#tagquest2019

[naruto-oc-critiques]

So my OC is a Jounin instructor, but I'm having trouble with how strong is too strong. Or I keep making him not strong enough. It's a very violent cycle where I just cry because I'm not sure how to balance him well enough.

In my humble opinion, if your OC is a jounin, that is reason for them to be stronger than the average ninja. I say this because, in order to become jounin, enough villagers and the respective Kage has to deem one worthy enough be promoted. 

This is important to note: it means people acknowledge how strong your OC is. And, in order to be acknowledged, your OC has to be of notable strength, enough that even regular villagers know of them.

So, if you’re scared of making your OC “too strong,” know that by definition of being jounin, they have some justification behind that strength.

Going from there, I’d suggest tackling your OC like any other: plan out his strengths and weaknesses, and establish what kind of tactics he uses. Note any drawbacks as well as advantages his abilities gives him.

Also a rule of thumb I tend to follow when making a “strong” OC: never make them stronger than the strongest people of a particular era, but make them able to stand a chance against them.

I’ll give you an example: I have a pretty strong Warring States OC that’s a bit of a household name. If she were to fight Tobirama or even Izuna Uchiha, she could give them a run for their money. Against Hashirama or Madara, she’d get stomped. It wouldn’t be without a fight, but it would be inevitable.

But, really, it all comes down to just taking your time to build your OC. 

Don’t get caught up in trying to force your OC into a particular mold because you might not want to break canon. If you want a strong OC, don’t be ashamed to make one - just remember that with every strength, there’s a weakness as well.

I hope this post eases your mind a little. Good luck!

- ATB

[naruto-oc-critiques]

Do you have any resource suggestions for writing a fan fiction based in Kumogakure as in culture wise because creating characters is hard enough without worrying about the culture of the village as well?

Unfortunately, there aren’t any resources I can give out, other than the manga/series itself and other fanfiction. Most villages in the series, culture-wise, are very shallow, and it would depend on you as a writer to pick up the slack. Yes, it is a daunting and annoying task, but it has to be done (if you want to, that is.) The best advice I could give would be to take into account what you know about Kumo via the actions of its inhabitants and the village itself.

For example, Kumo is known to have a “shameless” reputation among the ninja villages, They don’t honor peace agreements and will take advantage of the weakness it imposes on their “allies.” They will steal techniques and information from other villages, using very underhanded and aggressive tactics. 

From this, you can make several assumptions about Kumo which can serve as a basis for their culture:

They value strength.

They will betray others if it means securing themselves.

They have little faith in others’ honor and sincerity.

And then you can go into how they came to develop these beliefs or habits.

I hope this helps you, even a little bit.

- ATB

[naruto-oc-critiques]

What do you think the "standard" Uchiha taijutsu style was? Obviously, the Uchihas were known primarily for the Sharingan, genjutsu, shurikenjutsu, and fire, but considering the clan's also been known for their overall battle prowess in all categories, I'm pretty sure they had great taijutsu as well.

I can give you headcanon some ideas for inspiration.

Uchiha taijutsu would be very aggressive; their taijutsu would be all about overwhelming an opponent, like an all-consuming inferno. If I were to choose a real-life martial art to base a hypothetical Uchiha style on, it would be baji quan - a style all about striking a foe with “explosive, short-range” power. Combined with the Sharingan’s abilities to see chakra and read movements, they’d hunt down enemies like bloodhounds someone’s played apex legends too much lol and, when they close in, break through any defenses they may have by predicting even minute twitches.

But, that’s just my opinion :D

- ATB

[naruto-oc-critiques]

Hey it's the chakra sensitivity anon, thanks for answering my first ask. I'm currently working on the OC's team, which I plan to be a tracker/capture team. The OC would use her chakra sensing abilities to track someone, but I don't know what to do for her teammates and sensei. Also, I was considering giving the OC chakra suppression technique, thoughts?

Firstly, you’re welcome!

As for figuring out what to do with her teammates and sensei, remember that tracking doesn’t have to do with just sensing chakra. A person could potentially be tracked through scent; through behavioral patterns they may have when travelling; what kind of terrain they may be travelling through; or just by being sloppy and leaving indicators of their whereabouts.

So, you could have an OC from the Inuzuka or Aburame, or you could just have a person that’s very observant and good at piecing together clues to track someone down. You could also branch out and research on how animals track prey, and give an OC a summon based on that.

As for chakra suppression, you could potentially delve into fuuinjutsu since your OC herself is sensitive to chakra, and fuuinjutsu - depending on the scope - isn’t too chakra taxing. 

