Naruto
Today, there are various TV shows from around the world that allow other humans or race to experience their culture, values, and norms of their society. A way to get a better understanding of this, one must be aware of ethnocentrism, which is, the procedure of forming an opinion or shedding light on social interaction stem from the caliber of one’s own culture (M.U.S.E., 2013). This way of thinking deprived the individual from truly experiencing what a society has to offer. With that said, the chosen show for this paper is Naruto and it has a lot to offer when it comes to the subjects mention above. Naruto is a Japanese manga series developed by Masashi Kishimoto. Manga’s are like comics in the United State but Japanese style of art. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and dreams to become the Hokage, the ninja in his village who is acknowledge as the leader and the strongest of all. From the manga, two anime television series were established titled Naruto, and Naruto: Shippuden a sequel to the original series. Naruto effectively communicates Japanese culture, values, and norms; so, for the purpose of this paper these points will be discussed; cultural experience, the effects of ethnocentrism, and personal experience.
Cultural experience
First of all, there is countless cultural aspect in the Naruto series. For starters, the countryside setting is based on where the author grew up in the area of Japan, which shows the general features of Konohakagure (Village Hidden in the Leaves): The village where Naruto resides. Inevitably, there are three cultural aspects a person sees while watching the series. One, the people hold a strong reverent loyalty to their village, friends, families, and clans. Two, previous generations are view as deities or divine influence, because of the sacrifices they made in order to keep their village alive. Third, they are willing to sacrifice their lives for the people in their village, places, and ideals they hold precious. Moreover, the spiritual science or the mechanisms for the Naruto universe is based on two Japanese religions. They are Buddhism, and Shintoism which is still the main belief today. Ninjutsu is the most crucial technique in the ninja world, and it’s mainly based on Buddhist mythology. The main power or forces behind ninjutsu is chakra, which means wheel. In the series, there are several points located in the body, but the most commonly used ones are the major seven. Also, it elaborate that chakras have five natures, in other words the five elements that makes up the universe; Earth, Fire, Air, Water and Lighting. Along with yin and yang the ninjas use to perform ninjutsu. Lastly, the main characters names are inspired by Japanese culture, not only by that but personalities, abilities, or the role they play in the story.
The effects of ethnocentrism
In addition, my comprehensive overview of the concept, help understand the effects of ethnocentrism. Before I got into the Naruto series, I hesitated to watch it, because I had a strong dislike for anime. I thought they were the worst kind of TV shows, and I did even give it a chance. Finally, my friend convinced to watch it and I did. Truth be told, it was one of the best story and style of TV I’ve ever seen, and now I cannot get enough of it. That was for anime in general. The show on the other hand, I was not excited to watch. Though I fell in love with it from the beginning, I still had some questions about certain aspect, which later I found out the answers about all the questions that I had. Again, it was I forming an opinion about anime’s and Naruto that my appreciation was not up to par. It is definitely a lesson learned. From when I first started watching the Naruto series, because I was so simple-minded towards anime, I promise myself to always give something a chance no matter what, before I judge it. It truly takes away the experience one could of have.
Personal experience
Furthermore, I personally experience profound insights of the Japanese culture. From watching the series, I learned a lot about how much they are willing to sacrifice for the place where they reside (village) and most importantly friendship. That is definitely different from the western world, along with proper suffix use when calling a person’s names. For example, Naruto age group uses Kun at the end of every boy’s names, like Naruto-kun. Chan is use for girls. The adults are viewed as sensei’s; among them are senpai’s. It is a way of respect when properly greeting someone, always. In the world of Naruto, energy is tremendously involved. The physical, spiritual, and nature energy associated with chakras. They develop their abilities through meditation and ninjutsu. Now, the western world has slight ideas of both meditation and chakras, which they got from foreign lands, but compare to Japan their knowledge about both subjects is nothing. Also, there are vast differences between the foods and how it is prepared. In the series, preparing food involves wood for the fire and however many different pans is needed for the meals. The main meals always have vegetables as a side dish, no matter what. Whereas, in the western world they have stoves and sometimes meals have vegetables. In sum, countless Japanese culture materials are display throughout the series.
Conclusion
In summary, Naruto successfully demonstrate Japanese culture, values, and norms. Apart from the cultural aspect and such, it teaches one how to get in touch with the energy (physical, spiritual, and nature) that surrounds them. Not only that, there is a powerful message behind Naruto. It teaches one to never give up, whether on their dreams or giving up in general. Perhaps, this story will teach and guide many generations to come. Reference
M.U.S.E., (2013). Concepts in Sociology. Retrieved from
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