How Naruto's Kiba represents the frailty of dreams & the difficulty in achieving them

Kiba Inuzuka is one of the most popular side characters in the entire Naruto franchise and has been a part of the series since its earliest episodes. Along with his sidekick ninja dog Akamaru, he is a fan favorite among both anime watchers and manga readers alike.

However, an unfortunate reality for these Naruto fans is the fact that Kiba doesn’t really have defined goals or objectives in the series. This is at least until the Fourth Shinobi World War arc, in which he proclaims his dream to be Hokage after Sasuke Uchiha appears in front of the Konoha 11 and does the same.

Unfortunately, neither the characters nor fans seemed to take Kiba’s dream seriously, despite him constantly professing it to be his true wish. While saddening, it’s a good narrative moment that highlights the ephemeral nature of a dream.

Follow along as this article explores how Naruto’s Kiba could represent the frailty of dreams and the difficulty in achieving them.

Note: Parts of this article are subjective and reflect the opinions of the writer

Naruto’s Kiba Inuzuka represents how origins, fate, dedication all play significant roles in achieving dreams

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Unfortunately for Kiba, one of his only shining moments in the Naruto franchise, where he showed his dedication to the good of the Hidden Leaf village, came during the Sasuke Retrieval arc. While Shikamaru did ask him to go on the mission during the arc, Kiba’s willingness to do so showed the dedication he had to both Sasuke Uchiha and the Hidden Leaf village as a whole.

While it’s not outwardly stated or highlighted, it showed that Kiba at least had the most basic level of devotion to the Hidden Leaf and its villagers, which was necessary for a Hokage. Combined with the fact that he was keeping up with some of the best ninjas of his generation on the mission, Kiba was very clearly a force to be reckoned with.

Unfortunately, the Naruto series didn’t allow him to shine particularly bright beyond this point up until the aforementioned Fourth Shinobi World War arc. Once Kiba proclaimed his intent to be Hokage during the arc, it was treated as a gag despite him insisting on his sincerity. However, he proved himself shortly thereafter by making a Shadow Clone of himself, which he then used as part of a three-headed wolf jutsu.

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The use of this jutsu even impressed the eponymous protagonist himself, demonstrating that Kiba at least has the recognition of a Hokage candidate-level ninja of his generation. It was even shown shortly after this, in canon, that Kiba’s true dream was to become Hokage. This was demonstrated during his time under the effects of the Infinite Tsukuyomi genjutsu.

With the legitimacy of Kiba’s dream and his having at least the basic qualities of a Hokage, the question then becomes why his dream wasn’t able to be achieved.

One key factor could simply be his origins as a shinobi, which saw him not be trained in the master-student line that links all seven Hokage together. Likewise, the fate of the Naruto universe didn’t put him in a position to shine and rise to the occasion of Hokage as it did the titular character.

There’s also the fact that Kiba didn’t show a particular dedication to becoming Hokage early enough in his life to actually achieve the dream.

While this is obviously the right narrative choice for author and illustrator Masashi Kishimoto, it nevertheless serves as a key factor for why Kiba couldn’t achieve his dream. As a result, Kiba becomes a fantastic representation of the frailty of dreams and the difficulties in achieving them.

Be sure to keep up with all Naruto franchise news, as well as general anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.