#naruto discourse

[thatsprettylane]

It’s very funny to me that top/bottom discourse apparently got so intense in the Naruto fandom that sns became the default ship tag for Naruto and Sasuke. Nobody tops. Nobody bottoms.

[edai-crplpnk]

Unpopular opinion probably, but I'm always a little skeptical about all naruto discourse around characters people think would stand up against military crimes (famously: be upset about the uchiha massacre, for example).

They wouldn't. They don't. They're soldiers and they subscribe to a military society. The whole time and up until the end. Outside of Sasuke, every single protagonist wants their village to keep existing and be defended for the entire show without wavering for a second. They are all pro-military. They are all standing for a system filled to the brim with war crimes. And they know it. It's the entire plot. That's how the system lives. Even the kind ones, even the one who are all about the power of friendship and solidarity, even them never advocate for demilitarisation or repercution for war crimes and genocides.

We can say we wish they did. I certainly do. We can say it would make sense if they did. But I'm sorry I can't follow you in "It's out of character for Naruto or Kakashi to not denounce the Uchiha Genocide." territory. It's not. People who are kind and will talk to you about tolerance and forgiveness will, overwhelmingly, also tell you "but we can abolish police, you silly! how will we defend ourselves against the baddies". That's sad. That's infuriating. But that's not weird or out of character. If it was in Kakashi or Naruto's character to stand up to military power when it murders children to upkeep itself, they would have defected eons ago. And they didn't. That's who they are.

[mulherrviado]

The world need more Itachi fans who are actually against konoha and understand that what Itachi went through was brainwashing by a cult

[jonathantaylor]

Going through the Naruto fandom discourse again, and I have to ask...

why didn’t Team 7 become a throuple?

[veroverse21]

If people wanna blame someone for Sakura being a “bad,” character, they should blame Kishimoto. That man has no skills in writing women. He gave her all the bad traits.

Kishimoto writes women well. People are allowed to hate Sakura if they want. Stop caring about what others think of your faves and ships. Once you reach fandom nirvana you will feel a lot better. I promise.

[jaguarys]

I find it fascinating (derogatory) how the general fandom conversation has shifted from "this woman is getting in the way of our gay ship and she's USELESS and ANNOYING and WE DON'T LIKE HER!" to this weird "no actually she's just not involved in her own relationships because she's too cool and special and awesome and a girlboss". But the problem is that there's not actually a veritable difference there. People still aren't engaging with her as a fully-fledged character. Like sure man calling her a girlboss is fine it's whatever but let that lead somewhere else. Engage with her. Can you actually name any of her character traits or are you just blindly praising her so that you can focus on shipping the guys in the background without feeling bad about it

[gotorux]

Fandom Culture, Forced Shipping, and the Blurred Line Between Representation and Projection!

I know I am mostly just a lurker but I’ve seen an increasing amount of problematic behavior I feel like needs to be called out.

In recent months, the engagement in fandom has often taken a more aggressive, absolutist tone, particularly around topics like shipping, representation, and attraction to fictional characters. The result is a space where important distinctions are lost, bad faith accusations are rampant, and people are silenced for engaging with media in a way that doesn’t align with the loudest voices in the room. And this is not only excessively problematic, but alienating as well.

Let’s start with shipping.

Not every ship is canon!

In many fandoms(especially those centered around shonen anime) intense, emotionally rich male friendships are increasingly interpreted as romantic by default. It’s no longer enough for two male characters to share trust, trauma, or growth. If they’re close, they must be in love. And if you don’t ship them, or worse, if you insist they’re just friends, you’re suddenly accused of being homophobic or “anti-queer.”

But this isn’t about homophobia. It’s about preserving narrative integrity and celebrating platonic male intimacy, which is just as rare and precious in storytelling as authentic queer representation.

Take JJK. The bond between Gojo and Geto is complex, layered, and filled with emotional weight…but it is not romantic. Canon sources back this up clearly. The JJK fanbook confirms that Gojo likes women(also parts of the anime/manga), and even states that he moved on from Geto’s defection relatively easily, contrary to the tragic soulmate narrative pushed by fans.

The characters have ideological differences, not romantic tension. Their story is one of parallel evolution, not forbidden love. And yet, fandom discussion around either character often cannot exist without centering the other in a romantic framework.

This pattern repeats across nearly every popular shonen series: Yuji and Megumi, Levi and Erwin, Gon and Killua, Naruto and Sasuke, Deku and Bakugo.

These dynamics are written as bonds forged in hardship, friendship, loyalty, and sometimes rivalry…not as romances. When fandom insists otherwise, it flattens emotional complexity into shallow tropes and undermines both queer representation and male friendship.

Worse, it perpetuates toxic masculinity: the idea that men can’t express love, loyalty, or emotional vulnerability unless it’s romantic or sexual. That’s not progressive! It’s regressive.

The insistence on romantic shipping as a form of queer representation also reveals a disturbing double standard. If fans truly wanted more visibility for LGBTQ+ characters, we’d see more support for female/female (F/F) ships, which are often canonically or subtextually queer. Like Ymir and Historia in Attack on Titan.

