Naruto & Nationalism: The Evils of the Leaf Village

00:30:46
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsdm8hAbL70

Resumen

TLDRThis video collaborates with Weep Crit, analyzing nationalism in Japan and the US, and its representation in Naruto. It defines nationalism and discusses its historical context, noting its complexities. The narrative presents shinobi as both defenders and tools for their nations, emphasizing the emotional sacrifices they make under strict codes of conduct. It critiques how nationalism can lead to self-sacrifice and genocide, particularly highlighting the Uchiha massacre. Ultimately, the video challenges the glorification of blind loyalty and prompts viewers to critically reflect on the messages conveyed in the story.

Para llevar

  • 🇯🇵 Nationalism in Japan and America has deep historical roots.
  • 📖 Nationalism is defined as prioritizing national over individual welfare.
  • 🗡️ Shinobi serve as tools of the state, reflecting the conflict between loyalty and personal identity.
  • 💔 The Uchiha massacre exemplifies extreme nationalism and its tragic consequences.
  • 🗣️ Itachi's actions, while portrayed as heroic, raise ethical questions about loyalty and sacrifice.
  • 👶 Children in Naruto are indoctrinated into nationalist ideals early, questioning their individuality.
  • ⚔️ The narrative complicates concepts of honor, loyalty, and national identity in a critical manner.
  • 🌍 The video encourages viewers to engage critically with themes of nationalism in stories.

Cronología

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    The video begins with a collaboration discussing nationalism in Japan and America, its historical context, and its moral implications. Nationalism prioritizes national welfare over individual welfare, and examples of its varied historical applications are presented, emphasizing that nationalism itself is not inherently good or bad.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:00

    National identity within Naruto is explored, particularly the character of Shinobi and the strong sense of pride tied to their village identity. The Shinobi serve as tools of the state with complex relationships to loyalty, honor, and self-sacrifice, often taught to sever emotional ties for the sake of their duties.

  • 00:10:00 - 00:15:00

    Shinobi are presented not only as defenders of the village but also as economically and politically significant figures. The video reflects on how they are indoctrinated and the sacrifices expected of them, focusing on their emotional detachment and the heavy burdens they carry in their roles.

  • 00:15:00 - 00:20:00

    The consequences of questioning one's national identity within the Shinobi context are examined, highlighting tragic outcomes for characters who defy the village's ideals. The notion of self-sacrifice is critically assessed, showcasing how deeply embedded nationalism can lead to personal tragedy and moral dilemmas in the lives of Shinobi.

  • 00:20:00 - 00:25:00

    The concept of control in life and death is discussed, linking it to the idea of seppuku, as characters grapple with their agency in a system that demands their lives in service to a greater cause. This raises questions about honor, agency, and the narratives surrounding sacrifice in service of the nation.

  • 00:25:00 - 00:30:46

    The video critiques how nationalism manifests in the storyline, particularly the fate of the Uchiha clan and the systemic narratives of loyalty and sacrifice. This culminates in a discussion on the glorification of Itachi's actions in the context of nationalism and the moral implications that arise, encouraging viewers to critically analyze the messages conveyed through the series.

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Mapa mental

Vídeo de preguntas y respuestas

  • What is nationalism?

    Nationalism is a sociopolitical ideology prioritizing national welfare over individual welfare, and its morality varies based on its proponents' causes.

  • How is nationalism portrayed in Naruto?

    Naruto depicts nationalism through the shinobi's loyalty to their village, often leading to self-sacrifice and the glorification of such actions.

  • What historical examples of nationalism are mentioned?

    Examples include anti-colonial nationalism in Algeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

  • What role do children play in the narrative of Naruto?

    Children in Naruto are raised as shinobi and taught to prioritize village loyalty, exemplifying the impact of nationalism on future generations.

  • How is Itachi portrayed in the context of nationalism?

    Itachi is depicted as a tragic hero who commits genocide for the supposed greater good of his village, raising ethical concerns about loyalty and sacrifice.

  • What is the critique surrounding the Uchiha clan?

    The Uchiha clan's narrative is shaped by fear and prejudice, leading to their ostracization and eventual massacre, showcasing the dark side of nationalism.

  • What are the emotional implications for shinobi in Naruto?

    Shinobi face emotional severance as they are taught to suppress feelings for the sake of loyalty to the nation, which can lead to personal tragedy.

  • What is the significance of self-sacrifice in the video?

    Self-sacrifice is portrayed as a noble ideal, yet the video critiques this notion as potentially harmful and indicative of nationalist indoctrination.

