Why Does Naruto Have Whiskers on His Face? (And Why Does He Lose Them?)

Why Does Naruto Have Whiskers on His Face?

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Anime is a well-known animation genre that combines bright features that attract lots of people. It includes graphic art, cinematography, and characterization, which make it unique. For example, take the anime about Naruto, a boy struggling to become the leader of his village. The plot can sound plain, but this character is recognizable thanks to his orange jacket, spiky blonde hair, and whiskers on his face. By the way, how did he get them? And, why did he consequently lose them? 

There’s no official statement from the anime creators about why Naruto has whiskers. However, there are several versions that give explanations, but the most popular one says that whiskers indicate the presence of the Nine-Tails fox that sealed in him. Yet, Naruto didn’t have the whiskers for the rest of his life. Once the fox left for Naruto’s good, they disappeared. 

The connection between Naruto and the Nine-Tailed fox has a deep meaning. The whiskers symbolize the strength Naruto has as a ninja. Why strength? Because there’s a constant battle between him and the evil fox which is inside of him. On the one hand, the power that he has thanks to the fox makes him a strong ninja, but on the other hand, Naruto has to fight with the negative energy that comes from the fox.

Why Does Naruto Have Whiskers on His Face?

If you wonder what Naruto has whiskers on his face, here’s what you need to know about his family. 

Naruto belongs to the Uzumaki Clan. A clan is a group of ninjas living in a ninja or shinobi village. They are the leading military power in the Naruto universe, and their goal is to protect people. All in all, there are many different clans living in other villages. So, now you know that Naruto and his family are actual fighters. 

Consequently, because of a conflict between Naruto’s parents and another lousy character, Tobi, the Nine-Tailed fox sealed into him. Well, it was initially inside Naruto’s mother, and unfortunately, Tobi freed the fox from her, which made him dangerous again. Thus, locking him into Naruto was the only solution to save the villagers. 

 When the fox got into Naruto, the latter acquired his chakras, or power, and the whiskers. But, curiously, his mother didn’t have whiskers when she locked the fox into herself. Are you wondering why?

As Naruto had his mother’s superpowers that she acquired thanks to being jinchūriki, and he got some additional ones because of the fox, he got the whiskers in his face. Maybe this situation sounds chaotic, but if you read further, you’ll understand everything. 

How does Naruto get whiskers?

How does Naruto get whiskers?

There’s a whole story behind this question. But, first, let’s understand who is the Nine-Tails fox and how he managed to seal into Naruto. 

The Nine-Tails fox, or Kurama, is a powerful tailed beast. He aimed to destroy Konohagakure, a hidden village of the Land of Fire. For those who don’t know, hidden villages are those where ninjas live.  

Interestingly, it was not him who started the conflict. Hidden villages have special missions of creating jinchūriki, people who have extraordinary abilities thanks to sealing tailed beasts into them. This way, they protect the villages from the beats living next to them. 

So, Kurama was living in a temple next to Konohagakure. Additionally, the villagers knew him as a cruel creature with bad energy. That is why he got stuck into Kusina Uzumaki, one of the village residents and Naruto’s mother. As you know, she’s a member of a clan, which means that she’s a warrior. 

A sealed beast being in a human has to fight with him. But the human’s goal is to treat him with love and compassion, making him no longer a beast and less dangerous. So Jinchūriki has to soothe the beast.

It’s easier said than done. If you seal a beast, you have to keep it inside you, which Kusina Uzumaki couldn’t do. There are other characters with their goals and desires. Do you remember Tobi? That’s how Naruto got Kurama closed into him. 

Naruto’s parents sealed Kurama into Naruto when Kusina Uzumaki was pregnant with him. And, by the way, they sacrificed their lives to make this procedure possible. Otherwise, the baby would die. Thus, they divided the soul of the Nine-Tailed fox into two parts and gave one part to Naruto, and another left with them.

So, the whiskers look like an animal mustache. They serve as a reminder of Naruto’s story and upbringing, which wasn’t easy. Naruto was left alone, with no parents and no acceptance from the villagers who knew who’s inside him. Still, it didn’t make him weak, as he went to a ninja school and started training. He found his mission. 

Why did Naruto lose his whiskers?

Why did Naruto lose his whiskers?

The significant change happened in the latest chapter of Boruto: Naruto’s Next Generations. Naruto was going through different transformations, and the latest and strongest one is the Baryon Mode. It smashed the Nine-Tails’ and Naruto’s chakras, creating a new, stronger chakra. 

This lead to meaningful changes in Naruto’s appearance. His clothes, hair, even face looked more mature and robust. 

It’s not a secret that Naruto managed to befriend Kurama during the long path of his struggles at some point. So, the fact that the Nine-Tailed fox sacrificed his life to allow Naruto to acquire a new mode tells a lot. 

Their knowledge of each other helped to gain the changes. For example, Naruto was sure that they both would have to die to acquire the new mode. So, Kurama intentionally didn’t clarify what exactly needs to happen, as he knew that Naruto would never sacrifice any life but his own. By not telling him the truth, the Nine-Tailed managed to give his life for the good. 

RELATED:

Why Did Naruto Wear Goggles?

Does anyone say anything about Naruto’s whiskers?

People have different opinions on Naruto’s whiskers. Some believe that they appeared because of the Kurama’s chakras. Others are sure that it’s just an aesthetical detail that the anime creators made; they wanted Naruto to look unique and memorable. 

Another debatable issue is whether he really has whiskers. Some people think these are marks, others that these are freckles. However, the majority stands to the idea of whiskers or special marks. 

When I was watching Naruto, I wasn’t even thinking about the whiskers. Instead, I simply was sure they were the signature moment that made him stand out from the crowd. So, I belong to a group of people who don’t care about that.  

All in all, Naruto’s whiskers seem to be making lots of noise on the Internet. So, there are many debates and guesses because the mango and anime creators haven’t announced that matter, complicating the issue. 

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