The mainstream hate toward Boruto is worse than mainstream hate toward Naruto was

 

I really don’t get it and more so given back in the day, hardcore Naruto fans were the reason the word “Weabo” was created. I have never heard that word used in reference to any other fanbase or with such distain before or since Naruto. Let’s not kid ourselves, sequels are a rare thing in Anime and Manga in general. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is an obvious exception to the rule but I won’t digress.

Boruto is a direct sequel to Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto created both series like it or not. He may not be personally heading Boruto as he did with Naruto but he is overseeing the Manga and Anime series. It is not a “pet project he’s not serious about” like many dismissed it as when it was first announced. He wouldn’t have bothered making a series out of it otherwise. The Naruto to Boroto movie would have been enough.

 

Naruto was mostly hated until his iconic battle with Pain. It was after this battle that Naruto finally earned the respect of universal respect of the entire Hidden Leaf Village. At that point, Naruto had truly arrived. To understand why that was such a big moment for Naruto plotwise, you need to trun back the clock to the night he was born.

At the very beginning of the series before he became a ninja, as a child Naruto is an outcast in the village due to circumstances beyond his control. The only people who really looked out for him were his first teacher Iruka and to an extent, the Third Hokage. We find out the reason he’s ostracized is because everyone in the village knows he is a Jinchruki: He is a vessel for not just one of the nine mythical Tailed Beasts but the 9th and most powerful, Kurama. The Tailed Beasts were sealed away for reasons I’ll get into later but what you need to know for now is they had to be sealed inside people with powerful chakra.

The specifics are revealed much later in the series but to understand what happened the night Naruto was born, you have to know who Kurama’s Jinchuruki before him was: His mother, Kushina Uzumaki. When Kushina was a little girl, the Uzumaki clan was known to specialize in sealing and binding jutsu. Her bloodline is why she was chosen to be the next Jinchuruki as the current one was nearing the end of their life. Her predecessor ominously warned her female Jinchuruki needed to be especially careful if they have children because the seal keeping Jinchuruki contained would greatly weaken.

By the time Kushina became pregnant with Naruto, she happened to have married he 4th Hokage: Minato Namikaze. It’s never stated but it’s likely the Third Hokage gave Naruto his mother’s last name to protect his life from those who might try to kill him when he was still a baby. Obviously knowing his wife was Kurama’s Jinchuruki, Minato took steps to protect the village by arranging for her to give birth far from the village in secracy.

Despite the prepwork, Obito found them and struck. Weakened from having just given birth, Kushina is unable to defend herself and is taken by Obito who breaks Kurama’s seal. Obito then unleashes Kurama on the village. Hundreds of villagers and ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village died before Kushina and Minato manage to restrain Kurama. Realizing they’re about to die after they’re impaled by one of Kurama’s claws, Minato and Kushina make the difficult decision to make the newborn Kurama the next Jinchuruki. Minato casts the Death Reaper Seal Jutsu at the same time, taking half of Kurama’s chakra to the netherworld with him. The remaining half is sealed inside Naruto.

A short time later, the Third Hokage finds Naruto and the bodies of his parents. He puts 2 and 2 together and realizes what happened before he was arrived. While Minato was busy dealing with Kurama, Sabutori Konahamaru was helping to evacuate villagers to safety during Kurama’s rampage. Most of the villagers obviously knew Naruto was the 4th’s son but the problem is their respect for Minato wasn’t extended to his son despite the fact his parents’ sacrifice is why the village wasn’t wiped out entirely. You have to keep in mind for generations, people had been taught to fear and hate Jinchuruki. Then Kurama got lose to night he was born. In their minds, Naruto was an accursed child.

 

 

 

From a very young age, Naruto aspired to one day become Hokage. He’s obviously the son of the 4th Hokage himself while the 6th Hokage Kakashi Hatake was his squad leader. When the third Hokage died fighting Orochimaru, legendary ninja Tsunade returns to become the 5th Hokage. In the timespan between the end of the Naruto series and the beginning of Boruto, Naruto achieves his dream by becoming the 7th Hokage.

The interesting this is the Third Hokage knew both of his predecessors AND the four who succeeded him. When Konahamaru was a squad leader, his team was made up of Juraiya, Tsunade and Orochimaru. The three were known as The Legendary Sanin and later, they would each mentor a team of Kakashi’s Team 7: Naruto (Jiraya), Sakura (Tsunade) and Sasuke (Orochimaru).

 

Their rivalry with each other spanned almost 10 years to say the least.

Like Naruto, Sasuke Uchiha had quite a tragic family history. Due to politics, his older brother Itachi was forced to wipe out their entire clan and he did it in a single night. Basically, the Uchiha clan was feared for their powers. Generations earlier, the Uchiha and Senju clans–the village’s founding clans–were the strongest in the ninja world. Hashirama Senju, the first Hokage brokered an alliance with the Uchiha clan though he ultimately had to kill his longtime rival Madara Uchiha in the process.

By the time Sasuke was born, the Uchiha clan served the village mostly as police and though some like Itachi served as members of the Hidden Leaf’s Anbu Black Ops. Itachi was basically forced to kill his entire clan–except Sasuke–by Danzo to prove his loyalty to the village over his clan. The incident was covered up and explained to the rest of the village as the Uchiha clan preparing to rebel and they had to be annihilated. Knowing it was a lose-lose situation for him, Itachi left the village and joined the Akatsuki alone though Sasuke’s safety was assured since his latent powers hadn’t manifested yet.

Sasuke knew what his brother had done and held a deep-seated hatred toward him because of it. It wasn’t until much later whem Itachi revealed the truth that Sasuke learned his hatred was misplaced. When he was younger, he left the village feeling he needed to find other ways to become stronger. This leads him to Orochimaru, who himself was exiled from the village years ago due to his forbidden research and experiments.

Eventually, Sasuke learns the truth about the Uchiha clan’s dark past. Obito Uchiha–Kakashi’s former squadmate–fell into despair after their squadmate and love interest Rin was killed during a mission. Obito, who was long believed dead after that fateful day abandoned the village and founded the Akatsuki. Its mission: Revive Madara Uchiha and usher in the Infinite Tsukiyomi. Obito ultimately succeeds but let’s just say he’s made to quickly regret it.

Team 7, which was fractured for some time reforms to ultimately save the world. After that, Sasuke challenged Naruto to a duel to settle their differences and decide which of them should become Hokage. The duel ended in a tie when they both literally blew each others’ arm off. Sasuke conceded to Naruto after the fact and would dedicate the rest of his life to protecting the Hidden Leaf Village from a distance. Naruto used Hashirama’s cells gain a new arm and later became Hokage after Kakashi.

 

 

 

In the interim while Sasuke was AWOL and Kakashi was pulled for some Anbu missions, Tsunade reformed the team. Joining Naruto and Sakura would be Yamato and Sai who themselves are both highly trained Anbu. Yamato was chosen because he was the only other ninja available capable to restraining Kurama’s chakra if need be. The mysterious Sai was added to the reformed team on behalf of Danzo, one of the leaders of the village to keep tabs on Naruto and kill him if he became a danger to the village. While Sai clearly had split loyalties, ultimately he decided to side with Naruto.

 

One of the longtime tropes of the series was Sakura’s one-sided crush on Sasuke. When Sasuke left the village, she took it especially hard compared to Naruto. She knew she had to become stronger and decided to train as a medical ninja under Tsunade. After Team 7 reformed and saved the world, she would succeed Tsunade as the greatest Medical Ninja in the world. Sai would go on to reform the village’s police force while Yamato would return to the Anbu. Naruto would eventually see, understand and accept the feelings of his longtime crush Hinta and they would get married.

 

That brings me to Boruto.

