A Hermeneutic Interpretation of Determinism, Agency, and Transformation in the Character of Neji Hyuga

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.64099/ckqgea14

Keywords:

Character Analysis, Determinism, Free Will, Growth Mindset, Neji Hyuga

Abstract

This article examines the character Neji Hyuga from the anime Naruto through the lens of philosophical determinism to explore how concepts of fate and freedom are articulated within popular culture narratives. Using a qualitative approach with philosophical hermeneutic analysis, this study analyzes key episodes featuring Neji’s psychological development, particularly in the Chunin Exam and the Fourth Shinobi World War arcs. The analysis juxtaposes classical determinist thought with modern perspectives on free will and individual growth. The findings indicate that Neji’s deterministic worldview is shaped by the internalization of the Hyuga clan’s hierarchical social structure, but is gradually transformed through relational encounters and narrative confrontation with Naruto Uzumaki, who embodies a growth-oriented mindset and agency for change. The study concludes that anime functions not merely as entertainment but as a cultural text capable of presenting complex philosophical and psychological dynamics. This research contributes to anime studies by highlighting the philosophical dimensions embedded in a shonen character whose evolution has rarely been addressed in previous literature.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

  • Musdodi Frans Jaswin Manalu, Universitas Gadjah Mada Yogyakarta, Indonesia

    Musdodi Frans Jaswin Manalu is a HKBP Priest and an academician who graduated from STT HKBP Pematangsiantar (Bachelor's degree) and Gadjah Mada University (Master's degree) with a major in the Center for Religious and Cross-cultural Studies (CRCS). His current fields of study are philosophy and religious studies. 

References

Ayon, V. (2023). Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden Through the Lens of Campbell’s Monomyth. Dominican University of California.

Berger, A. A. (1996). Narratives in popular culture, media, and everyday life. Sage Publications.

Burr, V. (2014). What Is Social. Social Constructionism, 11(004663), 1–12.

Clements, J., & McCarthy, H. (2015). The anime encyclopedia: A century of Japanese animation. Stone Bridge Press.

Deviani, J. M., & Mochtar, J. (2022). The Ideal Masculinity of Male Ninjas in Naruto and Naruto Shippuden Anime Series. K@ta Kita, 9(3), 340–347. https://doi.org/10.9744/katakita.9.3.340-347

Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: the new psychology of success. In Choice Reviews Online (Vol. 44, Nomor 04). Random House Publishing Group. https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.44-2397

Fennell, D., Liberato, A. S. Q., Hayden, B., & Fujino, Y. (2013). Consuming anime. Television & New Media, 14(5), 440–456. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527476412436986

Figal, G. (2010). Objectivity: The hermeneutical and philosophy. State University of New York Press.

Fisher, E. B. (2024). Spinoza, Liberation From Causation, and Community Health Promotion. American Journal of Health Promotion, 39(1), 172–175. https://doi.org/10.1177/08901171241286876

Fremativo, A., Vergara, Kianne, G., & Taja-on, D. and E. P. (2025). Beyond Jocularity: Exploring the Role of Community in Supporting Mental Health and Personal Development Among Male Students. Canadian Journal of Family and Youth, 17(2), 198–227.

Hewitt, J. P. (2001). The social construction of social construction. In Qualitative Sociology (Vol. 24, Nomor 3). Harvard university press. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010699110017

Hoefer, C. (2003). Causal determinism. In Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stanford University.

Ito, G. (2018). Particularities of Boys’ Manga in the Early Twenty-First Century: How Naruto Differs from Dragon Ball. Mechademia, 11(1), 113–123.

Kelly, J. D. (2022). Your Best Life: In the Lowest Moments, An Opportunity for Post-traumatic Growth. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, 480(1), 33–35. https://doi.org/10.1097/CORR.0000000000002070

Lamarre, T. (2018). The anime ecology: A genealogy of television, animation, and game media. U of Minnesota Press.

Ligiora, G., Puspitasari, I., Wahyudin, A., & Korespondensi, P. (2025). Penerjemahan Aizuchi pada Anime Baruto : Naruto Next Generations ke dalam Bahasa Indonesia Pendahuluan. 5(2), 736–744.

May, R. (1994). Discovery of being: Writings in existential psychology. WW Norton & Company.

McKee, A. (2003). Textual analysis: A beginner’s guide. Sage.

Myers, D. (2012). Social Psychology: 11th Edition. McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

Napier, S. J. (2016). Anime from Akira to Howl’s moving castle: Experiencing contemporary Japanese animation. St. Martin’s Griffin.

Porter, S. E., & Robinson, J. C. (2011). Hermeneutics: An introduction to interpretive theory. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing.

Rosyidha, A., & Rohmah, N. (2025). Naruto : A Study of Resilience and Growth in Japanese Animation. 2, 386–395.

Saraswati, P., Amalia, S., & Puspita Arwan, A. (2023). Forming and strengthening factors of personal growth initiatives in life. Jurnal Ilmiah Psikologi Terapan, 11(2), 137–144. https://doi.org/10.22219/jipt.v11i2.25744

Scott, J. G., Warber, S. L., Dieppe, P., Jones, D., & Stange, K. C. (2017). Healing journey: A qualitative analysis of the healing experiences of Americans suffering from trauma and illness. BMJ Open, 7(8), e016771. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-016771

Spinoza, B. (2006). The essential Spinoza: Ethics and related writings. Hackett Publishing.

Steinberg, M. (2012). Anime’s media mix: Franchising toys and characters in Japan. U of Minnesota Press.

Tedeschi, R. G. (2023). The post-traumatic growth approach to psychological trauma. World Psychiatry, 22(2), 328–329. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.21093

Wicks, D. (2017). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. Qualitative research in organizations and management: an international journal, 12(2), 169–170. https://doi.org/10.1108/QROM-08-2016-1408

Zul Fiqhri. (2022). Pesan Pendidikan dalam Visual Komik Manga Naruto Karya Masashi Kishimoto. 1(1).

Downloads

Published

28-11-2025

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 2 (2025)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Musdodi Frans Jaswin Manalu (Author)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

This journal is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0). This means that you are free to:

  1. Share – Copy, distribute, and transmit the material in this journal.
  2. Adapt – Remix, transform, and build upon the material in this journal for any purpose, including commercial purposes.

However, there are a few conditions you must follow:

  • Attribution – You must give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and source, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You must do this in a manner that is reasonable but not in any way that suggests the author(s) endorse you or your use.
  • ShareAlike – If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license, CC BY-SA 4.0.

This license applies internationally and gives users the right to distribute, modify, and create derivative works from the licensed material, as long as the derivative works are licensed under the same terms and appropriate credit is given to the original authors.

For the full terms and conditions, you can visit this link.

How to Cite

A Hermeneutic Interpretation of Determinism, Agency, and Transformation in the Character of Neji Hyuga. (2025). MARSAHALA: Journal of Religious and Cultural Studies, 1(2), 124-134. https://doi.org/10.64099/ckqgea14