Board Thread:Naruto Discussions/@comment-25306941-20141006045359/@comment-1018594-20141006083413

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.