This might sound controversial, but the Ninja academy in Naruto churns out indoctrinated child soldiers

Naruto is filled with brilliant and relatable moments, making it a great entry point for many new watchers of anime. While Naruto might seem like a silly anime of over-the-top Shinobi, on closer look, it is deep and philosophical. Take its anti-war themes, for example, everything Kishimoto tries to do with the anime is to preach against war. This can first be seen with its characters.

Many characters in Naruto are orphans or vagabonds, shaped by the long-standing cycle of war. Kakashi loses his first teammates as a result of war. He also loses his father, Sakumo, to suicide as a result of his failing a mission and being ostracized for choosing lives over victory.

On characters being vagabonds, there is no clearer example than Zabuza. He is a product of a failed ninja system, which isolates people.

Despite its anti-war message, Naruto also presents pro-war elements, especially through the ninja academy. Throughout the Narutoverse, the ninja academy is typically portrayed as harmless, and in the Boruto saga, it is portrayed as cute.

However, the existence of the ninja academy suggests a more troubling reality, as the academy consistently churns out child soldiers. While some may disagree with this interpretation, the training in martial arts, the Genin missions, and the emphasis on "Will of Fire" all tie to indoctrination.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the author’s views and may contain spoilers.

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How the ninja academy churns out child soldiers in Naruto

The new academy building in Boruto (Image via Studio Pierrot)

There is a famous Latin quote that says, “Si vis pacem, para bellum,” which means: if you want peace, prepare for war. This has been the reality of the Naruto world since the Hidden Villages were created.

In fact, the Hidden Villages were designed to serve as instruments of war or control, as evidenced in the missions they perform. For instance, when Team 7 protects a carpenter trying to build a bridge, they act as an instrument of order.

The nature of Shinobi is to prepare for conflict, and conflict in the series' world is an inevitability. This means there will always be endless preparation for both the present and the future. The preparations for the future are where the indoctrinated child soldiers come to play. In the ninja academy, children are primed to obey the village(state); so, they swear fealty to it.

This fealty comes with blindly following orders. Any ninja who does the opposite of his orders, or doesn’t accomplish them, is shamed.

Obito's poor performance at the academy made him human (Image via Studio Pierrot)

The main character, who is not particularly gifted, suffers from insults due to his lack of talent. This experience makes him empathetic to others and encourages him to develop his own train of thought, unlike the most talented students, who are often pressured into blindly following orders.

Itachi and Kakashi, both protégés, are quickly recruited into the ANBU to carry out covert missions. This recruitment is praised, but it makes them jaded, as they are forced to kill others regularly.

Eventually, Itachi murders his entire clan in the name of carrying out orders. He does this without any regrets, believing that his ultimate duty is to serve the village. Despite this unwavering loyalty, he was branded a traitor and forced to live as a criminal in exile. Such loyalty would not have been possible without the early indoctrination he received at the Academy.

Kakashi was nearly part of a plot to kill the Hokage, but he didn’t go forward with the plans. When Kakashi and Itachi were climbing up the ninja ranks, they were just children; however, their primary focus was to eliminate their enemies and climb to the top of the ninja totem pole.

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Final thoughts

One of the reasons that ninjas serve an important role is that they are one of the few people who can kill without batting an eye. While viewers see bandits attempt to kill in the series, they are not as effective as the Shinobi. They can kill because that’s all they are trained to do since they were kids.

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Edited by Sriparna Barui