy" and comparing her feeling of loneliness (by her own admission her family and friends are less important than Sasuke to her, okay) to Sasuke's loneliness after his clan got massacred... and honestly, yikes.

You can argue that she's only 13. But did she really change on that part ?

In the first panel, when she says "I don’t care", I honestly think it’s true. She feels so guilty towards Naruto that she clearly doesn’t care about Sasuke’s feelings. She doesn’t wonder why he’s doing what he’s doing. It’s just "he’s changed". In the second panel, after he talks about his 'revolution,' she literally says she wants things to go back the way they were before (when they were a team). And it’s about what she wants, not what he wants. Her empathy is very limited. She sometimes feels bad or sad (like when she learns that Naruto is a jinchuriki, for example), but that’s not the same as having true empathy.

In general, I think Sakura is more complex than people give her credit for. Comparing her to Hinata, a side character with little development and minimal narrative stakes, is a huge disservice to Sakura. Sakura is book-smart, curious, and has a great ability to memorize chakra concepts. She's solid with the basics and chakra control. And when her determination doesn’t falter, she can work well with others (like with Chiyo).

In the very first arc, all of Team 7 faced a reality check. For Naruto, it was mostly through Haku, little Inari, and Zabuza. For Sakura, it was the poverty in the village and Sasuke's "death" (she realized that even Sasuke-kun can get hurt). She had another wake-up call in the Forest of Death, realizing that skills are more important than appearances. Her insecurities are clearly shown and explained, and she strives to improve (the girl became quite the skilled medical kunoichi). And she projects her insecurities into others (like Ino, and obviously Sasuke, and sometimes Naruto) She likes to brag about her skills to hide her insecurities and come as rude sometimes. (I think I already talked about it in another ask).

She has many layers, and the idea that she "can’t do anything wrong" completely erases her complexity. It’s not uncommon for SS/Sakura fans to claim that anti-Sakura/SS fans want to remove her agency. But in truth, that’s exactly what they do by saying she didn’t do anything wrong.

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Do you think Tsunade ever had feelings for Jiraiya? I don't think so. I just see them as former teammates who went their own ways, although I like Dan better as Tsunade's partner. Maybe an Uzumaki-Senju or Senju man. I feel like Jiraiya was never Tsunade's type, though I was hurt by his death. Anyway, they both marked the Fifth Hokage.

Hi !

I don't think she loved him romantically. I know some fans believe she did because of that panel.

And to me, it isn’t particularly romantic. It’s logical to cry because your old friend passed away. They had known each other since childhood (more or less 40 years).

I think Tsunade loved Dan, at least until the war. They reached their own conclusion when she was fighting Madara with the other Kages. It was deeply romantic.

She's saying she's honoring him and his dreams by being Hokage. Then he makes his own confession: "For yourself are my dream". It's interesting that Kishimoto can imply the love and care between these two characters in just three panels, without an overt, grand confession. Then Dan kisses her forehead, and she recalls an important moment from their past. Dan uses his last chakra to save Tsunade, and that scene is deeply romantic on both sides. Nothing more is needed. Everything is there to explain what they mean to each other.

Jiraiya was Tsunade's best friend, the ally she trusted the most. Dan was her fiancé, her lover. She loved them both, but in different ways. And the narrative was clear to me.

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Karin Uzumaki (Naruto)

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Caspian - Chronicles of Narnia

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genin 🍡trio doodles

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Team Gai : Tenten, Neji Hyuga & Rock Lee

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A little parallel between Ino and Shikamaru: they both befriended the "less popular kid" of their group. It might seem random, but I've never seen it pointed out.

Ino is the only girl who made an effort to help Sakura when she was bullied for her forehead and helped her build her confidence. Shikamaru is, visibly, the only boy who wanted to play with Choji and then left the game to go see him. Their approaches are quite different. Ino is straightforward and direct, but she's also genuinely helpful. Sakura wouldn’t be the girl we know without Ino. In contrast, Shikamaru is more subtle. He comes to Choji with the excuse of not being interested in the games anymore. Maybe he’s just being lazy, but honestly, I like to think he really wanted to help Choji. And it worked. Choji and Shikamaru have a cute friendship.

Ironically, it's the only friendship that started before graduation. (Naruto and Sasuke acknowledged one another at the academy, but they became friends in their team.) Even though the Rookie 9 are all from the same year, they don’t seem to be on good terms and don’t really know each other well until graduation (I'd even say the Chunin Exams for a lot of them). Isn’t it a bit weird that they don’t have more connections ?

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Part 2 of Shikamaru never was Naruto best friend, or closest friend, as many say.

