Naruto Clone

[x_rex30]

Just to be the whatevereth to state the obviously not-so-obvious;
NARUTO ISN'T ORIGINAL IN ANY WAY and everyone who think that it is has no brain but a drool powered water-wheel of thought operated by a peg legged, lobotomized hamster, tired from never getting his pension.

Well, originality has to go with popularity, if it was just recycled trash, then it wouldn't be the most popular anime in the world, witch it is. And thanks for your explanation for WHY. Don't think you'd have a good answer to why anyways. Thanks.

[Gepetto]

And thanks for your explanation for WHY.

If you can point out the difference between Chakra and Dragonball's conception of Ki;

If you can honestly tell me that Sasuke's quest to avenge his clan is not a low-ddp xerox copy of Kurapica from Hunter X Hunter (who BTW also has red eyes);

If you see no resemblance between the Chuunin Shiken and the Hunter Shiken (again from Hunter X Hunter);

if you haven't had enough nine-tailed foxes in Digimon, Pokemon, Tenchi Muyo and the like;

If the concept of an older overpowered maniac choosing a young promising warrior to be his successor/rival without first consulting said warrior is new to you;

and if you haven't seen at least ten shounen anime where the main character is completely inept at everything but has one or two killer techniques and for some reason which is not of his own merit has more chakra/cosmo/ki/spirital energy/mana/that thing from "Shinzo" than the average bear

then Naruto is completely original as far as you know.


Which is why I couldn't care less if someone made an identical show about a red-haired ninja with a green and purple coat and called it Maruto. If they go around cloning Death Note (which won't take long, and in fact has already startd with shows like Code Geiss) you can make a fuss. But what's the difference between having 200 Dollies or 201?

[Arigatomina]

If you can honestly tell me that Sasuke's quest to avenge his clan is not a low-ddp xerox copy of Kurapica from Hunter X Hunter (who BTW also has red eyes);

Now that's a stretch. Completely different characters, completely different ways they go about handling the situations, and just because Kura's eyes turn red doesn't mean they have anything in common with the 'sharigan' - that's like saying anyone who turns blonde is a super saiyan copy whether they have super strength or not. Have Sasuke put on a chain, sell his soul for new power that he can only use on the bad guy (and that will kill him if he dares to use it on anyone else), and stop fighting with that ninja stuff and betraying his friends (Kurapica gave up his revenge more than once for the sake of his friends), and then we'll talk. Both are favorite characters of mine, but aside from the 'clan death' and 'occassionally red eye' things, they are very different characters.

Sorry, but Sasuke is a clear clone of Vegeta and that's where both his manerisms and revenge plot comes from - it has nothing to do with Kurapica anymore than Naruto is a Sanji clone just because they both have blonde hair and weird friends. ;p

Agreed with the rest. Then again, give me an anime you think is original and I'll pick it apart telling you exactly how everything you think is original was really copied from all these other sources because everyone knows nothing is original when it comes to stories. Death Note? Hah. Have you seen Hikaru no Go? The only thing original in Death Note is that they made Hikaru older, made Touya look like the obsessed freak that he is, made Hikaru an asshole, and let him and Sai kill people for a living instead of playing Go. It's just like comparing HunterxHunter to YYH - it can't be original because it's just a spin-off of a series the creators already made once. They're copying themselves.

That's what stories do - they reuse what works. If you don't like it, try writing your own anime. I'll bet every aspect in it can be traced back to something else that's been done before.

/that said

Is this cartoon series made in the US or is it an anime? Because if it's a US-anime-ripoff it's no worse than the fairy-girl-Harry Potter series "Wingz Club". US cartoons are brazen about taking what works in foreign children series and selling it to preppy little girls (and violent little boys?) here in the states.

[RevanSigma]

Let me just say this, most american based animation studios are trying to score profits on the huge succes anime is making in the U.S. and frankly it makes me ill to have to see crap like "The Winx Club" and "Shuriken School". God, these studios need to come up with some original ideas instead of taking the anime expressions and turning them into the highlight of the show. Don't even get me started on Pucca. *shudders*

[aragami_frog]

It is an american made show.

Anymore ALL american made cartoons now copy anime'ish items.

