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Naruto Uzumaki is the iconic name for our beloved character, who is a master of talk-no-jutsu. However, oftentimes, fans have wondered about his surname as it hails from his maternal side. Usually, surnames are taken from the father’s family, but this rather unconventional method of naming has made the fanbase curious.
Fans of this series often say that Naruto should’ve taken the Namikaze name, but there is no mention or even hints towards the existence of such a clan till the revelation of his paternal ties in Shippuden. According to the series, the reason behind Naruto adapting his maternal surname was simply to save him from unwanted threats since Minato ended up making several enemies during the Third Great Ninja War.
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Was Uzumaki a safer surname for Naruto?
BeforeNaruto’sbirth, during the Third Great Ninja War, Minato was infamous as the Yellow Flash of Konoha, and his name instilled fear among ninjas from other villages. He was known to single-handedly take down 1,000 shinobi in an instant. This led Konoha to win the war and forced other Nations to sign a peace treaty. However, during that phase, Minato ended up making several enemies who were willing to take any opportunity to carry out revenge against him or his family.
After the massacre of the Uzumaki clan, the remaining survivors were hunted down by people who were hungry for power, like Orochimaru. However, as time passed, the hunting gradually petered out. Considering the number of enemies Minato made across the other Nations, it was logical to let little Naruto take up the surname of his mother rather than Namikaze.
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The traditional naming system in Japan is reflected in Naruto
The major sub-strata ofNaruto’sfanbase is made up of international viewers, primarily Western audiences. That is why so many viewers are confused by Japan’s traditional naming system. The most prominent difference between the ning systems can be seen as surnames are written before the given names, which is entirely opposite to the naming method Western people use.
In the pre-modern era, the more powerful clan’s name used to take priority when naming newborn children. If the father’s lineage isn’t influential enough, the child will take up the mother’s maiden name and vice versa. As clans dissolved into individual family units, this system of naming was scrapped.
As Naruto is set in a world that is similar to pre-modern Japan, the method of naming was similar to that. Since there was not even a hint of the existence of the Namikaze clan, it wasn’t as influential as Uzumaki was. It is likely that Naruto adopted the maternal side’s surname at birth.
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Archak Mitra
Articles Published :294
Despite holding a degree in Chemistry Majors, Archak found himself as a Journalist. His love for anime and choccy milk is unmatched! When not writing, Archak can be found indulging with motorcycles. After all, four wheels move the body but two wheels move the soul!
