Naruto and Sasuke's Yin-Yang symbolism is much deeper than anyone realizes

Modified May 17, 2024 03:30 GMT

Naruto and Sasuke's dynamic is one of the most important in the entire franchise, and the Yin-Yang symbolism is the best way to look at their relationship throughout the story. The concept of Yin and Yang stems from Chinese philosophy and speaks of opposite forces complementing each other for balance.

The connection between the two characters also serves as a way to contrast and compare their arcs, which is something that author Masashi Kishimoto did regularly in the manga. They are opposites in almost every way but are connected because of the Ashura and Indra bond.

However, long before the reincarnation plot point, the story had already established the pair as the Yin and Yang of the series.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a whole.

Explaining how Naruto and Sasuke represent the Yin-Yang philosophy extremely well

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As mentioned earlier, the Yin and Yang concept stems from Chinese philosophy and refers to the nature of opposite forces complementing each other for balance. Yin is often perceived as darkness, and Yang is viewed as light, which is something that fits Sasuke and Naruto very well.

From the onset, Sasuke is often dressed in darker and more passive colors, while the protagonist wears brighter colors that stand out, highlighting the former's more introverted and darker personality and the latter's more extroverted and cheerful nature.

It is also worth pointing out that the young Uchiha started as a ninja prodigy who lost his family, while the young Uzumaki started the series as a fairly inept ninja student who was an orphan since the moment he was born.

A very clear example of this concept was shown in chapter 234 of the manga after the two faced each other for the first time at the Valley of the End during the Sasuke Retrieval arc.

The young Uchiha walked into physical darkness, and the titular protagonist was carried by Kakashi Hatake into the light. This reflected their states of being during that portion of the series and also showed how one was building connections and the other was losing himself to vengeance.

More contrasts between the characters

The two characters at the end of the original series (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Another major element that author Masashi Kishimoto added later in the story was the reincarnation factor. It confirmed that Naruto and Sasuke were the reincarnated individuals of Ashura and Indra, respectively, who were deities and siblings destined to fight one another.

The same thing happened with Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju before them, as they were destined to become good friends and then fight each other to the death.

However, unlike Madara and Hashirama, Naruto never gave up on Sasuke and tried to redeem him, much like he did with Zabuza, Neji, Gaara, and even the likes of Nagato and Obito, despite how controversial those last two were in the fandom.

As Sasuke was trying to push everyone away to get stronger and give himself away for vengeance, the young Uzumaki kept pushing to understand him, finally reaching a point where they became friends once again.

Final thoughts

These two characters' relationship is the core of the original series and serves as a very good example of the nature of Yin and Yang.

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Edited by Rachel Syiemlieh