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Desplazamiento automático:
  • 00:00:09
    this video is a collaboration with my
  • 00:00:11
    good friend weep crit in their video
  • 00:00:13
    they take an in-depth look at the
  • 00:00:15
    history of nationalism in Japan and
  • 00:00:17
    America and how nationalism has impacted
  • 00:00:19
    both Nations then together we look at
  • 00:00:21
    how it plays into anime and particularly
  • 00:00:23
    a favorite of ours Naruto they've got
  • 00:00:26
    some great videos and critiques on anime
  • 00:00:28
    so go and give them a watch and sub
  • 00:00:30
    describe first though let's discuss
  • 00:00:33
    nationalism to steal from wee crit I'll
  • 00:00:35
    also be defining nationalism as the
  • 00:00:38
    personal or sociopolitical ideology
  • 00:00:40
    prioritizing National welfare the status
  • 00:00:43
    of the so-called nation state over
  • 00:00:45
    individual welfare the status of
  • 00:00:47
    individuals comprising it this allows
  • 00:00:49
    for a spectrum of nationalism it's
  • 00:00:52
    important to note that nationalism is
  • 00:00:53
    not inherently good or bad throughout
  • 00:00:55
    history there were many instances where
  • 00:00:57
    nationalism was used for say anti
  • 00:01:00
    Colonial purposes Fanon with the
  • 00:01:01
    Algerian colony in France or lumumba and
  • 00:01:04
    the independence of the congales folk
  • 00:01:06
    from the belgians nationalism does not
  • 00:01:08
    hold a particular morality understood in
  • 00:01:11
    this way Bernard Yak author of
  • 00:01:13
    nationalism and the moral psychology of
  • 00:01:15
    community notes that nationalism derives
  • 00:01:18
    its moral qualities from the causes and
  • 00:01:20
    characters of its proponents nationalism
  • 00:01:22
    doesn't kill people nationalists do the
  • 00:01:25
    power of nationalism argues sociologist
  • 00:01:28
    Anthony Smith should be a tri Ed to the
  • 00:01:30
    fact membership in a nation provides a
  • 00:01:33
    quote powerful means of defining and
  • 00:01:35
    locating individual selves in the world
  • 00:01:37
    to the prism of the collective
  • 00:01:39
    personality and its distinctive culture
  • 00:01:41
    as he wrote in his book national
  • 00:01:45
    identity in Naruto in the leaf in
  • 00:01:48
    particular there is a great sense of
  • 00:01:50
    pride in the villagers of this nation
  • 00:01:52
    and most if not all citizens believe in
  • 00:01:55
    the national identity of the leaf based
  • 00:01:57
    on several definitions of national
  • 00:01:59
    identity it is one that encompasses both
  • 00:02:01
    political and cultural components
  • 00:02:04
    history National Consciousness and
  • 00:02:05
    language all to compose a sense of
  • 00:02:07
    belonging for the people who belong in
  • 00:02:09
    that Nation the leaf national identity
  • 00:02:12
    is so powerful and allc consuming making
  • 00:02:14
    its villagers as devotion and
  • 00:02:16
    nationalism stronger than ever since the
  • 00:02:18
    leaf is a Shinobi Village let's take a
  • 00:02:21
    look at the connection between Shinobi
  • 00:02:23
    and the ideology that they are so
  • 00:02:24
    enamored
  • 00:02:27
    with Shinobi are not just people who
  • 00:02:30
    defend the village their existence is
  • 00:02:33
    much more than that shobi are the main
  • 00:02:35
    military power for their Affiliated
  • 00:02:37
    Nations and they can bolster a nation's
  • 00:02:39
    economy and political prowess when one
  • 00:02:42
    land is particularly strong in battle
  • 00:02:44
    because strength attracts outside
  • 00:02:46
    commissions from those wealthy enough to
  • 00:02:48
    purchase their services so more than the
  • 00:02:50
    loyalty and honor that these Shinobi are
  • 00:02:52
    supposed to have they also exist as
  • 00:02:55
    these heavily politicized figures as
  • 00:02:57
    tools of greed and elitism to bring
  • 00:02:59
    wealth in status to other Allied Nations
  • 00:03:01
    Shinobi Villages are breeding grounds to
  • 00:03:04
    create people who know nothing except
  • 00:03:05
    for loyalty honor and how to fight
  • 00:03:08
    deceive and lie they are the Ultimate
  • 00:03:10
    Tools of the state but on a personal
  • 00:03:13
    level being a Shinobi is a continuous
  • 00:03:15
    Act of severance separating oneself from
  • 00:03:18
    one's own heart and giving oneself
  • 00:03:20
    wholly to a nation to a government to
  • 00:03:22
    something bigger being a Shinobi is
  • 00:03:26
    self-sacrifice as Haku says it as
  • 00:03:28
    full-fledged Shinobi their philosophy is
  • 00:03:30
    that they are expected to kill their own
  • 00:03:32
    heart with their blade just as the kanji
  • 00:03:34
    the word Shinobi was originally the
  • 00:03:36
    words heart and blade ninja are not only
  • 00:03:39
    expected to remove their emotions
  • 00:03:41
    towards their opponents in battle but
  • 00:03:43
    any emotion towards their own friends
  • 00:03:45
    comrades and even families if it doesn't
  • 00:03:47
    serve their Nation Rule 25 of Shinobi
  • 00:03:50
    conduct is that no matter what happens
  • 00:03:52
    true Shinobi must never show their
  • 00:03:54
    emotions the mission is the only
  • 00:03:56
    priority carry that in your heart and
  • 00:03:58
    never shed a tear
  • 00:04:00
    these are rules that shobi of every
  • 00:04:02
    village follow rules across the entire
  • 00:04:04
    Shinobi world and some Villages have it
  • 00:04:06
    worse than others the bloody Mist
  • 00:04:07
    students for example were forced to
  • 00:04:09
    fight to the death to graduate kame back
  • 00:04:12
    when he was a Shinobi was of course
  • 00:04:14
    tasked with killing his own comrades to
  • 00:04:16
    ensure that valuable information didn't
  • 00:04:18
