When I was a kid, before I was diagnosed with Aspergers, I found myself connecting with Naruto Uzumaki in a new show called "Naruto." He was just like me: hyperactive, acting out to get attention, bullied, hated, made fun off, and above all insistent on proving to everyone that he was capable of becoming something.
(Skip this next bit if you don't care to hear about the show)
For those of you who don't know, Naruto is a Japanese show about Ninjas (keep in mind that is a MASSIVE understatement). Part 1 of the series (which took place when Naruto was 12-13) aired in America on Cartoon Network in English. After that, It only aired in Japan and if you want to watch it, you have to go online and view it with English subtitles. Naruto Uzumaki was born in the Hidden Leaf Village. Shortly after his birth, a wild demon called the Nine-Tailed Fox invaded and attacked the village. In order to save the village, the Hokage--leader of the village and most well-respected Ninja--sealed the demon inside Naruto (a very common practice). This would bless Naruto with incredible power later in life, but would also cause people to hate and fear him.
So, all throughout his academy years, the kids hated him. They avoided him like the plague. Naruto was hyper, terrible at being a Ninja, and pulled pranks to get attention. He is also socially oblivious and clumsy. As Sigmund Freud says: "It's not attention the child seeks, but love." At this point, Naruto set a goal for himself: to become the Hokage, leader of the village. That way, people would finally respect him. He would prove everyone wrong and become the best Ninja around.
(spoilers): Well, after years and years of hard training, Naruto is now one of the best Ninjas in the world. He saved the Hidden Leaf Village, and is backed by an army of friends. He is well-respected throughout the community, and he cares deeply enough for his friends that he would die for them, and them for him.
On top of that, he went from being socially oblivious to literally being able to sense negative emotions. (/spoilers)
With all that information, I find it safe to assume that Naruto is an Aspie. He has all the traits, including fixed interests. Naruto has inspired me, despite him being fictional, because (like me, and a lot of you), he was hated as a child, and sucked at everything. But he tried and tried and now he's proved everyone that he is capable of as much of them--that he can grow up and be successful. I'm convinced that the creator of Naruto based his character off of a real Aspie.
Tell me what you guys think.
EDIT:
You guys have made a lot of good points, and now I'm thinking maybe he doesn't have Aspergers. Whatever the case, he is a prime example of what it means to be Aspie, and I wouldn't be surprised if he was modeled after someone with AS. After all, when we were kids, we were treated like we had demons inside us, if you know what I mean.
Last edited by Venomex on 22 Apr 2013, 6:56 pm, edited 3 times in total.