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Among the many themes in Naruto, human relationships are crucial. Throughout the series, we see the characters building and sustaining bonds that enrich their lives. From platonic relationships to the teacher-student dynamics, Masashi Kishimoto’s writing is top-notch when relationships are concerned.
However, the same can’t be said about the romance in the series. That’s where Kishimoto often fumbles. Most romantic relationships in the series either fail because of tragedy or because of poor writing. During an interview, Kishimoto once explained why that is the case.
Masashi Kishimoto’s Feelings on Romantic Relationships in Naruto
Naruto and Hinata in The Last: Naruto Movie | Credits: Studio Pierrot Co. Ltd. Romance wasn’t among the central themes of the story, yet we caught glimpses of romantic relationships through different characters. Tsunade-Dan and Asuma-Kurenai are examples of romantic pairs in the story. The introduction of romance between any of the main characters happened very late, near the end of Naruto: Shippuden and The Last: Naruto the Movie. Even then, the romance was quite questionable with a shaky foundation.
During an interview, Masashi Kishimoto was asked about the lack of romance and whether envisioning it was hard during the original series. Kishimoto shared that depicting love caused him embarrassment and made him shy.
Personally, when I draw depictions of love, I became embarrassed/shy. Thus, in the original work, I avoided depicting it.
This statement explains why the romance in Naruto was always hit or miss. Besides the characters from Naruto’s generation, most characters got a bleak or downright tragic ending to their romantic pursuits. For most characters, it was one-sided love that was never realized by their beloved, like Obito’s affection for Rin.
Obito and Rin | Credits: Studio Pierrot Co. Ltd. Whenever it was mutual, one of the partners died before they could have their happily ever after. For instance, Kurenai and Asuma seemed to have a loving relationship with mutual love and respect, but Asuma was killed. Romance could easily be labeled as the weakest aspect of Naruto, if it weren’t for one relationship in the series.
Kishimoto Hit the Spot With This Romance in Naruto
Young Tsunade and Jiraiya | Credits: Studio Pierrot Co. Ltd. The best-written romance in the whole story was what Tsunade and Jiraiya shared with each other. Through them, we experienced a proper romance that blossomed from a simple friendship. While Jiraiya’s affection for Tsunade was quite apparent, Tsunade’s feelings always remained platonic. There was only one moment that sparked doubts about her feelings being romantic, and that was right before Jiraiya left for the Rain Village.
While Jiraiya was always quite vocal about his affection, he never tried to court Tsunade seriously. This was probably because of Tsunade’s past experience and lingering feelings for Dan. His decision to never pursue her was probably for the best, as he could still be there for her as a friend, without any romantic obligations to fulfill.
Tsunade peers out of the window while thinking about her last conversation with Jiraiya | Credits: Studio Pierrot Co. Ltd. By the time Jiraiya was leaving for his mission in the Rain Village, they seemed ready to take their relationship forward, but that never happened. Seeing Tsunade grieve Jiraiya’s death made our hearts ache for both of them, making us wonder what could have been.
Without focusing on the romantic aspects as much, Kishimoto was able to weave a story that was poignantly romantic. The gradual transition from friendship to something more was beautiful because we saw them grow through the different stages in their lives. With that, Kishimoto turned his biggest weakness and source of embarrassment into a beautifully sad story for fans to reminisce about.
Naruto is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
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