| Avatar: The Last Airbender character | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Sokka | |
| Nationality | Southern Water Tribe |
| Notable Aliases | Wang Fire |
| Gender | Male |
| Hair color | Brown |
| Age | 15 |
| First appearance | "The Boy in the Iceberg" |
| Voiced by | Jack DeSena (www.wikipedia.org) |
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Sokka is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. The character, created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, is voiced by Jack DeSena.
In the show, fifteen-year-old Sokka is a warrior of the South Pole's Southern Water Tribe, a race of people who can control and manipulate water.[1] Although not born with the gift of Bending, he continually strives to become a worthy warrior and leader. He, along with his younger sister Katara, discover an Airbender named Aang, the long-lost Avatar, and accompanies him on his quest to defeat the imperialistic Fire Nation and bring peace to the war-torn nations.[2]
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[edit] Concept and creation
It is provided in the Avatar Nick Mag Presents: First Edition issue by co-creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko that Sokka was originally designed to be much more low-key, but when his comedian voice actor Jack DeSena came in and brought liveliness to his character, they began writing towards that strength.[3] Much of Sokka's dialog and actions are derived from improvisations and intentional exaggerations on DeSena's part that the writers chose to include within scripts. Furthermore, DeSena has stated that he is inspired by fellow comedian Jim Carrey, which would explain a majority of Sokka's mannerisms and facial expressions throughout the show.
As a result of his design, Sokka's character has come to serve as a source of comic relief throughout the series, often a victim of visual slapstick. Among various running gags involving Sokka are his affinity for being covered in viscous substances, such as raw sewage, slurry, and Appa's phlegm or saliva, and forgetting that Toph is blind. Sokka also has a tendency to produce or at times laugh at jokes that nobody else gets, a trait he shares with his father.[4]
[edit] History
Sokka grew up in his village as an aspiring warrior-in-training of the Southern Water Tribe. Forced to mature quickly when his mother Kya was killed in a Fire Nation raid, he cultivated his warrior skills with a militant zeal, while his sister Katara did chores and practiced waterbending.[5] When he was thirteen, his father and the other village men left to fight alongside the Earth Kingdom in the war against the Fire Nation, leaving him and his sister to look after their tribe with their grandmother, Gran Gran.[6] As the oldest male left in the South Pole, Sokka came to assume a semi-leadership role by the time he was fifteen, fiercely protecting the village from any possible outside threats while trying to train children to be a new generation of defenders.
While on a spearfishing expedition, Katara and Sokka discovered Aang in suspended animation inside an iceberg. After Katara freed him, Sokka initially believed that the Airbender might be a Fire Navy spy, and he eventually grew xenophobic enough to banish him from the village. Upon discovering that Aang was the Avatar, destined to master all four elements and bring peace to the world, Sokka relented, realizing that they had a common enemy -- the Fire Nation. He then set off with Katara and Aang on their journey to find a waterbending instructor at the North Pole, determined to hone his warrior skills by way of fighting a few Firebenders along the way.[2]
In "Sokka's Master," Sokka expresses self-doubt and worry that he is not contributing as much to the group as his bender companions are. Inspired by his friends' encouragement, he seeks out a master from whom he could learn the art of the sword. Rather than fighting with brute force and flawless technique, Sokka's creativity and thinking-outside-the-box approach to things are the cornerstones of his technique, and his master notes that in time Sokka will be a superior swordsman. As he departs, Piandao has his butler Fat give Sokka a White Lotus tile, a piece used in Pai Sho, simply saying that it's something to remember him by.
In the two-hour series finale, Sokka and Katara meet with Katara's Waterbending master, Pakku, whom has revealed he has reconciled with their grandmother and are now married, though he spites Sokka's grandparent nicknames, Gramp Gramp and Grandpa-ku. In the battle against Ozai, Sokka with Suki and Toph hijack a fire nation airship and use it to run into many of the other airships (similar to dominoes) while Aang duels with the Phoenix King (Firelord Ozai). Sokka and Toph are separated from Suki and attack another airship, but Sokka breaks his leg and strains his arm grabbing hold of Toph, who was falling off the ship. In a compromised position, the pair are attacked by two soldiers, but Sokka defeats them at the cost of his black "space sword" and boomerang using his remaining good arm and leg. As he and Toph are on the edge of the crashing ship, Suki arrives with another airship and saves the two. With the battle over, the trio reunite with Aang and the weakened Phoenix King, cleverly poking fun at his defeat. At Zuko's coronation back at the Fire Nation, Suki is reunited with the Kyoshi Warriors, Sokka and Katara are reunited with their father, with the rest of the group reunited with their friends. In the end, Sokka is seen at Iroh's tea shop in Ba Sing Se where everyone teases a painted picture he created of the entire team--where he altered some factual details to make the scene more "memorable" (i.e, Suki seems to be firebending, Mai looks like a man, Toph has an x for an eye and Iroh still looks fat, much to his dismay).
[edit] Personality
Skeptical, abrasive, and sharp-witted, Sokka is detached from Aang, Katara, and Toph's pursuit of the bending arts. Not gifted with bending abilities himself, Sokka instead prefers the ways of the warrior and the scientist, and he takes his responsibility as protector very seriously.[2] He is also very intelligent and good at coming up with ideas and plans on the spot--even if said ideas are not always very good.
Patriotic and long to hold a grudge, he strongly wants to exact vengeance for the Fire Nation's decimation of the Water Tribe and the death of his mother. He holds little interest in the mysticism surrounding bending and prefers to solve problems using his strength and his wits.[7][8] He tends to be rash, however, and his pride often leads to embarrassment. Despite his obvious cleverness, Sokka sometimes acts very silly if not outright foolishly. His sarcastic and absurd behavior can sometimes carry over into important decisions.
A passionate carnivore, Sokka has demonstrated his love of meat on multiple occasions and is the main hunter in the group.[9][10] Sokka also has an affinity for sarcasm. In the episode "Bitter Work," Sokka shouts vowing to give up both meat and sarcasm for assistance, agreeing to consider himself no longer "Sokka, the meat and sarcasm guy," but willing to be "Sokka the veggies and straight-talk fellow." By the end of the episode, however, he has given up neither meat nor sarcasm (but has been seen eating more veggies than meat in later episodes).
