Hi there! I sometimes see/hear fans, especially those who are anti sns (or anti other mlm ships in the series) say that Kishimoto modelled Sasuke and Naruto’s relationship off of his own with his twin brother. Naruto fans have claimed so many things about this man, some of which was just made up, so I was wondering if you could share your take on this whole argument? Did Kishimoto base SNS off of his sibling relationship, and did he want readers to see it in a platonic/brotherly lens, or was he lying (if this isn’t one of those things fans made up)? Thanks ☺️
Hello! Thanks for the question.
Any person that has read Kishimoto's interviews over the years can see he likes to beat around the bush and sometimes even talk in riddles rather than give a direct answer. That interview with Entermix Magazine where he talks about Naruto and Sasuke's relationship being based on his own with his brother isn't any different.
So here's the whole answer Kishimoto gave to the interviewer. Antis only take into account the last paragraph (because of course they would) but that is really just taking out of context what Kishimoto means.
The quote underlined in green is really what Kishimoto is talking about: their ability to feel each others pain. Kishimoto has been asked multiple times regarding the bond between Naruto and Sasuke and he's never given a direct answer but in each interview he let's us know one of the elements that are part of their relationship. In this particular interview is empathy. They're able to understand how they both feel because they've been through similar circumstances.
Kishimoto uses as an example both him and his brother being subjected to the Paro Special of Kinnikuman (which I believe is pulling someone's arms behind them really hard while jumping onto their backs), going through this as kids was Kishimoto's introduction to the ability of putting yourself in someone else's shoes. In Naruto and Sasuke's case is not that infantile, although they're both lonely orphans who have been outcasts of society, Naruto doesn't know what is like to be a survivor of genocide so it is through life experiences over the years Naruto grows and learns how to empathize with Sasuke and understand his heart. Basically Kishimoto explored in depth what he learned as a child as a victim of bullying his brother experienced before him. This is the first thing I take from the interview.
The second thing that I take from the interview that I find very interesting is Kishimoto talking about his college years in what's underlined in red. He's talking about his experiences with his friends and one sided loves? hmmmm and how he went "is this how my brother felt when he went through this?"
Not just that but in the red rectangle he's even talking about talking about a friend from college (not his brother) and how he thought that man, whoever he was, and himself got along really great. At this point Kishimoto is rambling and catches himself getting lost in these memories so he goes so yeah "brotherly love and friendship are the same thing for me" haha.
So here's where I'd like to bring out an older interview:
Here he's asked about the inspiration for his characters he might have taken from real life. Just like in the previous interview Kishimoto also mentions friends from college as inspiration for some characters (he doesn't specify which ones) and this makes me think...
Kishimoto had a friend in college he got along really great (his words not mine) that might have inspired Naruto and Sasuke's relationship but at the time Kishimoto didn't know how to put into words what he really felt so ended up using Naruto the manga as the medium to explore those feelings.
If we combine both interviews we get that Kishimoto tried to rationalized that friendship he had in college and the feelings it evoked in him with how he felt as a kid growing up with his brother. We're so close we're like brothers! type of friendship but Kishimoto wasn't really sure of this label hence why he spends the entire manga using Naruto and Sasuke as models for this theme.
Here's another interview from 2013 "Naruto Kizuna the Words that Bind" where Kishimoto was asked about Naruto and Sasuke's relationship after the chapter where Naruto tells Itachi he's a better brother to Sasuke than he ever was dropped.
I wanted them to be more brothers than blood brothers. I can tell you that is for me the hardest thing to put into words in this story. And it still is.
It's really interesting how Kishimoto was never really able to put this sentiment of being more brothers than blood brothers into words as we see in chapter 698 where Naruto himself states that he can't put into words why he can't leave Sasuke alone he simply suffers when seeing Sasuke suffer. A chapter that's been so many times dissected and analyzed only for us to get to the conclusion that it is about a love confession.
Also the whole "more brothers than blood brothers" is a common theme in queer media to denote intimacy between queer closeted men who are in love but can't find the words (or courage) to tell each other "I love you". It's literally studied in academia like it's absolutely insane Kishimoto said that and no one questioned him for that LMAO.
I'm serious. This shit is studied fr.
Anyway, I couldn't find it but I swear there was another interview in which Kishimoto talked about how when writing Naruto he always did so in a way he would make his first editor (Yahagi) proud of his work after they stopped working together and how that sentiment also transpired onto Naruto and Sasuke's relationship. If I find this interview I'll reblog it on this post.
So based on these three interviews we get the elements these dynamics lent to Naruto and Sasuke's bond. Ability to feel each other's pain; empathy. More brothers than blood brothers; intimacy. Wanting to make his editor proud; acknowledgement. There's a lot Kishimoto took from different relationships he had in real life for Naruto and Sasuke's bond but antis only parrot "HE BASED NARUTO AND SASUKE ON HIM AND HIS BROTHER!!!" like no, that's not true Ellen.
In other interviews Kishimoto has also stated how Naruto is basically him in some ways and a lot of people in the fandom if not the majority think Kishimoto used Naruto as his self-insert and I want you to think about the implications of that keeping in mind what I just wrote.
Listen, I know some people don't like to speculate about other people's sexualities (I personally don't care) but this story, Naruto's story is very personal to Kishimoto and I think he's let us know a bit on why is that.
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