In case you don’t know, Mitsuki is basically one of Orochimaru’s clones but has a will of his own. Sarada is the daughter of Sakura and Sasuke obviously while everyone knows Boruto is Naruto’s son. Boruto also has a younger sister named Himawari. Initially led by the third Hokage’s grandson Konahamaru, after Sarada become a Jonin she was promoted to squad leader. They would eventually be joined by Kawaki, a young man Naruto adopted after a certain incident.

Those who hate Boruto need to understand the contrast between Naruto’s time and his son’s. Naruto’s generation of ninja would be the last to live through a ninja world in constant conflict. After the 4th Great Ninja War, the nations signed an armistice that is unlikely to be broken anytime soon. More so given Naruto befriended the leaders of the other nations and is now Hokage. You have to keep in mind the overwhelming majority of those who did the fighting and dying were children. Kids started training from a very young age and it was all they knew or was expected of them.

By the time Boruto becomes a a ninja, he laments the fact he was “born in the wrong era”. He has no interest in becoming Hokage but wants to become the strongest ninja in the world. Contrast that to the clumsy and awkward Sarada. I’ll put it like this: Her parents likely wouldn’t have minded if she decided to not become a ninja. Boruto told her while he has no interest in becoming Hokage himself, he wouldn’t mind being her right-hand man if she became Hokage.

On that note. For a long time, Boruto thought his father was lame. He knew his father’s duties as Hokage meant he couldn’t spend a lot of time with the family. It’s not that he felt neglected but he just thought he father should try to make time for the family. In contrast, Sarada never questioned why her father was almost never around. Sakura admitted she was basically a single parent and it was only by chance he was back for the birth of their daughter.

Both Boruto and Sarada obviously know about their families’ dark histories. The fact that Boruto idolizes Sasuke is interesting given Sarada idolizes Naruto. It isn’t until Naruto is abducted that Boruto actually begins to appreciate the legendary Shinobi everyone came to know Naruto as over time. Boruto stopped giving his father a hard time over sleeping most of the time he was home and actually started to respect him as father and Hokage.

 

 

The anime-exclusive arc in which Boruto and Sasuke go back in time and meet kid Naruto was quite the crossover to say the least. It was done mostly to show Boruto he and his father weren’t that different when the latter was his age. More notable was the fact Sasuke kept himself mostly hidden while they were in the past because during the time period they were there, in reality he had left the village not that long ago. He didn’t want to run the risk of someone who knew the Sasuke of that era recognizing him. Boruto asked him when they are alone where he was at that point in time. He doesn’t say but simply states at the time, he was a different person than the one everyone knows now.

After their business in the past was resolved, Sasuke wiped the memories of everyone they met. This is why when they returned to the present, Boruto had to tell his father everything he experienced. Some like to make the arguement this arc was done to win over fans of Naruto to Boruto. After all, it was anime-exclusive. Storywise, I think it was done to show Boruto the stories he heard about how his father was as a kid were in fact true.

In terms of where Boruto’s story is now, I think it’s in a very good place. I find it hypocritical many casual Naruto fans want to pretend they always liked him when they never did until after his fight with Pain. It wasn’t until after that fight that it suddenly became “cool” for casual fans to like Naruto. More so now when comparing Naruto to Boruto. Naruto’s generation fought and sacrificed a lot to secure the era of peace their children now enjoy. Sure, Boruto still has to worry about various threats but it’s nothing on the scale of what Naruto dealt with, nevermind the frequency.

As a reminder, Boruto continues the story of the Naruto universe like it or not. The story is primarily being told from Brouto’s generation now. Naruto’s story was told and he achieved his dream of becoming Hokage. Great. Even though the focus is obviously on Boruto’s generation, we do see what happened to people Naruto came to know along the way. For example Gaara became Kazekage, Shikamaru is Naruto’s assistant and Tenten opened an “antique” weapons shop in town.

Their stories were told already and are done. A new generation of ninja are getting their stories told like it or not. You’ll see familiar faces but they’re mostly in the background where they belong. Could Boruto surpass Naruto in terms of power? Yes, absolutely and more so based on what the Manga eludes to. Will the others see Mitsuki fight in Sage Mode? Signs point to that happening sooner than later. Will Sarada’s Sharingan become as strong as her dad’s? With enough practice and experience, I don’t see why not.

A real interesting scenario that was heavily teased when Boruto was nothing more than concept art was Himawari becoming a ninja herself. Until fairly recently in the anime, she showed little interest in following in her older brother’s footsteps. Mind you, the Byakugan manifested in her from a very young age. Like her aunt Hanabi, she is considered a prodigy by the Hyuga clan. If she underwent proper training, she would probably surpass her late uncle Neji who himself was a prodigy (for those who might not know, Neji died during the Fouth Great Ninja War).

There’s PLENTY of untapped potential for Boruto. If you’ve made up your mind and you don’t like it, fine. Otherwise, give it some time.

 

 

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Some of Anime’s most notable Moms

…I did one for Dads two years ago so this should come as no surprise ^_^

As before, I only listed moms fron Anime I’ve seen myself. Warning, there be some spoilers.

 

 

Sakura Haruno

Anyone who’s seen Naruto and/or Naruto Shippuden knows who Sakura is so I’ll leave out her exploits as a kid and teenager. Shortly after the end of The Fourth Great Ninja War, Team 7 team mates Sakura and Sasuke Uchiha made the Ship official and got married. shortly after that, Sarada came along. Like Naruto, Sai and Kakashi, Sakura transitioned to civilian life as a Ninja Medic and being Sarada’s mother.

Having never met her father and only knowing him from pictures and stories about him, Sarada started to doubt Sasuke was her real mother. She decided to ask Naruto about it but then they get caught up up a battle with one of Orochimaru’s failed experiments from the past. Along the way she meets her father and activates the Sharingan for the first time. After the danger is dealt with, Sasuke confirms for his daughter that Sakura is her mother…as well as his wife.

By the time Boruto Next Generations begins, much time has passed. Everyone has grown up and almost everyone is a parent now. Since the focus is on Boruto and Sarada’s generation, the previous generation don’t appear as much outside supporting the newer ones.  Sakura is no exception. Her daughter has obviously inherited her father’s Sharingan. She has also inherited the superhuman strength of mother.

 

Chi-Chi

Chi-Chi is probably the…how should I put this…oldest person on the list. She is Goku’s wife but she is also the mother of Gohan and Goten as well as the grandmother of Gohan’s daughter Pan.

She is first introduced as a child in Dragonball. She is the only daughter of the fearsome Ox King. Ox Mountain is on fire and the only way it can be extinguished is with the Kamehameha. Goku meets Master Roshi, who teaches him the technique. After Goku uses the Kamehameha to put out the fire on Ox Mountain, Chi-Chi falls in love with him. Chi-Chi doesn’t appear again until the end of the Dragonball series as a young adult. She faces Goku in the World Martial Arts Tournament. The two marry shortly afterward and their son Gohan is born before the start of Dragonball Z.

After the birth of Gohan, Chi-Chi becomes a doting wife to Goku as well as as a doting mother to Gohan and later Goten as well. Gohan was trained by Piccolo but Goten was personally trained by Chi-Chi. Speaking of. Goten was born offscreen shortly after the end of the Cell Saga. It’s commonly believed Chi-Chi discovered she was pregnant shortly after the end of the Cell Saga. Goten is seven years old when he is introduced in the Great Saiyaman Saga and Trunks is a year older than him. So Chi-Chi was pregnant with him at the end of or just after the Cell Saga.