    get leaked these children are made into
  • 00:04:21
    these Fighting Machines while still
  • 00:04:23
    having to Bear the weight of their
  • 00:04:25
    Humanity they are humans with wants and
  • 00:04:27
    needs humans who yearn for connection
  • 00:04:30
    they are taught that they shouldn't be
  • 00:04:32
    concerned with the reason for their own
  • 00:04:34
    existence that they only exist as tools
  • 00:04:36
    for their Nations but bubbling
  • 00:04:38
    underneath the surface of their minds
  • 00:04:40
    Kakashi says disturbing them is that
  • 00:04:43
    purpose what type of person are they if
  • 00:04:45
    they can kill their own comrades In Cold
  • 00:04:47
    Blood a thought that the White Fang once
  • 00:04:50
    had almost every non- Rogue Shinobi we
  • 00:04:52
    see has at least one companion with them
  • 00:04:55
    teams of three teams of four we've even
  • 00:04:57
    seen rescue units with eight members we
  • 00:04:59
    don't see it but they spend days weeks
  • 00:05:01
    and sometimes months traveling with each
  • 00:05:04
    other going to foreign lands breaking
  • 00:05:06
    bread together protecting one another
  • 00:05:09
    and yet a Shinobi should be able to
  • 00:05:11
    sever any connection should the nation
  • 00:05:13
    ask for it because their own reasons for
  • 00:05:15
    existing for living do not matter
  • 00:05:18
    because they are tools for the
  • 00:05:22
    state a big part of it has to do with
  • 00:05:25
    their deep indoctrination what else do
  • 00:05:27
    these Shinobi know but their Jutsu or
  • 00:05:30
    their ninja weapons what else do they
  • 00:05:32
    know but how to deceive and manipulate
  • 00:05:35
    how to sacrifice for the leaf the
  • 00:05:38
    greatest ninja of their times the hokar
  • 00:05:40
    their faces are immortalized in stone
  • 00:05:43
    watching their every step every day when
  • 00:05:45
    they step out of their homes these
  • 00:05:47
    figures are larger than life how can you
  • 00:05:49
    not grow up with this goal in mind this
  • 00:05:51
    desire to be remembered to be a Village
  • 00:05:53
    Hero to quote Smith membership in a
  • 00:05:57
    nation promises individuals Redemption
  • 00:05:59
    from from personal Oblivion in a secular
  • 00:06:01
    era Smith argues identification with the
  • 00:06:04
    nation is the shest way to surmount the
  • 00:06:06
    finality of death and ensure a measure
  • 00:06:08
    of personal immortality Professor y
  • 00:06:11
    Tamir makes a similar point in the
  • 00:06:13
    Enigma of nationalism arguing that as
  • 00:06:15
    long as the nation endures it will show
  • 00:06:17
    gratitude to all who struggle and
  • 00:06:19
    sacrifice their lives for its survival
  • 00:06:22
    it will turn them into Heroes perhaps
  • 00:06:24
    canonizing them even if they come from a
  • 00:06:26
    vile or a noble background in this sense
  • 00:06:29
    nationalism is an egalitarian ideology
  • 00:06:32
    as is best illustrated by the uniformity
  • 00:06:34
    of military cemeteries we're rich and
  • 00:06:36
    poor educated and illiterate all lie
  • 00:06:39
    below identical tombstones in a paragon
  • 00:06:41
    of equality and fraternity The Village
  • 00:06:44
    promises that no matter what family you
  • 00:06:46
    came from no matter what circumstances
  • 00:06:48
    you were made in if you sacrifice
  • 00:06:50
    yourself for the state you can gain that
  • 00:06:52
    love that admiration that immortality
  • 00:06:56
    there is nothing that will bring you
  • 00:06:57
    more satisfaction nothing that will
  • 00:06:59
    bring you more joy and most of all
  • 00:07:01
    nothing that will bring you more honor
  • 00:07:03
    than protecting the
  • 00:07:05
    village but if a Shinobi has that
  • 00:07:07
    bubbling ideal that has now risen to the
  • 00:07:09
    surface and they no longer believe in
  • 00:07:11
    the national identity what happens if
  • 00:07:14
    they want to say leave the
  • 00:07:16
    village quickly we learn that there are
  • 00:07:18
    consequences for questioning one's
  • 00:07:20
    identity should a shenobi leave the
  • 00:07:22
    village without approval there is a
  • 00:07:24
    chance that they will get branded as a
  • 00:07:26
    rogue Shinobi because they've abandoned
  • 00:07:27
    their duties which is a criminal off
  • 00:07:29
    fense there is also a chance of being
  • 00:07:32
    hunted down or killed for the
  • 00:07:34
    information they possess about their
  • 00:07:36
    Village so if you can't desert your
  • 00:07:38
    village for fear of being hunted down if
  • 00:07:40
    you don't believe your Village's ideals
  • 00:07:42
    what choic is left there are two options
  • 00:07:46
    sakumo Hatake took his own life because
  • 00:07:48
    he felt as if there was no other choice
  • 00:07:51
    he was clearly unhappy with konoha's
  • 00:07:52
    ideals and took it upon himself to save
  • 00:07:55
    his comrades instead of the mission but
  • 00:07:57
    he could not manage the pain of being
  • 00:07:59
    relentlessly humiliated and shamed by
  • 00:08:02
    his own people for choosing his friend
  • 00:08:04
    over the state and so he could not bear
  • 00:08:06
    it perhaps not only for his pride and
  • 00:08:08
    honor but for his son's future so he
  • 00:08:10
    took his own
  • 00:08:12
    life shiu did not agree with the konoha
  • 00:08:15
    council he didn't agree with the nation
  • 00:08:17
    and so he was met with ad danzo's wrath
  • 00:08:19
    who took his eye he knew that they would
  • 00:08:21
    kill him for his other eye so for him
  • 00:08:24
    death was his only option it goes to
  • 00:08:26
    show that no matter how talented you
  • 00:08:28
    might be no matter if you already work
  • 00:08:30
    for the state for the government the
  • 00:08:32
    nation will only see you as a tool and
  • 00:08:35