Under the guidance of swordsmaster Piandao, Sokka displays various unorthodox procedures when undergoing his training. In one exercise, when told to stamp his identity onto a sheet of paper, rather than simply writing his name, Sokka smears ink all over his face and presses it onto the paper. As he presents Sokka with his blade, Piandao relates that though his skills were hardly impressive, he displayed much creativity, versatility, and intelligence. All were traits that go beyond mere skills and defined a great swordsman.[11]
After the failure of the Invasion, Sokka proves to have a sense of honor. Feeling strongly disappointed since it was his idea and probably his fault for the invasion force being captured. Sokka was willing to restore his honor by risking his life in order to rescue his father from a highly secure Fire Nation prison.
Sokka writes with his right hand, but draws with his left hand.[12][13] He is possibly ambidextrous, as he's often seen wielding his club, sword, and boomerang with both hands, although his left-handed art is crude and rudimentary, this could just be due to a limited artistic ability, shown throughout the program. (Yue thought his carving of a fish was a bear, Katara thought he had drawn Appa with two tails and ant feet on his lost skybison posters, Aang thought his sand sculpture of Suki was a "blubbering blob monster", and in his picture of the scene of the Jasmine Dragon at the end of Sozin's Comet, he drew a picture of the group, which was subsequently heavily criticized by all in the drawing, with the exception of Toph.)
[edit] Innovations and abilities
For an inhabitant of a mystical world, Sokka shows a remarkable proclivity towards science and is something of a jack-of-all-trades. He seems naturally adept at creating weapons out of practically anything at any time.[14] He learned how to construct amateur explosives from his father, which he once used to simulate Firebending.[15] In another instance, Sokka used trickery and optical illusions to help his sister Katara fake the ability to Earthbend.[16] Working side by side with fellow technologist, the Mechanist, Sokka has managed to engineer a system of control for an experimental hot air balloon as well as conceptualize the design for waterbending-powered submarines. Sokka also demonstrated advanced math skills and a talent for geometry towards the end of the series. Alongside his trademark boomerang, Sokka is proficient in a variety of weapons, including clubs, a machete, spears, and the newest addition, an all-black jian (sword) molded from a meteorite[11] that is capable of cutting through solid metal, that he fondly refers to as his "space sword". Sokka's ultimate achievement is destroying the entire Fire Nation Air Force along with Suki and Toph.
In addition to his engineering skill, Sokka has shown a remarkable talent for poetry. In The Tales of Ba Sing Se, he stumbles into a poetry reading and goes head-to-head with the instructor in a haiku contest, and holds his own. However, his hubris gets the best of him and he gets thrown out for accidentally adding an extra syllable to the end of a haiku.
As the only non-bender in Aang's group, Sokka is often overshadowed by the bending skills of his friends.[17] However, it is usually Sokka who comes up with a plan for victory. His skill in Martial Arts noticeably improves as the series progresses, though earlier in the series it was usually his persistence rather than skill that often allowed him to fight against more extensively trained opponents, such as Zuko in "The Avatar Returns" and Ty Lee, in "The Chase."
Sokka has come to learn the art of swordsmanship in order to improve his contribution to the team. Under the tutelage of the Fire Nation swordmaster Piandao, Sokka undergoes various activities, including sparring matches with the butler Fat to hone his sword wielding skills as well as arts such as painting, calligraphy and rock gardening to sharpen to his mind. Eventually, when instructed to make his own sword, he uses fragments of a meteorite that fell the night before to collect the metal needed to forge his blade. Sokka's sword, like his master's, is patterned on a Chinese jian, but unique in that due to the properties of the alien material used for its creation, the blade retains an unusual all-black appearance. The sword is also able to slice through the toughest materials, including regular metal (as seen when Sokka slices completely through a Fire Nation cannon during the Day of Black Sun).[18] Although Sokka proves unable to defeat his master in heated battle and must leave to continue his training on his own, Piandao states the belief that Sokka retains traits which one day could very well come to make him an even greater swordsman than himself.[11] This is proven as the series progresses; during the invasion Sokka used his sword skills to defeat multiple Fire Nation soldiers and in The Boiling Rock Sokka and Zuko teamed up to fight Azula, a highly skilled firebender, to a stalemate with Zuko defending against her fire blasts and Sokka keeping her back with his sword. In the series finale, his fighting abilities culminate in a scene that finds Sokka using a combination of his speed, agility, and deft motion to disable two Firebenders of the Royal Guard, while wounded and dangling from a falling Fire Nation airship, though he sacrifices the sword in the process.
Sokka was also given a white lotus Pai Sho piece by his master, an important symbol to the secret White Lotus Society. Members of the society are known for appreciating philosophy, being masters of bending and warrior disciplines, and for disregarding traditional rivalries and hatreds held between the nations.
Beginning in the third season, Sokka also on occasion assumes the persona of Wang Fire, a Fire Nation citizen in good standing. First done to pass as Aang's father (with Katara as his wife, Sapphire Fire), he subsequently dons an oversize beard for comic relief as in "Nightmares and Daydreams," pulling scams in "The Runaway" and used it to enlist in the Fire Nation army in Avatar comics. (www.wikipedia.org)
Katara
Katara
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | This article or section describes a work or element of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. Please rewrite this article or section to explain the fiction more clearly and provide non-fictional perspective. |
| Avatar: The Last Airbender character | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Katara | |
| Nationality | Water Tribe (Southern Tribe) |
| Notable Aliases | The Painted Lady, Saphire Fire |
| Gender | Female |
| Hair color | Brown |
| Eye color | Blue |
| Age | 14 |
| First appearance | “The Boy in the Iceberg” |
| Voiced by | Mae Whitman |
Katara is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. The character, created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, is voiced by Mae Whitman.
In the show, fourteen-year-old Katara is a Waterbending master from the South Pole's Southern Water Tribe, a race of people who can control and manipulate water.[1] She is the last remaining Waterbender of her entire Tribe because of continuous raids on her village by the Fire Nation. She, along with her older brother, Sokka, discover an Airbender named Aang, the long-lost Avatar, and accompanies him on his quest to defeat the imperialistic Fire Nation and bring peace to the war-torn nations.[2]
Contents[hide] |
[edit] Creation and conception
 | Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (March 2008) |
According to the unaired pilot episode included on the Avatar Complete Book 1 Collection DVD set, Katara’s name was originally Kya, but was changed. The name Kya would be later used for her deceased mother. [3] In “Tales of Ba Sing Se”, Katara’s name was written as 卡 塔 拉. Kǎ (卡) means to check, block, or card; Tǎ (塔) means pagoda; and Lā (拉) means to pull.[citation needed] The character Lā is the same La as the Ocean Spirit’s name from the season one's finale, while the character for Kǎ also appears in Sokka's name.[citation needed]
In the commentary of the unaired pilot episode, co creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino state that Katara's “hair loopies” used to hang down but was changed because the animators said it would be too hard to animate and suggested that they’d be looped back rather than beaded locks.[3]
Katara also is the owner of her grandmother's betrothal necklace. Her grandmother handed it down to Katara’s mother, who handed it down to Katara. The necklace is a navy blue choker, with the water tribe insignia carved on the only hanging ornament, a sky blue pendant.
