Summary

Naruto's story revolves around the struggle of having a powerful tailed beast sealed within him, shaping his character and journey.
The Nine-Tails brings both burden and blessing to Naruto, providing limitless chakra but also causing fear and discrimination.
The bond between Naruto and the Nine-Tails evolves from antagonism to friendship, driving them to triumph over powerful adversaries.

Naruto Uzumaki, the protagonist of the Shonen anime series Naruto, is a compelling character whose story permeates the intricate world of Shinobi. In the series, the titular character, Naruto, has a Nine-Tailed Fox sealed within him, shaping his character throughout the series. In Naruto, the tailed beast becomes an ingrained part of Naruto that deeply affects him throughout his childhood, as his existence is like a timebomb waiting to explode.

Naruto is shunned and ostracized in the village even though he has no control over the immense power sealed within him. Moreover, the powerful tailed-beast presents a complex duality in Naruto's life, acting as both a burden and a blessing. However, this very struggle of the beast within him shaped his journey to become a symbol of hope and inspiration in the series.

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Fear and Discrimination

In the Naruto series, Naruto Uzumaki starts as a young ninja with no friends, and the burden of a Nine-Tails sealed within him since infancy becomes a source of fear for the villagers of the Hidden Leaf. Naruto had a lonely childhood due to power within him that he had no control over, and this fuels his desire to cause problems in the village so that he can feel a sense of relevance and recognition in the community. In this vein, Naruto's feelings of loneliness and discrimination from the immediate people around him became a driving force for his dream to become Hokage. However, amidst the ostracization, Iruka and Ramen seller were two people who were a source of joy and gave Naruto a sense of companionship during his childhood. The immense power of the Nine-Tails poses a threat, especially since the villagers witness firsthand the destructive power of the Nine-Tails when Obito releases it in the Hidden Leaf.

Moreover, the outburst of uncontrollable chakra of the Nine-Tails can endanger Naruto himself and the people around him, hence the fear and discrimination Naruto endured during his childhood. The Nine-Tails' power within Naruto can be exploited and channeled for nefarious purposes. The Akatsuki villain group in Naruto seeks the Nine-Tails for a greater purpose, and it is this movement led to the destruction of Hidden Leaf Village with Pain's Shinra Tensei. However, the burden and struggle Naruto faced due to the sealed Nine-Tails is the defining key that shaped his character and personality in the Naruto series.

The Unending Blessings Of The Nine-Tails

Naruto Baryon Mode Kurama — A shot from Naruto, of Naruto using the Baryon mode.

Initially, the Nine-Tails served as a heavy burden for Naruto, but it proved to be a long-term benefit for the titular character in the series. The Nine-Tails beast's near-limitless chakra remains a constant energy source for Naruto because it makes him perform powerful jutsu and outlast his opponents in battle. There are times when the flow of chakra from the beast overcomes Naruto, thus making him lose control of himself in the series. For instance, Naruto lost himself to the Nine-Tails during a faceoff with Orochimaru and Pain in the Village. In the long run, Naruto's antagonistic relationship transformed into a powerful partnership and friendship. Through the genuine desire to understand the beast, Naruto learns its name and forges an unbreakable bond.

In due time, Naruto treated Kurama warmly and saw him as a friend and not as a tool of war like other people who have lost themselves to gain the tailed beast power. In other words, Naruto also acknowledged Kurama's loneliness and the pain of being sealed sealed away. This way, Naruto earned the respect of Kurama, and their ever-evolving bond and partnership gave Naruto access to unimaginable levels of chakra to overcome his enemies. Naruto and Kurama's teamwork was instrumental in the triumph of the Shinobis in the Fourth Great Ninja War against adversaries like Madara Uchiha and Kaguya Otsutsuki.

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Also, the Nine-Tail's power and the struggle it came with became core defining characteristics for Naruto and a catalyst for growth. The struggle to control the power of the Nine-Tails constantly pushes Naruto to his limit and fuels his determination to go through relentless training. The arduous challenge to control the Nine-Tails made Naruto join pervy sage Jiraiya on the 2-year journey for relentless training to push him to develop exceptional control over the Nine-Tails chakra and hone his skills.

This continuous striving to control the power within him shapes him into a skilled and resourceful ninja, constantly evolving and adapting to new challenges throughout the series. The presence of the Nine-Tails within Naruto also contributes to his unbreakable spirit. Throughout the series, Naruto's ninja way is never to give up or go back on his words, and this is a motto that constantly drives him to become a great shinobi. Even with the unending ostracization he endured in his childhood, he refuses to be defined by his circumstances and uses the negativity as a means to prove himself. This unbreakable spirit made him an inspiration to people around him to never give up on their dreams, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

Naruto is available to stream on Crunchyroll.