Thank you, NARUTO UZUMAKI

"I am Uzumaki Naruto. I like cup ramen. But I like ramen at Ichiraku that Iruka-sensei bough for me even more. I hate the three minutes that I have to wait after I put in the hot water. My hobby is to eat and compare cup ramens! And my dream is to become greater than the Hokages! I'm going to make all the villagers recognize my existence."

Well Naruto, you did it.

I have been thinking about doing this post for some time now, yet I decided to write it after episode 500. Yes, Naruto Shippuden ended after 500 episodes on March 23, 2017. Well it wouldn't be Naruto if the anime didn't end with filler episodes, yet it was really emotional. I must admit, I found it a bit poor but it still made me almost cry in a couple of moments. Okay, I did cry after Naruto asked Iruka-sensei to attend his wedding as his father. It was so emotional and moving, connecting the first and the last episode in such a way.

Nevertheless, I am not doing an episode discussion here but some kind of character discussion. Today's post is solely devoted to Naruto Uzumaki as a character and a legend, that actually affected me and my personality.

I guess many might call me crazy or at least think that it is strange how an animated character can affect someone, but it did. And although it sounds a bit cliche, Naruto is not just a character. A complex personality along with a moving story and background is actually associated with that name. Naruto was just a little boy that had been left alone in the world. And even tough he had the right to hate the whole world, he didn't. His strong will and the power to believe pushed him forward and he never though of giving up. That is the first thing that Naruto taught me: "DATEBAYO!" or "BELIEVE IT!".

Secondly and more importantly, was how Naruto actually always believed in the good of people. There have been so many opponents, so many villains, yet Naruto always tried to break their hatred by getting to know them. He was naive, but even at times he knew that some people were bad or had bad intentions, he never gave up on them. That is exactly why I love Naruto so much. It is not because he is so strong, or because he is the main character, it is because Masashi Kishimoto based Naruto's personality on the same philosophy that I follow. It is the philosophy of always believing in the good of people. And despite the fact that they might be mean and evil to the core, we still believe that we can influence them by being good to them. That's the philosophy I follow. That's my ninja way.

My thanks firstly go to the man that brought such a character into my life, Masashi Kishimoto. You are, without any doubt, one of the greatest story-tellers ever. You are the very soul of the manga and the anime and so the soul  of every single character. Thank you for all these years, for all the action, the amazing fights, all the laughs, the tears, the emotional moments, the love, the anticipation, the entertainment, the excitement and even the fillers. I have no doubt that Boruto will be just awesome as Naruto.

Naruto, I'll make it short. Thank you for making me believe and teaching me to follow my own ninja way.  You came into my life as STORY, but left as a LEGEND.  Thanks for being a part of it. You'll be missed.