Naruto’s First Major Arc Is Actually Its Most Important One

The world of Naruto is filled with emotional stories, charming characters, fantastic fights, and beautiful themes that have inspired anime fans for decades. Through its unique charm, the series has established itself as one of the best shonen series of all time. However, none of that would have been possible without the captivating writing of the first major arc in the Naruto series – The Land of Waves.

Naruto’s First Ninja Vow

One of the most iconic characteristics of Naruto Uzumaki is his undeniable strength of will. Time and time again this knuckle-headed ninja manages to surpass enemies’ expectations and defeats even the most impossible odds. Much of Naruto’s drive as a character is his determination to never give up and it is this determination that leads him to victory.

Naruto’s drive stems from one moment in the Land of Waves arc. During episode 6, just as the journey to the Land of Waves begins, the group is attacked by two ninjas. They seemingly take Kakashi out first thing during their ambush. Naruto freezes and gets hurt, leaving Sasuke and Sakura to protect Tazuna. In the end, Kakashi appears and quickly captures the ninja, effectively protecting Tazuna and the team.

Naruto is ashamed of himself when Kakashi points out his hesitation. When he reflects on the event, Naruto takes a kunai stabs a wound in his hand, and vows to “never back down” and to “never run away.” This is the vow, the very moment, that starts to shape and solidify Naruto’s character.

Leading up to this moment, Naruto hasn’t shown this level of determination before. He’s had his moments, like when he finally learns how to make shadow clones, but he’s never faced death quite like he has in this episode. In the brief time before this arc he has run away from fights before gaining the courage to return. He initially ran from Mizuki in the very first episode before returning to help Iruka.

This time, Naruto is done running. He has seen what happens when he hesitates and decided he never wants that to happen again. He never wants to be a useless liability, someone unneeded and unwanted. With this vow, Naruto gains that famous determination that everyone knowns and loves.

A Clash of Ideologies Leads to Naruto’s Greatest Weapon

Two ideologies continuously clash throughout the Land of Waves arc. The first is the old belief that ninjas are tools to be used by those with power. They are to be emotionless and to have no ties to anyone or anything that can hinder their ability to complete a mission. On the other hand, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were raised in an environment that encouraged emotional bonds and teamwork. This power struggle between these two ways of thinking brings out one of Naruto’s greatest skills.

Zabuza and Haku, two ninja who are hired to kill Tazuna, are the representatives of the first creed. Zabuza, a rouge ninja from Kirigakure, had to kill his classmates as his graduation test, effectively shutting his emotions off to become a killing machine. This learned mindset is reiterated when Zabuza takes Haku under his wing, warning him that there will be no affection in their relationship. Haku vows to be an emotionless tool to be used as Zabuza deems fit in response.

On the other hand, Naruto and even Sasuke are both highly emotional individuals. Both are driven by their passion to achieve their goals and their connections with others. Naruto is a walking open book who constantly has his emotions on display and who at this point has just made a ninja vow fueled by his emotions – to never give up. Sasuke is less apparent with his emotions but if you squint you can see he cares deep down. After all, he did risk his life to save Naruto from Haku, making his seemingly last wish for Naruto to achieve his dream of being Hokage. Emotions are important to both of them, something they would never let go of.

During this arc, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura are constantly barraged with this old set of beliefs, making them question if this harsh reality is the future that they are destined to have as ninjas. When Naruto sees the way Zabuza treats Haku after the boy sacrificed his life to save Zabuza, Naruto unleashes his most powerful attack for the first time – his words, also lovingly referred to as “Talk no Jutsu” by fans.

Naruto challenges Zabuza, and indirectly the old shinobi principles, telling the man exactly how awful he is being towards someone who loves him unconditionally. Naruto, who at the time believed he had just lost Sasuke and was mourning his loss, could not fathom how Zabuza did not care that Haku was dead.

He cuts deep, reaching the long-forgotten humanity buried inside Zabuza, and shatters the ideology that forced Zabuza to cast aside his emotions. The man cries, acknowledging and agreeing with Naruto, and at the last second becomes an ally that eliminates the business tycoon and some of his cronies before saying a heartfelt goodbye to Haku’s body.

It is through the collision of Naruto and Sasuke’s feelings and Zabuza and Haku’s situation that brought out Naruto’s ability to articulate his emotions and to bridge those emotions to others.

Naruto’s ability to connect emotionally with everyone he meets becomes the most important skill in his arsenal and one of his key defining traits. It is the power that helps him unite the ninja world at the end of the series. Naruto’s “Talk no Jutsu” is what gives him the strength to continuously break down the toxic ideologies of the past so that there can be a brighter future for the people he cares for.

Naruto’s Second Ninja Vow

At the end of the arc, Zabuza dies regretting that Haku would never know just how much he was loved and hoping that maybe they would see each other again. This tragic end for these two hits Naruto hard. At Zabuza and Haku’s graves, Team 7 asks again if this is the fate of shinobi, a fate they can not escape from. It is at this moment that Naruto makes his second vow. He will live a life with no regret and choose his own way, not follow the fate dictated by those who came before him.

This vow becomes the last puzzle piece that shapes Naruto into the person we all know. Naruto’s two vows, to find his own path and to never give up, combined with the gained power of his “Talk no Jutsu” complete Naruto’s core characteristics and stay with him throughout the series.

These three pieces of Naruto’s character are all formed because of this arc. They are the foundations of Naruto’s nature, making this arc the foundation for the entire series. Without Naruto’s empathetic personality and these vows, the rest of the series would crumble. Characters like Gaara and Neji would still be drowning in their trauma and hate. There would have been no hope for Sasuke’s return. The entire Konoha village would be gone with too many to count still dead and the world would have been destroyed if Naruto hadn’t been able to connect with Nagato and Obito and if he didn’t have the strength of will to continue against the odds.

Zabuza and Haku’s story became a life lesson that shaped Naruto’s character which in turn shaped the fate of the world, making their arc the most fundamental arc of the series.

If you want to go back and relive the Land of Waves arc, find out where to watch all the Naruto episodes.