Naruto Philosophy, Day 1 of ?

Okay, on Tuesdays, I'll make a detailed description of 3 characters in an anime and their relation to philosophy. Today's characters are from Naruto and they are: Sasuke Uchiha, Shikamaru Nara, and Neji Hyuga. Next week: Naruto Uzumaki, Rock Lee and Zabuza Momochi


Sasuke is an angsty character, but that's because of a terrible event from his past, losing his entire family and clan to a mysterious assassin. Now his philosophy eschews anything but the mantra, "True power lies in the blood of your people's revenge." meaning that only through the pain of death and suffering in general can one become stronger. This makes him out to be a very vengeful character and whenever his clan's honor is on the line, his power becomes demonic and he seems without remorse.

Sasuke has an ethic of training to surpass everyone, but he also doesn't accept any help from anyone, as he believes he can accomplish his goals alone.



Shikamaru Nara really only has two parts to his philosophy. Firstly, he believes that everything is troublesome, from picking up a pencil to take a test to even trying to save his own life in the ninja exams! This is partly because of Shikamaru's genius IQ of over 200! That, and the fact that he knows he can do what is necessary when he tries...

This ties into the other half of his philosophy, which is leading a simple life with excitement along the way. This is a fundamentally eastern philosophy, emphasizing living life to its fullest, never concerned with the future or what may happen, only what is happening at the moment...



Neji Hyuga is the number one rookie of his ninja academy class. But this doesn't mean he doesn't have problems. He lost his father in a mysterious incident involving an enemy ninja country, and his father paid a debt with his life. This caused Neji to believe that no one can change fate, and this applies even to him with his incredible talent.

This philosophy is only perpetuated by the division of his clan in the Main and Branch Houses. Only the members of the Branch House can become the leaders of the clan and since Neji's father was born only a minute after his twin brother, Neji can never lead his clan. This makes him incredibly cynical towards people who can't accept defeat, which applies to him especially, as he is highly respected. So, Neji is a very complicated case, finally settled in a battle between Naruto and Neji