    one to still be used even after your
  • 00:08:37
    death if you cross them shisu felt that
  • 00:08:39
    he would be hunted until the day he died
  • 00:08:42
    and so he took that control into his own
  • 00:08:44
    hands and took his own life being a
  • 00:08:47
    Shinobi in Naruto is like an act of
  • 00:08:49
    seple because of one's willingness to
  • 00:08:51
    sacrifice oneself for their country
  • 00:08:54
    danzo when fighting Sasuke tells him
  • 00:08:55
    about Itachi and he tells him
  • 00:08:57
    specifically that self-sacrifice is is
  • 00:08:59
    what it means to be a Shinobi York
  • 00:09:02
    Professor Toyo Masa Fus suggests that
  • 00:09:04
    there is a sense of autonomy and
  • 00:09:06
    Authority when it comes to sepu he
  • 00:09:08
    writes that in natural death caused by
  • 00:09:11
    aging therefore death will come to the
  • 00:09:13
    person unavoidably and externally you
  • 00:09:15
    are the passive and helpless victim of
  • 00:09:17
    Nature's inevitability and fate but the
  • 00:09:19
    voluntary sepu involved on elaborate and
  • 00:09:23
    rational planning as well as a
  • 00:09:24
    psychological preparedness in the form
  • 00:09:26
    of willingness to Die For A Cause in
  • 00:09:28
    this process says the samurai is the
  • 00:09:30
    active agent for his life and death to
  • 00:09:33
    it he holds total Mastery on his life or
  • 00:09:36
    death in seppuku he is the active agent
  • 00:09:38
    who will bring about his own death with
  • 00:09:40
    his own decision unlike the natural
  • 00:09:42
    death in which one is a powerless and
  • 00:09:44
    helpless victim of Nature's whip it is
  • 00:09:47
    not God or fate or the inevitability of
  • 00:09:49
    Aging I.E other agents than one's own
  • 00:09:52
    self that will bring death it is rather
  • 00:09:54
    the man himself who will hasten or bring
  • 00:09:56
    about the termination of his own life
  • 00:09:58
    with his own valtion and
  • 00:10:00
    Choice with this line of thinking those
  • 00:10:03
    Shinobi who feel that they have no
  • 00:10:05
    control over their lives can at least
  • 00:10:07
    persuade themselves with this illusion
  • 00:10:09
    of control with this illusion of agency
  • 00:10:12
    at least this way they can sacrifice
  • 00:10:14
    their lives for say honor or something
  • 00:10:17
    greater than themselves but as weit
  • 00:10:20
    writes in their critique of this very
  • 00:10:21
    idea of honor and death they say that
  • 00:10:24
    quote honor in death is nothing more
  • 00:10:26
    than an afterthought and in reality not
  • 00:10:29
    n of the hard work of nation building or
  • 00:10:31
    maintenance is done by dead men the
  • 00:10:33
    living and especially women children and
  • 00:10:36
    any colonized Refugee or otherwise
  • 00:10:38
    directly impacted populations are left
  • 00:10:40
    alone to answer the radically complex
  • 00:10:43
    and practical questions of rebuilding
  • 00:10:44
    the nation after War for danzo here and
  • 00:10:48
    for Itachi those who have forsaken their
  • 00:10:50
    lives for their Nation they do not have
  • 00:10:52
    to deal with the consequences of what
  • 00:10:53
    they've Left Behind it's characters like
  • 00:10:56
    Sasuke and Tsunade and all the rest of
  • 00:10:58
    the living they are the ones who do so
  • 00:11:01
    many Ninja in the Naruto World believe
  • 00:11:03
    that they hold total Mastery of their
  • 00:11:04
    own lives and thinking when they are in
  • 00:11:06
    fact barred from ever challenging the
  • 00:11:08
    systems that power their world but
  • 00:11:11
    thanks to the will of fire more often
  • 00:11:12
    than not most Shinobi believe in its
  • 00:11:15
    Collective power as weit eloquently puts
  • 00:11:18
    it good citizens but particularly men
  • 00:11:20
    and boys do not hold their own moral or
  • 00:11:22
    political aims they are ceaselessly
  • 00:11:25
    loyal to their Nation no matter what
  • 00:11:27
    it's fighting for which is often
  • 00:11:28
    unstated
  • 00:11:29
    bad citizens have moral or political
  • 00:11:31
    motivations that deter their
  • 00:11:33
    wholehearted commitment to the Village
  • 00:11:35
    often resulting in their abandonment of
  • 00:11:36
    the village Identity or in the case of
  • 00:11:39
    Sako both of these are reinforced by the
  • 00:11:42
    will of fire which is said to reside in
  • 00:11:44
    those persons who die or otherwise
  • 00:11:46
    commit their lives in service to the
  • 00:11:47
    village in that sense the will that's
  • 00:11:49
    embodied in the will of fire is that of
  • 00:11:51
    the nation not of the
  • 00:11:56
    individual as a child hashirama knew
  • 00:11:59
    that that there was something inherently
  • 00:12:00
    wrong with the Shinobi world as he
  • 00:12:02
    buried his own younger brothers because
  • 00:12:04
    of the wars that they the children had
  • 00:12:05
    no real stake in thus the creation of a
  • 00:12:08
    village that would allow children to
  • 00:12:10
    actually be children and not have to
  • 00:12:12
    fight in the wars of adults was born a
  • 00:12:15
    dream that he was willing to die for
  • 00:12:18
    this dream turned into the village and
  • 00:12:20
    then The Village's ideal would then
  • 00:12:21
    become the will of fire the day he
  • 00:12:23
    decided to kill his best friend to
  • 00:12:25
    protect said dream Shinobi uphold this
  • 00:12:28
    idea and the of fire is the belief that
  • 00:12:30
    the village matters more than one's own
  • 00:12:32
    blood because the village itself will
  • 00:12:35
    always protect its own and more than
  • 00:12:37
    that they will protect its future ma
  • 00:12:40
    predicted this would be a mistake and in
  • 00:12:42
    the future mentions how Hashi Rama's
  • 00:12:44
    nation building Bora a paradox he has