In Dragonball Super, Chi-Chi plays a recurring role as Goku’s wife and grandmother of Pan. Having saved the universe from Majin Buu, Chi-Chi FINALLY gets Goku to get a job…as a farmer! Having no personal need for it, Goku gives Chi-Chi the briefcase containing 100 Million Zenni he receives from Mr. Satan/Hercule to Chi-Chi as a gift…and a bribe to go train under Whis. Chi-Chi is present along with the others during the tournament between Universes 6 and 7, comforting Goku when he is eliminated early on.

Nagisa Furukawa/Okazaki

 

 

Anyone who’s seen Clannad or played the VN knows who Nagisa is. Plus, you should know if you’ve been reading my blog for at least the last three years. So, this will be short. For those who recently started reading my blog, she is the lead female protagonist in the Anime and the canon pairing for Tomoya Okazaki, the lead male protagonist. In the After Story Arc, she becomes pregnant with their daughter Ushio.

In the Alternate Storyline, Nagisa dies giving birth to Ushio. Get your tissues ready because here it is (English Dub):

At the end of the Alternate Timeline in the Anime, this happens instead (English Sub):

To get this ending in the VN, you must collect all of the orbs of Light. You will get a notification once this condition has been satisfied. Plus the Title Screen will be flashing to show you it’s time to see to True Ending ^_^

 

 

Hana (Wolf Children)

 

 

Wolf Children, which was created by Mamoru Hosoda is a tribute to single mothers worldwide. Hosoda himself was raised by a single mother and used his own life experiences as inspiration for this moving story. The obvious twist for Hana is her kids can turn into wolves. After the family moves out of the city and into the suburbs, Yuki and Ame start to drift apart and Hana must come to terms with her children going in different directions and pursuing two different worlds. Yuki decides to live as a human while Ame, who has trouble fitting in at school decides to live as a wolf. In the end, Hana accepts the choices of her children and especially Ame’s.

 

Trisha Elric

 

 

Another person on this list everyone here has at least heard of. After all, her death is what kicked off Ed and Al’s Excellent Adventure.

It is interesting to note Trisha first met Hoenheim when she was a child. Hoenheim kept returning to Risembool every few years until she was old enough to marry. It’s likely he didn’t tell her much about his past but they had Ed and Al. A few years later, he left and never returned. A disease that spread across the region claimed her life. Ed and Al attempted Human Transmutation in an effort to bring her back but of course, their efforts failed with disasterous results. Ed would realize much later the obvious truth: It’s impossible to bring the dead back to life.

Izayoi

She is the second of three mothers on this list who had a child born of two different worlds. In her case, she is the mother of Inuyasha. Izayoi is dead by the time the story begins but we learn about her later in the story.

She is the Lady of a distinguished clan though it appears she was not married when she meets Inutaisho (Inuyasha and Sesshomaru’s father). We know from the events of the movie Swords of an Honorable Ruler that her relationship with a demon kept her at odds with the captain of the guard, who was smitten with her. he was so angry when it was discovered she became pregnant by a demon that he set the castle on fire and then impaled her with a spear shortly after she gave birth to Inuyasha. Inutaisho used Tenseiga to bring her back to life and gave her the Fire Rat Robe (now worn by Inuyasha), leading her to safely before he was consumed by the flames.

We know from Inuyasha’s early memories that she raised him in a nearby village after that until she died (It’s implied she died of illness) Having never known his father, Inuyasha was very close to his mother. Sesshomaru used this knowledge to set a trap for him early in the series.

Delia Ketchum

Everyone knows who she is. So we’ll leave it at that.

Delia Ketchum was a large part of the third Pokemon movie Spell of the Unown in which she is kidnapped by the legendary Pokemon Entei. Her appearances are few for obvious reasons but she does her best to encourage her son. While technically not a trainer herself, she does have a Pokemon partner in Mr. Mime.

One of the oldest unsolved mysteries is the answer to this question: Who is Ash’s father? All that’s known is he is or was likely a trainer.

Hild (Ah! My Goddess!)

 

And here we have the third Mother who broke a taboo and had a mixed race child. In her case, Hild is the mother of the Goddess Urd.

The Anime doesn’t get into this but once upon a time, Hild and The Almighty One were lovers. We also know they used the Gate of Destiny used to weight the strength of the bond between lovers from two worlds, which was a major plot device in The Movie. The two were forced apart but Hild beat the system to see The Almighty One for what would be final time. Urd was conveived from that final meeting and born after the Doublet System was put in place to end the war beween Gods and Demons. While Hild obviously still has feelings for The Almighty One, when asked by Belldandy she plainly states because she tricked the system once, trying a second time would cost her life.

Aside from being Urd’s Mother she is the Daimachaiko, or Ruler of Demonkind. Her power is equal to The Almighty One’s, hence all the jewelry you see in the video to seal most of her true power. Had she arrived at full power, probably most of the world would have been wiped out! After she returns to Nifelhiem (referredto as The Demon Realm in the Anime), she splits off a child version of herself to mess with Keiichi and the Goddesses for  a while. In the Manga, there is coup in Nifelheim and her main body is sealed by the Userper. Hild turns to Keiichi and the Goddesses for help, ultimately regaining her full power again.

…Ok that’s ir for this year. Most of you have probably seen AnimeKat’s post but if you haven’t, check it out ^_^

Next year, I’ll see about doing mothers and fathers in Video Games I’ve played.

Happy Mother’s Day to All Mommy’s Review

 

Since today is Mother’s day I thought i would do a review on 6 anime mothers.

 

First we have Ryouko Fueguchi from Tokyo Ghoul.

Ryouko was Hinami’s mother. Ryouko was a gentle woman, and though a ghoul, she preferred not to hunt or kill people. She loved her daughter, to the point where she told Hinami to run away so that Ryouko could stand up against Kureo Mado. Before the moment of her death, she wished for Hinami to live. As a result after Ryouko died Kaneki kinda became a big brother to Hinami. Kaneki however covered Hinami’s eyes so she wouldn’t see what happened to her mother.

In my opinion i would so totally do this for my own children. Ryouko sacrificed herself for her daughter so her daughter would keep living. I think any mother should want to do that.

 

Next we have Kushina Uzumaki from Naruto.

More than anything, Kushina wanted to protect her newborn son Naruto. This was why she first objected to Minato’s decision to seal the Nine-Tails into him. She did not want to impose the hardships that jinchūriki had to endure during their lives, and moreover did not want to leave her son an orphan should Minato carry out his plan which would also cost him his life and as such, Kushina wanted to sacrifice her own life and reseal the beast into herself. Ultimately agreeing to Minato’s plan which would also protect their village, Kushina imparted her final words to Naruto by which he should live.

I myself think a lot of the mothers who will sacrifice themselves for there children. I know today is mother’s day but i think we should also remember the mother’s who have sacrificed themselves for there children.

 

Next is Carla Yeager from Attack on Titan.

Carla Yeager also translated as Kalura Yeager was the mother of Eren Yeager and the adoptive mother of Mikasa Ackerman. Carla had been known to be protective of her family, enough to put them before herself when Eren and Mikasa were in potential danger for attempting to rescue her. However, once her children left earshot, she whispered that she did not want them to leave her alone to die and continued crying until she died.

Now I must say that Carla did what most mom’s would do but also in this anime you kinda see it coming when she gets picked up and eaten. I can say i might have cried a bit with this scene but not a lot.

 

Next is Hana Kirisaki from Nisekoi.

Hana Kirisaki is a world renowned business consultant who keeps much of the world’s finances in balance, she is the mother of Chitoge Kirisaki. Hana is generally fearsome and isn’t afraid to speak out her mind. (kinda like myself.)

I don’t really have a lot to say about her but she is a very hard working mom. But Hana still retains her caring nature albeit to a lesser extent as shown when she constantly fails to give her gifts to Chitoge. So to me i think she is a real busy body person but she still cares for her family a lot.