I LOVE code Lyoko and Oban Star Racer but they are obviously anime influenced. True they are French and not american but the French company also worked with a Japanese company to create said shows.

It's kinda ironic that american cartoon channels employee anything that resembles anime.

[Gepetto]

Whoah, a whole page while I was at the doctor o.o

Have Sasuke [...] sell his soul for new power

Check. Just switch "soul" for "life".

Sorry, but Sasuke is a clear clone of Vegeta and that's where both his manerisms and revenge plot comes from

Yes.

Have you seen Hikaru no Go?

No. So I can't argue with what you said regarding the show.

give me an anime you think is original and I'll pick it apart telling you exactly how everything you think is original was really copied from all these other sources because everyone knows nothing is original when it comes to stories. Death Note? Hah.

Do I think Death Note has original concepts? No. Nothing has original concepts. Written language has simply existed for too long. I picked out Death Note as an example because it's an almost-original mixture of concepts, most of which are less common than, say, "I want to be the best [insert group name] ever." Thus, to many people, it will be seen as a "first". It's also unusual because it focuses more on thought and psychology than fighting (like the first arcs of Hunter X Hunter, in fact that's why I like both mangas so much).

That's what stories do - they reuse what works. If you don't like it, try writing your own anime. I'll bet every aspect in it can be traced back to something else that's been done before.

True. But how much of yourself you put into each new version is what counts. No matter how much two stories are alike, I'll only consider one a rip-off of the other if I notice that it was done carelessly just because the "original" was profitable. After all, coincidences do exist, however unlikely they may be. Real-Life Example: There's a family friend of mine who was working on a PhD thesis. As you probably know, the topic and/or approach of the thesis has to be "original". That's the difference betwen PhD and masters. Well, two months before he was finished, another person, who he had never heard of, and who lives in another state, published a thesis on the exact same subject. I could come up with conspiration theories but I think it was just that: a coincidence. (one that blowed off two years of research, but shit happens).

Naruto has very few elements that take it apart from other anime, which is why I expressed my lack of concern towards the recloning of Dolly.

Also, the insistent comparison with HxH wasn't due to the "red-eye factor" alone. The method to proceed with the vengeance is surely different because the characters are different. However, we have several junctions: The clan was the only group in the world to have he unique characteristic of the red eyes, and they were quite renowned for that. Both were completely dizimated save one survivor who swears to give his life for the redemption of the clan (although to some extent that's a natural reaction, besides killing himself). Both clans were killed by obscure overpowered people (and Itachi even turns out to be a part of a fancy evil group, although it's very different from the Kumo) and, to different degrees, both survivors are obsessed with obtaining power for their revenge -and- both their masters try in vain to dissuade them with the argument that revenge does not lead to any personal satisfaction or peace of mind.

Just so you don't accuse me of sanctifying HxH, Kurapica has "Heterossexual Andromeda Shun" written all over his face when he uses the chains, Kirua reminds me of a few characters from other series, Hisoka is the traditional overpowered sadist and Gon is the spitting image of Astroboy. I like both the anime and the manga, in spite of that because of the reasons I stated above. (if that sounded aggressive, I apologize but I'll leave it because I'm too lazy to think of a better phrasal structure)

That's what I meant, anyways. It's not unlikely that I had written something completely misleading on the other post by accident. This time I checked.

[Arigatomina]

Have Sasuke [...] sell his soul for new power

Check. Just switch "soul" for "life".

I knew when I wrote that, that you'd catch it. But I really think the inspiration for Sasuke's power-fetish comes from DBZ. I don't think the creator was inspired by HxH at all when it comes to Sasuke's character. Mostly because Sasuke didn't sell anything for power until he was attacked and threatened/tempted with that power. There's no Orochimaru character in HxH - he's Frieza through and through, he just uses his tongue instead of a tail. I just don't see Kurapica in Naruto anywhere unless it's in Haku, and that's only because of the soft spoken effeminate aspect.