[edit] Plot Overview
Katara grew up as the mature, motherly figure of her family and tribe. When Katara was eight years old, her mother gave her life for her daughter's during a Fire Nation raid in order to protect her identity as the only Waterbender in the tribe. Katara managed to locate her mother's killer, but was unable to kill him due to an internal ethical conflict.[4]
Though her interests lay in developing her waterbending skills, she resigns herself to cooking and cleaning duties while her brother, Sokka, trained to become a warrior. At twelve, Katara’s father, Hakoda, and the other tribesmen journey to the Earth Kingdom to participate in the war effort against the Fire Nation. This leaves her, alongside her brother and grandmother, Kanna ("Gran Gran"), to look after the tribe.[5]
The events of Avatar: The Last Airbender begin two years following this, during a spearfishing expedition, when Katara and Sokka find Aang in suspended animation inside an iceberg. Katara frees him and comes to discover that Aang is the Avatar. With a common goal of mastering waterbending, Katara, along with her brother, joins Aang in the journey to the Northern Water Tribe to find a waterbending master to teach them.[6] Upon arrival, Master Pakku refuses her apprenticeship, because she is female.[7] However, after noticing an engagement gift he gave to Katara's grandmother half a century ago, he agrees to teach her.[7] Katara advances so quickly in her art during their stay in the Northern Water Tribe that Pakku formally deems her capable enough to be Aang's waterbending teacher. [8]
The second season opens with Katara leaving the North Pole, and receiving water from the Spirit Oasis.[9] Katara then journeys with Aang to the Earth Kingdom for him to learn earthbending.[9] While at an Earth Kingdom stronghold, General Fong places Katara’s life in danger in an attempt to get Aang to enter the Avatar State.[9] After Toph joins the group to teach Aang, Katara and Toph often end up in fights and disagreements. While in Ba Sing Se, Katara is thrown into a prison with Zuko, the antagonist from season one. Initially hostile, she speaks to him and begins to believe he has changed. She then offers to heal his scar. Before that can happen, Aang and Iroh show up to save the two. In the following battle Aang is mortally wounded. After Aang is hurt Katara confronts Azula in a fierce battle and actually manages to push Azula back, until Zuko intervenes. She then attempts to take both Azula and Zuko on by herself. They eventually overwhelm her, but she mangages to save Aang and escape. At the end of season two Katara uses the water from the Spirit Oasis to attempt to heal Aang.[10]
While on the ship that the group obtains to get to the Fire Nation in the third season, they are attacked by another Fire Nation ship that discovered their false identity, Katara aids in their escape.[11] While in a village burdened by the Fire Nation's pollution; Katara surreptitiously disguises herself as the river spirit, The Painted Lady, in order to help the village.[12] While staying with an old woman the group meets in the woods, they find one of the last Southern Waterbenders before Katara, Hama. Hama was kidnapped and thrown in a Fire Nation prison, and discovered a new kind of waterbending while imprisoned. She tries to teach Katara the techniques of the Southern Water Tribe and bloodbending. When Katara refuses to learn this technique, Hama bloodbends Aang and Sokka, forcing Katara to use that power herself to save her friends.[13] Katara isn't seen doing very much in the next 3 episodes other than helping heal Toph's feet which were burned. In "The Western Air Temple", when Zuko offers to join, it is Katara who makes the first move to attack him and send him off. At the end of the episode Katara makes a threat to Zuko that if she so much as thinks he's going to hurt Aang, she will end Zuko's life. Zuko does not gain Katara's trust until "The Southern Raiders", in which Zuko helps Katara find the man who killed her and Sokka's mother, Kya. She sets out with the intent to kill him, but ultimately finds she can't do it.
During the Sozin's Comet two-hour premiere, Katara goes with Zuko to stop Azula from becoming Fire Lord. When Azula and Zuko clash, Azula attempts to blast Katara with lightning. Zuko, however, jumps in the way, and is badly wounded, forcing Katara to chain Azula to a sewage cage. She heals Zuko and they wait for the outcome of Aang's battle with Fire Lord Ozai. When the war ends, she is seen in Ba Sing Se, living a peaceful life.[14]
[edit] Waterbending
Katara's abilities have greatly improved since the very first episode. At the outset, she, at best, waterbended by luck. She had little control over her waterbending and often needed someone else to help her defeat an opponent, though her temper, which would increase her waterbending tenfold, would often get in the way by causing unnecessary destruction. However as time went on, thanks to practicing diligently and studying a waterbending scroll and then studying under Master Pakku, her waterbending rapidly improved, to the point that she was considered a Waterbending Master, surprising Master Pakku as being one of his best students by far.
Katara can use water to cut through objects, can summon lashing waves and whips of varying sizes, cover herself with a sheath of water and manipulate it at will, surf on a surfboard made out of ice, melt and control existing ice, forming it into various shapes, and can freeze water and objects surrounded by water with little effort, create giant walls of mist and steam, transform steam into ice instantly, evaporate large amounts of water. Katara once used the water from her own sweat to break herself out of a wooden jail-cell.[15] She has learned from Hama to use and take the water from the moisture in the air, in plants and underground within the Earth. She also has learned from Hama to manipulate people and animals using the water within their bodies through a rare and sinister form of waterbending that can only be used during a full moon called "Bloodbending."[13] She has used bloodbending against Hama to stop her from harming Aang and Sokka, albeit reluctantly, and again on an individual who she had thought had killed her mother, this time without remorse.