 

Next we have Sanae Furukawa from Clannad.

Sanae is the wife of Akio Furukawa (who runs a bakery named Furukawa Bread with) and is the mother of Nagisa Furukawa. Normally she’s very childish and a cry-baby, especially when someone insults her bread but when needed, she can be very strong-willed and dependable. ( I can be a few of these myself lol). One of the series’ frequent gags consists of Akio making a negative comment on Sanae’s bread while unaware of her presence, causing her to run off with tears in her eyes, and Akio stuffing his mouth with her bread and saying he loves it, as he chases behind her ( This just sounds like something my husband would do to me.).  She’s also quite proud of the way people often mistake her for Nagisa’s older sister because of her youthful appearance.

Sanae plays a larger role in the After Story arc, often coming to Tomoya’s aid when Nagisa is ill and needs to be accompanied, especially during Nagisa’s pregnancy.  Well I don’t want to spoil too much for you so i will stop here.

I tend to be a lot like Sanae as well. When my kids are sick or cooking myself, I tend to get hurt if someone criticizes my food or doesn’t eat it. When any of my family is sick i will drop everything just to help them.

 

And our Final Mom is Yasuko Takasu from Toradora.

Yasuko is Ryuuji’s thirty-three-year-old mother, though she refers to herself as eternally twenty-three. Though she tells Ryuuji his father died before he was born, the truth is they were never married and he left her before Ryuuji was born and she raised her son by herself. She is also klutzy and is never entirely in this world as she is usually half asleep. ( Now this is definitely me. I swear I always stay in an asleep state lol).

Despite her childish, air-headed behavior, Yasuko proves to have a rather good insight of other people. She cares deeply for Ryuuji and sees his potential. To support his dreams, she took on two jobs so that he wouldn’t need to work to support himself through school.  (Not a lot of moms would do this). When he starts working at the bakery, she gets upset because she wanted him to focus on studying rather than working.

To me I think she wanted him to have complete concentration on his studies and not work so he could reach his full potential. I myself can relate to this and I bet a lot of you mom’s out there can relate as well to what Yasuko was trying to do for Ryuuji.

 

Now as I have come to the end of my little reviews of anime mom’s i want to throw out there a little of myself and me being a mother.

I have a pre teen son and an almost pre teen daughter. My son and daughter both can be a handful at times and all I can think of is that I’m glad I have them. If it wasn’t for them I don’t know where i would be now.  My pre teen son can sometimes get on my last nerve through out the day but the one thing that never fails is at night right before bed where he comes to me and gives me the biggest hug and a kiss on the cheek and says
“I love you mom”. My soon to be pre teen daughter can always find that one little thing that can irritate me more than her brother and she can usually get me to the point of almost snapping but the one thing that never fails is as the same with her brother. She will come up to me and give me a hug and kiss before bed and then of course be like her mother and forget she has already done that so she comes in for a second time and gives me another hug and a kiss and says “I love you mom”. I think these are the things we should treasure the most just these little memories.

 

BEWARE Possible TRIGGER word ahead.

Now since I have said a little more about myself and my children I want to add in. No matter if you have had a miscarriage, delivered a still born or you have your children, YOU ARE THE BEST MOM and HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY. The strongest out of all of us though would be the mother’s who have went through miscarriages and delivered a still born but you wanna know something they still have that faith of trying for another child but it would never replace the one they lost.

~ AnimeKat

 

 

Aurabolt’s Edit: 

As the Admin of the Blog, I have a responsability to support my Co-Editor as much as possible. I say this not to put her on the spot or to garner pity or anything like that. What I’m about to say is because I want you all to understand how much I respect her not just as a member of my team but as a personal friend as well.

The two of us have talked about this privately but you guys have probably noticed some glaring grammar and punctuation errors in her posts right after they go live. Since it’s my blog I do go back and take care of it (which she is aware of), usually right after it’s posted. Knowing her situation aside, her passion for all things Anime is why I asked her to give blogging a shot. I can’t help but be impressed. She left this out but AnimeKat was a teen mom and didn’t finish high school because of that. She sacrificed much for her family and continues to now but one of her goals in life is to finish her education.

Last week, we launched a Fundraiser. I am calling on folks who are able to do  so to please consider hitting the donate button. It doesn’t have to be much but whatever you can give will go toward bringing you a better experience.

~ Aurabolt

A little more about Me

I thought i would give everyone a little more to read about me.

I got into anime about 4-5 years ago when i really didn’t know what to do anymore other than watch movies on netflix and we all know that can get boring real quick, Well i came across Vampire Knight first and i fell in love with the genre of romance at that point and i kept going from anime to anime just binge watching. Before you think I’m just someone who sits at home and binge watches anime, the answer to that is no, I don’t always binge watch anime’s or just watch anime’s all the time in general.

I am a multitalented person, I love to draw for my friends, family, and myself i find it very relaxing. I was diagnosed with PTSD almost 2 years ago now and i have severe anxiety thanks to that but in March of 2017 i just started drawing because i was told it could help since it helps with concentration and you can calm your breathing. Well here we are a little over a year later and this is what i have to show for it.

This picture is one of the first ones i drew when i first started.

And now I am proud of how far i have come thanks to a lot of friends helping with drawing advice and coloring advice. Here is a few of my most recent drawings that i have completed.

 

My friends and family are so special to me for helping me along my adventure into the art world and I couldn’t have asked for more. Aurabolt is an amazing friend who is always there to talk to if i need to talk.

Anyway since i think i got off topic a bit lol. I’m Sarah and im a new aspiring traditional artist and couldn’t be happier.

Boruto: The New Team 7 is Formed!

Unsurprisingly, 2 of the 3 members of the new Team 7 are the children of the three former members: Boruto (Naruto), Sarada (Sasuke and Sakura) and Mitsuki. Of course, Mitsuki’s parent is Orochimaru, who himself is a former member of a past Team 7 and one of the Legendary Sannin. The word “parent” is used because Mitsuki was created and not “born”.

The current Team 7’s captain is Konohamaru though we know Sasuke will replace him at a later point. We know from Sasuke’s first appearance in the new series he doesn’t have the same Arm Graph Naruto yet and that will presumably happen later. For those who might not be following the series, (finally) Sasuke makes his appearance and meets Sarada for the first time since she was born and her Sharingan awakens for the first time in front of him. Sarada has used the Sharingan she inherited from the Uchiha bloodline a few times but clearly lacks the training and experience Sasuke had at her age to bring it to bear yet.

As noted in the above picture a common debate is if the current and former Team 7 faced off, which would win? In regards to the previous Team 7 it depends on which version: Early Days Era, Shippuden Era (With Sai and Yamato replacing Sasuke and Kakashi), 4th Ninja Wars Era or Current Adult Era. The current Team 7 would get curb-stomped by all but the Early Days Era and for the purposes of this discussion we’ll say it’s before Sasuke left to train under Orochimaru. Since this is pre-Shippuden, Naruto doesn’t have access to Sage Mode yet and Kurama is still sealed. Sakura is also without the Medical Ninja Training she receives from Tsunade. Sasuke is also without access to the Mangekiyo Sharingan and Susano-o, which he attains later on.

Bearing that in mind, Naruto’s team would still win. Naruto’s massive Chakra reserves and Sasuke’s mastery of the Sharingan would just be too much for Mitsuki and Boruto. Sarada would defeat the younger version of her mother but only if they were one on one. Team Boruto vs. Shippuden Era, it’s one-sided in favor of Shippuden Era. Naruto alone would be able to easily handle all of Team Boruto and this is with Kurama still sealed as an additional handicap. Team Boruto vs. 4th Ninja Wars Era, again anyone from the latter team. Same with Current Adult Era. The difference is just too great regardless of Era. It’s not even a contest.

