Shikamaru Nara is my favorite character in the Naruto franchise, not only because I can relate to his teenage slacker attitude and fascination with strategy games. However, as a character, he had some growing up to do to embrace his gifts as a shinobi and future leader fully. His true test comes after the death of his mentor and leader of Team 10, Asuma Sarutobi, which caused Shikamaru to withdraw into himself. Still, in a definitive moment where Naruto Shippuden tackles masculinity and handling grief, Shikamaru’s father comes through big time. Unfortunately, the English dub dulled the moment’s subtlety.

Naruto and Naruto Shippuden features a talented voice cast in its original Japanese and English dub. I’m often happy to swap between the two, occasionally leaving the English dub in the background. Many of its performances are intriguing, and while I prefer the Japanese audio, most times, the meaning of various moments in the series isn’t lost in translation.

However, the English dub ruined the perfect ending to my favorite quote in Naruto Shippuden, in a moment shown in episode #82 of the anime, as Shikaku and Shikamaru share a game of shogi.

Naruto Shippuden’s English Dub Fumbles an Excellent Metaphor

Subtlety Is Swapped for Simplicity in Episode #82

I’ve written about the best quotes in Naruto, with Shikaku’s quote to Shikamaru featuring prominently for its poignant moment between a father and his grieving son, which the English dub mostly nails. While playing shogi, Shikaku goads Shikamaru by reminding him how difficult the Akatsuki are as opponents and how he’d rather not have to bury his son so soon after burying Asuma. It wears Shikamaru down until Shikaku gets in close, telling him to let out the grief of losing his mentor that’s plaguing him, giving him privacy in the process. This is the dialogue in the English dub:

Let it out, boy. All of the anger, the sadness, and the fear. Everything that’s brewing inside of you. You’ve got to let it go. It all starts from there, son. Remember, I’ll be here for you.

-Shikaku Nara

While that’s a perfectly acceptable speech from a father giving his son the space to grieve, it’s missing a subtle touch in the English dub that is otherwise present in the Japanese dub of Naruto Shippuden. Saying “I’ll be here for you” as he walks away seems generic and more like a platitude, whereas the original Japanese dub reads, “I’ll pick up your pieces” at the end. This touch, referring to the scattered shogi board and pieces from Shikamaru’s outburst, coupled with Shikamaru breaking down, sounds more like a tasteful metaphor with a father giving his son space to grieve.

Shikaku’s Speech Is an Important Lesson for All Boys

NAruto Taught Us That Emotion Isn’t a Weakness

Shikaku’s speech in the English dub of Naruto Shippuden loses the elegant subtlety found in the Japanese audio, severely dulling the impact of an important lesson he’s imparting to his son. Throughout much of the episode before this moment, Shikamaru avoids the grieving process, including not attending Asuma’s funeral, choosing instead to stare at the clouds while playing with his mentor’s lighter as a memento. He spends the day slacking, eventually sitting motionless in his family home’s courtyard, refusing even to eat, while day turns to night before Shikaku pulls him aside for shogi.

Part of what makes Naruto Shippuden episode #82 extraordinary is its animation. Despite mainly being devoid of action, the episode is a powerful showcase of emotion through body language. Watching Shikamaru’s shogi game, viewers will see Shikamaru’s posture worsen as Shikaku eggs him on, from sitting up straight to hunching to slumping over the board before knocking it away, causing the candles to extinguish. It’s an exquisite moment where viewers will never have to guess what each character is going through.

Shikamaru is one to avoid conflict as it is, to which I can relate, and despite having years of management experience, it’s never fun to face difficult situations; however, it is necessary. Shikaku reminds Shikamaru of what’s at stake in their game together, and his speech, in both dubs for the most part, gets the feeling right, but “I’ll pick up your pieces” is just too perfect for a shogi-playing father to say to his son. It’s impossible to overlook. The main lesson of Shikaku’s speech, discerned from this tiny line, comes across as, “It’s okay to cry, son.”

Letting Emotions Out Is Healthy and Human

Shikamaru Gets Much-Needed Clarity After His Outburst

After Shikaku leaves Shikamaru to cry and grieve his mentor openly, Shikamaru then picks up the shogi board himself, devising his plan to defeat Hidan and Kakuzu, the shinobi responsible for Asuma’s death. It caps off my favorite arc in Naruto, where I see the most satisfying and clever, grounded moments from Naruto’s star strategist as Shikamaru’s cloud of grief no longer hangs over his head. It owes itself to Shikamaru being taught that letting his emotions out is normal, a lesson not always taught to boys like myself when growing up.