  • 00:12:46
    created a nation who kills in order to
  • 00:12:48
    find peace hashirama set a violent
  • 00:12:51
    precedent to quote weit once again they
  • 00:12:54
    write this is a great example of how
  • 00:12:56
    nationalism breeds militant
  • 00:12:57
    protectionism as we observe the
  • 00:12:59
    emergence of a national Village identity
  • 00:13:01
    that transcends the value of the people
  • 00:13:03
    within it this is ironic since what is a
  • 00:13:05
    village if not the collection of people
  • 00:13:07
    housed inside of it a village identity
  • 00:13:10
    implies the existence of a non- village
  • 00:13:12
    other which threatens the Purity and
  • 00:13:13
    safety of the village should they come
  • 00:13:15
    and interfere this is one of the
  • 00:13:16
    rationals for both colonialism and
  • 00:13:18
    strict immigration policies which we can
  • 00:13:20
    observe throughout Japanese and American
  • 00:13:23
    history hashirama's will of fire became
  • 00:13:26
    the country's national identity a
  • 00:13:28
    country built then onm militant
  • 00:13:30
    protectionism and sacrifice a country
  • 00:13:33
    that would do anything to protect itself
  • 00:13:34
    by any means necessary history Professor
  • 00:13:37
    Dr fujitani in the mag at150 podcast
  • 00:13:41
    says that we need to come to grips with
  • 00:13:42
    the price of nationalism though it can
  • 00:13:45
    be healthy in cases like those mentioned
  • 00:13:47
    it carries a logic with many negative
  • 00:13:49
    repercussions he says that there is an
  • 00:13:51
    inherent berserk to it that needs to be
  • 00:13:54
    tempered and quelled before it
  • 00:13:56
    transforms into something dangerous like
  • 00:13:58
    racis or fascism or into what we see
  • 00:14:01
    happen in Naruto the leaf Village is a
  • 00:14:03
    representation of these repercussions
  • 00:14:05
    and the U Clan becomes the one
  • 00:14:07
    outstanding casualty the one major
  • 00:14:09
    blight on the national identity of the
  • 00:14:16
    leaf hashirama once suggested that in
  • 00:14:19
    become hake after the death of Madura no
  • 00:14:22
    uch would ever come close to not only
  • 00:14:24
    becoming Hokage but even earning a seat
  • 00:14:27
    on the konoha council the Elders that
  • 00:14:29
    make the most important decisions
  • 00:14:31
    regarding the village no uch were ever
  • 00:14:33
    even advisers to okag instead Hashi
  • 00:14:37
    passed his role down to his brother who
  • 00:14:39
    believed that the ucha were an
  • 00:14:40
    inherently dangerous people Toyama has
  • 00:14:43
    always had a problem with the ucha
  • 00:14:44
    dating back to his battles with iuna and
  • 00:14:47
    especially with moo being given now the
  • 00:14:50
    opportunity to protect the village by
  • 00:14:52
    any means necessary being given that
  • 00:14:54
    blessing by hashirama it gave the Second
  • 00:14:57
    Hokage free reign to uphold the The
  • 00:14:59
    Village identity and to continuously
  • 00:15:01
    fight against the quote other even if
  • 00:15:03
    that other lived in the very same
  • 00:15:05
    Village he governed to toi senju the I
  • 00:15:09
    threatened the safety of their Village
  • 00:15:11
    and so like those who would come after
  • 00:15:13
    him he did what he felt was necessary to
  • 00:15:15
    protect his brother's
  • 00:15:17
    home nationalists tend to create their
  • 00:15:20
    own narratives to interpret historical
  • 00:15:22
    events in the way that fits their needs
  • 00:15:24
    to renew languages artificially to mimic
  • 00:15:27
    other nations and to appropriate foreign
  • 00:15:29
    Traditions as their own motivated by a
  • 00:15:31
    desire to connect their Nation to a
  • 00:15:33
    remote and illustrious past nationalists
  • 00:15:35
    do not hesitate whenever necessary to
  • 00:15:37
    invent such links we see that with his
  • 00:15:40
    countless theories about how the uch are
  • 00:15:42
    a clan predisposed to evil and to hatred
  • 00:15:45
    and with that thought tobirama created
  • 00:15:47
    the police force and gave it to the ucha
  • 00:15:50
    thus ostracizing the clan from the other
  • 00:15:52
    Village members not only physically but
  • 00:15:54
    psychologically the isolation of the
  • 00:15:56
    clan gave tobirama a place where he
  • 00:15:58
    could keep his watchful eye on the clan
  • 00:16:00
    quote possessed by evil these
  • 00:16:02
    destructive narratives about the UA were
  • 00:16:05
    pushed Along by the following generation
  • 00:16:07
    most notably tobirama's student danzo
  • 00:16:10
    shimura danzo saw the clan as nothing
  • 00:16:12
    but bodies belonging to the state and he
  • 00:16:15
    treated their eyes as such all the while
  • 00:16:17
    he and the other konoha Elders blamed
  • 00:16:20
    the uch for the ninetail attack at the
  • 00:16:23
    core of it all the second oag as well as
  • 00:16:26
    danzo did not believe that the uch clan
  • 00:16:28
    carried the the same level of loyalty
  • 00:16:30
    and dedication to the Village as they
  • 00:16:31
    did even though the I themselves
  • 00:16:33
    willfully chose hashirama as their
  • 00:16:35
    leader back when the village was being
  • 00:16:37
    created and they cast MAA out throughout
  • 00:16:40
    the Leaf's history the ucha are
  • 00:16:42
    positioned as anti konoha out of fear
  • 00:16:45
    the way Toyama speaks about them calling
  • 00:16:47
    them Scoundrels using coded language
  • 00:16:49
    claims of their genetics being
  • 00:16:51
    inherently evil again and again he nor
  • 00:16:54
    danzo are ever challenged by The
  • 00:16:56
    Narrative but when luch shows genuine
  • 00:16:58
    emotion because say their Brethren were
  • 00:17:00
    slain in war they are positioned as the
  • 00:17:03