Naruto Shippuden (FINALLY!) comes to an end with Episode #500; Boruto Anime to Premeire April 5

10 years after Naruto Shippuden premeired, the final Episode aired on March 23, 2017. It is now truly the end of an era. Combined with the first Naruto Anime series, the franchise spanned nearly 650 episodes combined. A smash hit on both sides of the Pacific, Naruto burst onto the scene back in 2003 first in Japan and then came to the U.S. in 2004. With the stable of memorable characters, it goes without saying Naruto/Naruto Shippuden has more than earned its spot on the Top 10 List of Greatest Anime Of All Time.

While Naruto introduced the main and support characters and most of the recurring characters, Shippuden provided the backstory and the history of the Naruto Universe. The first part of the series opened with Naruto returning after training with Jiraiya for 3 years. He reunites with Sakura, who are joined by the socially awkward Sai. Former Anbu Yamato is appointed temporary leader of the reformed Team 7, which renewed its goal of finding the missing Sasuke Uchiha. The missing former member of Team 7 joined forces with Orochimaru to gain the power he would need to slay the man responsible for wiping out his clan: His brother Itachi, who had since joined the Akatsuki. The Akatsuki is a shadowy organization made up of powerful rogue ninja. Their goal is the capture all of the tailed beasts for a much larger and more sinister purpose.

Shippuden reveals the previously unknown story of Naruto’s origins and Kakashi’s past: Naruto’s father is actually the 4th Hokage, Minato Namikaze (which you should know if you read my blog post featuring him). Naruto’s mother Kushina Uzumaki comes from a clan that specializes in sealing and restraining chakra. She was chosen to be the Jinchuruki of Kurama, the Nine-Taled beast before Naruto. On the night Naruto was born, a mysterious man attacked the village. His goal: Release Kurama and unleash his power on the village, which he does for a time. With Kushina severely weakened from giving birth and having Kurama ripped out of her, Minato is left with no choice but to make their newborn son Naruto the next Jinchuruki. He seals half of Kurama’s power in Naruto and takes the other half with him to the grave.

The man responsible is later revealed to be Obito Uchiha, a former member of Minato’s first squad and one of Kakashi’s teammates. In a cruel twist of fate, Obito in revealed to have been manipulated to bringing Madara Uchiha back to life. That ended up being necessary along with assembling The Tailed Beasts to summon the world-ending Ten-Tailed Beast, which Madara summoned once before. This was all part of a much larger plan to bring back Kaguya, the Mother of Chakra who had been sealed away many eras ago. In the end, only Naruto and Sasuke’s combined powers are able to not only withstand her God-like power but ultimately reseal her and this time forever. With the world safe, Sasuke challenges Naruto to one final duel to decide who is the greatest and most powerful Shinobi in the world.

While it would be fair to say the series truly ended with Naruto and Sasuke’s final duel, the episodes that followed both provided closure for several memorable characters and ended with the wedding of Naruto and Hinata. Sasuke left the village to atone for his past crimes and manages to solve an intricate mystery involving exploding zombies. Shikamaru, on the other hand breaks up a town of cultists looking to end the peace the world is now enjoying. The last 7 episodes, which clearly take place after the events of The Last: Naruto The Movie focus on the village’s wedding plans for Naruto and Hinata.

…All this said, those waiting for the Dub will probably not see it until 2019 or 2020. It will take some time to say the least.

The finale ended with confirmation Naruto’s son Boruto is getting his own Anime series. Boruto: Naruto Next Generations will premeire on Crunchyroll on April 5.

There are serious questions regarding Naruto’s status that may force a retcon of the storyline. This is a massive spoiler for those who don’t know but at some point in Boruto, Naruto is killed. Then it’s revealed Naruto isn’t really dead. Or something? Like I said, Naruto’s actual status in terms of Boruto is unknown since the Manga is apparently being rewritten to make things more clear. According to several insiders, the orignally planned death of Naruto is being retconned entirely because of the confusion around it. As for why I’m being vague, I haven’t read the Boruto Manga myself.

Not yet, anyway. I just wanted to finish watching Naruto Shippuden first. Now that I have, I’ll get started reading some Boruto on my iPad ^_^

Before I forget: Boruto and Sarada (Sasuke and Sakura’s daughter) are both playable characters in Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 (PC, PS4 and Xbox One).

Some of Anime’s most notable Dads

…Mind you, I only included Anime Dads from Anime I have seen myself. So, if there is a particular Dad you don’t see on this list, this is the largest reason why. I wanted to keep this list small so I settled on 8 Dads and in no particular order. There are also some spoilers for all of the Anime featured so fair warning there.

Ok, here we go:

Minato Namikaze

If you don’t know who he is, you either hate the Naruto series or never saw/read the Anime/Manga. Minato Nanikaze is Naruto’s father and the 4th Hokage the Hidden Leaf Village. He was referred to during Naruto’s adventures as a kid up until his actual introduction during a later point in the series (both Manga and Anime) as “simply” his title, The 4th Hokage and this was intentionally done for plot reasons. Weather it was to keep fans (and Naruto) from figuring out the 4th Hokage was Naruto’s father or out of respect for the 4th’s sacrifice we may never really know.

Anyway, much of Minato’s backstory is revealed by Kushina when she speaks to Naruto. Without going into too much detail, he was a highly skilled ninja even at a very young age. Known as The Yellow Flash, Minato’s speed and agility were unrivaled and feared by his foes. Hiruzen Sarutobi (the 3rd Hokage) was his predecessor and also his successor as Hokage after he died. Later in life, he led The Legendary Sannin: Tsunade (5th Hokage), Jiraiya and Orochimaru (though Hiruzen, who led the team far longer is considered the true squad captain). He also led the team that consisted of Kakashi Hatake (6th Hokage), Rin and Obito Uchiha.

Most famously, Minato died the night his son Naruto was born. He used the Death Reaper Seal Jutsu to take half of Kurama’s chakra with him to the afterlife, putting the other half in Naruto. Due to Naruto’s bloodline through his mother, we know he survived the ritual that turned him into a Jinchuruki despite being a baby at the time. Minato was raised from the dead along with the first three Hokage by Orochimaru to lend a hand in the 4th Great Ninja War. This allowed him to see for himself what became of two of his former students, who were now trying to kill each other. He was also able to see his son Naruto had grown into a great ninja in his own way.

 

Son Goku

…Given his exploits during Dragonball, Dragonball Z, Dragonball Super and Dragonball GT, it’s easy to forget Goku is the father of two sons, the oldest of which is a father himself. You probably know everything there is to know about Goku so I’ll leave it at that. Goku is probably the most well known Anime Dad on this list if I had to guess.

 

Akio Furukawa

In terms of the most versatile, Akio’s in a class of his own. Akio is the father of Nagisa Furukawa, who is the lead female protagonist of the Anime series as well as the canon After Story. During Nagisa’s high school days, he becomes a father figure for Tomoya, the Anime’s and Visual Novel’s lead male protagonist and a pillar of support for Tomoya and Nagisa’s friends. In After Story, he teaches Tomoya what it means to be a man and later, what it means to be a father. He mainly plays the comic relief in the high school arc but has some more serious moments in the After Story arc.

In the Visual Novel, Akio has his own arc in After Story. In Akio’s Arc, he ends ups getting caught up in a hostage situation. He convinces the suspect to let all of the hostages on the bus go and stays with the suspect until the authorities step in. Nagisa is frightened at the idea of losing her father, who suffered serious injuries during the incident. At the same time, she’s proud of him because that’s just the kind of guy he is. I think Akio’s best moments were his man to man talks with Tomoya. Tomoya was at a point in his life where he lacked direction and a positive father figure in his life when the first met each other. Even without knowing about Tomoya’s relationship with his father, Akio knew just what he needed and gave it to him.