Growing up, I used to be exceedingly emotional, but crying in front of my father became increasingly unacceptable. I was told to “be a man” when he would catch me crying, and while I love him dearly, this lesson of stoicism was likely imparted to him and his father before that, and it set me back for years. While Shikamaru is a fictional character, I am likely not alone in wishing I was given that type of speech, not so much so I could defeat an immortal ninja, but so that my mental health would get a better head-start.

Shikaku’s Speech Isn’t His First to Shikamaru

Shikamaru Becomes Exceedingly Mature and Responsible in Following Arcs

English dub or not, Shikaku helps Shikamaru overcome his conflict avoidance and formulate a killer strategy where he leads Team 10 and Team Kakashi. However, it’s important to remember that Shikaku already persuaded Shikamaru to not give up as a shinobi in episode #135 when he failed as a team leader to stop Sasuke from defecting and allying with Orochimaru. Shikaku was an excellent father to Shikamaru, even if he also imparted some views on women that were far from enlightened. His lessons would help shape the future leader of Konoha in Boruto.

However, Shikaku’s speech in Naruto Shippuden episode #82 is an additional, more poignant example of this and is not present in the equivalent moment in the Naruto manga’s chapter #330. Instead, it shows Shikamaru stoically sitting at his shogi board with Shikaku smiling knowingly, content that his son is preparing to avenge his master. While the English dub may have hurt the subtlety of this moment in Naruto Shippuden, it doesn’t hurt the appeal of the series, such as for other iconic quotes.

Naruto Shippuden Has Several Iconic English Dub Quotes

The English Voice Cast Still Has Excellent Performances

I don’t wish anything negative on Jonathan Fahn, whose portrayal of Shikaku is otherwise enjoyable. Many English dub moments in Naruto Shippuden match or outshine the Japanese original. Troy Baker, for instance, voices Pain with some of the franchise’s most memorable and oft-quoted lines. Yuri Lowenthal’s portrayal of Sasuke is downright cold, especially in his battle against Orochimaru, where he delivers devastating insults unique to the English dub.

“The way you fill yourself up with medicines and go leaping from body to body, it’s disgusting. As an Uchiha, all I see when I look at you is a miserable wretch. And on top of that, I don’t like your style.”

-Sasuke Uchiha

Still, Shikaku’s line in the Japanese dub of Naruto Shippuden is impossible to overlook, especially in its tiny but meaningful difference from the English dub, not even the first or most noteworthy mistakes from the Naruto English dub. It might seem pedantic or even petty to fixate on this slight difference. However, I put particular stock into this speech, especially as I revisit the series as an adult after joyfully reading Naruto when it was available in North America as a kid.

Shikaku’s Speech Helps Me Through Times of Grief

No Shogi Board Necessary

A significant family tragedy occurred after I’d recently watched the Naruto Shippuden anime as a new college graduate. My uncle, a pillar of my childhood, passed away after a long battle with cancer. Spending time with him as a kid was a guaranteed source of joy as he loved his nephews and nieces like he was their second father. But facing the news of his loss, my mother even told me it was okay to cry; I didn’t, and not because I was consciously forcing it down, but because my emotions were buried under years of repression.

My family on my father’s side showed varying levels of normal grief, though, and it was especially harrowing to hear my grandmother, the sweetest, most genial woman I’ve ever known, weeping in the other room after the funeral; I’d never heard her cry for anything before. It turned out that hearing this lesson and fully accepting it was different, and I would need plenty of adjustments in the years to follow. But had I taken it in or even heard it from a family member at a similar age to Shikamaru, perhaps it’d come more easily.

In the years since, I’ve slowly lowered my walls, eventually learning to release my emotions healthily, and increasingly rediscovered my childhood adoration for Naruto, whether for its quotes or enjoyable battles. Naruto is like comfort food, familiar and nostalgic, and consuming it can be downright therapeutic, with its lessons on masculinity extending far beyond Shikamaru’s shogi breakdown. While its English dub dulled the impact of an otherwise beautiful speech, plenty of pop wisdom can be obtained from the Naruto franchise, and you’d better believe it!