So sorry it took so long for me to answer this question!

- ATB

[naruto-oc-critiques]

So I'm in the middle of creating an Oc who's a ninja from the Leaf. I wanted her to lose her arm to Kisame in a fight, but I'm having a bit of difficulty with mixing that and the cannon plot-line (from the encounters he has with the other teams & to the time he dies) But she comes back to help in the 4th war with a new arm. Thoughts please???

I think it’s possible to make it work, While it may seem like there isn’t a lot room in canon, it isn’t unheard of to just “make room.”

What I mean is, for as much as we’re shown of characters throughout the series, there’s plenty of moments we don’t see what they’re doing - moments that can’t be accounted for. What’s stopping Kisame from having an encounter with your OC? Surely he’s likely run across dozens of more enemies that canon saw unfit to mention. Overall, his encounter with your OC may not have been relevant for Kisame’s story - but your OC’s encounter with Kisame was important to your OC’s story.

As for your OC having a new arm, I think it’s an interesting subject to approach, but I would of course recommend researching prosthetic limbs, and how people missing limbs cope and their experiences. 

- ATB

[naruto-oc-critiques]

My OC has a chakra sensitivity, it makes it easier for her to detect chakra (and therefore other shinobi) but using it herself causes headaches and sort of an 'itchy' feeling. As a result she mainly uses taijutsu and her weapon (a naginata). What do y'all think?

Chakra sensitivity seems to have advantages and disadvantages to having it, and it seems like you’ve taken that into account when thinking up your OC’s skill sets. So, I think you’re good to go!

- ATB

[naruto-oc-critiques]

So, the line of clothing in Naruto has not been clear. There's so many things that are allowed that shouldn't be allowed? Can you name us a few things that shouldn't be on Naruto ocs, Pre-shippuden? Thanks in advance!

Oh boy. There’s layers to this question.

There’s been instances of, um, “stand out” apparel, mainly in the movies and anime. I distinctly remember a movie director dude wearing demin jeans in this movie and a woman wearing goth lolita clothes in the anime. The former is pre-Shippuden and the latter is during, but both seem odd when compared to the main character cast.

There’s something important to consider, though: context.

Naruto takes place in a world that’s a hodgepodge of traditional and modern. Pre-Shippuden, there are things like VCR and telephones, but no vehicles or guns. Both are deliberate by the author, but it’s important to keep in mind when I say this: I think most clothing styles can work in Naruto as long as you make an attempt to adapt that style to the series.

The main advice you might see is to keep clans and OC predominately based on Eastern cultures, because that’s what we’ve generally seen throughout the series. I agree with this, but I do think it’s possible to take inspiration from various cultures, especially clothing, and make something that’s unique and personal. Like with characters, all it takes is development, effort and dedication.

So, to answer your question: I can’t tell you what should or shouldn’t be on Naruto OCs. What I can give, though, are a couple tips when thinking about wardrobe:

Remember casual wear vs. job wear. There are some types of clothing appropriate for casual wear that just isn’t for job wear, whether the OC is a ninja or a priest or an accountant or whatever. Because of that, you have a lot of freedom when it comes to casual wear, but something of a guideline when it comes to job wear. For example, a ninja might love wearing high heels, leather pants and fur coats in their free time, but that’s not appropriate for missions, so they wear the typical sandals, mesh shirts and cotton pants.

Culture and climate. These two things really impact the kinds of clothes a people (whether a clan or village or country) might wear. You can look at Suna vs. every other village for an visual example of that. 

Adapt. That goth lolita girl is the perfect example. A knee-jerk reaction would be to write off her outfit completely because it looks “out of place” or “dysfunctional.” But it really isn’t when certain aspects of her fighting style is taken into account. Any style you might want can work, but you have to keep in mind what kind of character you have, what kind of background, what kind of culture, etc. to justify it.

I know this isn’t some long check list, but there are various elements that can make some things acceptable in one instance but inappropriate in another.

I hope this helps you out but, if doesn’t and you have specific questions, feel free to send in another ask.

- ATB

[naruto-oc-critiques]

Howdy again. So with the villages, do you think that they would have 'sections' of the village? Like the rich area, civilian area, ninja clan areas, etc etc? And would they be named after important heros to the village? Thanks in advance dudes/dudettes!

I personally think they do.

We don’t know much about village infrastructure or culture (outside of ninja), but having different districts based on wealth, clan, residential, business, etc. seems realistic. 

Kirigakure, for example, has a caste system, so it wouldn’t be too much of a jump to think they further divide the people by having separate districts.

- ATB