Entry 4: Naruto Uzumaki

        There's a loud and obnoxious orange blur that won't stop screaming and being a hero on your TV set named Naruto. You can typically find the feisty kid training diligently to become a stronger and smarter ninja to one day become the Hokage (essentially the king of his village) and gain the respect he thinks he deserves since he was a child. My point of bringing all of this up is why we, as people, should be like Naruto. We're not about to dress up in an orange jump suit and starting throwing sharp objects at people, but there are a lot of underlying themes in this character that people should take seriously in their daily lives.
        First of all, for those unfamiliar with the series; a little background info. The series is written by Masashi Kishimoto and is originally a Japanese comic turned into a cartoon in Japan then later dubbed by English voice actors. The story follows Naruto, the main character, his friends and teachers through growing up and learning the ninja arts. Initially it's like a game to most of them. They play ninja, strike poses and try to look cool but upon their first mission they realize how dangerous the path they've chosen really is as blood is spilled and people can and do die. The characters learn and grow together defeating enemies and pushing a team work theme through the entire series. There is quite a lot of action and if you are watching an uncensored version, it can be quite bloody. I personally like most of the series if the filler content was omitted. Some of the episodes could use some condensing but if you skip the filler and watch what's canon to the story, then it's very entertaining.

            OK, so what is redeeming about this squabbling kid? First of all, he does have compassion and heart, and lots of both. One of the first things you may notice about our orange blur is how often he helps others. When push comes to shove, he is willing to lay it all down on the line for his friends. He is quite attuned to people being in danger and helping out those in need. Instead of being cynical about his troubling past he uses it as a tool to reach and befriend others. He can relate to the hardships of others and if he can't, he is just there for them. He's a friend to others.
            Our hero also has dexterity and determination. I don't mean like, if you push him down 5 times he will get back up each time. We're talking about ridiculed most of his life for being different, getting the lowest scores of all his class mates and through the series being in constant danger of being killed in almost every way known to man (fire, water, lightning, sharp things, large things, hard things, slimy things...) and a hand full of ways that don't exist. He also is always looking on how he can pull through a problem, not how he could fail. He has such a positive outlook on situations that virtually nothing can make him give up. When it's all said and done he just heaves a sigh of relief as if to say: "I told you we could do it."

            Naruto also is always looking for ways to grow and learn with his entrepreneurial spirit. When he isn't helping his friends or defeating a bad guy he is trying to better himself in the form of training physically by improving his combat techniques, learning spell like attacks or just plain listening to his teachers tell him about their experiences or advice. It wasn't always like this though. In the start of the series a lot of advice is given to Naruto but he just frowns it off because he would rather cause trouble and get attention then help people and better himself. Time changes that however.

           I suppose there is a lot to learn from a fictional character, even if it is just in concept. Now a quick note on the parts of Naruto we should not strive to follow:

1. Fashion disaster: I don't have a keen eye on what goes well with what, but I wouldn't be caught dead in an orange jump suit with puffy wool or whatever that stuff is around my neck.
2. Alway screaming: There is a time to be loud, but that time isn't all the time.
3. Mastery (or klutz) of sharp objects: Simply too dangerous. I prefer to have 10 out of 10 fingers if I can.
4. Never changing your clothes: Not much needs to be said here. I always wondered how uncomfortable it has to be getting out of water while in that orange suit.
5. Eating Ramen 3 meals a day: The kid probably needs to calm down with his oodles of noodles and eat a veggie and a fruit from time to time.