    villains and that is always extrapolated
  • 00:17:05
    to them being against the
  • 00:17:07
    village as understanding as hashirama
  • 00:17:10
    was in his early days the sju created
  • 00:17:12
    The Narrative for the leaf history is
  • 00:17:15
    decided by The Victors Nations and
  • 00:17:17
    narratives are also decided by The
  • 00:17:19
    Victors and while danzo was
  • 00:17:21
    orchestrating the demise of the U the
  • 00:17:24
    third Hokage stood idly by he allowed
  • 00:17:27
    the clan to be blam and he allowed their
  • 00:17:29
    relocation to the outskirts of the
  • 00:17:31
    village this passivity is a component of
  • 00:17:34
    nationalism it falls on sarutobi and the
  • 00:17:36
    other members of the konoha Council on
  • 00:17:39
    nationalism methanic cleansing and
  • 00:17:41
    genocide author and Professor Danielle
  • 00:17:43
    conversy writes that there is a
  • 00:17:45
    bystander role in genocide that can
  • 00:17:47
    occur where the apathy and heedlessness
  • 00:17:49
    of international audiences and
  • 00:17:51
    indifference towards Collective rights
  • 00:17:52
    and dignity can feed the machine of mass
  • 00:17:55
    destruction philosopher Hannah aand
  • 00:17:57
    famously explained how the key element
  • 00:17:59
    of genocide is not interethnic hatred as
  • 00:18:01
    commonly assumed but simple indifference
  • 00:18:04
    towards fellow human beings passivity
  • 00:18:06
    and indifference make up of the raw
  • 00:18:08
    material of
  • 00:18:09
    genocide the darkness that nationalism
  • 00:18:12
    can bring forth has been accompanied by
  • 00:18:14
    some of history's most violent episodes
  • 00:18:16
    of ethnic cleansing generally of
  • 00:18:18
    minorities that were considered disloyal
  • 00:18:20
    to the nation or suspected of
  • 00:18:22
    collaborating with its enemies the
  • 00:18:24
    Ottoman Empire the Holocaust the Hindus
  • 00:18:26
    and Muslims of India and Pakistan in 19
  • 00:18:28
    47 and others Itachi and the fate of the
  • 00:18:32
    U Clan is the prime example of
  • 00:18:35
    nationalism in Naruto nationalism at its
  • 00:18:38
    most extreme but for me the most
  • 00:18:41
    alarming part of it all is how the story
  • 00:18:43
    portrays this massacre after chapter 399
  • 00:18:47
    Itachi's actions are praised by The
  • 00:18:49
    Narrative he is given so much grace
  • 00:18:52
    Naruto hails the man as a hero in
  • 00:18:55
    chapter 549 Naruto mentions how Itachi
  • 00:18:58
    made himself look like the quote bad guy
  • 00:19:00
    to save Sasuke and konoha Naruto doesn't
  • 00:19:03
    bad an eye that this man committed
  • 00:19:05
    genocide in the name of their Village
  • 00:19:07
    instead he says that Itachi has done
  • 00:19:10
    enough for the village hashirama after
  • 00:19:12
    hearing all that Itachi did in The
  • 00:19:14
    Village's name he calls the young ucha a
  • 00:19:17
    Shinobi even greater than he was is it
  • 00:19:20
    not odd that the First Hokage Praises a
  • 00:19:22
    Child Soldier for killing his entire
  • 00:19:24
    bloodline is it not alarming that this
  • 00:19:26
    idea is never confronted or or really
  • 00:19:29
    fought against is there no commotion for
  • 00:19:31
    the fact that blind loyalty is promoted
  • 00:19:34
    and lauded over the lives of real people
  • 00:19:37
    when these lines of support are spoken
  • 00:19:39
    by your protagonist who is supposed to
  • 00:19:40
    be both the moral compass and the moral
  • 00:19:43
    Paragon of this series you are giving
  • 00:19:45
    Itachi and the leaf a pass for
  • 00:19:48
    genocide Bernard Yak writes nationalism
  • 00:19:51
    does not teach us that we can do no
  • 00:19:53
    wrong when we act in service of the
  • 00:19:54
    nation or that we should be indifferent
  • 00:19:56
    to the suffering of those who oppose the
  • 00:19:58
    members of of our community but it does
  • 00:20:00
    dispose us to act as if we did believe
  • 00:20:02
    these things by lining up calculations
  • 00:20:04
    of Interest feelings of communal loyalty
  • 00:20:06
    and beliefs about political legitimacy
  • 00:20:09
    against the members of rival nations in
  • 00:20:11
    doing so it makes many ordinary members
  • 00:20:13
    of a Nation much more willing to go
  • 00:20:15
    along with the relatively few
  • 00:20:17
    individuals among them the Fanatics the
  • 00:20:19
    xenophobes the self-seeking political
  • 00:20:21
    entrepreneurs who do not recognize any
  • 00:20:24
    moral constraints on our treatment of
  • 00:20:25
    the members of other nations nationalism
  • 00:20:28
    I am suggesting has a subtly Insidious
  • 00:20:30
    effect on our moral judgment rather than
  • 00:20:33
    directly challenge moral restraints on
  • 00:20:35
    our treatment of others it corrodes and
  • 00:20:38
    weakens them nationalism doesn't kill
  • 00:20:40
    people nationalists
  • 00:20:43
    [Music]
  • 00:20:45
    do the most targeted the most vulnerable
  • 00:20:48
    group the base of this story are the
  • 00:20:51
    children Kakashi in chapter 35 of Naruto
  • 00:20:55
    clearly states that he does not see the
  • 00:20:56
    children of the leaf as children they
  • 00:20:59
    are soldiers even more than that these
  • 00:21:01
    child soldiers are the very vehicles
  • 00:21:03
    that the leaf uses to promote
  • 00:21:05
    nationalism as they are Ground Zero for
  • 00:21:07
    building up national identity and
  • 00:21:10
    Collective identity they are the ones
  • 00:21:12
    being taught that their Village their
  • 00:21:14
    code matters more than any other and
  • 00:21:16
    that the honor of their Villages
  • 00:21:18
    supersedes everything in the tuning
  • 00:21:20
    exams we see exactly that in sarobi
  • 00:21:22
    speech they fight to the death to help
  • 00:21:25
    fulfill the dream that was envisioned by
