World of Naruto.html |
| | | ca | | | de | | | en | | | es | | | fr | | | it | | | nl | | | no | | | pl | | | pt | | | ru | | | ro | | | fi | | | sv | | | tr | | | vo | | |
| |  |
 |
This article or section has multiple issues. Please help improve the article or discuss these issues on the talk page.
|
The Naruto anime and manga series takes place in an unnamed fictional world with numerous countries and locations.
Creation and conception
When Masashi 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. Kishimoto created Konohagakure without specifying a specific era or location in the real world, noting that the village is "just a place in [his] head". 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. In an interview, he commented that he "often visits Japanese gardens and [goes] to Kabuki performances" for reference material.[1]
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. 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.[2]
Geography
In the Naruto world, countries operate as separate political entities ruled by landlords. Within these countries are hidden villages (隠れ里 kakurezato?), settlements housing ninja, warriors capable of using supernatural abilities in combat. A hidden village maintains the economy of the parent country by training ninja from a young age and using them to perform missions for other countries. The ninja of a hidden village also serve as the military force of their parent country. The leaders of the hidden villages hold equal status with the leaders of their respective countries. Five countries in the Naruto world: the Land of Earth, the Land of Fire, Land of Lightning, the Land of Water, and the Land of Wind are known as the "Five Great Shinobi Nations". These countries are the most powerful in the Naruto world. They are ruled by a feudal lord and the leaders of the hidden villages in these countries hold the title of Kage.
Land of Fire
The Land of Fire (火の国 Hi no Kuni?) is one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, and contains the hidden village of Konohagakure, where the majority of the Naruto series takes place. Per its namesake, the Land of Fire is oriented towards the element of fire, with bright and warm weather.
Konohagakure
- See also: Protagonists of Naruto and Ninja of Konohagakure
Konohagakure (木ノ葉隠れの里 Konohagakure no Sato?, lit. "Village Hidden Among Tree Leaves"), also known as Konoha, is the hidden village within the Land of Fire and the primary setting of the series. As the hidden village of one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, the village is led by a Kage, known as the Hokage. The faces of all Hokage are engraved on the rock formation overlooking Konohagakure. As of the start of the series, the Third Hokage is the leader of the village. He had abdicated his position in favor of Minato Namikaze, who became the Fourth Hokage, but was forced to reclaim his position after Minato died fighting the nine-tailed demon fox. During Part I of the series, the Third Hokage is killed by his former pupil, Orochimaru, and Tsunade, another of his students, succeeds him as the Fifth Hokage. The origin of Konohagakure is revealed during Part II of the series. The village was formed as part of an alliance between the Uchiha and Senju clans, the strongest clans in the Naruto world at that time. Hashirama Senju, the leader of the Senju clan, became the First Hokage, and defeated Madara Uchiha, the leader of the Uchiha clan, when Madara challenged Hashirama's rule.
Within Konohagakure are a number of locations featured prominently during the series. The Forest of Death (死の森 Shi no Mori?) is a large gated forest used for the yearly ninja exams in which ninja can advance to the rank of Chunin. The Ichiraku Ramen Bar is the favorite restaurant of the series' titular character, Naruto Uzumaki, and he frequently visits it during the course of the series. The Valley of the End (終末の谷 Shūmatsu no Tani?, English TV: "The Final Valley") is the location of Hashirama's and Madara's fight for control over the village, featuring large statues of the two overlooking a waterfall. At the end of Part I, Naruto fights Sasuke Uchiha in this location in a failed attempt to return him to Konohagakure.
Land of Wind
The Land of Wind (風の国 Kaze no Kuni?), one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, is a large, dry, and desolate country whose cities are found near water sources. While much of the country is inhospitable, the population is large and prosperous due to frequent trade with the Land of Fire. The hidden village in the Land of Wind is Sunagakure.
Sunagakure
- See also: Sand Siblings
Sunagakure (砂隠れの里 Sunagakure no Sato?, lit. "Village Hidden Among Sand" or "Village Hidden in the Sand") is one of the five great ninja villages, and as such has a Kage, known as the Kazekage, as its leader. Before the start of the series, the Land of Wind's feudal lord began to reduce Sunagakure's budget, and send mission requests to Konohagakure instead of Sunagakure. This led to Sunagakure forming an alliance with the village of Otogakure in order to attack and destroy Konohagakure, which composes a major portion of Part I of the series. The combined forces of Sunagakure and Otogakure are defeated, and Sunagakure allies with Konohagakure after realizing that Orochimaru, the leader of Otogakure, slew the Fourth Kazekage. In Part II of the series, Gaara, the son of the Fourth Kazekage, succeeds his father as the Fifth Kazekage.
