Naruto is one of the most popular anime and manga series of all time. First published as a manga in 1999 before being adapted into an anime series in 2002, Naruto follows the adventures of its titular protagonist Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja from the fictional village of Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf Village).
Throughout the Naruto series, ninjas use various tools and techniques to help them in battle and deliver messages quickly across long distances. One such tool used frequently in the series is the messenger bird.
What is a Messenger Bird?
A messenger bird, also known as a carrier pigeon, is a trained domesticated bird that is used to carry messages from one place to another. Messages are typically small papers that are rolled up and attached to the bird’s leg via a small holder or tube. The bird is then released and flies back to its home, delivering the message.
Messenger birds have been used by various militaries and organizations throughout history to quickly relay information over long distances. The most common species used are rock pigeons, due to their natural homing abilities that allow them to reliably find their way back home across hundreds of kilometers.
In the Naruto world, messenger birds serve the same purpose for ninjas and hidden villages, providing a fast way to send important intel and requests across vast distances between hidden villages or from field operatives back to their commanders.
Hawk Messenger Birds in Naruto
In the Naruto series, the main messenger birds used are hawks rather than pigeons. Hawks are known for their sharp vision and flight speed, making them well-suited as messenger birds.
These messenger hawks wear blue jackets and rounded hats with the symbol of the Hidden Leaf Village on them. They transport scrolls containing secret information between the Hidden Leaf and other allied villages. The scrolls are tied to the hawks’ legs or carried in small pouches on their backs.
Various characters are seen summoning or dispelling these Hawks throughout the series, implying they are summoned creatures that can be dispelled back to their homes once their delivery is complete.
Notable Hawk Messenger Birds in Naruto
Some of the most notable hawk messenger birds in the series include:
- Takamaru – Takamaru is the personal summoning hawk of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage.
- Hayate – Hayate is a hawk summon used by Baki from Sunagakure during the Chunin Exams.
- Fukurou – Fukurou is a messenger hawk used by Jiraiya to stay in contact with Naruto during his training journey.
- Takigakure Hawks – Takigakure ninja, like Shibuki, use large brown and white hawks as messenger birds.
- Sasuke’s Hawks – After forming Taka, Sasuke begins using hawk summons to deliver messages to others like Orochimaru.
- Taka – Taka is the personal hawk summoning of Sasuke Uchiha during the Fourth Shinobi World War.
The Role of Messenger Hawks
Throughout the story, these messenger hawks play important narrative and tactical roles for various characters and villages:
- Delivering urgent missives and Intel between allies like Konoha and Suna.
- Allowing spymasters like Jiraiya to stay in contact with their agents and informants.
- Serving as quick-response summons during battles or wars, to relay orders and updates.
- Sending urgent requests for reinforcements and aid between villages or factions.
- Propagating warnings about enemy movements and impending attacks.
- Coordinating large battle plans between multiple squads and platoons.
- Calling together war councils or organizing strategy meetings.
Without messenger hawks carrying critical information over challenging terrain, many key story events and battles would not be possible or would play out very differently.
Training and Care of Messenger Hawks
While messenger hawks play a vital role in relaying communications, they require thorough training and care to be effective:
- They are hand-reared from birth and imprinted on their handlers to establish trust.
- Extensive bonding, socializing, and positive reinforcement help train them to successfully deliver messages.
- Their flying skills are improved through regular free flights and exercising.
- A strong homing instinct is cultivated in the birds through gradual flights farther from their home.
- Messenger birds are motivated through rewards like food or docked if messages are lost.
- Strict diets and top health is maintained to support their stamina for long flights.
- Secure housing and aviaries are provided in each village to rest and prepare for future missions.
- Trust between a bird and its master is essential for reliability in delivering important communications.
This intensive, lifelong training results in highly specialized ninja birds capable of accurately and swiftly transmitting messages in any weather or battle condition when called upon.
Advantages of Messenger Hawks
There are several key advantages that make messenger hawks an invaluable communications asset for ninjas in the Naruto world:
- Speed – Hawks fly significantly faster than humans or land beasts for timely deliveries.
- Evasion – Their flying makes them hard to track or intercept across battlefields.
- Range – Hawks can cover vast distances of hundreds of kilometers quickly.
- Navigation – Excellent vision and homing abilities mean messages reliably reach recipients.
- Altitude – Flying high helps hawks avoid obstacles and spot targets.
- Stealth – Quiet aerial movement compared to land travel makes them subtle couriers.
- Minimal support – Hawks can independently hunt/survive with little food/water during missions.
- Light cargo – Small scrolls minimize load to maximize flight speed and range.
These advantages allow hawks to serve as the ideal messenger platform for urgent battlefield communications or securely transmitting sensitive information over vast distances.
Disadvantages of Messenger Hawks
However, there are some disadvantages to relying solely on messenger hawks for critical communications:
- Messages can be lost if a hawk is injured, killed, or captured en route.
- Intelligence could be compromised if an enemy intercepts a messenger hawk.
- Messages may be delayed or missed if climate conditions like storms impede a hawk’s flight.
- Range and cargo size is limited compared to modern communications networks.
- Hawks require extensive long-term care and training to be reliable.
- Only simple written scripts can be carried – no ability for two-way dialogue.
- No perfect reliability or guarantee a message is successfully delivered.
- Messenger hawks cannot easily be deployed across all terrains.
To compensate, prudent ninjas use messenger hawks selectively for critical time-sensitive communications, rather than relying solely on them for all message traffic.
Comparison to Other Communication Methods
Messenger hawks have some tradeoffs versus other long-range communications options in the Naruto world:
Method | Speed | Reliability | Security | Range | Flexibility |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Messenger Hawks | Very Fast | Moderate | High | Very Long | Low |
Ninja Couriers | Fast | High | High | Moderate | High |
Summon Couriers | Very Fast | High | High | Very Long | Moderate |
Communication Jutsu | Instant | Moderate | Moderate | Very Long | High |
As seen, messenger hawks offer a unique blend of long range and speed, but are more limited than jutsu or summons for flexible communications. Hawks are best used in tandem with these other options as part of a robust communications network.
Notable Messenger Hawks in Other Anime
Beyond Naruto, messenger hawks also feature prominently in other anime franchises:
Hunter x Hunter
The Hunter Association uses messenger hawks to assign daring missions to Hunters.
Fist of the North Star
Carrier hawks help keep allies connected across the post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Sword Art Online
Kirito and Asuna use a messenger hawk named Yui to relay information while trapped in the game.
Berserk
Griffith’s Crimson Hawks brigade uses trained hawks to communicate during battles.
Legend of the Galactic Heroes
Reinhard von Lohengramm’s fleet occasionally uses messenger hawks to bypass enemy jamming.
Across many anime, messenger hawks add historical flair and tactical depth to stories. Naruto’s excellent use of hawk messengers helps make communication key for missions and warfare between hidden ninja villages within its world.
Conclusion
In summary, messenger hawks play a vital role for communications in the Naruto universe. Ninjas rely on them to swiftly and securely relay written messages over vast distances. The most iconic hawk in the series is Takamaru, the personal summon of the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hawks possess speed, range, navigation ability and stealth that makes them perfect messenger birds for ninjas. However they lack flexibility compared to communication jutsu and require extensive training. Hawks shine when used judiciously as part of a robust messaging ecosystem.
The extensive use of messenger hawks adds an extra layer of tactics and historical mystique to the Naruto series. It shows creator Masashi Kishimoto’s strong worldbuilding in developing believable systems of communication fitting the ninja world he crafted.