Katara has proven herself a very powerful Waterbender, most notably during her duel with the Waterbender, Hama, in single combat, bloodbend effectively first time around and hold her own against Sokka, an upcoming swordsman, and Aang, the Avatar, when Hama was manipulating their bodies against their will. She also has shown to be nearly as skilled as Aang even though he can bend more elements. She was able to defeat Zuko, and even turn the tides on Zuko's sister Azula and then later in the series defeat her by chaining her to a grate .[13] In the midst of their battle, Master Pakku was so impressed that he, grudgingly, had to admit that she is a powerful waterbender in her own right and later deemed her a master Waterbender under his study.[7][9]
Katara is one of the few waterbenders born with the Waterbending sub-talent to heal using water as a catalyst, manifesting itself when she was burned by Aang when he first learned Firebending.[16] Her ability to heal has only proven to get better under the tutelage of the Northern Water Tribe's Head Healer, Yugota. She has used it to relieve sickness,[12] temporarily undo brainwashing,[17] heal seemingly mortal wounds such as burns and bleeding injuries,[11] and even the almost dead with the help of the magical water from the Spirit Oasis.[10] Her healing powers do have limits though as she can't cure all sicknesses, can't completely undo brain damage, and can do little for internal injuries and disfigurement like birth defects.[17]
[edit] Characteristics
Being another protagonist of the show, Katara also receives a lot of attention from reviewers. She is described as "Smart, capable; almost a generic anime heroine".[18] In addition to these features, she also is "kind, brave, and passionate."[19]
Katara is also very nurturing, acting as den mother for the group. She usually cooks their meals and washes their clothes and personally takes responsibility for her brother, Sokka, and later Toph, and especially Aang. Her maternal instincts, while with good intentions, can make her sometimes bossy.
In addition to that she is very stubborn, often butting heads with the abrasive, independent and often hygenically challenged Toph. She is flawed in that she feels that she has to help everybody, leading to Katara getting hurt, usually by boys, such as Jet.
[edit] Appearances in other media
| | Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (March 2008) |
Katara's character has appeared in both THQ's video game for the show, which are Avatar: The Last Airbender (video game)[20] and Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Burning Earth.[21][22] Like Aang, Katara also appears on some Avatar T-shirts sold by Nick,[23] as well as in Tokyopop's films comic (sometimes referred to as cine-manga). (www.wikipedia.org)
Aang
Aang
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Avatar: The Last Airbender character | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Aang | |
| Nationality | Air Nomads |
| Notable Aliases | Avatar (by people who do not know his name) |
| Gender | Male |
| Hair color | Dark brown (generally shaven) |
| Age | 12 (biological) 112 (chronological) |
| First appearance | "The Boy in the Iceberg" |
| Voiced by | Zach Tyler Eisen |
| Mitchel Musso (television pilot) | |
Aang is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. The character, created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, is voiced by Zach Tyler Eisen. Aang—the show's main protagonist—has appeared in all but one episode of the show, the exception being "Zuko Alone". Aang also appeared in the pilot episode, which has never been aired.[1] Aang has appeared in other media, such as trading cards,[2][3] video games,[4][5] T-shirts,[6] and web comics.[7]
In the show, Aang is the last surviving Airbender and a monk of the Air Nomads, the only race of people with the unique ability to manipulate the air around them. He is also a supercentenarian at the age of 112.[8] He was in suspended animation for one century, making his biological age twelve.[8] It is revealed in the second episode that he is the current incarnation of the Avatar, the spirit of the planet manifested in human form.[9][10] As the Avatar, Aang controls the elements and is tasked with keeping the Four Nations at peace.[11] The show follows Aang's journeys to complete this task.[11]
Most of Aang's traits, such as vegetarianism,[12] are based on Buddhist and Taoist tradition.[13] Aang is the series' reluctant hero,[11] showing hesitation when joining his friends to save the world from the Fire Nation.[9] His "lighthearted" personality has been accepted well among critics.[14] The creators intended Aang to "defeat enemies with his wits" and be a "trickster hero".[15]
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[edit] Creation and conception
Aang's character was developed from a drawing by Bryan Konietzko. The sketch depicted a middle-aged bald man with an arrow on his head. Konietzko evolved the character into a picture of a child with a flying bison.[16] Meanwhile, Michael Dante DiMartino was interested in a documentary about explorers trapped in the South Pole. The idea caused the pair to think:
There's an air guy along with these water people trapped in a snowy wasteland...and maybe some fire people are pressing down on them...
—Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko[16]
The plot they described corresponds with the first and second episodes of the series, where the "water people" (Katara and Sokka) rescue the "air guy" (Aang) while "trapped in a snowy wasteland" (the Southern Water Tribe) with "some fire people [that] are pressing down on them" (Fire Nation Troops and Zuko).[8][10][16] The creators of the show intended Aang to be trapped in an iceberg for one thousand years. He was to wake inside a futuristic world, where he would have a pet robot named Momo and a dozen flying bison. The creators lost interest in the theme, and changed it to one hundred years of suspended animation. The robotic Momo was changed to a flying lemur, and the herd of bison was reduced to one.[16]
Aang's character has a well developed cultural ideology. According to the show's creators, "Buddhism and Taoism have been huge inspirations behind the idea for Avatar."[13] A notable aspect of the character is his vegetarian diet, consistent with Buddhism or Taoism.[13] In the Brahmajala Sutra, a Buddhist code of ethics, vegetarianism is encouraged.[17] In "The King of Omashu", Aang demonstrates his vegetarian beliefs by refusing to eat meat.[18] Aang consistently shows a reluctance to fight and an aversion against killing. In "The Spirit World (Winter Solstice, Part 1)", Aang gets into a fight with an angry spirit who is destroying a village; instead of fighting the spirit, Aang negotiates.[19] In Buddhism, this principle is known by its Sanskrit name, ahimsa, or non violence.
