Two of my all-time favorite scenes in fiction are Naruto vs. Sasuke from Naruto and Obi-Wan vs. Anakin from Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. These two fight scenes are very similar, as they are both emotional battles of the “brothers” that are crucial to the plot and characters.
My all-time favorite animation scene is Naruto vs. Sasuke. This scene stuck in my memory for two main reasons. But in order to understand why this scene is so compelling, one must first understand the backstory. This fight is in season five of the show, after all. In the show, Naruto, the story is driven by the two main characters, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha. Naruto and Sasuke are both lonely orphans. Naruto is jealous of Sasuke because Sasuke is a strong, promising ninja while Naruto is a hyperactive knucklehead with virtually no talent. At their ninja academy Sasuke received the best grades while Naruto received the lowest scores, and because of this, Naruto and Sasuke were put on the same ninja team.
They went on missions together, and although they acted like they hated each other, deep down they really cared for one another since they understood each other. They were both lonely. However, Naruto gained many friendships and started overcoming his loneliness while Sasuke stayed stone cold. Sasuke eventually decided to run away from their village in hopes to gain more power than what the village could offer him. Naruto chased him down to bring him back to the village.
So, one of the two main reasons for this scene sticking in my memory is because of what the scene means narratively. Naruto and Sasuke are rivals and best friends. They share a special bond to the point where Naruto even admits that Sasuke is like a brother to him. In this scene, Sasuke is trying to kill Naruto to gain power while Naruto is trying to beat Sasuke to save Sasuke from his lust for power. Naruto wants to stay friends with Sasuke, and Sasuke wants to sever that bond. So, this fight is very emotional. This scene impacts the story more than any other scene in the show, since these two characters and their relationship are some of the most important parts to the plot.
The second reason that this scene stuck in my memory is just because it is very cool. Naruto has some of the best fights I have seen, and this is the best one. The animation is fluid, the hand-to-hand combat is well-choreographed, the tactics and strategies are well-thought-out, and the fight builds in intensity throughout. Naruto and Sasuke fight more and more intensely as they gain more and more power throughout the fight, and the music captures that intensity and desperation.
My all-time favorite movie scene is Obi-Wan vs. Anakin. This scene has stuck in my memory for similar reasons for Naruto vs. Sasuke sticking in my memory. Since it is in the third chronological and final movie of its trilogy in the franchise, this scene also needs backstory to fully understand how compelling it is. Thirteen years ago, when Anakin Skywalker was nine years old, Obi-Wan Kenobi took Anakin in as his padawan leaner. Obi-Wan and Anakin bonded through their Jedi missions as Anakin grew in age and power. However, Anakin began to turn to the dark side of the force when it offered more power and a way for him to save his wife from death.
Anakin is the central character of Star Wars. So, this scene is one of the most important in the series since this fight is when he fully transforms from good to evil—from Anakin to Darth Vader. In this scene, Anakin’s master, Obi-Wan, must kill Anakin since Anakin turned evil. It is an emotional fight, especially at the end when Obi-Wan admits that Anakin was a brother to him. Also, I’m a big fan of sword fights, and this scene is essentially a sword fight. The choreography here is maybe the best I have ever seen. It is flashy and extremely fast-paced. Also, Star Wars is known for its epic, orchestral music, and I think this scene has the best song in the franchise, “Battle of the Heroes.”
Naruto vs. Sasuke and Anakin vs. Obi-Wan are my two all-time favorite scenes in fiction because they are emotional battles of the brothers that are vital to their stories. Although these fight scenes have some of the best action and choreography, it is certainly not just the cool stuff that make these scenes stick in my memory. Though those things certainly make the scenes stand out, it is more the emotion that makes these scenes memorable. These scenes are tragic, as they depict characters who were brothers to each other fight, supposedly to the death. This is why Naruto vs. Sasuke and Obi-Wan vs. Anakin are my two all-time favorite scenes in fiction that have stuck in my memory. A fight that is simply a fight is meaningless and forgettable. A fight that tugs on the heartstrings is memorable, compelling, and powerful.
Comentários