Naruto’s Most Underrated Quote Defined His Ninja Career (And the Next Generation)

Naruto, as a series, is defined by flashy ninjutsu, great hand-to-hand combat, and the ever-present Talk no Jutsu, and with all of that in mind, of course, the series features no shortage of review-worthy quotes. When it boils down to the ethos of the series, there were plenty of characters featured that acted as both a conduit for the themes and foils to the themes. Naruto often acted as the direct representation of hard work and heroic themes, as he was usually the change he wanted to see in the world. However, during his face-off with Neji during the Chunin exams, we saw one of his peers from the village he valued so deeply directly challenge Naruto’s ideologies. Not only was Neji viewed as more skilled than Naruto, but he quickly asserted his assumed superiority over our young protagonist throughout the entire match.

Or, perhaps more correctly, Neji’s superiority in the match so far. Naruto has never been one to face down criticisms of his beliefs without proving the worth of his ninja way. Naruto meets Neji head-on during this battle and continually proves the young prodigy wrong through words backed by actions. Naruto fights for his belief in trying and his belief in betterment. Neji disrespects Naruto’s reasoning and even his cousin, as he deems them weaklings. Having been a featured fight during the original season of Naruto, it is impressive to see that words and beliefs featured by both Neji and Naruto during these episodes have carried weight throughout Naruto: Shippuden and even into Boruto: Naruto Next Generations and Boruto: Two Blue Vortex. Naruto asserts that people control their destinies and encourages the other Genin to take control of their own, and these sentiments have never rung more true than in the most recent chapters of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex.

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The Generation That Shattered Destiny

The belief in destiny is a recurring theme throughout all of Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden and is often reflected in the villains’ or antagonists’ resolutions that the world is cyclical and full of pain. Most of our favorite antagonists assert to Naruto that it is the destiny of shinobi to suffer within the world they serve. The greatest example of Naruto defying destiny and encouraging others to break free of the chains that “destiny” had bound them in is the physical and philosophical battle against Neji. Neji represented everything Naruto wasn’t and was the first major hurdle that Naruto would have to face on the road to defeating his rival, Sasuke. Neji was naturally gifted and worked hard, but believed in the absolute power of his strength. Neji was brutal to those weaker than him and believed that even with his strength, he would face similar mistreatment as his father because of the seal on his forehead denoting him as a “branch” family member of his clan.

Even with all of this in mind and with the first half of the match being dominated by Neji, Naruto always believed that he would end this fight as the victor. Despite Naruto’s clear disadvantage, he showed off his cunning nature and tenacity by deploying a shadow clone as a distraction to allow his real body to land a devastating uppercut on Neji. After all of Neji’s assertions and the clear skill discrepancy, Naruto stood above a defeated Neji and announced, “So don’t come whining to me with this destiny stuff, and stop trying to tell me you can’t change what you are! You can do it too.” This quote from Naruto Episode 62 was the final edge to the blade of a quote that informed Neji that he had lost to someone he had deemed lower than himself. Naruto truly believed that complaining about destiny was a cop-out, and that you are the only person in charge of your destiny. Naruto’s generation of shinobi went on to constantly change the very destiny of the world they lived in, and they all had a hand in moving the ninja world toward a place of security and peace.

Boruto: A Child of Destiny

Within the peace Naruto and his friends had created, there was still strife, and within that strife bloomed a new generation of enemies. Boruto has entered a new era of immense danger and unprecedented threats, and he, along with his allies, has to navigate these threats without Naruto and Sasuke. But along with these new villains, we get to see Boruto and his friends demonstrate the reality that their destinies are in their own hands. From the very beginning of Boruto, we see that the village will be destroyed and Kawaki and Boruto will face off in a battle of ideals, yet as the series has gone on, we have seen that these circumstances are likely to come to a head because of Kawaki’s actions. On top of that, we have seen Sarada defy godly, reality-warping powers through her sheer will of affection as she has laid out a path for herself that she wants to go down alongside Boruto.

These are all perfect examples of the newest generation creating their destiny. Boruto is another prime example, as in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, we have seen our protagonist navigate a world turned against him by powers beyond his control, yet he continues to fight against the hand dealt and towards the world he wants to achieve. Alongside that, fans have learned that Boruto has accessed knowledge through Koji Kashin’s foresight, which has allowed him to rapidly increase his power but has also put him in a position of abiding by the deterministic nature of future sight. However, as of Chapters 21 and 22, Boruto has reflected his father’s words, and even with the knowledge that there is no future where he defeats the enemy, Boruto has still entered the fray armed with his strongest attacks and intends to change what he is.