The Ending Of Naruto Shippuden The Movie Explained
On August 4th, 2007, "Naruto Shippūden the Movie" was released in theaters in Japan. While it was the first official movie of the "Naruto Shippūden" anime series, it was the fourth theatrical movie for the "Naruto" anime franchise. As a reflection of Naruto's growth as a young adult (even though he still acts like a stubborn child), "Naruto Shippūden the Movie" is more older-skewing than previous "Naruto" movies.
One example of this more grown-up mindset is the shocking vision of Naruto Uzumaki dying in battle, pierced through the stomach by an ancient evil monster that has awakened from his slumber to conquer Earth. But Naruto's faux death isn't the only disturbing image. Scenes of self-mutilation, death and horrific imagery abound throughout the film. Despite the somber tone at times, "Naruto Shippūden the Movie" keeps the series' wacky sense of humor — such as Rock Lee getting drunk off a "chocolate" candy — and optimism through Naruto's blunt declaration for a better tomorrow. There are not only allusions to the first "Naruto" movie, but also stepping stones to future stories, such as a short-lived attempt at romance in "The Last: Naruto the Movie."
As the first movie in the "Naruto Shippūden" line, there's a lot to explore in the status quo, mythos, and newly introduced characters. Even for longtime fans, there are moments in "Naruto Shippūden the Movie" that fly by too fast to get a proper initial read on the situation. This is particularly true in the third act, where the action scenes are postponed for heavy exposition. If you're unsure of what went down in the final act of the story, or crave a refresher, here's the ending of "Naruto Shippūden the Movie" explained.
Mōryō
Anime-original villains ain't a new trend. Lots of long-running anime series create new bad guys for the good guys to fight against in their theatrical films. The most common explanation is likely because it gives the anime writers more creative freedom in fleshing out the story, stops them from accidentally contradicting the canon story, and simply shakes things up a bit.
Mōryō, however, is a bit of a special case. At the time of the movie's original release, Mōryō was the first supernatural threat in the "Naruto" series. While otherworldly villains would soon become commonplace in "Naruto Shippūden" (e.g. The Ōtsutsuki Clan, essentially ninja space gods from the moon), Mōryō's introduction as an ancient evil that has awakened to destroy humanity was a real change of pace for the series. Unfortunately, the movie doesn't go in-depth with Mōryō's backstory, making him the living embodiment of the "ancient evil" TV Trope.
Mōryō's. backstory is that he tried to take over the world with his Ghost Army of stone soldiers many years ago, but was sealed away by the high priestess of the Land of Demons. Unable to fully kill him, Mōryō's soul was sealed away in the Land of Demons, while his body was kept in the Land of Swamps. All of this, of course, set the stage for the opening of the movie.
Yomi
Despite very little screen time, Yomi's actions shape the narrative of "Naruto Shippūden the Movie."
It was he and his men (known as the Gang of Four) that raided the shrine at the Land of Demons, with the intention of freeing Mōryō from his forced slumber. Yomi's expertise as a medical-nin allowed him to corrupt the rules of ninjutsu and inject his men with dark chakra that doubled their power and gifted them new abilities, assuring a quick victory against those guarding Mōryō's shrine.
When Mōryō needed a body to possess in order to escape into the outside world, Yomi happily volunteered by slicing up his chest and welcoming his dark lord to the inside of his body. And even when the possession was taking its toll on him near the end of the movie, Yomi was able to distract Shion long enough for Mōryō to regain his original body at the shrine in the Land of Swamps before taking his final breath.
Even though Naruto himself never gets to meet Yomi, he does undo all of his dirty work from the film. Sadly, much like Mōryō, Yomi isn't given much depth as to why he risked everything for Mōryō, other than being a dedicated follower.
The Gang of Four
While Mōryō and Yomi might get top billing as the main antagonists, it's the Gang of Four that get the most screen time.