Airbending, the style Aang primarily uses in the show, is based on an "internal" Chinese martial art called Baguazhang. This fighting style focuses on circular movements, and does not have many finishing moves. These characteristics were meant to represent the unpredictability of air and the peaceful nature of Airbenders in the show.[20]
[edit] Plot overview
The producers of the show have named each season as a "book"; each of these books was named after one of the four elements in the show. Flashbacks also reveal events that happened before the show opened.[21] In a flashback during "The Storm", the elder monks hold a private meeting with Aang to reveal his identity as the Avatar. Monk Gyatso, Aang's mentor and father-figure, insists that Aang be raised as a regular child.[22] Nearing the end, the monks began to believe that Gyatso interfered too much, so they decide to send Aang to the Eastern Air Temple. Aang refuses to be torn away from his mentor; he writes a note for Gyatso before flying away on his bison. It is revealed in the first episodes of the show that a violent storm catches Aang and plummets him into the ocean during his escape. Aang then enters the Avatar State, unknowingly, for the first time to encase himself and Appa in a frozen air bubble. An image of this air bubble, resembling an iceberg, ends the flashback.[8][22]
After 100 years in the frozen iceberg, the show opens when Katara and her brother Sokka free Aang and Appa in the first episode of the show.[8] In the next episode, they all set off for the Northern Water Tribe, with intentions to find a waterbending master to teach Aang and Katara.[10] In another episode, Aang meets his previous incarnation, Avatar Roku, informing him that he must master all four bending arts and defeat Fire Lord Ozai before the end of summer.[23] Later, in the second season, Aang meets Toph Bei Fong, a blind earthbending master, who becomes one of his teachers.[24] A couple of episodes later, Aang and his friends find out that a solar eclipse will occur before the end of the summer, rendering the Firebenders powerless.[25] During the season finale, Aang battles in the underground caverns of Ba Sing Se. He is killed when Azula strikes him with lightning, but is revived thanks to Katara's healing abilities.[26]
In the third season, Aang and his comrades gain a new enemy while traveling – an assassin hired by Zuko who firebends with his third eye.[27] Aang and his remaining allies attack the Fire Nation capital in the tenth and eleventh episodes of the season, but are thwarted by Azula.[28] In the following episode, Zuko has a change of heart and offers to teach Aang firebending. Aang accepts, despite the group's strong opposition. In "The Firebending Masters" Aang learns firebending with the help of the last two dragons.[29]
During the two hour series finale, he struggles greatly about whether or not to kill the Fire Lord. After he sleepwalks into a forest, he speaks to four previous Avatars, seeking advice. Each tells him that he must kill the Fire Lord, albeit in different ways. After discovering that the forest is atop a swimming lion-turtle, and receiving advice from said lion-turtle, he prepares to confront the Fire Lord. Once Ozai arrives, Aang engages him in battle. After sparing Ozai when redirecting his lightning and then being backed into a corner, Aang releases his seventh chakra and enters the Avatar State. The Avatar State tips the battle in Aang's favor, and makes swift work of Ozai. Using a technique taught to him by the lion-turtle, Aang removes Ozai's ability to firebend, effectively eliminating the threat. Back in the Fire Nation capital, Aang is seen in monk robes, standing beside Zuko while Zuko is appointed Fire Lord. He is later seen relaxing with his friends in Ba Sing Se.[30]
[edit] Characteristics
Michael Dante DiMartino, the show's co-creator, said:
We wanted Aang to solve problems and defeat enemies with his wits as well as his powerful abilities.
—Michael Dante DiMartino[15]
Aang is a vegetarian, as shown in "The King of Omashu" when he refuses to eat meat,[12] because the Air Nomads taught him that "all life is sacred"--(but although Aang is a vegetarian he is not strictly a Vegan as shown in the The Great Divide, Aang was potrayed as having a fondness for Egg Custard Tarts).[30] Aang states a reluctance to fight in "The Spirit World (Winter Solstice, Part 1)"; Aang hopelessly negotiates with a spirit who is destroying a village instead of fighting.[19] Due to his non-violent nature, he also shows ethical reluctance in killing Firelord Ozai,[31] and eventually strips Ozai of his bending instead of killing him.[30] In the show, Aang has a complex network of friends extending over all four nations.[8]
Aang reveals in "The Storm" that he wishes he had been there to help his people a century ago, but would rather live a child's carefree life.[21] Multiple times in the show, Aang demonstrates how much he cares for those close to him and his childish qualities, even to the point of deceiving others to keep the group together. In "Bato of the Water Tribe", Aang thinks Katara and Sokka might leave to visit their father. Aang hides the map showing their father's whereabouts and lies about having it in the first place.[32]
In some episodes, he demonstrates flight abilities with airbending. One technique for this is to make a ball of air and ride on it, which Aang calls the Air Scooter.[33] Other methods of flying include his glider,[8] and Appa.[34] In the last episode, Aang can also fly when he's in a ball of air.
[edit] Reception
In the show's intended demographics, Aang has been received exceptionally well. Kendall Lyons stated, "Aang seems to be the lighthearted kid that you can easily familiarize yourself with", and that he "seems to bring comfort in the most dangerous or hostile situations."[14] There are many similar descriptions about Aang as a child-like character who is "reckless and excitable".[35] Reviews point out that "as the Avatar, Aang seems unstoppable, but as Aang, he is just another Airbender"; the review states later that the show continues to focus on a more realistic character instead of a perfect one by revealing many character flaws.[36]
[edit] Appearances in other media
Aang's character appeared in the Avatar: The Last Airbender Trading Card Game on a multitude of cards.[2][3] He appeared in the Avatar: The Last Airbender video game as one of the four playable characters.[37] The second installment is Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Burning Earth.[4][38] Avatar T-shirts, some with Aang appearing on them, are being sold through the Nickelodeon Shop website.[6] Tokyopop has published a films comic (sometimes referred to as cine-manga), which Aang, being the main character of the show, appears in repeatedly.[7]
Aang appeared in Escape from the Spirit World, an online video game that can be found on Nickelodeon's official website. The game includes certain plot changes that are not shown in the show. The show's directors, Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, claim the events are part of canon.[5] This means that even though the events occurred in a separate media, they still are considered part of the storyline. (www.wikipedia.org)
Kamis, 20 November 2008
about naruto
Plot
Naruto Uzumaki is a young boy who has the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox sealed within him. Twelve years before the start of the series, the fox attacked the ninja village Konohagakure, slaughtering many people. As such, the leader of Konohagakure – the Fourth Hokage – sacrificed his own life to seal the demon inside Naruto when he was a newborn. Konohagakure, however, regarded Naruto as if he were the demon fox itself and mistreated him throughout most of his childhood. A decree made by the Third Hokage forbade anyone mention the attack of the demon fox to anyone although Naruto soon realized about this. Years later, Naruto graduated from the Ninja Academy by using his Shadow Clone Technique, a technique from a forbidden scroll that he was tricked into stealing, to save his teacher, Iruka Umino, from the renegade ninja Mizuki. That encounter gave Naruto two insights: that he was the container of the demon fox, and that there was someone besides the Third Hokage who actually cared for and acknowledged him.
