Masashi Kishimoto is one of the most important figures to lead the manga and anime industry in the direction of worldwide popularity. His magnum opus is among the most extraordinary pieces of fiction ever made. Naruto had a massive influence on millions of fans and continues to inspire people through Naruto Uzumaki’s ‘never giving up’ mentality.
Everything that the mangaka did had an unusual reason for it. Fans often ask why the mangaka made Naruto Uzumaki a knucklehead, even though he was a genius. One of the recent interviews of Masashi Kishimoto revealed the reason behind it. The creator gave each character a unique set of characteristics, and in the protagonist’s case, it was the ‘knucklehead’ characteristics.
Naruto Uzumaki’s Personality Was Based On Knuckle-headedness
Masashi Kishimoto carefully created each character to fulfill every requirement for his magnum opus. Being a genius mangaka, he made a rule for his characters. Under any circumstances, he would not change the behavioral pattern of his characters. During an interview, he was about the characters who were easy to work with. Kishimoto sensei did not give a direct answer.
Instead, he said,
“Thinking “I want to have a character behave like this” changes depending on the circumstances, so it’s the same for every character. There weren’t any especially difficult characters. Although Sasuke may have been difficult in that he had many scenes where, if I didn’t give him various circumstances, it meant that it wouldn’t have worked. Because I had decided from the beginning how the characters would be established, I couldn’t have them do things that the characters wouldn’t do.”
The behavioral pattern helped the mangaka further delve into the plot and the characters’ past. Behavior has a connection with psychology, so habits would also make the situation clear to the audience. Naruto‘s knuckle-headedness helped him develop into one of the greatest shinobi in history. Had he been a genius from the start, the story would have become less fascinating. Moreover, it would have not fit with the character everyone fell in love with.
Masashi Kishimoto Created the Characters and Then Added the Characteristics
Masashi Kishimoto is a visionary and had everything pre-planned. First, he created the characters and added unique behavioral patterns for each. When asked to elaborate on his thought process, he took the example of Naruto since he is simple, unlike Sasuke, who is full of complications. Naruto Uzumaki is like an open book where one can see through him. So, complicated words would not suit his character.
He grew up doing shenanigans and did not have anyone to teach him manners. He is easy-going and is always optimistic. Even if he did mention a few complicated words, it would be because of the experiences he was a part of. But changing his entire personality suddenly would not go with him. Masashi Kishimoto said that it would be lying to his audience.
Moreover, he created the characters first, which restricted him from changing their behavior mid-way. Turning the Orange Hokage into a knucklehead made the series more approachable to the audience. People could see him ignoring all the bad things about his life, putting up a smiling face, and never giving up on his dreams.