Land of Rain
The Land of Rain (雨の国 Ame no Kuni?) is a small, insular country. Its borders are highly defended, and those wishing to pass through the country are subject to constant surveillance for the duration of their stay. As it is situated between three of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, the Land of Rain serves as a battlefield for their wars, and most of the population consists of war refugees.
Amegakure (雨隠れの里 Amegakure no Sato?, lit. "Village Hidden in Rain") is the Land of Rain's hidden village. The village was the site of a civil war, and Hanzo, the leader of Amegakure, was killed by Pain, the leader of the criminal organization Akatsuki. Following the war, Pain becomes the leader of the village and uses it as a base for Akatsuki. Ninja loyal to the former Amegakure frequently attempt to assassinate Pain, but their efforts are unsuccessful. The inhabitants of Amegakure consider Pain to be a god, and he never reveals himself to the populace.
Land of Sound
.svg){kind=small}
- See also: Otogakure
The Land of Rice Fields (田の国 Ta no Kuni?, English TV: "Land of Rice Paddies") is a small country sharing a border with the Land of Fire. Orochimaru, a former Konohagakure ninja, took control of the country, and renamed it the Land of Sound (音の国 Oto no Kuni?).
Otogakure (音隠れの里 Otogakure no Sato?, lit. "Village Hidden in Sound") is Orochimaru's personal village. He founded it for the sole purpose of collecting ninja for his experiments, and his quest to learn all the jutsu in the world. The village is not contiguous, consisting of multiple assorted lairs located within the Land of Sound and outside it.
Land of Water
The Land of Water (水の国 Mizu no Kuni?) is one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations and contains the hidden village of Kirigakure. It is composed of many islands, with each having its own unique traditions. The Land of Water and Kirigakure are never shown in the series, but several ninja featured in the series hail from this area.
Kirigakure (霧隠れの里 Kirigakure no Sato?, lit. "Village Hidden in Mist") is the hidden village of the Land of Water. The leader of the village is known as the Mizukage. The ninja in Kirigakure specialize in water-based jutsu. Kirigakure once used brutal methods to train its ninja, requiring prospective ninja to fight their comrades to the death. After Zabuza Momochi killed all the students in his class, however, the process was discontinued. Zabuza became part of the Seven Shinobi Swordsmen of the Mist, the strongest group of ninja in the village and signified by the unique swords they carry. Aside from Zabuza, two other members have been revealed in the series: Kisame Hoshigaki, who abandoned the village and joined the criminal organization Akatsuki, and Raiga Kurosuki, who was introduced in an anime-exclusive arc.
Land of Waves
The Land of Waves (波の国 Nami no Kuni?) is a poor nation, and does not have a hidden village as a result. It is an isolated island, but was prosperous until the country was taken over by Gato, who monopolized the economy. The Land of Waves is introduced early in Part I, and Team 7, which consists of the main characters of the series, travels to the Land of Waves as bodyguards for a bridge builder. With the aid of the populace of the Land of Waves, Team 7 manage to defeat Gato and his hired assassins Zabuza Momochi, and his assistant Haku, and restore the country to its former status. As a sign of gratitude, the bridge is named the "Great Naruto Bridge" (ナルト大橋 Naruto Ōhashi?) in honor of Naruto Uzumaki, the main character of the series.
Phenomena
Jutsu
Tailed beasts
The tailed beasts (尾獣 bijū?) are giant demons that serve to drive the plot of the Naruto series, referred as "Chakra Monsters" because they are actually living "ultimate chakra", far beyond a normal human's and given physical form. Because of their power, the tailed beasts served as weapons and tools used in Ninja Wars until it ended and several of the tailed beasts were distributed by the First Hokage amongst the five ninja nations as a peace treaty, in order to stabilize the balance of power between nations. Each revealed tailed beast is around the size of Gamabunta, who is over 100 meters tall. They are differentiated by the number of tails they have, with each possessing an amount from one to nine. However, this immense strength is tempered due to their bestial nature, which restricts some of them from being smart enough to use it effectively as seen with the three-tailed beast. Beasts sealed within another person are able to benefit from the knowledge of their hosts, giving them the ability to speak and better utilize their powers.