  • 00:21:26
    their ancestors the youth and youth
  • 00:21:28
    culture are often primary movers of
  • 00:21:31
    General culture and sentiment they are
  • 00:21:33
    the ones who popularize movement and
  • 00:21:35
    change in Naruto they are the most loyal
  • 00:21:39
    and dedicated Shinobi in every
  • 00:21:41
    sense Itachi uchia again stands as
  • 00:21:44
    example number one because he was a
  • 00:21:47
    child of War Itachi was molded and
  • 00:21:49
    manipulated into becoming this perfect
  • 00:21:51
    Shinobi by both the third Hokage the
  • 00:21:54
    state and by danzo's Anu a Shinobi who
  • 00:21:57
    at 7 years old seven was ready to
  • 00:22:00
    sacrifice his heart for the
  • 00:22:03
    village Kakashi as much as he is revered
  • 00:22:06
    throughout the story he is also one of
  • 00:22:08
    konoha's greatest soldiers he is another
  • 00:22:11
    victim of konoha's nationalist
  • 00:22:14
    ideals Kakashi who found his father's
  • 00:22:17
    lifeless body as a result of the weight
  • 00:22:19
    of the Shinobi Creed Kakashi whose best
  • 00:22:22
    friend died as a child because he was
  • 00:22:24
    thrust into the war of adults Kakashi
  • 00:22:27
    whose other teammate also died young who
  • 00:22:30
    also took her own life jumping in front
  • 00:22:32
    of his own attack because she too was a
  • 00:22:34
    child thrust into the war of adults but
  • 00:22:37
    she was carrying a weapon of mass
  • 00:22:39
    destruction inside of her and Rene chose
  • 00:22:41
    the village over her own life a child
  • 00:22:44
    and despite everything this same Kakashi
  • 00:22:47
    remains fiercely loyal to the Village
  • 00:22:48
    hidden in the leaves the leaf and its
  • 00:22:51
    nationalist ideals have ripped all of
  • 00:22:53
    Kakashi's loved ones away from him and
  • 00:22:56
    have left him with a depression that is
  • 00:22:57
    subtly evident in the way that he
  • 00:22:59
    carries himself and in some of the words
  • 00:23:01
    that he says surrounded by death and
  • 00:23:04
    loss Kakashi has nothing else but to
  • 00:23:07
    give himself to his Nation he's got
  • 00:23:09
    nowhere to go nowhere to run again just
  • 00:23:12
    like seku at least Kakashi can gain a
  • 00:23:15
    semblance of autonomy and control in a
  • 00:23:18
    life where he has had none Kakashi Tachi
  • 00:23:21
    Naruto and Sasuke they are all victims
  • 00:23:24
    they are the examples of why konoha
  • 00:23:27
    places their faith and their trust into
  • 00:23:29
    children because children are easily
  • 00:23:31
    multiable you teach them that they are
  • 00:23:33
    tools and they will become the sharpest
  • 00:23:35
    you tell them that it's either their
  • 00:23:36
    Clan or the village and they will
  • 00:23:38
    believe that there isn't a third choice
  • 00:23:41
    these nations promise Glory
  • 00:23:43
    companionship revenge and being a ninja
  • 00:23:45
    devoted to your country is the best way
  • 00:23:48
    to not get othered it's the best way for
  • 00:23:50
    Naruto to be seen to be loved and we
  • 00:23:53
    must extrapolate these ideas to every
  • 00:23:56
    genon and joning that have ever been
  • 00:23:57
    raised in in the village in all the
  • 00:23:59
    villages across the Naruto world to go
  • 00:24:02
    even further Naruto gar Rin noara all
  • 00:24:06
    extreme examples of tools for their
  • 00:24:08
    Nations as they were all once jinu
  • 00:24:10
    walking weapons of mass destruction
  • 00:24:12
    children in service to their countries
  • 00:24:15
    they are symbols of political power and
  • 00:24:17
    used as pawns on a chessboard for the
  • 00:24:19
    greater battles between these
  • 00:24:22
    nations the chunian exams are nothing
  • 00:24:24
    but an arena wherein young Shinobi fight
  • 00:24:27
    possibly to the death for the honor of
  • 00:24:29
    their lands but is honor worth the death
  • 00:24:32
    of children the very thing hashirama was
  • 00:24:34
    so against when he was first building
  • 00:24:36
    this Village the gning of the leaf are
  • 00:24:38
    told this directly and still none of
  • 00:24:40
    them bat an eye at this nationalism but
  • 00:24:42
    can you blame them this is the after
  • 00:24:44
    effect of raising child soldiers they've
  • 00:24:47
    got unquestioning loyalty to the
  • 00:24:51
    state the konoha has effectively snuffed
  • 00:24:54
    out any sort of individual thought that
  • 00:24:57
    could have crept past the village
  • 00:24:58
    and the narrative plays a major role in
  • 00:25:00
    highlighting which perspectives should
  • 00:25:02
    be admired and which should be condemned
  • 00:25:05
    Naruto himself at the beginning of the
  • 00:25:06
    series in the Land of Waves Arc was
  • 00:25:08
    firmly Against The Stance of Shinobi
  • 00:25:10
    being emotionless tools for their
  • 00:25:12
    countries he even cries and breaks the
  • 00:25:15
    shobi rules and Creeds of being closed
  • 00:25:17
    off and emotionless his emotion even
  • 00:25:19
    bringing Zabuza of tears and yet this
  • 00:25:22
    very same protagonist this very same kid
  • 00:25:25
    hails Itachi as a hero for cutting off
  • 00:25:28
    his own heart and choosing the village
  • 00:25:30
    above everything else The Narrative
  • 00:25:32
    Praises those who make these kinds of
  • 00:25:33
    sacrifices those who can endure for a
  • 00:25:36
    nationalist cause danzo who has had at
  • 00:25:39
    hand in nearly every single political
  • 00:25:41
    conflict and act against every other
  • 00:25:43
    nation is given a fairly clean death and
  • 00:25:45
    his actions are even romanticized by The
  • 00:25:48
    Narrative as he claims he did everything
  • 00:25:49
    for the village the story is so eager to
  • 00:25:52
    place a character like danzo as this
  • 00:25:54
