The Japanese Origin of the Kyuubi in Naruto

<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://yundaimeanime.blogspot.com/" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5772112447458125810" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk5Ju1W4Gvch9_l_8y_QfPRg0iqrIxF-mMwc1dqMjPdNFhRH8pjNi-3MhBVAkl4zIoAtmJJ5IhdHKk_nu3i9CmhM_TYRuW75SpJBEBH3tXqudgPu4wNeesKDMlH9pWYmWDepgOWUdCHYQl/s320/The-Japanese-Origin-of-the-Kyuubi-in-Naruto.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 351px; height: 263px;" /></a>Few things in the anime, Naruto, can charge the atmosphere with as much as excitement and as much awe as when Kyuubi appears on screen. This rendition of the Japanese mythical creature, the Kitsune, is one of the most mysterious and interesting characters in the anime. The Kyuubi, as I'm sure most Naruto fans know, is the nine-tailed demon fox once ravaged Konoha and was sealed by the fourth Hokage inside the body of Uzumaki Naruto, the series' main character. Naruto, for all his kindness, is often plagued by the Kyuubi's efforts to tempt him with raw power. And, when Naruto is unable to contain his strong emotions, he becomes consumed by the Kyuubi, losing both his sanity and control in a bout of pure and unrestrained rage. Naruto does a 360, changing from the lovable prankster that we all love to a rampaging monster who, if he passes a certain point, can no longer distinguish friend from foe.Kyuubi's OriginsBut where does the Kyuubi's origin lie? Kishimoto-sensei certainly didn't just pull this Kyuubi legend out of his hat. Indeed, the Kyuubi is based on the Japanese mythological creature called the Kitsune. Translated, Kitsune means 'fox'. The fox, as portrayed in Japanese folklore, is a cunning creature, intelligent but mischievous. In fact, the Kitsune is often called a 'trickster' and incidentally, this is how Naruto is portrayed at the beginning of the story. The kitsune can transform into a human being, a skill it learns when it reaches a certain age, usually 100. <br /><br />However, it most commonly transforms into a beautiful woman, a seductress, much like 'Naruko', Naruto's female form when he does his Oiroke no Jutsu.The kitsune can have several tails, ranging from one to nine. The number of tails the kitsune has indicates its age, its wisdom, and its strength. In the anime, when Naruto succumbs to the Kyuubi's temptation of power, his charka leaks out and forms like 'tails'. The number of tails that grows out of Naruto, the stronger he becomes and the more he loses control of himself. So far, in both the manga and in Naruto Shippuden, we have only seen up to four of Naruto's tails. At that point, he completely loses control of himself and he will begin to attack everyone - friend or foe. If he is not contained, or if the Kyuubi is not resealed and Naruto grows all nine tails of the Kyuubi, he will, in a sense, die, and the Kyuubi will once again be released to wreak havoc on the world.Nine TailsThus, the Kyuubi, a nine-tailed fox, is a creature in its prime. Indeed, in the anime, the Kyuubi is said to be the strongest of the nine Bijuus scattered throughout the five countries. One swipe of its mighty tails can cause whole villages to crumble and tidal waves to form. In fact, it's so powerful that it is regarded as a 'natural disaster' by the villagers and is often believed to be a force that comes when human beings become too evil and therefore need to be 'purged'. The reason why Kishimoto chose the Kyuubi to become the strongest Bijuu is probably based on the Japanese legend of the 9 Bijuu, five of which are elemental Bijuu, one of them is Gaara's Shukaku, the Bijuu of Wind. And of course, another one is the Kyuubi, the Bijuu of Fire, the strongest of all the tailed beasts. So that's pretty much it. Hopefully this will give you some idea of where the Kyuubi comes from as well as some of the applications where the Kyuubi is being applied to inside the world of Naruto.<br /></div>

The Japanese Origin of the Kyuubi in Naruto

Few things in the anime, Naruto, can charge the atmosphere with as much as excitement and as much awe as when Kyuubi appears on screen. Thi...