The Gang of Four consists of, well, four terrifying individuals: Setsuna, Shizuku, Kusuna, and Gitai. All four members wear a certain trigram on their uniform that represents a specific elemental power: Setsuna's is lightning, Shizuku's has water, Kusuna's rocks wind, and lastly, Gitai possesses fire. In absence of Yomi's leadership, Kusuna is second-in-command for the Gang of Four. He not only shares traits of a medical-nin like Yomi but also his sadistic nature as well. In addition to leading his fellow ninjas in their assassination attempt of Shion, Kusuna is responsible for refueling them with the dark chakra snakes. Gitai, the muscle of the group, is shown to be the most addicted to the enhancing properties of the dark chakra snakes, going as far as to drink the stuff directly in a desperate attempt to beat Rock Lee. Much like Gitai, Setsuna has a habit of showing off his dark chakra powers by over compensating in the most moderate of situations, such as unleashing tornadoes and thunderstorms at his enemies.
In a strange creative decision for the English dub of the movie, Shizuku, the water-chakra-based maniac, is depicted as a boy instead of a girl. Her Japanese voice actress is Miyuki Sawashiro, while voice actor Michael Yurchak plays the English version of the character.
The dark chakra snakes
What separates Yomi and the Gang of Four from your average "Naruto" bad guy is their reliance on the unstable power of the dark chakra snakes.
The snakes, or "Strengthening Prescription: Chakra Injection" (as it is officially called) is a dark medical ninjutsu used by the followers of Mōryō to overpower their opponents with an overdose of chakra. The injection of the snakes is shown in two completely different ways in the movie.
The first is Yomi summoning the chakra snakes from the ground as long, glowing tubes and injecting them into the back of the necks of his men. When Kusuna takes over the dark chakra snake injection, the method is depicted as actual snakes entering the back of the subject's neck. On top of enhancing the user's chakra powers, the dark chakra snakes also bestow upon them powerful elemental techniques they wouldn't have been capable of mastering under normal circumstances. Only one type of elemental power can be injected when refueling, which is why the members of the Gang of Four like Shizuku are shown with completely different abilities from their previous matches.
As shown by Gitai, when the snakes are pulled out from the user's body and injected directly into the mouth, their strength is further enhanced. However, the user's body is mutated into a monster-like figure (in the case of Gitai, an Asura-like figure) that also leaves them highly unstable with the high risk of explosion, as seen when Rock Lee defeats Gitai with his Drunken Fist taijutsu.
Shion
The movie may have Naruto's name on it, yet it is Shion, the priestess from the Land of Demons, that's the real star of the show.
As a priestess related to the one who sealed Mōryō many years ago, Shion has the daunting task of sealing the monster back up, if he were to ever re-emerge into the land of the living. As if that wasn't enough, Shion is gifted/cursed with the power of foresight. Her future-telling ability yields visions of those who will die in the future, whether she wants to see them or not. The gruesome vision of Naruto being impaled by Mōryō in "Naruto Shippūden the Movie," in fact, is the selling point of the entire movie.
In many ways, Shion is reminiscent of Koyuki Kazahana from "Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow," as she is initially cold and selfish towards others but warms up after some kind words from Naruto. Unlike the Koyuki/Naruto dynamic, Shion begins to develop feelings for Naruto as the movie proceeds. This even goes so far as blushing when she sees Naruto washing his hair.
Naruto, while hating her initially for a snobbish attitude and heartless comments towards those that died for her, begins to pity her after hearing her visions have isolated her from her people — similar to how people treated him for being the vessel of the Nine-Tails. It is further revealed that Shion is not as heartless as originally thought; the guilt of seeing those who will die for her ahead of time, it seems, eats her up inside.
What happened to Taruho?
On the surface, Taruho may seem like a minor character in "Naruto Shippūden the Movie," but his actions lead to one of the biggest emotional scenes in the movie.
Taruho, like many of the guards watching over Shion at the Land of Demons, swore to protect her no matter the cost. Tarhuho's dedication, however, does not impress Shion. She heartlessly tells him to go back home, throwing away the good food he made for her, despite her demand to be fed. Taruho doesn't take offense at Shion's spoiled actions, however, as he knows her rotten attitude is the result of her being isolated as a child because of her ability to predict the future. There was also another reason why Shion was acting so cold towards Taruho: She had a vision that showed Taruho would die if he continued to accompany her and team Naruto.
Regardless of the grim fate that lies ahead, Taruho continues to watch over Shion and is responsible for saving her life when the Gang of Four launches their surprise attack. Taruho is able to fool the Gang of Four by initiating a ninjutsu called the Shadow Mirror Body Changing Method. Similar to the Transformation Technique, the Shadow Mirror Body Changing Method allows Taruho to alter his appearance to that of Shion. The big difference between the two techniques is that the Shadow Mirror Body Changing Method is permanent.
