World of Naruto - Geography

Geography
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In the Naruto world, countries operate as separate political entities ruled by landlords. Within these countries are hidden villages (éš ã‚Œé‡Œ ,kakurezato^?), settlements housing ninja, warriors capable of using supernatural abilities in combat. A hidden village maintains the economy of the parent country by training ninja from a young age and using them to perform missions for other countries. The ninja of a hidden village also serve as the military force of their parent country. The leaders of the hidden villages hold equal status with the leaders of their respective countries. Five countries in the Naruto world: the Land of Earth, the Land of Fire, Land of Lightning, the Land of Water, and the Land of Wind are known as the "Five Great Shinobi Nations". These countries are the most powerful in the Naruto world. They are ruled by a feudal lord and the leaders of the hidden villages in these countries hold the title of Kage. Other apparently smaller nations have been named in passing, in either the manga or anime, but are yet to be explored.

Land of Fire

The Land of Fire (火の国 ,Hi no Kuni^?) is one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, and contains the hidden village of Konohagakure, where the majority of the Naruto series takes place. Per its namesake, the Land of Fire is oriented towards the element of fire, with bright and warm weather.

Konohagakure

The village of Konohagakure, the primary setting of the series

See also: Protagonists of Naruto and Ninja of Konohagakure

Konohagakure (æœ¨ãƒŽè‘‰éš ã‚Œã®é‡Œ ,Konohagakure no Sato^?, lit. "Village Hidden Among Tree Leaves" VIZ "Hidden Leaf Village"), also known as Konoha, is the hidden village within the Land of Fire and the primary setting of the series. As the hidden village of one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, the village is led by a Kage, known as the Hokage. The faces of all Hokage are engraved on the rock formation overlooking Konohagakure. At the start of the series, the Third Hokage is the leader of the village. He had abdicated his position in favor of Minato Namikaze, who became the Fourth Hokage, but was forced to reclaim his position after Minato died saving the village from the nine-tailed demon fox. During Part I of the series, Orochimaru leads an invasion of Konohagakure that causes large amounts of property damage to the village and culminates with the murder of the Third Hokage, his former teacher. Tsunade, another of Third's students, succeeds him as the Fifth Hokage and oversees the village's reconstruction. The origin of Konohagakure is revealed during Part II of the series. The village was formed as part of an alliance between the Uchiha and Senju clans, the strongest clans in the Naruto world at that time. Hashirama Senju, the leader of the Senju clan, became the First Hokage, and defeated Madara Uchiha, the leader of the Uchiha clan, when Madara challenged Hashirama's rule. Later in Part II Pain, the leader of the criminal organization Akatsuki, leads an attack on Konohagakure and destroys the village once his business is done.

Within Konohagakure are a number of locations featured prominently during the series. The Forest of Death (死の森 ,Shi no Mori^?) is a large gated forest used for the yearly ninja exams in which ninja can advance to the rank of Chunin. The Ichiraku Ramen Bar is the favorite restaurant of the series' titular character, Naruto Uzumaki, and he frequently visits it during the course of the series. The Valley of the End (終末の谷 ,Shūmatsu no Tani^?) is the location of Hashirama's and Madara's fight for control over the village, featuring large statues of the two overlooking a waterfall. At the end of Part I, Naruto fights Sasuke Uchiha in this location in a failed attempt to return him to Konohagakure.

Land of Wind

The Land of Wind (風の国 ,Kaze no Kuni^?), one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, is a large, dry, and desolate country whose cities are found near water sources. While much of the country is inhospitable, the population is large and prosperous due to frequent trade with the Land of Fire. The hidden village in the Land of Wind is Sunagakure.

Sunagakure

See also: Sand Siblings

The village of Sunagakure

Sunagakure (ç ‚éš ã‚Œã®é‡Œ ,Sunagakure no Sato^?, lit. "Village Hidden Among Sand" or "Village Hidden in the Sand"), also known as Suna, is one of the five great ninja villages, and as such has a Kage, known as the Kazekage, as its leader. Before the start of the series, the Land of Wind's feudal lord began to reduce Sunagakure's budget, and send mission requests to Konohagakure instead of Sunagakure. This led to Sunagakure forming an alliance with the village of Otogakure in order to attack and destroy Konohagakure, which composes a major portion of Part I of the series. The combined forces of Sunagakure and Otogakure are defeated, and Sunagakure allies with Konohagakure after realizing that Orochimaru, the leader of Otogakure, slew the Fourth Kazekage. In Part II of the series, Gaara, the son of the Fourth Kazekage, succeeds his father as the Fifth Kazekage.