But these ships rarely receive the same level of obsession or cultural reach. Why? Because in many cases, M/M shipping isn’t about queer advocacy at all, it’s about indulging in aestheticized emotional fantasy between attractive male characters. That’s not inherently wrong, but it should be recognized for what it is, rather than masquerading as activism.

Queer representation matters. But it needs to be authentic, deliberate, and earned; not projected onto stories that were never meant to carry that weight.

Respecting Canon Isn’t Homophobic.

Choosing not to ship a pair of characters doesn’t make someone homophobic. Refusing to see a romance where none exists isn’t hate, it’s media literacy. It’s about engaging with a story on its own terms, rather than demanding it conform to fan fantasies.

It’s deeply hurtful to be labeled anti-queer simply for seeing value in platonic bonds. That kind of moral weaponization doesn’t uplift the queer community; it silences those who see emotional depth without sexual tension.

Now to my next topic.

Fictional Attraction and the “Minor” Discourse:

Another area where fandom discourse has become both toxic and confused is in the discussion around attraction to fictional characters, particularly those labeled as teenagers in-universe.

Take Megumi Fushiguro, again from Jujutsu Kaisen. He’s described as a high schooler, but designed with adult features: tall, mature, emotionally restrained, and drawn with adult proportions. He looks and acts like someone in his early 20s.

Yet fans who say they find him attractive are often accused of “liking minors.” This kind of accusation is not only wrong…it’s deeply irresponsible.

Fiction ≠ Reality

Being attracted to a fictional, adult-coded character is not the same as being attracted to real-life minors. There is a vast and meaningful difference between responding to stylized, idealized character design and holding dangerous views in the real world. Conflating the two trivializes real child exploitation and erodes the seriousness of actual abuse.

That said, there is a line and it’s when characters are child-coded…that is, when they are drawn, voiced, or characterized in ways that deliberately evoke youth, vulnerability, or prepubescence.

Examples include: Nezuko from Demon Slayer, whose tiny frame, infant-like behavior, and childlike mannerisms are clearly designed to evoke a little girl. Deku from My Hero Academia, who is introduced as either 14 or 15 with a young, innocent personality and childlike appearance.

When people sexualize characters like these, it does raise ethical concerns, because the appeal is rooted in traits associated with childhood. That’s a different conversation entirely, and it deserves to be had.

Attraction to adult-coded characters with stated ages under 18? Not inherently problematic. Depends on design and context.

Attraction to child-coded or loli/shota characters, regardless of “age?” Concerning. Context matters more than labels.

Conflating all attraction to stylized characters as predatory? Harmful, misleading, and erases real harm.

This is about critical thinking, not knee-jerk labeling. We must be able to distinguish between what’s a fantasy, what’s fetishization, and what’s actual danger.

Fandom has always been a place of personal connection, but somewhere along the way, nuance got lost. Every emotional bond became romantic. Every attraction became a red flag. Every disagreement became a moral failing.

But not everything is a ship.

Not every fictional character is a stand-in for real life.

Not every headcanon is representation.

And not every boundary is bigotry.

It’s time to bring context, compassion, and clarity back into fandom conversations. We need to protect the things that actually matter, without shaming people for simply engaging with fiction in a way that’s honest, respectful, and thoughtful.

Let friendships be friendships. Let attraction to stylized adult characters exist without slander. And let’s stop calling everything abuse because that only blinds us to the places where it really exists.

[uchiha-gaeshi]

Obito is really sticking to the bit when he calls Konan a "little girl" even though she's literally 4 years older than him...

[edai-crplpnk]

Printing this and taping it everywhere in the Naruto fandom.

“They wouldn't support this.”

They kill children. All the time.

"he would not fucking say that" but its about a character being a leftist. he would not fucking believe that

[cartoon-cornplateur]

Someone should do the "a real perryshmirtz shipper never speaks ill of Charlene/Lyla/[insert everyone heinz dated/self shippers]" edit. I'm so serious. You are not a child.

[bunnyshideawayy]

responding “22 years old btw” to me during fandom discourse is so hilariously odd like do middle schoolers think people stop enjoying things once they reach the ancient age of 18?

[im-just-a-whump-machine]

🚨🚨🚨🚨CALLOUT POST🚨🚨🚨🚨

@annefrankwasbeautiful is a racist, antisemetic nazi bitch who should be blocked on sight, as well as seemingly illiterate, definitely brain-dead and just all around a lying cunt who gives Tumblr users a bad name through her shitty "keyboard warrior"-ism. Also, she cosplays punk culture despite being a trump supporter and also just and all-around shit human being.

[veroverse21]

“NaruHina is forced,”

How???

They're probably just mad that their gay ship didn't become canon.

[no-cosmic-energy]

What do you MEAN "sasunaru vs narusasu" we're the same people WHO ARE YOU FIGHTING????

[cloud-crowned-cosmo]

So true. I miss when people wrote Sakura close to in-character instead of some self-insert.

i hate when ppl make sakura sasuke’s bff like that’s not karin’s job

[geeky-zombie]

Every time someone says that you can't ship a character with anyone else because they're already in a canon relationship, a piece of my soul is violently ripped from me