Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto has inspired a generation of viewers that has established the Shonen series as one of the most adored and watched titles. The characters of the series had always found a way to resonate with the viewers’ hearts. From teaching fans to never give up on their dreams to breaking the cycle of hatred, the show was full of practical lessons.
One such lesson was also for the young adults, featuring the legendary Sannins, Tsunade Senju, and Jiraiya. The Pervy Sage was in love with the Fifth Hokage, which has been sewn together with unrequited love, respect, and the bittersweet thought of what could have been.
Fans had always adored the two and wanted them to end up together. However, Kishimoto-San had other plans, as he wanted to teach an important lesson about how sometimes the people we love the most might not feel the same for us.
Masashi Kishimoto Teaches An Important Aspect of Love
Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto was centered on its protagonist, Naruto Uzumaki, who had a far-fetched yet achievable dream of becoming the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village. The young Shinobi crossed paths with one of the three legendary Sannins in the show, who had received all the love and praise from the show.
The Toad Sage instantly became a fan-favorite character, but the character had one of the most tragic stories that the mangaka used to teach a key love lesson to the fans of the series.
As ardent fans know, Ero Senin was ardently in love with The Legendary Sucker for a long time. He would never openly confess his feelings to her, yet the hermit would not miss an opportunity to express his unspoken emotions through his actions.
Unlike a typical love story, where a person would have a wavering affection for his better half, Jiraiya never missed an opportunity to showcase his affection for her. Despite the constant rejection, which felt like a silent burden to him, he never let it drag him down or let it affect his emotions towards his beloved.
The Slug Queen’s heart was overwhelmed with losses for her loved ones, including losing her younger brother and her lover during the Third Great Shinobi War. Though she never reciprocated the Sage’s romantic emotions, they shared a deep and meaningful friendship that made the fandom love them.
Their connection has always been meaningful and made the viewers love them, and almost everyone was devoted to seeing them together. However, Kishimoto-Sensei planned otherwise, as he decided to send him on a deadly mission, from which he never returned.
When the tragic news reached Konoha, the Fifth Hokage was in tears, realized that all these years she had been in love with him, and silently reminisced about all the gestures he made for her over the years.
Hence, the author taught his audience that perhaps love is not about warm endings, as it can often be about loving someone selflessly, as it can be a powerful driving force that feels like a light at the end of a dark tunnel.
Naruto Fans React to The Incomplete Love Story of The Two Sannins
Kishimoto-San beautifully portrayed how the Hermit Sage’s love for Tsunade was the most misunderstood aspect of him, as he lived his teenage and young adult life struggling to make her reciprocate his feelings, but the Sannin was not a typical character as she chose to hide her emotions as well.
The two became one of the most beloved potential lovers in the Shonen series. A fan in r/Naruto shared a post asking, “What do you think of Tsunade and Jiraiya’s relationship?” The post received an overwhelming positive response from the fans, as they commented,
Jiraiya taught us that loving someone should feel like breathing, as the feelings should remain constant even after the beloved chooses not to reciprocate those same emotions.
However, one should not stray away from those sentiments, because going the extra mile to put a smile on that face makes all the extra work worth it.
Naruto can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