What was getting me about your HxH comparison is that you mentioned things like the chunin exams. HxH took their forest/tests for the license directly from the same exams Yusuke and Kuwabara go through in YYH. It's the same creator, but it's still a "so obvious it hurts" copy. Same with all the characters in HxH. Gon isn't a copy of Astroboy, he's a younger version of Yusuke - that's why his dad looks *exactly* like Yusuke with spiked hair. Yusuke might have been a copy of Astroboy, but if he is, Gon's just a second-generation copy. ^^; And the red-eyed aspect of Kurapica is just Kurama's youko side given a different form. I'm sure Kura's revenge plot was taken from DBZ when the entire saiyan planet was destroyed (which matches everything you pointed out about Sasuke and Kurapica). Just keep in mind the time - which manga came first. I really liked HxH and YYH more than DBZ, but as much as people rag on DBZ it gets copied a lot so it must have done something right. Naruto may have taken things from HxH, but those things were taken from YYH, which took them from DBZ, which (I'm sure) took them from something else.

Have you seen Hikaru no Go?

No. So I can't argue with what you said regarding the show.

You should read a little about it. Just like HxH reused all the characters from YYH (and most of the best plot points, twisted for the new universe), Death Note is a copy of Hikaru no Go - it's just written for an older audience. All the characters can be found in the original, just more innocent. The main characters (Raito and Hikaru) are even drawn the same - like Gon and Yusuke, or Killua and Hiei. And they both have the ghost advisor, the eternal rival, and the unusual focus on dialogue rather than action (in HnG it's watching stones put on a board while they think about their plans - in DN it's watching faces while they talk about their plans). There's a lot of originality if you don't watch the first series - if you do, it's the same thing, just darker. The one thing that strikes me as original about Death Note is the concept itself (the death book) and that main character is the villain (or is he). Characters, plot points, and even the rivalry driving the story, were all established in Hikaru no Go.

Naruto has very few elements that take it apart from other anime, which is why I expressed my lack of concern towards the recloning of Dolly.

I think the wide variety of abilities and histories given to all the minor characters is something that makes Naruto original. It's one of the reasons I don't like the manga, but I give it credit for coming up with all sorts of weird powers/talents to go with every new face. The main concept might have been done before - I've never seen a ninja school anime or manga, not one that went as weird as Naruto did once the exams were interrupted and things went screwy. And some of the main characters might be direct copies of Goku and Vegeta (definitlely), but I've never seen a Shikamaru character before. Same with Gaara, though I may have just missed the anime he was taken from. Kakashi, too, struck me as wildly original and fun. And Gai. Wow, I hate that man, but the only match I can make with him is a minor character in Samurai Deeper Kyo (I don't know which came first). There are just way too many characters in Naruto, and each one has been fleshed out to the point of annoyance - even if each one can be linked to some other anime, combining them all in one show is original.

Meh. I think Naruto did enough mixing and matching the things it copied that it came out better than it gets credit for. I still don't like it anymore (because they made Sasuke stupid), but I don't want to see it copied by some American cartoon trying to cash in on anime fans' preference for shows with plot and good animation.

That's what I meant, anyways. It's not unlikely that I had written something completely misleading on the other post by accident. This time I checked.

Nah, I just saw it as a chance to debate and jumped on it. Plus, as much as I love YYH and HxH, they're way too similar to be used as examples of 'originality'. Then there was the Death Note reference - I've been watching HnG a lot lately, with DN coming as an anime, so the similarities are really sort of annoying/amusing. Makes me wonder how many creators copy themselves when they have success with a long-running manga series. Do it good once and turn around and reuse the same character-types and plot-points to do it again? And Death Note is doing so much better than HnG - I guess making the characters older and using murder as the main theme (instead of a game no one knows how to play) is the kicker.

[Gepetto]

I was a kid when I watched YYH so I missed all the similarities (even though I knew the author was the same). Hikaru no Go and Death Note, do they have the same author as well, then? You've gotten me interrested now.

I'm sure Kura's revenge plot was taken from DBZ when the entire saiyan planet was destroyed (which matches everything you pointed out about Sasuke and Kurapica). Just keep in mind the time - which manga came first. I really liked HxH and YYH more than DBZ, but as much as people rag on DBZ it gets copied a lot so it must have done something right. Naruto may have taken things from HxH, but those things were taken from YYH, which took them from DBZ, which (I'm sure) took them from something else.

