Shippuuden: The Will of Fire

Many of those Sandaime Hokage left behind had inherited the Will of Fire. But what happens when two of those strong resolves clash?

What is to become of the ties that bind an avenger who chooses to live in the past, and a dreamer who keeps running towards the future? Do they have no choice but to be torn apart?

There must be some of you who recognize this scene from the Shippuuden first opening sequence [link]
<sub>I recommend you guys to watch it. I find it quite entertaining, it's got interesting animation, and you might see where we had gotten inspiration for our Shippuuden photos.

Some of you might be wondering why I'm out of focus in the shot. We were just following the part of the video that we based this photo on.</sub>

I uploaded a version that was edited in a way more similar to how that shot looked in the video. If you're interested, here [link]


myself as Uzumaki Naruto
Miguel as Uchiha Sasuke
photography by Sandra Dans ~littlesailboat
editing and description by me

Naruto © 岸本 斉史 (Kishimoto Masashi)


This is the last of this series for now. Hopefully the new Team 7 and other characters will be able to come together for a proper photoshoot soon. Thank you to all of you who've been following our series!

<sub>At first I had no intentions of cosplaying Naruto, and only did so mainly to get some photos at our favorite ramen place before it closed down. (Ajisen to us is what Ichiraku is to Naruto, so you might be able to imagine our despair.) But this ended up being one of my favorite cosplay experiences; it was an honor being able to cosplay one of my most favorite characters and it made me really happy that you guys could see me as him. Despite the general impression of him being a loud, obnoxious idiot, I really do look up to Naruto a lot, particularly because of the way he inspires the people around him to change for the better. That's something I hope to do as well.

A special thank you to those of you who actually read the small text. I commend your patience and tolerance of my disjointed little musings.</sub>


Shippuuden photoshoot outtakes + extra photos from Ajisen Ramen
More of this set over here: [link]

July 23, 2008
I'm extremely honored to receive the first Daily Deviation for the newly implemented Cosplay Photography section. _{I'm a little bit embarrassed that it's this photo, as we've both improved those cosplays since then.} I wish I could share this somehow with my friends, because this was a team effort. Thank you all so much for your support!

And thank you to the dA staff who gave us cosplayers our own space in this community. Cosplay is still a rather misunderstood hobby - one that is sometimes looked down upon despite it being a great creative outlet and a venue for community spirit. Hopefully over time, people will learn to appreciate it more.

_{On the subject of Naruto haters:}
I thought it was a rather bold decision to pick something Naruto-themed for a DD, as it seems to inspire almost equal amounts of love and hate on dA. I know Naruto fans have to deal with a lot of rude comments (mostly due to members of the fandom who leave a lot to be desired) but I don't see why some individuals appear to find a sadistic pleasure in insulting absolutely anyone for liking Naruto or anything related to it. Not everyone who happens to enjoy the series fits the negative image of a "Narutard".

That aside, nobody has the right to deny the worth of someone's work just because they can't see it. Everyone is free to come up with their own opinions and disagree, but there is no need to pointlessly bring down the ones who think differently. I'm not just defending myself here - I'm speaking for everyone who has been disrespected in this manner.

To those of you who feel the need to insult me, or others like me - Really, posting spiteful comments isn't going to do anyone any good. Whining isn't going to take way the DD you feel I don't deserve - which, keep in mind, I did not ask for or bring upon myself. You're not going to change people's minds by making yourself look like a rude, popularity-crazed, bitter prick.

Before you use freedom of speech as an excuse, take note that something of equal importance is the sense of common decency. You're much better off using your time doing something that's actually constructive if you truly care about the community.