When Nagisa was pregnant with Ushio, Akio was there advise to advise Tomoya on the low points to come. Of course, none of them were prepared for what actually happened on the day Ushio was born. Even so, Akio didn’t walk away during the five years that followed. Not despite the tragedy his family was hit with. When Ushio got sick, he turned to Tomoya and asked him “Who’s the father this time?” In this way, he was letting Tomoya know it was time for him to step up big time as a man and as a father. Without trying too hard, Akio does a masterful job as both a father and mentor.

…Of course, Akio only has one child and that’s Nagisa. Even so, it would be more than accurate to say he became a father figure for Tomoya and later Ushio.

 

Chief Kurama (Elfen Lied)

 

He is the Anime Dad with perhaps the most tragic story on this list. Kurama found himself in a lose-lose situation the moment he decided to work for a certain top-secret organization. The company specializes in researching, capturing and killing the predominantly female Dioclonius, humanoid mutants with horns and special powers that threaten to replace mankind as the dominant species.

In his early years with the company, Kurama ruthlessly hunted down the Diclonius all over Japan. At the time, the researchers still did not know how the Dioclonius reproduced. He got a breakthtough after he and a colleague encountered one trying to escape. Sometime later, his colleague’s wife gave birth to a girl with horns. That was when Kurama began to figure it out. Knowing he would be hated, he volunteered to euthanize all newborns born with horns.

Well, you know what they say about irony: A short time later, Kurama’s wife Hiromi gave birth by emergency C-Section to a girl. Kurama was horrified when he saw the newborn’s horns. Despite the situation…despite their struggles with having a child…despite his wife nearly dying on the operating table…he knew some sacrifices were unavoidable. Horrified, his wife’s surgical wound reopened from stress. As she lay dying from massive hemmorhaging, she made him promise to save their daughter’s life no matter what. And so he did.

Fate can be so cruel.

Kurama’s daughter Mariko would become one of the most powerful Diclonius alive, proving to be a match for even Lucy. While Nana has longer vectors, Mariko has the most of any Diclonius. While Mariko was locked away, Kurama became a surrogate father to Nana, another Diclonius being confined. Unlike others of her kind, Nana is a kind girl and is submissive to humans, always looking for affection. She viewed Chied Kurama as her father, calling him “Papa”.

After attempts to recapture or kill Lucy failed, the company decides to release Mariko. By this point, Nana escaped with the help of Kurama and the Chief himself is missing. Despite being wheelchair bound from her years in solitary confinement, Mariko is very dangerous. As a safety measure, the company secretly put a bomb in her body to keep her on a short leash. Mariko easily dispatches Nana but the preteen ends up getting the last laugh in the end: Nana has the ability to temporarily disable another Diclonius’s vectors with her own.

During the final battle, Kurama arrives to see Lucy and Nana fighting Mariko. Hearing Nana call him “Papa” sets Mariko off, being his actual daughter and all. Kurama steps in and carries Mariko away, apologizing for abandoning her. He tells Nana to live a good life before leaving with Mariko. The two reach a bridge a short distance away just as the timer for the bomb in Mariko expires.

 

Van Hohenheim (Manga Version)

Easily one of the three most recognizable Anime Dads on this list including Goku and Minato. Van Hohenheim was probably the oldest living human in Amestris thanks to being turned into a living Philosopher’s Stone. Hohenheim’s earliest memories begin during what would be the final years of the Xerxes Empire. As a slave, some of Hohenheim’s blood was used to create the first Homunculus: The Dwarf in the Flask and the being who would later be known as “Father”.

It was that Homunculus who gave him the name Van Hohenheim. The two became friends. Hohenheim learned how to read and write from the Homunculus, eventually earning his freedom and becoming an alchemist himself. The aging Emperor Xerxes, who feared dying of old age created the Homunculus to help him find a way to live forever. Having no interest in helping the emperor, the Homunculus decides to play along anway. It isn’t until the Transmutation during an eclipse begins Hohenheim realizes things are not going as intended.

The next day, everyone in Xerxes is dead. All of their lives had been sacrificed in the Alchemy experiment. The Dwarf–now in a body identical to Hohenheim’s–explains the people of Xerxes were sacrificed to give both of them bodies that would never die. The two part ways: The Dwarf journeys to Amestris and uses the prepwork he used in Xerxes there but on a much  larger scale. Hohenheim wanders around before eventually arriving in Risembol where he meets Pinako Rockbell and his wife, Trisha Elric.

A few years after Ed and Al are born, Hohenheim suddenly disappears without a word to anyone. Several years later and after hearing about Ed and Al attempting human transmutation, Hoheheim returns to Risembol where he runs into Ed. Havimg learned what The Dwarf is planning, he has returned to Amestris to stop him. During his absence from his family, he traveled across the couuntry to put his plan in motion.

After meeting Mei Ling, Scar and several others Hohenheim has a better understanding of not only how corrupt Amestris’ leadership is but how intricate the enemy’s plot really was. Hohenheim is surprised by how trusting Al is of him despite the circumstances but is also relieved that he still has a family after all these years.

When Hohenheim confronts the Dwarf under Central City, he reveals his spoke to the souls of the Xerxes citizens used to turn him into a living Philosophere’s Stone–nearly half a million people–and it’s later revealed this was part of his plan to foil the Dwarf’s plot. Thanks to the efforts of Scar’s Brother, Hohenheim has a better understanding of the giant trnasmutation circle The Hommunculus were secretly building under the country. The plan involved sacrificing the lives of everyone in the country.

While he was traveling around Amestris, Hohenheim used some of the souls in his body to create a Reverse Transmutation Circle, allowing him to not only negate the nationwide transmutation circle after it was activated but save the lives of all the people of Amestris. This weakened the Dwarf enough for Ed to later defeat him in single combat. Having burned up his Philosopher’s Stone during the final battle, Hohenheim reports their victory at Trisha’s grave. Pinako arrives a short time later to find Van Hohenheim dead of old age with a smile on his face.

 

Inutaisho

While not mentioned by name during the Anime series, Inutaisho is the father of Inuyasha and Sesshomaru. Known as The Great Dog Demon of the West, Inutaisho was very powerful and commanded alot of respect. He also wielded both Tetsusaiga (Inuyasha’s sword) and Tenseiga (Sesshmaru’s Sword) as well as a third sword called Sounga. The timeline on this is unclear but shortly before Inuyasha was born, Inutaisho told Miyoga and Totosai his firstborn son would inherit Tenseiga and his secondborn would inherit Tetsusaiga. The third sword, deemed far too dnagerous was to be sealed away forever.

About 75 years before the start of the series, Inutaisho met Inuyasha’a mother Izayoi and she became pregnant with Inuyasha. This put him at odds with Sesshomaru, his firstborn son who was a full-blooded demon. Inutaisho battled with Ryukotsei. Unable to finish it off, he sealed the demon using one of his fangs after being seriously wounded. On his way back to Izayoi, he meets with Sesshomaru and asks his son if there is anyone that matters to him.

Suddenly sensing Izayoi is in danger, he transforms into his dog form and rushes to the castle where she’s staying. He arrives to find the castle burning and Izayoi dead inside but uses Tenseiga to bring her back, the newborn Inuyasha in her arms. He sacrifices himself to help her and their newborn son escape. During the events of the third movie Swords of an Honorable Ruler, his sons learn about the Demon Sword Sounga and end up working together to destroy it.