Akatsuki is currently collecting the tailed beasts, capturing the hosts and taking them to a secret location where a three-day-long jutsu is performed to draw out the tailed beast from the host. They possess seven of the nine tailed beasts: Shukaku, the one-tailed tanuki (former host was Gaara); the two-tailed demon cat (former host was Yugito Nii, a kunoichi of the Cloud Village); the turtle-like three-tailed beast; the four-tailed beast (extracted from an unknown elderly man); the five-tailed beast; the six-tailed beast; and the seven-tailed beast. Only the eight-tailed Bull (within a shinobi of the Cloud Village named Killer Bee) and the Nine-Tailed Fox (within Naruto's body) are yet to be captured. Pain claims that when all nine beasts are sealed, he will be able to create a jutsu powerful enough to instantly wipe out a country.
Hosts
Those within whom a tailed beast has been sealed are called Jinchūriki (人柱力, lit. Power of Human Sacrifice, English "Spiritualist Medium"), or simply hosts. In most instances, they are actually stronger than the tailed beast they contain, as they have the knowledge to effectively control the tailed beast's strength. Each of the hosts that have appeared so far within the series also possesses a physical characteristic that resembles their beast — Naruto has fox-like whisker-marks, Gaara has tanuki-like rings around his eyes, and Yugito has eyes which resemble those of a cat. According to Akatsuki members, those who host such creatures are typically lonely people who loathe humanity, and so far this has initially been the case. When Akatsuki captured their first two jinchūriki, no one from their villages cared, and in fact were thankful to be rid of them. It is also known that the death of a host will result in the death of the tailed beast within, and the hosts seen thus far sometimes exhibit involuntary defensive powers, such as Gaara's sand shield and Naruto's demon fox cloak. Likewise, the removal of the tailed beast results in the death of its host. Naruto takes the word jinchūriki offensively, regarding it as a dehumanizing term. During the Great Shinobi Wars, each country's Hidden Village tried to make use of the tailed beasts for military purposes, and competed for them. However, no one was ever able to truly bring the tailed beasts under control, with the jinchūriki being only a marginal success, with only Killer Bee seeming to fully control his Beast.
Ninja ranks
Academy ninja
The academy is where would-be ninja start; they are not actually considered ninja until they graduate. Academy students take formal and practical tests of all sorts and are taught basic ninja skills, such as martial arts, techniques, physical fitness and the way of the ninja. Basic weapon usage, such as kunai and shuriken, are commonly taught. Elementary ninja techniques, such as transformation jutsu and clone jutsu, though they vary from village to village, are also taught. Some villages also have an additional test given by the Jonin of each three-man squad to see if they are truly ready to graduate, which determines whether the squad can work as a team. To ensure that only truly qualified ninja are promoted, only three Genin teams are allowed to pass, each year. The test for determining which three teams may become Genin are administered by each team's respective Jonin commander, and vary depending on the Jonin. What is required for graduation varies from academy to academy. In Konoha, the graduation exam is composed of some sort of written test, as well as demonstration of basic techniques, such as clone jutsu, though Rock Lee is an exception, because he can only perform taijutsu.
Genin
Genin (下忍? literally "Lower Ninja", Viz "Junior Ninja") are the lowest level of ninja; although, skill levels vary drastically between Genin. Genin are put in three-man cells, and are then assigned a Jonin sensei to mentor them. This is done to teach the Genin teamwork and experience true ninja life under the supervision and protection of an elite shinobi. The make-up of these teams is based on the individual skills of the Genin, so that there will remain a balance between the teams. When they become Genin, ninja start to do their bit for their village's economy, for which they are given a small payment. They are typically sent either on D-rank missions, which are the lowest rank and are almost entirely risk-free jobs of manual labor, or experienced genin are sent on C-rank missions, which are a cut above that and begin to verge on real "ninja" work, though they generally have a very low possibility of risk to the ninja involved. Naruto is an exception of this considering he is still a genin but gets sent on much higher ranked, and dangerous missions.
Chunin
Chunin (中忍 Chūnin?, literally "Middle Ninja", Viz "Chūnin" and "Journeyman Ninja") are ninja who are qualified to watch over and guide other ninja. Chunin have reached a level of maturity that primarily consists of leadership skills and tactical prowess. Some of them, like Shikamaru Nara, serve as team leaders in charge of small teams who need to make decisions and utilize the skills of the shinobi under their command to the maximum effect. Upon reaching Chunin level, ninja can wear an identifying tactical vest that holds ninjutsu scrolls. This vest is not required; instead, some look for more elaborate clothing like capes or robes. Chunin are typically sent on C or B-rank missions.