    morally great person because of what he
  • 00:25:57
    did for the village and in that same
  • 00:25:59
    light clearly condemn the akatski or MAA
  • 00:26:02
    and leave very little room for their
  • 00:26:03
    perspective for their own hunt for peace
  • 00:26:06
    and Justice Sasuke is one of the
  • 00:26:08
    greatest examples of this framing is
  • 00:26:10
    Sasuke wrong for not forgiving konoha is
  • 00:26:14
    he wrong for not wanting to follow
  • 00:26:15
    Itachi's path of blind loyalty to a
  • 00:26:18
    village that had him give up not only
  • 00:26:19
    his childhood but his entire life and
  • 00:26:21
    family is Sasuke's anger not justified
  • 00:26:24
    instead Sasuke's anger is often seen as
  • 00:26:27
    worse than the actions that led him to
  • 00:26:29
    this point the oppression the abuse the
  • 00:26:31
    ethnic cleansing that all precedes his
  • 00:26:33
    desires are made to seem as if they pale
  • 00:26:35
    in comparison to what he would do that
  • 00:26:37
    what was done was all
  • 00:26:39
    necessary again the akatski are made up
  • 00:26:42
    of Shinobi who have all left their
  • 00:26:43
    Villages almost all of their motives are
  • 00:26:46
    because they are victims of their
  • 00:26:47
    country's nationalism or of the Shinobi
  • 00:26:49
    system saser Kisame kakuzu Itachi Konan
  • 00:26:53
    they have all suffered because of what
  • 00:26:55
    their nation's Pride did to them but n
  • 00:26:58
    are given the grace that say danzo is
  • 00:27:01
    given this is the perspective that the
  • 00:27:03
    story tells us the narrative tells us
  • 00:27:06
    that we must sacrifice in order to
  • 00:27:08
    achieve our goals but it tells us that
  • 00:27:10
    It ultimately doesn't matter what those
  • 00:27:12
    sacrifices are as long as they are for
  • 00:27:14
    the village as long as they are for
  • 00:27:16
    something greater even if that
  • 00:27:18
    sacrifices human
  • 00:27:20
    lives konoha specifically and the rest
  • 00:27:23
    of the Naruto world has been built up
  • 00:27:25
    through a nationalist ideal and it is
  • 00:27:27
    not changed the three Trailblazers of
  • 00:27:30
    the Naruto world are Hashi senju of
  • 00:27:33
    course Naruto himself and Sasuke three
  • 00:27:36
    people who were strong enough to change
  • 00:27:38
    the world to alter the Shinobi World
  • 00:27:41
    hashirama despite acknowledging the need
  • 00:27:43
    for children to not be soldiers and
  • 00:27:45
    acknowledging the inherent faults that
  • 00:27:47
    lie in the Shinobi system his village
  • 00:27:49
    became a Shinobi Village thus giving the
  • 00:27:51
    Shinobi system a foundation to build on
  • 00:27:54
    Naruto and Sasuke had a chance to change
  • 00:27:57
    the SHO world to be down upon the
  • 00:28:00
    systems that have impacted their very
  • 00:28:02
    lives the reason Naruto is an orphan
  • 00:28:05
    with a weapon of mass destruction inside
  • 00:28:07
    of him the reason he was bullied and
  • 00:28:09
    ostracized as a kid at least Hashi
  • 00:28:12
    ramama tried at least he had an ideal in
  • 00:28:14
    mind but for Naruto and Sasuke the two
  • 00:28:17
    who truly had the chance to change the
  • 00:28:19
    Shinobi World to Change the system they
  • 00:28:22
    didn't even
  • 00:28:24
    try the system that thrives on
  • 00:28:26
    nationalist ideals and its berserk
  • 00:28:29
    continues never to be again challenged
  • 00:28:31
    as it once was back in the very first
  • 00:28:34
    Ark as much as we love this series and
  • 00:28:36
    are enamored by its many fascinating
  • 00:28:38
    characters and the world and this story
  • 00:28:41
    it's important to look critically at the
  • 00:28:42
    messages that these stories send it's
  • 00:28:44
    essential to ask questions like why is
  • 00:28:48
    Itachi held as a hero and why doesn't
  • 00:28:50
    Naruto challenge the systems that have
  • 00:28:51
    oppressed him and his loved ones now
  • 00:28:54
    whether the author believes in these
  • 00:28:56
    ideas and themes or not up to them but
  • 00:28:59
    we as an audience have a duty to think
  • 00:29:01
    about these stories critically and form
  • 00:29:03
    our own opinions on what these themes
  • 00:29:05
    and messages are and whether we agree or
  • 00:29:07
    disagree with them the point is that
  • 00:29:09
    it's okay to challenge the artist here
  • 00:29:12
    weit and I have asked why this story in
  • 00:29:15
    particular upholds the values that it
  • 00:29:17
    does and we continue to ask if these are
  • 00:29:19
    the correct messages to be sending to
  • 00:29:21
    the youth and in particular young boys
  • 00:29:24
    so that the Next Generation can have
  • 00:29:26
    stories that challenge the status quo in
  • 00:29:28
    unique and healthy ways so that there
  • 00:29:31
    exists a place where stories don't
  • 00:29:33
    necessarily always have to parallel real
  • 00:29:35
    life especially for the young boys of
  • 00:29:37
    the future so they can imagine a future
  • 00:29:40
    where self-sacrifice isn't a part of
  • 00:29:42
    their Identity or they don't have to
  • 00:29:44
    live up to the incredibly demanding and
  • 00:29:46
    often self-harming ideals of the past
  • 00:29:49
    and sometimes present so they can
  • 00:29:51
    imagine a future where they can just
  • 00:29:54
    exist Naruto is about many things I
  • 00:29:57
    think a series about friendship bonds
  • 00:30:01
    sacrifice a series about love like I
  • 00:30:03
    once
  • 00:30:04
    said but
  • 00:30:14
    this this isn't love this is not
  • 00:30:18
    friendship it's not sacrifice these are
  • 00:30:21
    not
  • 00:30:22
    Bonds this is the price of nationalism
Etiquetas
  • Nationalism
  • Naruto
  • Shinobi
  • Uchiha
  • Self-sacrifice
  • Identity
  • Anime
  • Critique
  • Japan
  • America