17 replies to this topic

[Killer Bee's Album]

It's like watching Lord of The Rings with Frodo using GPS, that's how wierd it is to see techology in Naruto world.

I find it odd seeing advance computers in Konoha village yet they still need to rely on Pigeons or Summoned animals for sending messages, an advance cyberpunk looking city like Hidden Rain yet no cars, and, on the topic of cars, everybody is traveling on foot across Nations in Getas no less! Not even a simple technology like a carriage exist.

I notice these similar kind of weird juxtaposition or tacked-on-feeling of technology in another anime called Bleach. There's a spiritual world called Soul Society and everybody in it wears kimonos yet they have hightech computers for whatever research. To me it feels like they're trying to avoid having to come up with something creative in how these worlds function and connect.

Anybody feel the same way or have thought about it?

Edited by Killer Bee's Album, 12 February 2013 - 07:18 AM.

[Chucky-kun]

Why even think about cars when you can teleport?

[narulsaku]

Why even think about cars when you can teleport?

you have a party hern in india you have to come today in 2 hours. you can teleport but but you want to be late so you can take a car instead of teleport then you ll reach here in 2 days when you could have reached in 2 seconds. so to killer bee. i feel odd too.

[Jake]

To me the technology in Naruto isn't that advanced, to my recollection the most advanced technology I saw in the manga would be computers at Orochimaru's hideouts, and the computers didn't seem to be that advanced just huge, which considering early computers took up entire rooms fits up well with the technology level in the Naruto Universe.

Probably the biggest reason their technology isn't more advanced seems to be power, this is clearly seen in chapter 488 when the Daimyos agreed to the alliance, the scene was short (only two pages) and in those two pages a technician told the Daimyos that they were almost out of power, and while we never heard anything about power in any of Orochimaru's hideouts, it wouldn't hard to believe that he was using humans as a power source (i.e. having some of his prisoners running on treadmills or something). Also when you look at Ame it looks like it's chief power souse is steam power, which makes for an efficient power source but not for transportation (there is a reason Howard Hughes canceled research of his steam powered car).

Also about the carriages, If I'm not mistaken during the Chunin exams the Kazekaga/Orochimaru arrived in Konoha arrived in a carriage pulled by a bull, although it's been so long ago since I've read those chapters (and since I remember the anime better) I don't remember if that was canon or filler (I know about half that episode was filler).


Also since you mention it, I do read and watch Bleach and I'm guessing so do most of the people on this site, and I don't see the technology that out of place, the Kimonos for the Shinigami seem to be more of a uniform then anything else plus in Japan to this day people still wear Kimonos, usually only for special occasions but there are a few who still where them more often I'm sure. Also unlike in Naruto, in Bleach we are given an actually timeline that the series takes place in (chapter 1 of Bleach takes place in 2001 and the current chapters are taking place in 2003), soul society knows has modern technology (minus cars) because they are in the modern world (kinda).

[sushi.]

Why even think about cars when you can teleport?

Not everyone is a ninja in the Naruto world, I don't like t when civilians are ignored. The civilians keep the community wheel ongoing, and the ninjas protect it, that's how I see it.

Amegakure is pretty close to steampunk techonology. Although I personally prefer not too much technology in a fantasy world, because of global warming. XD Unless the series takes in the real world, like for instance Death Note.

I guess the villagers don't use cars because they only live in a small town. It also depends on what technology you're talking about. Perhaps they haven't found oil to make gasoline of, but made progress in electricity? We've seen old-time computers and walkie-talkie radios.

What I would like to see in the future is a train that links countries together, that would be cool!

[Inferno180]

Kishi said that the timing in the world is actually within our own modern times.

They have lighting, electric, cameras, tapes, convince stores, television sets (yes they have these but rarely seen), even automoblies and planes he said. Computers are there but low quality.

The whole idea is that because people have magical powers and whatever else, some things in this universe never had to be made, I mean people can teleport, use telepathy, sensor ninja can transmit and detect, they have some technology mainly to address those which cannot use some ability but its not enough to outright make those with powers suddenly less important. So yeah its hard to believe but most of the stuff we have is in the Naruto Universe just less developed due to the beings of this universe having powers.

Only thing which is never made in this universe is guns, guns would destroy every common person in this universe. Kishi said he would put low processing computers in if he felt he should but never guns. The technology does tend to resemble some 90s-early 2000s stuff every now and then.

[merryGOflava]

i saw naruto playing a video game in one of the endings once :3

ninjas gotta have luxuries too XD

[Killer Bee's Album]

@Jake @Sushi @Inferno180

Now that I think about it yeah the power seems to be on the low side but it's contradicted by the fact that there are cyberpunk cities such as the Hidden Rain, I mean there's nothing but skyscrapers there.

[tricksie]

The urban architecture is always a head-scratcher to me. Rain village comes readily to mind, but also the abandoned city where Sasuke visited that cat family and got clothes and weapons for Team Hawk (aka Team not 7). Why is it abandoned?

And what has happened to Rain, clearly a modern electrified city, now that the Akatsuki has relenquished its hold? Will it fall into disrepair too? I definitely get the feeling that for Kishimoto the village life is more of the good guy side than the modern urban decay environment.

[Derock]

Only thing which is never made in this universe is guns, guns would destroy every common person in this universe. Kishi said he would put low processing computers in if he felt he should but never guns. The technology does tend to resemble some 90s-early 2000s stuff every now and then.

You may have to look at one of the earlier chapters again (I think its the one when Sakura was with Tazuna in the marketplace) because Kishimoto did draw a gun. And it was located in the shop.

What I think he meant that everyone that is focused on the story won't have any firearms in their possession, excluding foddler and non-ninja characters.

[sushi.]

Guns doesn't really fit with the ninja culture. XD

But I think the guards in Blood Prison(which Kishi had a hand it) had guns.

