Any anime watcher that was born within the last few decades knows that Naruto is a staple of anyone's journey with Japanese animated cartoons. Not only was Naruto the first anime I had ever watched that got me more interested in other anime (I was a quirky kid with an obsession with ninjas at the time), but it taught me some actual life lessons that I kept with me to this day that was more than I could have ever hoped to learn from being in school.
1. Friendship is way more sacred than you think
The friends you make and the people you meet in your life will always create a huge impact on your character. Friendships may come and go, but the memories will always remain. It's the certain connections with these people that teach you a lot about yourself. Friends have a weird way of healing that hole in your heart forged by loneliness."Those in the ninja world who break the rules are scum, that's true...but those who abandon their friends...are lower than scum." — Sensei Kakashi Hatake
2. Empathy is one of the best character traits to have
If everyone was able to share someone else's pain and be able to "put yourself in their shoes" for just one day, the world would be a better place. Without empathy, humankind as we know it would lack compassion for fellow man, and society would deteriorate as we would become more selfish. We should be kind to one another either way just so that we won't have to endure their pain that they've gone through, not look the other way or judge because we don't understand."Knowing what it feels to be in pain, is exactly why we try to be kind to others." — Sensei Jiraiya
3. Home is really where the heart is
"A place where someone still thinks of you; that's a place you can call home." — Sensei Jiraiya
4. You are a strong, unique person on your own with more potential than you think
At the end of the day, the only person you can count on is yourself. Your hard work, determination, willpower, attitude, etc. are all based on what you do with the 24 hours of each day. If you truly believe in yourself then your dreams can become a reality, no matter how big or small (as long as they're plausible and respect the laws of physics). You can control your own fate by the choices you make today. You don't need to fit the model that society or other people want you to fit, you can break out if you want to, it may be hard for some, but when there's a will there is a way.
"If you don't like your destiny, don't accept it. Instead, have the courage to change it the way you want it to be." — Naruto Uzumaki
5. Never give up...ever
There is no doubt that you will encounter obstacles in your life that will challenge you. You have to make the decision to face them head on and work hard to overcome them or let them consume you and take you down. Success is only earned through hard work, and never losing focus on what really matters. Failure is a part of life, you can't win all the time, but what you can do is learn from your mistakes and keep trying. Sometimes you can be closer to success than you really think, and pain and struggle will all be temporary, but if you quit at something it'll last forever.
"A genius, huh? What does that mean? 'Genius'? So I was not born with a whole lot of natural talent, not gifted like {Neji}...but I work hard and I never give up! That is my gift; that is my ninja way! — Rock Lee
In the end, I believe that as humans we all deserve a teacher like Jiraiya, a brother like Itachi, a sister like Tsunade, a friend like Naruto, and a lover like Hinata.