The main story follows Naruto and his friends' personal growth and development as ninja, and emphasizes their interactions with each other and the influence of their backgrounds on their personalities. Naruto finds two friends and comrades in Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, two fellow young ninja who are assigned with him to form a three-person team under an experienced sensei named Kakashi Hatake. Naruto also confides in other characters that he meets throughout the series as well. They learn new abilities, get to know each other and other villagers better, and experience a coming-of-age journey as Naruto dreams of becoming the Hokage of Konohagakure. Throughout all of the Naruto plot, strong emphasis on character development changes the plot, with very few things happening because of chance. At first, emphasis is placed on Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, who are the members of Team 7. Later, Orochimaru, a criminal at the top of Konoha's most wanted list, attacks Konoha killing the Third Hokage as an act of revenge. He also desires to acquire Sasuke Uchiha due to his powerful genetic heritage. Believing Orochimaru will be able to give him the strength needed to kill his brother Itachi, who destroyed all his clan, he goes to him. Naruto does not give up on Sasuke, leaving Konoha for two-and-a-half years of training to prepare himself for the next time he meets Sasuke. After the training period, a mysterious organization called Akatsuki attempts to capture the nine powerful tailed beasts including the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox that is sealed inside of Naruto. Several ninjas from Konoha, including Team 7, fight against the Akatsuki members as well as Team 7 search for their teammate Sasuke.
Characters
Naruto has a large number of characters, in which most of them are distinguished for being ninjas. They initially study at the Ninja Academy, where the story begins, are split up into squads of three after their graduation and become Genin, rookie ninja. Each squad is assigned an experienced sensei.[1] These core squads form a basis for the characters' interactions later in the series, where characters are chosen for missions for their team's strength and complementary skills; Naruto's squad 7 becomes the social frame where Naruto is acquainted with Sasuke, Sakura, and their sensei Kakashi, forming the core of his world-in-the-making.[2] The other three-man teams of his former classmates form another such layer, as Naruto connects with them to various degrees, learning of their motives, vulnerabilities, and aspirations, often relating them to his own. The groups of three are not limited to the comrades Naruto's age – groups in the story in general come in threes and multiples of three with very few exceptions.
Sensei-student relationships play a significant role in the series; Naruto has a number of mentors with whom he trains and learns, most notably Iruka, the first ninja to recognize Naruto's existence, Kakashi, his team leader, and Jiraiya, and there are often running threads of tradition and tutelage binding together several generations. These role models provide guidance for their students not only in the ninja arts but also in a number of Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideals. Techniques, ideals, and mentalities noticeably run in families, Naruto often being exposed to the abilities and traditions of generation-old clans in his village when friends from his own age group demonstrate them, or even achieve improvements of their own; it is poignantly noted that Naruto's generation is particularly talented.
Production
Kishimoto first authored a one-shot of Naruto in the August 1997 issue of Akamaru Jump.[3][4] The original Naruto had a significant theming on friendship and trust. At the beginning of the story, neither Naruto or Kuroda trusted anyone, but by the end both befriended and trusted each other. Despite its high results in the reader poll after getting released, Kishimoto thought "[the] art stinks and the story's a mess!" Kishimoto also revealed that he was originally working on Karakuri for the Hop Step Award when, unsatisfied by the rough drafts, he decided to work on something different instead, which later formed into Naruto. When an interviewer asked Kishimoto if he had any message for his Anglophone audience, Kishimoto said "I feel sometimes that Naruto is too Japanese, with all the chakra and hand signs, but as you read it you'll find that it's fun."[5]
When originally creating the Naruto story, Kishimoto looked to other shōnen manga as influences for his work, although he attempted to make his characters as unique as possible.[6] The separation of the characters into different teams was intended to give each group a specific flavor. Kishimoto wished for each member to be "extreme," having a high amount of aptitude in one given attribute yet be talentless in another."[7] The insertion of villains into the story was largely to have them act as a counterpoint to the characters' moral values. Kishimoto has admitted that this focus on illustrating the difference in values is central to his creation of villains to the point that, "I don't really think about them in combat."[8]
When drawing the characters, Kishimoto follows a five-step process that he consistently follows: concept and rough sketch, drafting, inking, shading, and coloring. These steps are followed when he is drawing the actual manga and making the color illustrations that commonly adorn the cover of tankōbon, the cover of Weekly Shōnen Jump, or other media, but the toolkit he utilizes occasionally changes.[9] For instance, he utilized an airbrush for one illustration for a Weekly Shōnen Jump cover, but decided not to use it for future drawings largely due to the cleanup required.[10]
Kishimoto added that, as Naruto takes place in a "Japanese fantasy world," the creator has to "set certain rules, in a systematic way" so that he could easily "convey the story." Kishimoto wanted to "draw on" the Chinese zodiac tradition, which had a long-standing presence in Japan; the zodiac hand signs originate from this. When Kishimoto was creating the setting of the Naruto manga, he initially concentrated on the designs for village of Konohagakure, the primary setting of the series. Kishimoto asserts that his design for Konohagakure was created "pretty spontaneously without much thought", but admits that the scenery is based on his home in the Okayama prefecture in Japan. Without a specific time period, Kishimoto included modern elements in the series such as convenience stores, but specifically excluded projectile weapons and vehicles from the storyline. For reference materials, Kishimoto performs his own research into Japanese culture and alludes to it in his work.[11] Regarding technology Kishimoto said that Naruto would not have any firearms. He said he may include automobiles, aircraft, and "low-processing" computers; Kishimoto specified the computers would "maybe" be eight-bit and that they would "definitely not" be sixteen-bit.[12] He has also stated that he has a visual idea of the last chapter of the series, including the text and the story. However, he notes that it may take a long time to end the series since "there are still so many things that need to be resolved".[13]
Media
Manga