Inutaisho’s inheritence for his sons put them at odds with each other. Sesshomaru viewed Tenseiga as inferior to Tetsusaiga, which had been given to his half-demon brother Inuyasha. Losing his left arm to Tetsusaiga didn’t help much. Near the end of the series, it’s revealed Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga were originally one sword. Tetusaiga has the power to transform as it gains new power. Inutaisho had Totosai split off Tenseiga, which contained the Meido Zangetsuha technique. It turns out this was deliberately done so that one day, Tetsusaiga would re-acquire the Meido Zangetsuha once Sesshomaru mastered it.

Fortunately, Inutaisho wasn’t THAT cruel of a father to Sesshomaru. Once Sesshomaru overcame his attachment to his inheritence and Tetsusaiga, his left arm grew back and with it, a new sword: Bakusaiga. With Bakuseiga and Tenseiga, Sesshomaru could now slay any kind of enemy. Inuyasha surpassed his father in power when he slew Ryukotsei. Sesshomaru did the same once he unlocked Tenseiga’s true potential.

 

Isshin Kurosaki

Isshin is Ichigo Kurosaki’s father and a former Soul Reaper. At some point in the past, he mat his wife Masaki and had a family. It’s not known if he ever told her he was once a Soul Reaper. He certainly never told his children–Ichigo, Karin and Yuzu–of his past as a Soul Reaper. Of course, fate is a funny thing and Ichigo would eventually find out his Soul Reaper powers weren’t entirely from Rukia.

After he started a family, Isshin opened a clinic out of his home and became a doctor. He’s a doting father–often to a fault–and is very protective of his twin daughters. His comedic personality is llkely a cover to keep his family and other Soul Reapers in the dark about his past. He has taken on the role of Soul Reaper once again a number of times, mostly to help Ichigo. He’s like a completely different person as a Soul Reaper.

 

Shiro Fujimoto (Blue Exorcist)

Shiro was the most powerful Exorcist that ever lived, a Paladin.

Fate’s a funny thing, however. Shiro questioned everything he ever knew about being an Exorcist for the first time when he met Yuri Egin, an Exorcist who willingly became pregnant by Satan. What if it were possible for Humans and Demons to coexist? Shiro decides to put that theory to the test when Yuri dies shortly after giving birth to Rin and Yukio Okumora. Shiro adopts them and raises them as his own sons, keeping his position as a Paladin a secret from them.

At the same time, he kept their true heritage a secret and as a result, Rin and Yukio’s actual birthday is unknown. As it turns out, they were born on the day known as The Blue Night. On that day, many powerful and high-ranking exorcists were killed trying to exorcise Satan from Yuri. They ultimately succeeded but the order was nearly wiped out. In the years since then, Satan sought to find out what became of Yuri and the children she gave birth to.

He would find out after briefly possessing Shiro he’d been raising them himself over the years. Rin, who is present while Shiro is possessed is shocked to learn who his real father is. To keep Rin from being dragged into the portal to Gehanna Satan creates, Shiro regains control of his body long enough to kill himself, prevent Rin from being drawn into the portal. It’s not until after Shiro’s death that Rin and Yukio learn just how well known the man who raised them really was.

 

…And that’ll be it for now I guess.

I meant to have this ready for Father’s Day but got busy with other things and then forgot about it. I did the last 5 entries today, actually. I only wanted to use one person per Anime for those wondering why I didn’t include Vegeta or Son Gohan from Dragonball Z. I also wanted to use characters from Anime most folks are likely to at least be familiar with. I have similar themed posts planned. I’m looking to do siblings next in fact ^_^

 

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There’s been alot of hate on Sakura Haruno from Naruto all over the internet lately

…And it makes no sense at all. No, really: There are memes trashing who is quite possibly the third most powerful Kunoichi from the Hidden Leaf, putting her behind Tsunade and Kushina.

She may not have had the love at first sight factor of Sasuke or the outside the box way of life of Naruto but Sakura had alot of growth as a person throughout the series. Like her teammates, she was trained by one of the Legendary Sannin but was the only one who didn’t have the blood of a legendary clan on her side (Uchiha and Uzumaki).

Unlike both Sasuke and Naruto, her development since her introduction has been very consistent. That moment when she stood side by side with her reunited teammates was the turning point of the Fourth Great Ninja War. As she said herself, she was no longer just the third wheel. After years of hard work, she earned the right to stand side by side with Naruto and Sasuke once again.

Series creator Masashi Kishimoto owes it to no one for explain to the anti-Sakura crowd why she matters. He already did that over the course of the series in both Manga and Anime. Neither will I though I will concede much of the actual hard work was shown in flashback sequences much later on–most notably, her training under Tsunade while Naruto was training with Jiraiya. That was when she truly started walking her own path. She may not have had the same burdens as her teammates but it’s because of that she had to redouble her efforts.

 

….Plus, being the mother and wife of two members of the new Team 7’s not a bad thing either ^_^

Speaking of Boruto: The way the last volume ended, alot of folks are assuming Naruto’s dead. That is not true. Not just because it would take more than what happened to kill the most powerful ninja in the village who is also the Hokage,  the new series is still WAY too new to even consider killing him off anyway. Besides, there are other ways to remove Naruto from the picture without killing him–the same was done with Sasuke, after all.

6 Anime made video games worth trying

There have been alot of video games based on Anime–not to be confused with Anime-ish video games like Tales of Symphonia and Persona 4–but until about15 years ago, they were rarely released outside Japan. The last decade has seen a Naruto game released every few years in particular, many of which I’ve played.

These are 6 games released on consoles I’ve personally played, still own and highly reccommend playing, counting down from 6:

 

6. Bleach: Dark Souls (Nintendo DS)

…One thing Bleach had a knack for was timing when it did filler arcs. Dark Souls is no different. The game’s story mode is set right after the end of the Soul Society Arc (when Ichigo first visits the Soul Society to rescue Rukia) and follows a non-canon storyline involving Mod Souls. The game is dual audio English and Japanese. Everyone has all of their moves from the anime including Gin and Tossen, who are unlockable characters along with Aizen–not the Aizen reintroduced much later, mind you–and yes, their Bankai if theirs was introduced before. I believe the only ones who don’t have their Bankai in Dark Souls are Aizen’s (which hadn’t been revealed at the time) and Rukia’s (same as Aizen though in addition, Rukia was still recovering from the injuries she sustained at the end of the Soul Society Arc).

The game’s very difficult to find in a Gamestop. There is an mobile version of the game but from what I’ve seen, it’s definitely not the same game.

 

5. Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment (PS Vita)

The smash hit Anime series got two video game spinoffs on the PS Vita (so far): Hollow Fragment and Lost Song, both of which I own. I haven’t played Lost Song yet (gasp!) because I am playing other things at the moment. Hollow Fragment, on the other hand is digital only in North America. Unlike Dark Souls, Hollow Fragment’s story takes place during an existing point in the anime. It is a non-canon storyline that takes place towards the end of the first half of Season 1. It’s an action RPG. Unlike your typical RPG though, you don’t start the game at level 1. Your level and that of your recruitable partners is much higher to fit the story’s narrative, which is just before the Aincrad arc ends.

Sinon, who is introduced in Season 2 of the anime is a playable character in this game. The obvious problem from a lore standpoint is she never was in Aincrad in the canon. The game kinda gets away with this given she is introduced in the game before she is introduced in the Anime: The anime premiered in Japan almost a year after Hollow Fragment was released in Japan. I watched it on Crunchyroll so I can say that. If you want to buy this game, it is digital only.

4. Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 3

I bought the game a few months ago and was pleasantly surprised when I saw that unlike the previous two games, the game’s story mode is a a full retelling of the a portion of the canon storyline. The story begins during the Hidden Lead Village’s reconstruction after it is destroyed by Pain and ends with Kurama accepting Naruto, helping him fight Tobi. The secondary storyline introduces North American fans to Naruto’s father and the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze as well as his mother Kushina Uzumaki. The game was released during the filler episodes that aired before Naruto meets his mother in the Anime.