Taruho didn't have to worry about living the remainder of his life as Shion's doppelganger, however, as he is killed by Kusuna and his Dark Medical Jutsu. It's a shocking, heart-breaking scene in the movie, especially when you account for the fact that Naruto and his friends technically fail to save Shion's life and are lucky that Taruho planned ahead.
The bell
Who knew that such a simple charm could hold so much power?
The bell that Shion holds so dear was a gift from her mother, Miroku, the priestess who sacrificed her life to seal up Mōryō. Miroku never wanted Shion to learn ninjutsu, out of fear of corruption, and because she wanted her daughter to live a peaceful life. However, Miroku gave Shion a bell charm infused with special powers to protect her.
It isn't until her confrontation with Mōryō that Shion realizes the true potential of her mother's bell charm. The extent of the bell's powers is never fully explained, making it a bit of a deus ex machina. That said, the end results are something to behold.
The bell charm allows Shion to take control of her destiny and finally have a say in the fate of others. It also gives her an alternative form of an all-powerful angel, contrasting with the demonic look of Mōryō. Shion nearly uses her newfound power to take her and Mōryō down — however, Naruto breaks through the barrier and rescues her before she can finish the sacrificial ritual.
Shion's prediction
There are many reasons for fans to watch "Naruto Shippūden the Movie." One, it is the first theatrical movie in the "Naruto Shippūden" series. Two, it is another "Naruto" movie. But most importantly, the teaser of Naruto meeting his end always piques the interest of longtime fans.
The cold opening is gruesome to watch, powered by a up-close shot of Naruto as droplets of blood fall on his face, coming to the grim realization that he has been fatally impaled by Mōryō. Even more morbid is the ensuing scene, where all of Naruto's friends bury him back home.
When Naruto first hears about his foretold death from Shion, he tries to brush it off, albeit while taking strange precautions. However, Naruto is constantly told that Shion's predictions always come true, and that he will ultimately meet his end with Mōryō. Naruto, of course, never takes "no" for an answer. Thanks to his positive influence on Shion, she is able to find the strength needed to fight back against Mōryō by awakening the hidden power of her mother's bell charm, using it to save Naruto's life.
How was Mōryō defeated?
While Naruto is known for showing empathy towards his twisted-but-sympathetic foes, there's really no dealing with an embodiment of pure evil.
Mōryō has to go, and Naruto knows exactly how to make that happen: with his trusty Rasengan, taught to him by his pervy mentor Jiraiya. However, Mōryō isn't defeated by Naruto's regular old Rasengan. Thanks to the amazing power of the bell charm from Miroku, Shion and Naruto are able to destroy Mōryō with the Super Chakra Rasengan.
The fusion of Naruto and Shion's raw emotions and chakra is a nice symbolic moment, showing how far these two have come since their confrontational introduction. Naruto and Shion's Super Chakra Rasengan is so strong that in the process of wiping out Mōryō, they unintentionally turn his shrine into an active volcano. Given that Shion is a movie-only character, Naruto never gets the chance to use this attack again in the anime, or in any of the video games.
Did Shion just ask Naruto to... ?!?!
Before Naruto and Hinata finally tie the knot, the would-be Hokage nearly starts a family with another woman. After the defeat of Mōryō, Naruto asks Shion what she is going to do now that her skills as a priestess are no longer needed. Shion, however, corrects Naruto by saying that as long as evil exists in the hearts of men, there will always be an opportunity for Mōryō to return.
She continues by saying her powers as a priestess will need to be passed on to future generations to ensure there will always be a way to defeat Mōryō. This is where Shion asks Naruto to — as the kids today might say — "breed" her.
Naruto, totally clueless that Shion just asked him to be the father of her children, answers with an A-OK. Naturally, given that Naruto wouldn't have kids until settling down with Hinata, someone must have sat him down and explained exactly what happened. (Oh, let's say... Sakura). If you want to see Naruto's actual children and how he handles being a father, as well as Hokage for the Village Hidden in the Leaves, then check out "Boruto: Naruto Next Generations" and "Boruto: Naruto the Movie."