End of Naruto

If you remember my old LiveJournal blog, Lair of the Rat Sage, you might remember a number of posts regarding my opinions on a Japanese comic (manga) series called Naruto. My first girlfriend introduced me to it, and I took to it somewhat excessively for a time. As I grew older, I felt it was beneath my age and stopped speaking on it, although I never stopped reading. Only a couple of my friends know I read the series, when I accidentally left a discussion page open on my laptop. It became my only real "guilty pleasure".

The series ended when it became exactly fifteen years old. It ended seventeen years since it's pilot chapter, and exactly when the main character became seventeen in the manga. It was going to end on the aggravating number of 699, but the author was good enough to offer us a double-issue finale, so we got an extra chapter and get to end cleanly on the 700th. Chapter 699 wrapped up what was currently happening, and chapter 700 was an epilogue about 15 years in the future.

Over half my life it's been running, and I've followed it since I was sixteen... Nine years.

Since I started following it, I met my first girlfriend, graduated high school, broke up with my first girlfriend, met my father who I was estranged from and connected with his biological family who neither of us knew. Joined the Katimavik program and worked with the intellectually disabled in Summerside, PEI, then for the Regional Food Distribution Association in Thunder Bay, Ontario, then worked in Chisasibi, Cree Nation in North Quebec. Came back and worked in three factories, becoming a Machine Operator. My mother was diagnosed with Hepatitus C, then recovered from it. Joined Canada World Youth and worked in La Pocatiere, Quebec, as a horticulturalist, then went to Mali, West Africa and worked there. Met and broke up with my second girlfriend, had a falling out with my father. My Great Grandmother turned 100 and my Great Aunt passed away. Earned certificates in SafeTALK, 1st Aid and CPR Level C, Non Violent Crisis Intervention, Safe Management, WHMIS, Safe Food Handling and Smart Serve. Volunteered two years with the Respect Campaign and became a Respect Leader.  Completed the Human Services Foundation Program and a year of Social Services.

And through it all, I've followed Naruto. And now it's ended, probably the most consistent factor in my life.

This is the END OF AN ERA!

You probably don't care, but here's a summary of how it ended. Warning SPOILERS:

Naruto and Hinata got married. Sasuke and Sakura got married. Shikamaru and Temari got married. Ino and Sai got married. Chouji and the black girl that beat up Naruto in an alley got married.
Naruto and Hinata had two children, a son and a daughter, and they're both ugly. Sasuke and Sakura had a daughter. InoShikaChou and their respective partners created a new InoShikaChou. Chouji and Karui had a daughter, so they get the token female member of the team. Shikamaru and Temari's kid, and Naruto and Hinata's son, look and act almost exactly like Naruto and Shikamaru when they were 12. No one else is in a confirmed relationship or had children.

After Naruto and Sasuke blasted each other's arms off, Tsunade created a prosthetic for Naruto out of a White Zetsu. Sasuke declined the offer of a prosthetic for no confirmed reason.

For some reason, all the Kage except Gaara stepped down after the war. Kakashi took over after Tsunade, ruled for about 15 years and stepped down voluntarily so Naruto could become Hokage.
Shino got a Star Trek Geordi La Forge visor and became a teacher at the academy, which he apparently got when Shikamaru quit to become the Hokage's advisor. Akamaru got old. For some reason I thought he'd age in human years, but he aged in dog years. Tenten owns a weapon shop but can't sell anything because the world is too peaceful. Rock Lee has a student and replicated his and Gai's relationship.

Gai was permanently disabled and is in a wheelchair. Kishi really should have let him die in a blaze of glory.

The new Kage lineup is:
Hokage: Naruto
Kazekage: Gaara
Raikage: Darui
Tsuchikage: Kurotsuchi
Mizukage: Choujurou

Konohamaru is Naruto and Hinata's son (Bolt's) sensei.

Unanswered questions:

How could Naruto and Sasuke deactivate Infinite Tsukuyomi when they needed the sun and moon seals to do so, and they'd just exploded those seals off each other?

Why did Spiral Zetsu die when Infinite Tsukuyomi was deactivated and what was Spiral Zetsu in the first place?

How could Darui unseal Samui and Atsui from the Sage's tools?

Why did Kaguya need an army of White Zetsus?

How did Gyuuki grow back his missing tooth?

All in all, the series has been a journey, with ups and downs but a charm that captivated audiences to invest themselves emotionally and dedicate their time. I don't know how I'll manage without my weekly Naruto fix.