There are button prompts that pop up during pivotal fights in the game. Mess up and you take damage before retrying. There is also additional dialogue during the dialogue not shown in the Anime. Mostly because the game isn’t restricted in terms of how much content per episode they can put in the game. The game was released on the PS3 and well as the Xbox 360. The 4th game, Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 was released on the PS4 and Xbox One earlier this year.

 

3. Attack on Titan: Humanity in Chains (Nintendo 3DS)

….Believe it or not, someone actually LOVED this game.

Folks are trying to pretend the game never existed even though the upcoming PS3 port is the exact same thing. The hate comes from the lack of gore in the 3DS game. No, seriously. It’s a SOLID game and stays true to the anime in terms of mechanics. The game’s Story Mode spans the entire anime series. You play as Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Sasha and Levi. The meat of the game is the more open-ended Mission Mode: You create your own character and start your own legend as a member of the Survey Corps =D

Humanity in Chains also contains video clips from the anime (Japanese audio with English subtitles) as well as yes, the Opening we all know and love–how can you NOT love that on a portable game? The game is digital only, sells for $30 and is worth the price tag in my book if you call yourself a fan of Attack on Titan.

2. Dragonball: Xenoverse

Hailed by diehard DBZ fans as one of, if not best Dragonball Z game released since the Budokai games, Xenoverse mixes the done to death retelling of DBZ’s Sagas and custom characters to make a game with near-endless replay value. The game breaks the 4th wall a bit as you can chose to play as a Human, Saiyan, Namekian, Frieza-race or Buu-race character. The lore for those last two I just mentioned are being made in the spinoff anime series Dragonball Z Super, which began with the movie Dragonball Z: Battle of Gods. Anyways, Trunks summons you to join the Time Patrol, an interdimensional fighting force that is tasked with fixing abnormalities with the time-space continum. Someone is intenionally screwing with iconic battles in DBZ’s lore. Trunks can’t intervene himself (being Vegeta’s son and all) so he asked Shenron to bring you in to do the job in his place.

…The game is MASSIVE. That’s how it is.  I bought the game digital on the PS3 but it was also released on the Xbox 360. The crazy thing more mind-blowing over this being #2 is two games tied for first =O

1. Dragonball Z: Legacy of Goku II/Dragonball Z: Buu’s Fury (Game Boy Advance)

…Surprised, I take it? So was I the first time I played Legacy of Goku II: It was a faithful retelling of the Androids Saga and the Cell Saga. Watching DBZ Kai the last few weeks reminded me of this fact. There is even a secret boss: Cooler. In addition, Hercule is an unlockable playable character in the late game. Buu’s Fury picks it up from there, spanning The Underworld Tournament to The Buu Saga. The secret boss is Broly in that game. Both games are action RPGs. Oh and yes, you can go Super Saiyan (or Super Namekian in the case of Piccolo in Legacy of Goku II) at will. You can also do fusions in Buu’s Fury, all at will. The games allow fans to relive their favorite battles or those new to DBZ to enjoy the story at a slower pace.

Both games were released halfway through the Game Boy Advance’s lifespan. If you want to find it, Amazon is the place to go since it was never ported or re-released on newer consoles. I first played both games when they were current so…yeah.

 

…Well there you have it. There may not be a whole lot of Anime that made the jump to video games but of the ones that do, few of them are as well received as half the ones on this list. This is just my list of personal faves. There actually IS another Anime I have in mind that was originally a visual novel. I found the review I wrote for it and realized I never posted it. That oversight will be correctly shortly.

 

The Naruto series will continue with Naruto’s son (Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS!)

…In case you’re wondering that’s Naruto in the background, 7th Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village. I caught wind of this and the movie introducing the next generation of young ninja by accident late last night. Apparently, the new Manga and Anime series were announced in April. As it happens, that was also around the same time certain things about the final pairings for Team 7 were revealed.

For the sake of epic spoilers and the fact the first part of this will appear on my Facebook and Tumblr feed, scroll past the next picture to read more.

Three Uzumaki: 4th Hokage Minato, 7th Hokage Naruto and Bolt.

 

…Doesn’t get any more epic than that pic, huh? As noted in the caption, Bolt is Naruto’s son and Minato’s grandson. You can see the obvious resemblance across the 3 generations. Now here’s where I throw a series of major revelations that take place between the end of Naruto’s story and the beginning of Bolt’s. Some is already widely known but for those who are reading this for the first time: Oh, Well.

 

• In the final volume of the Manga, it’s revealed Naruto and Hinata get married. The last Naruto Movie is about how they fell in love and started a family. In addition to Bolt, they also have a daughter named Himawari. Here’s a picture:

From left to right: Bolt, Naruto, Hinata and Himawari.

Like Naruto and Minato, the resemblance is strictly Father/Son and Mother/Daughter. Based on the information I’ve been able to find, Himawari is younger than Bolt but not by much. I was able to confirm like his father and grandfather, Bolt can use the Rasengan. It’s probably a safe bet he personally taught the technique by Naruto. It may be too early to know what other skills he learned from Naruto at this time but more is sure to be revealed. On the other hand, I couldn’t find much about Himawari other than like her mother, she can use Byakugan. Given Bolt is also her child, it’s possible he can use the skill as well.

Moving on:

• As noted above,  Naruto becomes the Seventh Hokage. This leads you to ask the obvious question “Who’s the Sixth?”

6th Hokage Kakashi Hatake.

…Yep, the Copy Ninja himself. The circumstances of the 6th and 7th Hokage’s appointments haven’t yet been revealed as far as I know.

• This is probably the most known bit of info but it’s official: Sasuke and Sakura are a couple. They have a daughter named Sarada (Japanese name being Salad).From what I’ve cold, Sasuke walks out of Sakura and Sarada’s lives doing who knows what for 10 years before returning to the village.

Here’s a family picture:

…Unlike Bolt, Sarada has a resemblance to both parents. Speaking of, there is confirmation Bolt and Sarada are rivals in Borito just like their fathers but likely become friends and possibly a couple later.

It’s also likely Sarada can use the Sharingan as well. So right now we know who 3 of the members of the new Team 7 are: Bolt, Sarada and Team Captain Sasuke. You read that right. This breaks tradition a little in at least one regard: This marks the first known instance two family members are on the same squad (Sasuke and Sarada). This is also the third straight time Team 7 is led by a former member of the team: Kakashi was the previous captain, who himself was a member of Minato’s squad.

…Notice I left one person out. The fourth member of Team 7…I’m not even sure if who it reportedly is since I don’t trust the sources announcing who it is. Reports are saying it’s a youth named Mitsuki and they are from the Hyuga Clan. The problem with that is Bolt’s mother Hinata is from the Hyuga clan and as her son, Bolt technically is a member of the same clan. I’ve also seen Mitsuki referenced as male and female in separate instances. The name can be used either way so again, I will wait until I get more info.

Anyways, the current Naruto Anime is wrapping up on Crunchyroll. The final volume was released in Japan in April though fan translations have circulated all over the internet. In an interesting change that also breaks tradition, the last Naruto movie is canon and is in fact the bridge between the end of Naruto’s story and the beginning of Bolt’s.  Before I forget: Bolt’s name is meant to signify him being the “bolt” that keeps his parents together.

I assume it will be another year before the Manga and this final movie come to the U.S. After all, the new series was only just announced two years ago after months of the creator doing some serious soul searching. I do have some lingering questions I assume will be answered when I’ve seen the rest of the anime on Crunchyroll. Should be interesting.

Oh and one last thing:

Sorry for the Epic Spoilers ^_^