Amegakure

Amegakure (é›¨éš ã‚Œã®é‡Œ ,Amegakure no Sato^?, lit. "Village Hidden in Rain") is situated in an unnamed country. The country's borders are highly defended, and those wishing to pass through it are subject to constant surveillance for the duration of their stay. As it is situated between three of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, it serves as a battlefield for their wars, and most of the population consists of war refugees. Amegakure itself was the site of a civil war, and Hanzo, the leader of Amegakure, was killed by Pain, the leader of the criminal organization Akatsuki. Following the war, Pain becomes the leader of the village and uses it as a base for Akatsuki. Ninja loyal to the former Amegakure frequently attempt to assassinate Pain, but their efforts are unsuccessful. The inhabitants of Amegakure consider Pain to be a god, and he never reveals himself to the populace.

Land of Sound

See also: Otogakure

The Land of Rice Fields (田の国 ,Ta no Kuni^?, English TV: "Land of Rice Patties") is a small country sharing a border with the Land of Fire. Orochimaru, a former Konohagakure ninja, took control of the country, and renamed it the Land of Sound (音の国 ,Oto no Kuni^?).

Otogakure (éŸ³éš ã‚Œã®é‡Œ ,Otogakure no Sato^?, lit. "Village Hidden in Sound") is Orochimaru's personal village. He founded it for the sole purpose of collecting ninja for his experiments, and his quest to learn all the jutsu in the world. The village is not contiguous, consisting of multiple assorted lairs located within the Land of Sound and outside it.

Land of Water

The Land of Water (水の国 ,Mizu no Kuni^?) is one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations and contains the hidden village of Kirigakure. It is composed of many islands, with each having its own unique traditions. The Land of Water and Kirigakure are never shown in the series, but several ninja featured in the series hail from this area.

Kirigakure (éœ§éš ã‚Œã®é‡Œ ,Kirigakure no Sato^?, lit. "Village Hidden in Mist") is the hidden village of the Land of Water. The leader of the village is known as the Mizukage. Madara Uchiha has been referred to as the Mizukage, though it is unclear when he held the title. The ninja in Kirigakure specialize in water-based jutsu. Kirigakure once used brutal methods to train its ninja, requiring prospective ninja to fight their comrades to the death. After Zabuza Momochi killed all the students in his class, however, the process was discontinued. Zabuza became part of the Seven Shinobi Swordsmen of the Mist, the strongest group of ninja in the village and signified by the unique swords they carry. Aside from Zabuza, two other members have been revealed in the series: Kisame Hoshigaki, who abandoned the village and joined the criminal organization Akatsuki, and Raiga Kurosuki, who is introduced towards the end of the Naruto anime.

Land of Lightning

The Land of Lightning (雷の国 ,Kaminari no Kuni^?) is one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations and contains the hidden village of Kumogakure. It is composed of numerous mountain ranges. The country and its inhabitants go largely unseen until late in the second half of the series.

Kumogakure (é›²éš ã‚Œã®é‡Œ ,Kumogakure no sato^?, lit. "Village Hidden in the Clouds") is the hidden village of the Land of Lightning. It is located on a high mountain, literally hidden in the clouds. The leader of the village is known as the Raikage. Similar to Iwagakure, Kumogakure has had two tailed beasts in its possession: the two-tailed demon cat, sealed within Yugito Nii (二位 ユギト ,Nii Yugito^?), and the eight-tailed beast, sealed within the Raikage's brother, Killer Bee (キラービー ,KirābÄ«^?). Both JinchÅ«riki were attacked by Akatsuki. Yugito was captured and killed through the extraction process, while Killer Bee managed to fool and evade capture by his Akatsuki assailants.

Land of Earth

The Land of Earth (土の国 ,Tsuchi no Kuni^?) is one the Five Great Shinobi Nations and contains the village of Iwagakure (å²©éš ã‚Œã®é‡Œ ,Iwagakure no sato^?, lit. "Village Hidden Among the Rocks"). Not much is known of this land as it has mainly been mentioned in passing in the manga. Like Kumogakure, it has been revealed that Iwagakure had two tailed beasts in its possession: the four-tailed beast, sealed within an old man named Rōshi, and the five-tailed beast, sealed within an unnamed shinobi.

Land of Waves

The Land of Waves (波の国 ,Nami no Kuni^?) is a poor nation, and does not have a hidden village as a result. It is an isolated island, but was prosperous until the country was taken over by Gato, who monopolized the economy. The Land of Waves is introduced early in Part I, and Team 7, which consists of the main characters of the series, travels to the Land of Waves as bodyguards for a bridge builder. With the aid of the populace of the Land of Waves, Team 7 manage to defeat Gato and his hired assassin Zabuza Momochi, and his assistant Haku, and restore the country to its former status. As a sign of gratitude, the bridge is named the "Great Naruto Bridge" (ナルト大橋 ,Naruto Ōhashi^?) in honor of Naruto Uzumaki, the main character of the series.