[James S Cassidy]

I'll be truthful and say that this never bothered me. I don't even know why to question it in the first place. It's like asking why in the Fallout games that take place in the year 2200, or something, still use things reminiscent of the 1950s-1960s. Even clothing and some technology.

It's one of those things I just accept in this universe. Their technology moved forward, but their culture didn't. Besides, given that this is a world of ninja where they have powers and such, it is not hard to believe that the technology didn't progress in some areas because it didn't need to.

Why fix what isn't broken?

Honestly, I don't know why we should question it. It's that universe's way. Just because it is different than ours, doesn't mean it is wrong. Like asking how in the Gears universe a chainsaw bayonet works. It just does in their universe.

Edited by James S Cassidy, 16 February 2013 - 12:23 AM.

[jworks]

Well the assumed level of tech in the Naruto universe was never present in the real world, no matter what Kishi says.

We have spotted tangles of power lines in Konoha, tv's and even the absurdity of computers but somehow they have to still use messenger crows? I haven't spotted a phone once in the series yet i've seen team 7 use tiny, in-ear radio's in training. I understand why you can't allow guns in this ninja world, but they were invented at least 500 years before the computer!

It doesn't bother me, like James said, it is part of this story that has been constructed. When I read fiction, I just kind of accept the "rules" of the world made by the author. It might be absurd at times, but as long as it makes enough sense with all the other elements of the story I'm good.

The problem times are when it disrupts the flow and and becomes distracting. Like Quintilian says: "The perfection of art is to conceal art."


PS I'd normally agree with those saying the world could have just developed differently, gaining ground in different areas but in Naruto's case it seems backwards. Innovations and change is brought on by a need; Ninja's would need an effective communication's system like phones before they would need television! Besides technology always builds on past technology. You can't have computer's if it wasn't for a thousand other technologies that are seemingly absent from the world of Naruto.

Edited by jworks, 16 February 2013 - 12:55 AM.

[Killer Bee's Album]

The urban architecture is always a head-scratcher to me. Rain village comes readily to mind, but also the abandoned city where Sasuke visited that cat family and got clothes and weapons for Team Hawk (aka Team not 7). Why is it abandoned?

And what has happened to Rain, clearly a modern electrified city, now that the Akatsuki has relenquished its hold? Will it fall into disrepair too? I definitely get the feeling that for Kishimoto the village life is more of the good guy side than the modern urban decay environment.

Since we're on the topic of environment designs, I do like most of the building designs. It's almost very steam-punk-ish with all the pipes wrapping around the building and steams from all the cooking in the streets.

[tricksie]

Since we're on the topic of environment designs, I do like most of the building designs. It's almost very steam-punk-ish with all the pipes wrapping around the building and steams from all the cooking in the streets.

Yeah, I've seen some images from some more rural Japanese towns, and I'm always surprised at the amount of wires there are strung up between buildings, across roads, etc. Not big fat cables between telephone poles, but skinny ones from corners of buildings. So I think Konoha meant to be a rural rl village.

But the rest of the villages are pretty cool. Sand and Cloud (the one where KillerBee's from) are really cool looking. And I especially liked a scene from one of the animes that showed Sand using the desert sands as a sort of waterfall.

I wish there were more interesting environmental details like that, rather than the odd computer or the stone-helmet-intercomm system. But I think those are just used because of time and space constraints on the part of the manga. It's easier to put in a computer and have readers understand immediately, than explain some new jutsu used for that one moment.

[harry4e]

I used to think Naruto's world was a universe set i a period of the past where technology was only just blooming, but after seeing Ame and the abandoned city where the talking cats were when Sasuke defeated Orichimaru here I'm more inclined to believe that the world of Naruto is a post apocalyptic world, where technology once used to thrive but due to war or more likely the birth of the Juubi that world wasdestroyed and most of the worlds technology was lost.

[Killer Bee's Album]

I used to think Naruto's world was a universe set i a period of the past where technology was only just blooming, but after seeing Ame and the abandoned city where the talking cats were when Sasuke defeated Orichimaru here I'm more inclined to believe that the world of Naruto is a post apocalyptic world, where technology once used to thrive but due to war or more likely the birth of the Juubi that world wasdestroyed and most of the worlds technology was lost.

Yeah, that is one way of looking at it. It would be the equivalent of Hiroshima bombs being dropped for each generations of international war, which can really hamper the advancements in technology since it's always being put to rebuilding a whole nation and its economy each time.

And since where still in the topic of aesthetics of the environment of Naruto, this town in the game called Rage has architectures that resembles some of the buildings in Naruto which has full of round buildings with pipe wrappings:

[jworks]

Yeah, I've seen some images from some more rural Japanese towns, and I'm always surprised at the amount of wires there are strung up between buildings, across roads, etc. Not big fat cables between telephone poles, but skinny ones from corners of buildings. So I think Konoha meant to be a rural rl village.

But the rest of the villages are pretty cool. Sand and Cloud (the one where KillerBee's from) are really cool looking. And I especially liked a scene from one of the animes that showed Sand using the desert sands as a sort of waterfall.

I wish there were more interesting environmental details like that, rather than the odd computer or the stone-helmet-intercomm system. But I think those are just used because of time and space constraints on the part of the manga. It's easier to put in a computer and have readers understand immediately, than explain some new jutsu used for that one moment.

It's not just rural Japan. When I went to Japan and visited several cities I realized how borrowed the look of Konoha was from actual Japan. It would only be natural for the author to pull from what he is used to seeing to draw Konoha. Tokyo is the exception probably just because it is so over-built and the jerry-rigging electrical and pipping wouldn't work for such a "tall city".

I agree, I like how each hidden village has a certain look and architecture to it, giving each place it's own character.