Naruto premiered in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine in 1999.[14][15] The first 238 chapters are known as Part I, and constitute the first part of the Naruto storyline. Manga chapters 239 to 244 comprise a gaiden series focusing on the background of the character Kakashi Hatake. All subsequent chapters belong to Part II, which continues the storyline in Part I after a two and a half year time jump. The English adaptation of the Naruto manga is licensed by Viz and serialized in Viz's version of Shonen Jump.[14] In order to compensate for the gap between the Japanese and English adaptations of the manga, Viz announced its "Naruto Nation" campaign, where it would release three volumes a month in the last four months of 2007 in order to close said gap.[16] Cammie Allen, Viz's product manager, commented that, "Our main reason [for the accelerated schedule] was to catch up to the Japanese release schedule to give our readers a similar experience to that of our readers in Japan."[16] A similar campaign is planned for 2009, with eleven volumes from Part II of the series being released between February and April in order to catch up to the Japanese serialization. Starting with the release of volume forty-five in July, Viz will begin releasing Naruto on a quarterly basis.[17]
As of May 2008, 42 tankōbon have been released by Shueisha in Japan, with the first twenty-seven tankōbon containing Part I, and the remaining fifteen belonging to Part II. The first tankōbon was released on March 3, 2000,[18] with the forty-fourth released on November 4, 2008.[19] In addition, four tankōbon, each containing ani-manga based one of the first four Naruto movies, have been released by Shueisha.[20][21][22][23] Viz has released 30 volumes of the English adaptation of the manga.[24] In addition, Viz Media released all twenty-seven volumes in a boxed set, thus constituting the entirety of the Naruto storyline before Part II on November 13, 2007.[25]
Anime series
Naruto
Directed by Hayato Date and produced by Studio Pierrot and TV Tokyo, the Naruto anime adaptation premiered in Japan on TV Tokyo October 3, 2002, and ran for 220 episodes until its conclusion on February 8, 2007.[26][27] The first 135 episodes are adapted from the first twenty-seven volumes of the manga, while the remaining eighty episodes are filler episodes that utilize plot elements not seen in the original manga.[28]
Viz has licensed the anime series for broadcast and distribution in the Region 1 market.[26] The English adaptation of the anime began airing on September 10, 2005.[29] The episodes have been shown on Cartoon Network's Toonami, YTV's Bionix and Jetix UK's programming blocks.[26] In the American broadcast, references to alcohol, Japanese culture, sexual innuendo, and even blood and death were sometimes reduced for the broadcast, but left in the DVD editions.[30] Other networks make additional content edits apart from the edits done by Cartoon Network, such as Jetix's more strict censoring of blood, language, smoking and the like. The series has also been licensed to the websites Hulu and Joost to air them online in Japanese with English subtitles.[31][32]
Naruto: Shippūden
Naruto: Shippūden (ナルト 疾風伝? lit. Naruto: Hurricane Chronicles) is the ongoing sequel to the original Naruto anime and covers the Naruto manga from volume twenty-eight on. After training for two and a half years with Jiraiya, Naruto returns to Konohagakure, reunites with the friends he left behind, and reforms Team 7, now called Team Kakashi, with Sai replacing Sasuke. All of Naruto's classmates have matured and improved in the ranks, some more than others. Unlike the original series where they only played a minor role, the Akatsuki organization takes on the main antagonistic role in their attempts at world domination.
The TV adaptation of Naruto: Shippūden made its debut in Japan on February 15, 2007 on TV Tokyo, and in the Philippines on January 28, 2008 on ABS-CBN. ABS-CBN is the first international TV network (i.e. TV network outside Japan) to broadcast Naruto: Shippūden. ABS-CBN has initially aired the first 40 episodes of Naruto: Shippūden until March 19, 2008 since it is still airing in Japan.[33] Additionally, beginning January 8, 2005, TV Tokyo will begin broadcasting new episodes via internet streaming directly to monthly subscribers. Each streamed episode will be made available online within an hour of its Japanese premiere and will include English subtitles.[34] Viz will also begin streaming English subtitled episodes of the series on January 15, 2009 on their official website for the series. The uploaded episodes will include both previously released episodes and the new episodes from Japan.[35]
Soundtracks
All of the music for the Naruto soundtracks were composed and arranged by Toshio Masuda.[36] The first, called Naruto Original Soundtrack, was released on April 3, 2003 and contained twenty-two tracks that appeared during the first season of the anime.[37] The second, called Naruto Original Soundtrack II was released on March 18, 2004 and contained nineteen tracks.[38] The third, called Naruto Original Soundtrack III was released on April 27, 2005 and contained twenty-three tracks.[39]
A series of two soundtracks containing all the opening and ending themes of the series, titled Naruto: Best Hit Collection and Naruto: Best Hit Collection II were released on November 17, 2004 and August 2, 2006, respectively.[40][41] Of all tracks of the series, eight were selected and released as a CD called Naruto in Rock -The Very Best Hit Collection Instrumental Version- that was released on December 19, 2007.[42] Each of the three movies of the first anime series has a soundtrack that was released near its release date.[43][44][45] Various Drama CD series have also been released in which the voice actors play original episodes.[46]
The soundtracks of Naruto: Shippūden have been produced by Yasuharu Takanashi.[47] The first, titled Naruto Shippūden the Movie: Original Soundtrack was released on August 1, 2007[48] and Naruto Shippūden Original Soundtrack was released on December 9, 2007.[49] Naruto All Stars was released on July 23, 2008. This soundtrack consisted of ten original Naruto songs remixed and sung by characters from the series.[50]
OVAs
There are a total of four Naruto original video animations (OVAs). The first two, Find the Crimson Four-Leaf Clover! and Mission: Protect the Waterfall Village!, were aired at the Shōnen Jump Jump Festa 2003 and Jump Festa 2004, respectively, and were later released on DVD.[51][52] The English localization of the second OVA was released on DVD by Viz on May 22, 2007.[53] The third OVA, Finally a clash! Jonin VS Genin!! Indiscriminate grand melee tournament meeting!!, was released on a bonus disc with the Japanese edition of the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3 video game for the PlayStation 2.[54] The fourth OVA, Konoha Annual Sports Festival, is a short video released with the first Naruto movie.[55] There is also a special feature included with the seventh Naruto: Shippūden compilation DVD based on the second ending of the series called Hurricane! "Konoha Academy" Chronicles.[56]
Films
The first series has also spawned three films. Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow was released on August 21, 2004 in Japan and on DVD on April 28, 2005. It tells how Team 7 is dispatched to the Land of Snow to protect the actors during the shooting of the new Princess Fuun movie, to whom Naruto became a fan. As a bonus, the short and non-canonical OVA Konoha Annual Sports Festival was included with the Japanese release of the film.[57] It premiered on September 6, 2007 in the United States.[58][59]
Legend of the Stone of Gelel was released in theaters in Japan on August 6, 2005. The film involves Naruto, Shikamaru and Sakura during a ninja mission in which they are involved in a war between the Sunagakure village and a large number of armored warriors.[60] Unlike its predecessor, Legend of the Stone of Gelel did not see a theatrical release in the United States, and was direct-to-video instead. It aired on Cartoon Network on July 26, 2008 and then was released to DVD July 29, 2008.[61]
Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom was originally released on August 5, 2006. It shows how Naruto, Sakura, Lee, and Kakashi are assigned to protect the future prince of the Land of Moon, Hikaru Tsuki.[62] The English dub of the movie aired on Cartoon Network on November 11, 2008 and then was released to DVD November 11, 2008.[63][64]
The series sequel has so far two films: one film called Naruto: Shippūden the Movie was released on August 4, 2007. It tells that Naruto is assigned to protect the priest Shion who starts having visions of his death.[65] The second one Bonds was released on August 2, 2008. In the film, ninja from the Sky Country attack Konoha and to stop them, Naruto and Sasuke join forces although the latter has already left two years ago.[66]
Novels
Two Naruto novels, written by Masatoshi Kusakabe, published in Japan by Shueisha and released in English in North America by Viz. The first, Naruto: Innocent Heart, Demonic Blood is based on the first arc of the series and was released on December 16, 2002 in Japan and November 21, 2006 in North America.[67][68] The second novel Naruto: Mission: Protect the Waterfall Village!, based in the 2nd OVA of the anime, was published on December 15, 2003 in Japan and October 16, 2007 in the United States.[69][70]
Video games
Naruto video games have appeared on various consoles from Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, and Bandai. The very first Naruto video game was Naruto: Konoha Ninpouchou, which was released in Japan on March 27, 2003, for the WonderSwan Color. Most Naruto video games have been released only in Japan. It wasn't until March 7, 2006, when the first game of the Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen series and Naruto: Saikyou Ninja Daikesshu series were released in North America under the titles of Naruto: Clash of Ninja and Naruto: Ninja Council that any Naruto games were officially available outside of Japan.[71][72] These games featured the voices from the English dubbed version of the anime. Recently, two new Naruto games for Nintendo DS and Wii have been revealed at the Tokyo Game Show. Also, the fifth installment to the Narutimate Hero series has been announced. There was also a new Naruto game released for the Xbox 360, Rise of a Ninja and a completely different one for the Playstation 3 is being developed by CyberConnect2 and Namco for release in 2008. It was originally known as Naruto: PS3 Project, but it has received the official title of Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm.
Trading card game
Published by Bandai, the Naruto Collectible Card Game is a collectible card game (CCG) based on the Naruto series. This game was introduced in 2006.
Art and guidebooks
Several supplementary books of the Naruto series have been released. An artbook named The Art of Naruto: Uzumaki contains illustration of Part I manga and was released in both Japan and the United States.[73] For the Part II manga, an artbook called PAINT JUMP: Art of Naruto was released by Shueisha on April 4, 2008.[74] A series of guidebooks for the Part I called First Official Data Book (秘伝・臨の書キャラクターオフィシャルデータBOOK Hiden: Rin no Sho Character Official Data Book?)[75] and Second Official Data Book (秘伝・闘の書キャラクターオフィシャルデータBOOK Hiden: Tō no Sho Character Official Data Book?)[76] were released only in Japan. These books contain character profiles, Jutsu guides and drafts made by Kishimoto. For the anime, a series of guidebook called Naruto anime profiles were also released. These books contain information about the production of the anime episodes and explanation of the characters designs.[77]
Reception
As of volume 36, the manga has sold over 71 million copies in Japan.[78] The Naruto manga series has become one of Viz's top properties,[79] accounting for nearly 10% of all manga sales in 2006.[80] The seventh volume of Viz's release became the first manga to ever win a Quill Award when it claimed the award for "Best Graphic Novel" in 2006.[80] The manga also appeared in the USA Today Booklist with volume 11 holding the title of the highest ranked manga series on the list, until it was surpassed by volume 28, which claimed the 17th rank in its first week of release in March 2008.[81][82][83] Volume 28 also had one of the biggest debut weeks of any manga in years and is currently the top selling manga title of 2008.[84] During its release, volume 29 ranked #57, while the volume 28 had dropped to #139.[85] In April 2007, volume 14 earned Viz the "Manga Trade Paperback of the Year" Gem Award from Diamond Comic Distributors.[86]
The series has received praise and criticism by several reviewers. A. E. Sparrow from IGN noted how some manga volumes focus only in certain characters to the point the number of fans increases. He also praised the way that Kishimoto manages to make a good combinations of fighting scenes, comedy and good artwork.[87] Carl Kimlinger from Anime Network praised the designs of the series characters, since every one shows their unique way of acting and appearance. He also noted how even "goofiest looking character" can act "damm cool" when he fights. However, he noted that since in some volumes there are several fights, the plot is not able to be developed although he praised how each of them were emotional.[88] The start of Part II has been praised in another review by Casey Brienza. She noted how good were the characters developed as they had new appearances and abilites. She also praises the balance between plot and action scenes allowing the readers the enjoy the volume. However, she noted that it is not frequent that all the volumes have the same quality.[89] Briana Lawrence from Mania Entertainment added that in Part II, the manga feels "adult" since several characters grew up but there are still comedy parts in the series. However, the translations made by Viz were criticized for being "inconsisent" due to the change of some Japanese terms to English, and other words that were left intact. Words added in the translation have also been commented to be unfittable "such as Sakura saying that Kakashi is “lackadaisical”."[89]
In TV Asahi's latest top 100 Anime Ranking, Naruto ranked 17th on the list.[90] Naruto Shippūden has ranked several times as one of most watched series from Japan.[91][92] The Naruto anime adaptation won the "Best Full-Length Animation Program Award" in the Third UStv Awards held in the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines.[93] The first of the DVD compilations containing thirteen episodes, released by Viz. was nominated at the American Anime Awards for best package design.[94]
Reviewers noted that the primary focus of the series was on the fighting since they consider that the fight scenes are more dedicated than backgrounds.[95] Active Anime praised the fights to each of them exciting since the characters also had important reasons to win as well as the comedy that sometimes occur within them, although they still were deadly.[96] The series has also been criticized for dragging the fights, but they also noted that most of them break the "stereotypical shōnen concepts."[97] Some critics panned the Battle at Hidden Falls OVA, as being a throw back to the earliest episodes of the main Naruto series. Anime News Network's reviewer called it a poor addition to the Naruto franchise that didn't "do the series justice" but may make viewers gain new appreciation for how far the series has progressed since its earliest episodes.[98]
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