After Naruto and the rest of the teams manage to pass to the preliminaries of the chunin exam, Naruto is called to fight against Kiba.

Naruto is getting beaten by Kiba, and Shikamaru says "Like I figured" meaning that he was already expecting Kiba to finish off Naruto. After all, Naruto is still a weakling and idiot to him. Even Lee has more hope in Naruto than his supposedly best friend, Shikamaru.

Either way, that's not enough to take down Naruto:

He's living up to his boasts now!

He never put his faith on him—he always thought Naruto was baffling, because he doesn't know Naruto. Anyway, Naruto manages to fight against Kiba and then, Shikamaru begins to finally "recognize" Naruto, after he shows that he has developed as a ninja, even being capable of thinking useful strategies against Kiba.

I think we're looking at whole new Naruto!

Shikamaru goes on, "recognizing" him. But he's shocked, genuinely, just look at his expression up there.

And here's him, being astonished at Naruto beating Kiba. But he really didn't believe in him until Naruto actually proved the opposite—but yeah.

—

They pass to the eliminatory rounds, and Naruto beats Neji, Shikamaru is surprised again–he had to win once again for Shikamaru to geniunely acknowledge him. But can we blame him here? Everyone's shocked. But look:

Despite Shikamaru "recognizing" Naruto again, he says it's depressing, it's bad that someone like Naruto, who Shikamaru thought to be a unslick, lazy guy like him, was actually a "hard-working" guy. Doesn't that show how little he actually knows him? And he looks disappointed that Naruto won, and didn't get beaten like he thought, twice. His shoulders are slumped, he's down, and have you looked at his expression? (That's how I take it at least) There is another panel where he seems to lighten up after Naruto comes back from his match, but before that, he was like that with Naruto.

But they do have more interaction here. PD: They have a little interaction after Naruto's match, but it's not really relevant, Naruto proceeds to shove Shikamaru to the battlefield, insisting him to fight already – of course, Shikamaru isn't pleased at all with him, but eh, again, not relevant.

Gaara proceeds to kill these two men, and while Shikamaru says that, Naruto just thinks about Sasuke. And that's it.

And once again, I can't add more images, but there's still more interaction, the Sasuke rescue arc is actually next and Gaara's hospital scene, I'll definitely do more of these. My point, anyway, obviously is that Shikamaru isn't and never was Naruto's best friend. He wasn't there from the start like a LOT of people say.

+ I even read that people claimed that Naruto should have thought of Shikamaru when he thought of the most important people to him almost in the end of the manga, I can't quite pinpoint the panel, but if I find it again, I'll add it next time — and of course, he actually thought of Iruka and Team 7. Shikamaru never crossed his mind in these moments, and why would he? Shikamaru was never that close to him, and that's what I'll keep proving. And thank you, if you read until here.

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Not going to lie, Sage Mode is incredibly powerful. It was essential for Naruto to fight Pain. He mastered it even better than his sensei, learned a new taijutsu style, and enhanced his Rasenshuriken—all in just one week. But there’s one particular skill I really like about it: sensing chakra. While chakra sensing might seem supplementary, it’s incredibly useful for various reasons (like checking if your allies are alive, locating enemies, or sensing danger). It’s a skill I'm really glad Naruto developed. While it’s neither offensive nor defensive, I think Naruto was somewhat "lacking" in supplementary skills, and this ability really filled that gap. Plus, if we look at the last panels, Naruto can not only sense chakra but also get a vague impression of what's happening to the people he's sensing. Although it's blurry, you can easily tell from those images that they're in danger.

That leads me to a question : what’s the range of his sensing technique ? While the village is relatively large, it seems like his range is quite impressive. In the last two panels, the island he was on wasn’t exactly next to the war zones, yet he could sense at least six different fronts. It’s really remarkable, in my opinion.

I’m not a huge fan of Naruto’s ability to sense negative emotions. While it’s certainly useful for the plot (like distinguishing white zetsu from the others), I feel like it wasn’t really necessary for Naruto’s character. It’s hard to explain, but Naruto’s ability to sense negative emotions feels a bit redundant. He already has chakra sensing in sage mode, and his natural empathy is more than enough for him to connect with others. Honestly, sensing negative emotions was never really brought up again after they fought the Zetsu. It's almost like an extra power that wasn’t really needed.

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Chapter 446

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For reference (from left to right)

Narnia (2005-2010)

Eragon (2006)

Harry Potter (2001-2011)

The Hobbit (2012-2014)

Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Once upon a time (2011-2018)

How to Train Your Dragon (2010-2019)

Mulan (1998)

Spirited away (2011)

Which dragon do you prefer ? Before anyone corrects me, I know they're not all "dragons" and have different names depending on the number of paws and wings.