I don't hate DBZ as profoundly as most of the people around here seem to, but my big problem with the series is that they don't know when to stop. Other than that, I have no major complaints. The plot isn't what you' call "deep", but it's well-written enough and Toriyama knows how to remain faithful to his character's personalities. The insistent comments around here that "Naruto is Dragonball AF" prove your point perfectly.

I think the wide variety of abilities and histories given to all the minor characters is something that makes Naruto original.

It's not the most common aspect of shounen manga and anime, but many shojo publications (and the best example here is Fruits Basket) set a complete biography for so many secondary characters that you turn out with a main cast of 20 people. I've never seen the anime, but the Fruits Basket manga is like a Russian novel - Full of characters, each one with very specific traits.

I've never seen a Shikamaru character before. Same with Gaara, though I may have just missed the anime he was taken from. Kakashi, too, struck me as wildly original and fun. And Gai. Wow, I hate that man, but the only match I can make with him is a minor character in Samurai Deeper Kyo (I don't know which came first). There are just way too many characters in Naruto, and each one has been fleshed out to the point of annoyance - even if each one can be linked to some other anime, combining them all in one show is original.

Well, it's patience at it's best. Gai and Rock Lee are both charicatures of different aspects of Bruce Lee. Actually, Gai is much more similar to Bruce than Rock Lee (especially his face). But you do have a point. Shikamaru's combination of genious fukitol is original. Gaara... I can't think of another anime where "he" appears, but he is very similar to Naruto himself (actually, Naruto points out that resemblance at some point, I think)However, I can't say I like the way Naruto handles all these characters. Since even the filler characters have backgrounds and flashbacks and whatnot, the anime gets a repetitive feeling to it. That, on top of the huge ammount of said fillers, is what killed the show for me. I don't read the manga, but I assume that it doesn't suffer from repetitiveness. My fear regarding the show is that it'll fall into the same mistake as DBZ and InuYaha: not stopping when it should.

Meh. I think Naruto did enough mixing and matching the things it copied that it came out better than it gets credit for. I still don't like it anymore (because they made Sasuke stupid), but I don't want to see it copied by some American cartoon trying to cash in on anime fans' preference for shows with plot and good animation.

It's inevitable in the end. Here in Brazil there's a lobby in the comics industry against the "invasion of japanese culture that steers our children away from national values". Our comics industry is completely child-oriented except for the political charges. In America, they're doing the opposite: don't mess with a winning team. The immense nationalist pride that people tend to have there will probably keep them from making their copies too shameless, which is very good, but they'll push it as far as they can. I think that it's some etent of an aculturization, and that it's much more "dangerous" than just letting in other people's culture but TV corporations are moved by money, and money craves for globalization.

That's what I meant, anyways. It's not unlikely that I had written something completely misleading on the other post by accident. This time I checked.

Nah, I just saw it as a chance to debate and jumped on it.

Be my guest. I love a good debate. Anytime, anywhere, as long as I know something about the subject.

Plus, as much as I love YYH and HxH, they're way too similar to be used as examples of 'originality'. Then there was the Death Note reference - I've been watching HnG a lot lately, with DN coming as an anime, so the similarities are really sort of annoying/amusing. Makes me wonder how many creators copy themselves when they have success with a long-running manga series. Do it good once and turn around and reuse the same character-types and plot-points to do it again? And Death Note is doing so much better than HnG - I guess making the characters older and using murder as the main theme (instead of a game no one knows how to play) is the kicker.

I'm in a battle against myself: to watch or not DN anime? I'm afraid of what they'll do by putting 108 chapters into 37 episodes, but I really want to hear L's and Mello's voices. Even if Death Note is copied from Hikaru no Go, it brought the Anti-Hero concept back to the surface and treats it very cleanly. "The winner is right", that's what History has always taught us, and that's what saves DN from being a clichè moral debate. I think that this approach of the anti-hero will render some very good "clones" - so far I'm enjoying Code Geiss, which works on a similar concept (Lelouch is a less psycho Light) but has a refreshing mixture (this time the mchas are the bad guys - and aren't Japanese). Besides, I love an epic, even if it is futuristic.

I digressed a little up there. Sorry. But my point remains: I don't mind a copy if it's a good one, after all, almost everything these days is already a copy to begin with.

[Mast3rPi3c3]

As long as there isn't a season of fillers