Board Thread:Naruto Discussions/@comment-25306941-20141006045359/@comment-1629132-20141007054135

NeedleJizo wrote: Naruto taught me to never give up; that the limits other people set for you are worthless. He talks a lot, sure. But everything he says always manages to come out the right way.

Kakashi taught me that sometimes, the people you surround yourself with are the ones who turn you into the hero you were born to be, one way or another. The smartest and most laid-back people can also be the most damaged.

Obito taught me that sometimes, the ends don't always justify the means. There is always a chance that you won't succeed. It's easy to lose yourself in the pursuit of your goals and dreams. But that's not a reason for you to give up. Even though he acknowledged that there's no amount of good he could do that would atone for his 15+ years of evil, Obito actually was a pretty cool guy in the end.

Jiraiya taught me that failure doesn't define who you are. As long as you can change the life of a single person, you've succeeded; in more ways than you can imagine.

Itachi taught me that everyone has a battle they're not talking about, and appearances truly are deceiving. In the end, all you need to do is have faith in people.

Neji taught me that nobody controls your life but you. You don't have to impress anyone or uphold any legacies; live your life the way you want to.

It might seem stupid, and maybe I'm reading too much into it. But I was 11 years old when I first picked up on Naruto, and now, being 18 and in college, I can say that the lessons I learned from these fictional characters have helped shaped me into the man that I am. I'll be honest: I totally cried at the end of Dragon Ball GT. And I'll probably cry at the end of Naruto, too. To have been there, to watch these character grow up, to find out more about them and truly empathize and feel bad for them...that only makes it so much harder to say goodbye.

I don't think you're reading into ti too much at all. When you follow a series intently for years it is hard to think it's over. When Dragon Ball Z first arrived in America I was 6 and became an instant/slightly obsessive fan. It was just too awesome and always entertained me. In fact it still does to this day although I can enjoy it in a mature manner. I bought all of FUNimation's Dragon Boxes so that I can go back and watch the series anytime (I don't like relying on the internet). And GT was sad for me too, but I learned that there will always be other series. My cousins got into Naruto a year or two before it came into the U.S. After it arrived I enjoyed Part I of the anime in English Dub (And some sub) and I have been religiously reading the manga online for about 8 years now. You kind of do follow how the characters grow so it's like following a lfie story. Anyway now I'm a young adult, but still can enjoy these series without any embarrassment. I know a lot of people my age in this country feel anime/manga is immature or childish (in the sense it is only meant for kids), but that is simply untrue. I have enjoyed several anime over the years and hope not to quit anytime soon, (although I do find it hard to get into new series these days). So cry if you need to brother, but know the adventure never ends!