To become a Chunin, a Genin participates, with his or her team, in a large examination, known as the "Chunin Exams," hosted twice a year due to the growing number of ninjas. In the past, each village held their own Chunin exam. After the 3rd Ninja World War, allied ninja villages agreed to hold the exams together at the selected village that would host the exam, so villages could improve and strengthen their relationships. Another advantage is that ninja that took the exam might attract clients who are interested in hiring them. The exam is a test not only of strength, but information gathering abilities, survival skills, and adhering to guidelines. Those who have all of these qualities are grouped together into predetermined fights, watched by a council that decides who becomes a Chunin and who does not. While the winners are able to proceed to fight the next opponent, it is aptitude, rather than winning, that is evaluated to determine whether a candidate is promoted. This way even one who loses his or her first match can become a Chunin. In fact, there is a chance that every Genin who makes it to the predetermined fights will become a Chunin, though there is also a chance that every single one will remain a Genin.
Jonin
Jonin (上忍 Jōnin?, literally "Higher Ninja", Viz "Jōnin" and "Elite Ninja") are generally highly-experienced ninja with great individual skill who serve as military captains. They are often sent on A-rank missions, and experienced Jonin, like Kakashi Hatake, may even be sent on S-rank missions (which are considered to be the most difficult), and may carry out missions alone. They are sometimes assigned as sensei for three-person teams of Genin. Though it is as of yet unknown what one has to undergo to become a Jonin, it is mentioned in the Naruto Anime Profiles that Jonin are appointed.page # needed
Tokubetsu Jonin (特別上忍 Tokubetsu Jōnin?, literally "Special Higher Ninja" English "Special Jonin", sometimes known as Tokujō for short) are ninja who, rather than all-around Jonin training, have Jonin-level ability in a single area or skill, much like warrant officers of real-world militaries (e.g. Ibiki, who specializes in interrogation). They are elite specialists in their areas and are often assigned as subordinates to regular Jonin when their services are needed. They sometimes are seen as lower ranked than jonin because they are good or the best at one thing and they lack talent, or even ability in others.
Kage
Those who have achieved the title of Kage (影? literally "Shadow") are the leaders of the five most powerful Hidden Villages and generally the most powerful ninja in their respective villages. The Kage stand equally with the rulers of their countries, oversee the activities of their villages, and are the leaders of ninja society. There may be exceptions, however, as a ninja may be the most powerful at the time of being installed as Kage, but may become less powerful upon aging, eventually being surpassed by a more youthful ninja. A Kage may retire and give the title to someone else; however, once granted, the title is held permanently, creating a situation where there are two Kage at the same time, with only one of them actually active. Their elite status is also attributed to the tendency for most Kage to have family members who were previous Kage, or be personally taught by a former Kage or student of a former Kage, or some combination of these factors. The anime introduced a sixth Kage, the Hoshikage (星影 literally "Star Shadow"?) from Land of Bears. However, this was a self-given title and not officially recognized by the five other villages. Most Kage tend to be at S-Rank level. The five Kage have different titles depending on their village. Those titles are:
- Hokage (火影 literally "Fire Shadow"?) Kage of Konohagakure.
- Kazekage (風影 literally "Wind Shadow"?) Kage of Sunagakure.
- Mizukage (水影 literally "Water Shadow"?) Kage of Kirigakure.
- Raikage (雷影 literally "Lightning Shadow"?) Kage of Kumogakure.
- Tsuchikage (土影 literally "Earth Shadow"?) Kage of Iwagakure.
S-rank
S-class ninja have gained power far beyond an average Jonin and earned a legendary status. This title is merely a class rather than an actual rank; the ninja's official rank with a village will usually still be Jonin. However, it can sometimes be lower, or they can have no rank at all. The allegiances of these ninja range from being part of the village's own ninja to being wandering ninja who are still loyal to their village. Some ninja of this level tend to leave their villages behind to seek their own ambitions, thus becoming missing-nin. Ninja of this class are often noted in the Bingo book, a list of notable enemy ninja marked for assassination that each ninja village provides for its Jonin and ANBU squad members. Most ninja, even high-level ones, choose to flee rather than face someone of the S-class. Ninja of the S-class are often highly revered, and usually signified by nicknames allies or enemies give them. For example, the Legendary Sannin lit. three people (Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru) and all members of Akatsuki are S-class ninja.
