Naruto characters look older than they are

[♠Soul♠]

I always felt a lot of the Naruto characters looked a lot older than their current age. Only ones that look kind of their age are like, Naruto and maybe Sakura. Most of them look like 3 years older, namely characters like Sasuke, Gaara's team (especially Kankuro & Temari), the Sound Team (Dosu, Zaku & Kin), and especially the random genin in the chunin exams all look like they're 20. Naruto's the only one that really feels like a 12-year old.

Don't know if it's something with their voices or the way they draw them or what, but it's not like they're jacked and super tall or anything.

Edited December 22, 2021 by ♠Soul♠

[vanguard333]

There's a topic in the entertainment forum for discussing Naruto, and this feels like something that probably should've been posted there instead of being given its own topic.

Also, I'm pretty sure that Kankuro and Temari are older, since they're Gaara's older siblings.

[Etrurian emperor]

Kinda yeah. I was surprised when finding out the Sound 4 were literal children back in the day. 

13 minutes ago, vanguard333 said:

There's a topic in the entertainment forum for discussing Naruto, and this feels like something that probably should've been posted there instead of being given its own topic.

Indeed. I know the one who made it. Lovely fellow. 

[♠Soul♠]

1 hour ago, vanguard333 said:

There's a topic in the entertainment forum for discussing Naruto, and this feels like something that probably should've been posted there instead of being given its own topic.

Also, I'm pretty sure that Kankuro and Temari are older, since they're Gaara's older siblings.

Nope, it definitely needed it's own topic.

[♠Soul♠]

1 hour ago, vanguard333 said:

Also, I'm pretty sure that Kankuro and Temari are older, since they're Gaara's older siblings.

They're 14 and 15 respectively, but they look like 18 or older.

[vanguard333]

1 hour ago, Etrurian emperor said:

Kinda yeah. I was surprised when finding out the Sound 4 were literal children back in the day. 

Indeed. I know the one who made it. Lovely fellow. 

I suspected that most of them were teenagers, but I didn't think that all of them were.

 

10 minutes ago, ♠Soul♠ said:

Nope, it definitely needed it's own topic.

It certainly seems like you should've just put this in the Naruto discussion thread, since this is, well, discussing Naruto.

[Interdimensional Observer]

This sure as heck isn't exclusive to one ninja anime/manga I don't watch. Animanga in general underages people.

Usually it's, roughly, like 17-18 is The Norm. 16 is Norm - 1 indicating youth; 19 is Norm + 1, indicating maturity. 15 and under is "child". 20-24 is "adult/veteran", but not old. 25-29 is getting old, but not "old". And 30+ is old. 

Why does Japan condense ages so? Perhaps the culture that emphasizes the age of high schoolers- because the Japanese salaryman is bound to a brutal system of overwork denied the bliss, freedom, and potential of youth on the cusp of adulthood- doesn't want to emphasize the ages where the bliss wholly gone.

Though sometimes Japan just botches ages because it does. Or sometimes they do it intentionally for legal reasons.😬

[joevar]

6 hours ago, ♠Soul♠ said:

I always felt a lot of the Naruto characters looked a lot older than their current age. Only ones that look kind of their age are like, Naruto and maybe Sakura. Most of them look like 3 years older, namely characters like Sasuke, Gaara's team (especially Kankuro & Temari), the Sound Team (Dosu, Zaku & Kin), and especially the random genin in the chunin exams all look like they're 20. Naruto's the only one that really feels like a 12-year old.

Don't know if it's something with their voices or the way they draw them or what, but it's not like they're jacked and super tall or anything.

if you've read, and played many games, manga created in Japan, this is hardly a unique case. more like overly common case. i lost count how many times im shocked when seeing a note about character actual age in many stories.

in short, so many character look like they should be in late teens (either end of highschool year, or possibly as old as someone who just graduated highschool) while the story states they are in fact a middle-schooler.

if its about voices, simply because no kids are voiced by kids since theres no kids VA afaik. (young naruto was voiced by mature woman)

[Etrurian emperor]

13 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Usually it's, roughly, like 17-18 is The Norm. 16 is Norm - 1 indicating youth; 19 is Norm + 1, indicating maturity. 15 and under is "child". 20-24 is "adult/veteran", but not old. 25-29 is getting old, but not "old". And 30+ is old. 

I think this is wonderfully illustrated by Tales of Vesperia where party member Raven isn't even particularly old and yet constantly streams ''HEY! I'M THE OLD MAN!'' and where the party constantly addresses him as such. And despite liking ol' Raven I always considered that aspect of him really cringy and annoying. 

[Interdimensional Observer]

3 hours ago, Etrurian emperor said:

nd yet constantly streams ''HEY! I'M THE OLD MAN!'' and where the party constantly addresses him as such. And despite liking ol' Raven I always considered that aspect of him really cringy and annoying. 

All the "old Raven" self-remarks added a certain untrustworthiness to him to me, and I'm not entirely sure why. I never warmed up to him, he was a weird man, trying to portray himself as lovable, but I can't think of anything to love about him. And then there was...

Spoiler

...his betrayal. I know Tales has some liking to throw a traitor into the heroes, but Raven's was forced. Forced, short, and pretty inconsequential. It was bad.

Kratos (and Zelos to a much lesser extent) was better. Alvin was weirdly interesting in that the heroes came to realize he was untrustworthy, but kept him along anyhow. And if it weren't for Milla not being naive, I might not have half-liked the messy situation with Alvin. 

Anise... *sigh* I'm not sure what words I have for her treason, but at least a few would be critical.

If you're going to reply to this, remember I've only played Phantasia, Symphonia, Abyss, Vesperia, Graces, and Xillia.