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Introduction to Naruto

<a href="http://yundaimeanime.blogspot.com/" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5771368466891561058" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG3w77u0-pLpvi5Y0ohtNbJAkKHstazk9_P9Ob2M-jV20RFSlyelHhChVS32DI3wbAa45jWHkdyZ7qZDx0shJz0xGBzAeTwcHiYT0P8b-YY14SlVJL2v4xIKaM9rI9-WqKCWn7l4_GO1tG/s320/Introduction-to-Naruto4.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" /></a><br /><a href="http://yundaimeanime.blogspot.com/" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5771368455409232018" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_zRIvKflPM7u6v8egxjKuNM8l1lMirjdFSaahCNYeeE881Dk2q70Nwb5xu8MC1p5pd2a63FK7ZQy1Z5_Z8Ezhyuv4EE86t2Hcof9mDcKjleBCG8WksMoPdmmz6RnJsMRlQMzlNfhFMZRn/s320/Introduction-to-Naruto3.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 225px;" /></a><br /><a href="http://yundaimeanime.blogspot.com/" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5771368454339444786" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOlCZQTCoBxMaXpSYOcXawOW7sXULGDUhujI4Z5wVCrteOfW_Bf5WhdzRQNLFteDia5XZy_i2BFKgkI8Lb5wdTnfjzNMQgu04_aseyXCHWuVmib7yHhtVjlARwjMpgJmMPjfP3XI546liI/s320/Introduction-to-Naruto2.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" /></a><br /><a href="http://yundaimeanime.blogspot.com/" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5771368447452375106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrkhfALs2VQvk31CmWnL-f-0lbP1CcYM1RoctzzrkVtTmzSnMRGYZ9vZD9t229a06dJFs_9Cm5A0YFAMEw8OEosFc2W4YxMV1FiHYdxgbujw7ugW2rVzME6zJy2LFkZlYoqfR1vrqVHn3a/s320/Introduction-to-Naruto1.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" /></a><br /><a href="http://yundaimeanime.blogspot.com/" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5771368468838160962" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCxzHA__pcSz-l7BQuY-F2uZJQILzyw5gefIL7PK_BnHSa1PU-4swsgAt3QXC_7VFY-AP2UOG9lM7OvSa9X5fgbDKOLjaxdxEuLpugrRpJNAMqM8JCrPkJbPjOKGERc5XKLnWWZvkkIngv/s320/Introduction-to-Naruto5.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 251px;" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of Japanese anime to be watched, all across different genres and hence catering to different tastes. Anime is appreciated by all sorts of people from various cultural backgrounds in the world. However, there are a select few that become so popular that they end up being translated into English (either subbed, dubbed or both) and released in English speaking countries.The one particular anime I wish to discuss in this article is Naruto. If you are relatively new to the anime scene, you may have heard of Naruto but not know much about it. It's likely that you have already been exposed to anime and don't realize it. Other long running and classic series include Dragonball, Dragonball Z, Dragonball GT, Pokemon and Bakugan. These other anime series are designed more for younger audience, boys primarily. Naruto on the other hand, I believe, is richer and has a deeper theme allowing it to be appreciated by a wider range of audience whilst still appealing to young boys.<br /><br />Like pretty much all other anime, Naruto started as a manga. The story concept was conceived by Masashi Kishimoto. He also wrote and illustrated the art in the manga. The Naruto manga was published in 1999, which was then turned into anime and released to the Japanese public in 2002. It proved to be so popular that the series was translated into English and aired in the US (2005), Canada (2005), UK (2006) and Australia (2007). Naruto is still an ongoing series. The original series has completed with 220 episodes. The current second running series is called Naruto Shippuden.Similar to other anime, the Naruto plot line is structured into arcs of stories where each arc often spans across several episodes. The arcs are separated by "filler" stand-alone episodes which have little or no consequential impact on the overall plot or character development. This approach is different to having purely stand-alone episodes where every episode is unrelated and inconsequential on the next episode. The idea of using arcs definitely has its advantages as you get to see deeper and more meaningful plots. Rather than experiencing short spurts of climax and plot resolutions, you get longer and grander climatic endings.Basically, the story revolves around a boy with the title name Naruto Uzumaki who dreams of becoming a Hokage in his local village of Konohagakure. In the original series, Naruto is 12 years old. A Hokage is highest level achievable amongst ninja ranks and the individual at this level has the added responsibility of leading the village. The English translation for Konohagakure is Village Hidden in the Leaves and this is the primary geographical location for the stories. <br /></div>

Introduction to Naruto

There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of Japanese anime to be watched, all across different genres and hence catering to different tast...

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Anime Review - Naruto and Naruto Shippuden

<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://yundaimeanime.blogspot.com/" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5770991798619260898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiniQ4mVCjKn7GBAUQd_k7Vk4l_nRRWOlqF-VspZtSU1IAFHLsQ9y-S53AktCW6l51VPjfIVco6uCfvctOjs_hmFXjgnt9cbX1bh_n-3q5Ck_7iuIzCIfqqs1FRjgBtCZO7recQ1Rsw2klh/s320/Anime-Review-Naruto-and-Naruto-Shippuden.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 266px;" /></a>What do you get when you mix Dragonball Z and Ninjas together? You get Naruto. Naruto is an very long, but entertaining anime. The first series running about 220 episodes and the second series, Shippuden, running about 150 episodes, yet it is big even today. It has some of the most interesting story arcs you can find, and the animation is top notch. But with an anime this large there doesn't seem to be an end in sight yet. So how much longer can this anime go on before losing the attention of Otakus?Now the first place any reviewer should start for this anime is the characters. This anime has a lot of characters. In every story arc they create new good and bad guys, go into there back stories, and by the end of the arc you grow to love them. This here is the reason why most fanfic writers love this anime. When you get so many characters, you can have a lot of material to write. But Characters are not enough to create a great anime, you need a story.The story is amazing. It is moved along completely by the characters, with very little out side force. Story arcs are all different and entertaining, with the exceptions of the fillers, the story is really good.<br /><br />But as I said, there are a few things dragging down the story, and you can't talk about Naruto with out talking about them.First, it is long. If you have a low attention span, then some of the longer story arcs feel like a task getting through. The last story arch lasted 20 episodes! Then there is the evil every Naruto fan knows all about: fillers. Filler arcs are used when an anime that is based off of a manga, like Naruto, catches up with the manga. They are used to kill time till the manga is far enough out that they can continue on with the story without problems.<br /><br /> Now I will be honest, I haven't watched every filler episode, for a reason. Naruto has 3 years worth of fillers, and by the time I got to them Shippuden came out. Now Shippuden creators have made some interesting fillers as of late, fitting them into the story by filling some holes that the manga didn't, so hopefully this means they are trying a little more to make quality fillers.Naruto is really good, for the most part it is fun and entertaining, the characters are good and the story is interesting, and if they keep up what they are doing, then I think this anime would be worth watching till the end. You can check out Naruto on Hulu.<br /></div>

Anime Review - Naruto and Naruto Shippuden

What do you get when you mix Dragonball Z and Ninjas together? You get Naruto. Naruto is an very long, but entertaining anime. The first ser...

Read more »