There are many conflicts withinNaruto Shippudenthat have become highlights for many fans. Out of all the major conflicts that Naruto has faced over the course of his long journey to becoming Hokage, one of them happened to be entirely internal and uncomfortably close to his perception of himself and the village he wishes to protect. More specifically, Naruto needed to face his other dark self, Dark Naruto, in an attempt to control the Nine-Tailed Beast inside of him by first confronting his own insecurities and true emotions. However, the intimate and somewhat introspective nature of the conflict behind Naruto and Dark Naruto sadly seems to be downplayed or not focused nearly enough as it should have been in canon. Despite a good attempt, Dark Naruto as a concept didn’t live up to its true potential or affect Naruto satisfyingly in a way that lasted for the rest of the series all the way to the end.
Naruto Shippudenisn’t shy to have provided Naruto with enemies and other ninja who shared similar if not greater pain than what he had experienced. After the Pain arc and returning to the village as a hero to the public, the same public that had isolated and mistreated Naruto for the simple reason of being an unaware Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tailed Beast, Narutoneeded a way to get strongeras well as controlling and facing the beast within him. However, that required him to face a similar trial that Killer Bee had undergone before. The Waterfalls of Truth revealed Dark Naruto to our main lead, but why did his potential feel half-hearted as well as not fully realized?
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Understanding The Trial
It is no surprise to many that Naruto as a person is driven, positive, as well as lighthearted with his own sense of right and wrong when it comes towanting to become Hokage. It is also no surprise to many that Naruto has had to face many harsh truths growing up, and especially harsh isolation from the Hidden Leaf because of his status as a Jinchuriki, although he wasn’t aware of it at the time. Naruto may have friends and trusted allies that he can count on when the chips are down now, but many fans wouldn’t have blamed Naruto for having darker more frustrated thoughts despite what he would have you believe at first. It’s because of these small little details of what he shows versus what he truly feels that made Dark Naruto such an appealing idea to many fans at the time.
The idea of facing a darker version of yourself is by precedent introspective and forces our character to understand parts of themselves they have neglected or ignored for too long. Naruto as a character may have a lot of positivity, but his negative emotions were explosive and uncontrolled, as shown when later on he accesses the Nine-Tails Chakra and loses himself in the power. In fact, it is this possession of his emotions that made Naruto want to seek outa way to face himselfand control the Nine-Tails Chakra for his own. As clearly shown, Dark Naruto represented everything that Naruto had neglected and forced himself to ignore. His anger, his frustration, his loneliness, as well as his hatred for being isolated and treated like a monster. Naruto’s first scuffle with his dark self didn’t last too long, but neither did it go anywhere as he hadn’t succeeded in what he wanted at first. However, the second time showed more progress for Naruto and even demonstrated him accepting Dark Naruto, by recognizing that they are both one and the same. While this success was important in the short-term, over the long-term it felt like a wasted opportunity.
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What Potential It Had
The encounter between Naruto and Dark Naruto only lasts for a few episodes in the anime, so the fans at the time didn’t exactly have too much time with the ‘real Naruto’ that many were excited at the time to see. One could say that they didn’t use Dark Naruto to his fullest, considering that Naruto’s resolution felt like it had been too easy to accept as opposed to difficult and immensely struggling. The important thing to remember is thatfacing ones inner darknessis much more interesting when the struggle takes longer than a few episodes, and many fans could agree that Dark Naruto could have become far more relevant even after the Waterfalls of Truth due to him being effectively the repressed side of Naruto. The potential it had for great story telling isn’t limited to just Naruto’s introspection but also for outwards and external behavior that could have been shown in Naruto’s character once the Fourth Great Ninja War officially started.
Even so, there is only so much you can do to make Dark Naruto a presence in the story some might say. It would be a bit clunky to include him as a separate personality, since that isn’t what Dark Naruto is supposed to be. However, one could potentially show Naruto’s difference in behavior as a result if it had happened. The potential forfurther character growth and character conflictwould have been interesting and hard to swallow, but nevertheless important for Naruto and fans ofNaruto Shippuden. Nevertheless, the fans will have to make do with what the show has already given us with regard to Dark Naruto, which isn’t necessarily a bad deal considering how well-executed and liked it is by the community.
