In the world of anime, "the power of friendship" is a common theme, particularly in shonen. The action-fantasy series Fairy Tail demonstrates this. Readers and viewers are shown what the power of friendship and trust can do, and this theme is embodied especially well in characters like Natsu Dragneel and Juvia Lockser. But is that the best way to approach it?
This theme also manifests in Naruto, but in a slightly different way. Naruto Uzumaki is famed for empathizing with his opponents and seeing not an enemy, but a person who is suffering and needs a friend. What's more, Naruto himself has a more pragmatic and somewhat self-serving approach to friendship, though not in a problematic way.
Natsu: The Power Of Friends
Fairy Tail handles "the power of friendship" fairly straightforwardly as the central theme of the story. Natsu and his fellows belong to a wizard guild where trust and mutual respect are the bedrock of how the guild operates, setting them apart from the ruthless Sabertooth guild. From the very start, the guild had these values, inspired by the founder Mavis Vermillion herself, and each and every member lives up to them. Natsu, for example, is a wizard who believes that having his trusted friends by his side will see him through any challenge or hardship, drawing inspiration and mental/physical strength from those bonds.
All that makes for a completely selfless, group-oriented approach to friendship and teamwork, which isn't as redundant as it sounds. A person can use a friendship either to lend their ally strength or fuel their own strength. Natsu fights for his Fairy Tail friends, not because of them, and he's not interested in self-promotion or ambition of any kind. Natsu isn't going anywhere; he already has what he wants, a community of trusted friends, and he fights to keep it that way.
This unambitious approach allows wizards like him to be much stronger together on the battlefield, but none of them try to aspire for greater heights, except for the sake of those friends. With his allies by his side, Natsu would be brave enough to take on the mightiest foes and likely win, but alone, he'd be stagnant. He does seek out training from the dragon Igneel and wants to spar with the powerful wizard Gildarts Clive, but otherwise, he has a "there's no I in team" mentality. This sets him apart from other shonen heroes such as Son Goku, Izuku Midoriya and Naruto Uzumaki.
Friends & Greater Heights
Naruto Uzumaki is a friend-oriented fellow like Natsu, greatly valuing trust and respect. Naruto is the first to stand up to a bully or clear up a misunderstanding, something that Natsu would appreciate, but ultimately, Naruto's methods and goals are a bit different. It could be said that Naruto uses his friends (in a benign way) because he has a goal in mind other than "I want lots of friends." It might even be said that Natsu is complacent, being content to have a big social circle, while Naruto is a bit more self-centered. Naruto grew up isolated and feared for the nine-tailed fox that he carried inside, and he didn't even have his mother's family or his Hokage father around to support him. If Naruto wanted to become great, he'd have to do it himself without a whole guild of friends to push him along.
Naruto aspired to become the next Hokage, whether anyone liked it or not, and he'd prove that anyone could be born with the potential for greatness. To get the job done, to climb this towering mountain of ambition, Naruto needed useful allies and mentors, and he sought out anyone who could help him. In a way, he wasn't too different from his teammate Sasuke Uchiha, except Naruto would never consort with the likes of Orochimaru or obtain cursed seals to get that power. Naruto was a diligent and methodical fellow, despite his goofy and hyperactive personality. He met and empathized with opponents who not evil but were hurting on the inside, and turned them to the light, such as Gaara of the sand. Naruto built up a network of friends and allies who could vouch for him, train him and/or help him reshape the world to his liking, to promote peace and understanding.
In short, Naruto wasn't content to erase his loneliness; he had a lofty goal in mind, and he wasn't afraid to be a bit selfish compared to the "let's all hang out" Natsu Dragneel. This doesn't make him better or worse than Natsu, but it's definitely a different approach to friendship. Naruto is career-oriented while Natsu is status quo-oriented. To Naruto, a friend and a stepping stone are one and the same, and being a generous shinobi, he was more than ready and willing to give back to the world in exchange for all the help he got. That's what sets him apart from a rogue, like Sasuke, or a villain, like Yahiko.
