Anime: Naruto Shippuden
Character: Uchiha Sasuke
(Before leaving Konohagakure in Chapter 699, in his thoughts, towards Naruto)
"All because you were my friend. You saved me. The us that quarreled over the smallest things...are now able to share the pain in each other's hearts. On my journey around the world, I noticed...that all these feelings of mine aren't just about us. I'm sure it's the same for everything else."
Quote Significance: Sasuke admits his defeat in battle against Naruto and the wrongness of his intents - the rightness of Naruto's. The bond of friendship he denied way back has proven to be the thing that saves him from drowning in his hatred and in this final chapter, Sasuke's words reveal that he had not left the village for nothing. In his travels, he understood that his hatred and desire for revenge aren't burdens that were uniquely his and that humans, through bonds, are able to feel and share each other's burdens. I think it's a beautiful wrap up for Sasuke as a character, whose radical change throughout the series caused confusion in his character development. As a person who initially liked Sasuke, I think this redeems Sasuke once last time as the intelligent and calm guy he was at the start, plus some added maturity.
Quote #2:
Anime: Angel Beats!
Character: Nakamura Yuri
"I only have one chance to have my life, and it's right here. It's the only life I have. This is my life. I can't give it to anyone else. It can't be stolen. I can't force it on anyone, or forget it, or make it disappear, or trample on it, or laugh it away, or beautify it. I have no choice but to accept this one cruel, meaningless life! That's why I will fight, and why I will continue fighting."
Quote Significance: This quote is one that touches me deeply, because I have been having suicidal thoughts lately. Also, with the misinterpretation of what YOLO should entail, this quote corrects things. Many teens nowadays take "You Only Live Once" to mean that they should try ridiculously stupid things that endanger their lives. Yuri's quote emphasises on the value of life and if you were to ever endanger it, it is to fight to continue ensure the continuity of your life. As someone who usually doesn't like characters like Yuri, I think it really is something that Yuri's inspirational words has made her the first hyperactive character to make it onto my list of favourite characters.
Quote #3:
Anime: Naruto Shippuden
Character: Uzumaki Naruto
"Because they saved me from myself, they rescued me from my loneliness. They were the first to accept me for who I am. They're my friends!"
Quote Significance: Despite how much I disliked Naruto in the first season, as the character slowly matured, he became one of the role models I have, especially when it comes to friendship. If anyone never watched Naruto, the brief overview of this entire issue involving friendship can be summed up easily. Basically, Naruto's parents died when he was very young, his father and mother sacrificing themselves to save the village from the Nine Tailed Fox and sealing the beast within their child. As he was growing up, Naruto was always recognised as the demon child and no other kids played with him while the adults would give him dirty looks. He felt lonely, like all other Jinchuurikis and wanted desperately to be recognised by someone. Sasuke played a great role in how Naruto developed, because as children, they recognised each other's pain and loneliness. Knowing that someone else out there felt the same way he did, Naruto was extremely grateful of any recognition and fought hard to protect anyone he believed was a friend. He also became able to sympathise with the other Jinchuurikis and eventually, the Tailed Beasts themselves. This quote sums up Naruto nicely, as someone who became strong, only because he recognised how precious they were and wanted to protect them.