ANBU
The ANBU (暗部? literally "Dark Side", Viz manga "Black Ops", English TV "ANBU Black Ops") is actually short for Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai (暗殺戦術特殊部隊? literally Special Assassination and Tactical Squad), and is an organization of assassination squads that serves directly under the village's leader. The ANBU wear porcelain animal masks in order to distinguish themselves from normal shinobi and to conceal their identities, and also have standard uniforms consisting of black and gray armor, arm guards, a signature spiral tattoo on their left shoulder and a Ninjatō strapped on their back (though certain ANBU wear black cowls over their uniforms). They know the layout of the human body in detail, and have developed several techniques to strengthen their job, such as paralyzing the target. ANBU are considered the elite, and they perform high-ranked and dangerous missions. Within the ANBU of Kirigakure, there exists a sub-group called Hunter-nin (追い忍 Oinin?, literally "Chasing Ninja", English TV "Tracker Ninja"), given the specific duty of hunting down missing-nin, and destroying their bodies, so their village's secrets won't be revealed to foreign ninja. Kakashi Hatake was a former Konoha ANBU and a captain, as was Itachi Uchiha.
Similar organizations
Konoha is shown having two ANBU-like organizations, though are separate from ANBU entirely. The Konoha Military Police Force (木ノ葉警務部隊 Konoha Keimu Butai?, English TV: "Leaf Anbu"), or Military Police for short, is a unique organization in Konoha, though other villages may have similar organizations. Their symbol is the Uchiha crest because the Uchiha family founded the organization as a sign of trust with the Second Hokage. The Military Police previously consisted of mostly Uchiha clan members, though now that Itachi has eliminated all but Sasuke this is no longer the case. The Military Police are in charge of law enforcement within the village, and their jurisdiction is virtually unlimited except in matters that are under the Hokage's direct control, though they also respect ANBU's own investigative system and inner-organization discipline. The Nijū Shotai (二十小隊? Twenty Platoons) is a task force created by Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, for the purpose of tracking down, attempting to capture, and, if necessary, eliminating Akatsuki members in the Fire Country. This force consists of twenty four-man teams.
Konoha ANBU are usually under the direct command of the Hokage, but several years before the start of the series there was an ANBU Training Department known as "Root" (根 Ne?)(Viz Manga "The Foundation"). Root was created and directly controlled by Danzo, who trained and conditioned children intensively from a very young age. This was done to completely eliminate emotions and enable its members to complete missions without being held back. Root tends to go further in its belief that ninja must not show any emotion than most other ninja groups do, as they forbid any members to possess anything that may invoke emotion (though Sai somehow has a book that he claims was for his brother). It was implied that the department might have used methods similar to Kirigakure's graduation exam, including putting students against each other in fights to the death. Because Danzo is a war hawk and opposed the Third Hokage, Root was disbanded. However, many former members are still loyal to Root. Even though Root is shown to have been well-intentioned, both Jiraiya and Tsunade remain wary of the organization.
Medical ninja
Medical-nin (医療忍 iryō-nin?, English TV "Medical Corps Ninja") are ninja who specialize in medical treatment and use medical-oriented jutsu to heal others. Becoming a medic-nin requires an extreme level of intelligence and excellent chakra control, since medic-nin use chakra to heal injuries. Aside from their medical training, their combat training consists mainly of taijutsu skills, with emphasis placed on evading enemy attacks, as the death of the medic-nin could result in the death of the team, though medical techniques can also be used offensively. On dangerous missions, a medic-nin will usually be sent along with the team, to increase the survival rate of that team. Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka become medic-nin after their training with Tsunade.
Missing-ninja
Missing-nin (抜け忍 Nukenin?, literally "Fugitive Ninja", English TV "Rogue Ninja") are ninja who have abandoned their Hidden Village, and as such can include ninja of every rank. These ninja are considered traitors and are hunted down because of the secrets they may hold. Other Hidden Villages would be interested in purchasing this information because it could be useful in gaining an upper hand in battle or obtaining a bloodline limit unique to a village. Villages create special units of hunter-nin to take care of this problem, although it's unlikely that every missing-nin has a team of hunter-nin sent after them. Also, some may be impossible to find unless they do something to attract attention.
References
- ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto. Viz Media, 145. ISBN 1-4215-1407-9.
- ^ Shonen Jump #33 Volume 3, Issue 9 September 2005. Viz Media, 8.
|
|||||||||||||||||