Haku: Boy or girl?

[sugarcake]

I don't like manga very much. I don't read that much of it, and often when I read it I don't even enjoy it. That being said I am a Naruto fan and Kishimotos work can sometimes amaze me in a way nothing else can in any other media. I'm not sure if it is a specific "manga"-trait but often when I read Naruto it strikes me how many characters have gender "issues". Girls being drawn with boyish features and boys being drawn effeminate. Usually I am able to look past those things and enjoy the manga, but there is one character whom I think Kishimoto has nearly ruined for me. I'm talking, as the title suggests, about Haku. Why did Kishimoto have to give her that gender twist?

Here is a little reminder of who Haku is:
http://media.onemanga.com/mangas/00000004/000100982/03.jpg

Here is my version of Haku:
(skip this part if you like): Haku was a little girl being born with some special kekkei genkai. She "accidentally" kills some men that attack her, and is left homeless in a cold town wandering the streets looking for food. She is then discovered by the rogue ninja Zabuza, who for one or more reasons decides to take care of the girl, and train her as a ninja. The two bond even though Zabuza is formally only training the girl to use her as a tool. She accepts that situation and it isn't much of an issue for many years. Not untill Haku is killed in combat, sacrificing her life for that of Zabuza. At first Zabuza handles this very professionally, and as his former employer mocks her dead body, he just stands by passively. It is then Naruto somehow convinces Zabuza how much more she was to him than just a tool. He makes a completely suicidal rage to kill his former employer, and at his last moments he just wishes he could be together with Haku in the afterlife. (The end)


You may have realized that it was entirely like the manga, with the exception of Haku being a girl. The thing I can't figure out is why Kishimoto would wanna include the weird gender-twist to this story. What purpose does it have to show a girl with an otherwise compelling story, and then just "mention" that, oh, actually she is a boy. It ruined the entire arc for me when I first read it, and I didn't care for this story at all untill I started ignoring that stupid mention of her being a boy. Today this is my favorite part of the manga.

I don't wish to mock a male character for being effiminate. I want to recognize a female character and restore some much needed dignity to what is eccentially a beautiful story. I've read an argument somewhere, that Kishimoto chose to make her a boy, because the story of an old man and a young girl "loving" eachother would seem "weird". On a scale from 1 to 10, how weird is old man "loving" young boy then? The truth is, that once you apply romance to practically any relationship in Naruto, it becomes "weird".

That is why I challenge you to read through those chapters once again, but this time while ignoring that little mention of Haku being a boy. If you have Haku imprinted in your mind as a boy, it might be hard, but once you start thinking of her as a girl, you can enjoy the story so much more.

Additionally I would like to link to an AMV I made a while back. It was after watching an AMV like this that I rediscovered this arc, and perhaps after seeing it, you might be able to see things as I do. But please turn off the annotations first time viewing it. They were made after the AMV and the AMV should really stand alone:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1G5BLp9lwg


If you have read through my post, please leave a comment with your thoughts. Do you think of Haku as a boy or girl? Or do you have any reasons why Haku should be a boy?

[LittleMissNemesis]

I wondered that too, actually. Why make Haku look like and be mistaken for a girl? Or why not make him a girl in the first place? I'm not sure, but a couple possible explanations come to mind.

1- Maybe Haku was originally going to be a girl, but Kishi decided against it because he didn't want Naruto to attempt and Kakashi to accidentally succeed in killing a little girl. I don't think that Haku's death would be more or less acceptable if he was a girl or that his/her story would be any more or less sad. However, to me it seems that Kishimoto does make a distinction here, since he generally treats male and female ninjas differently when it comes to expectations and acceptable skills & fighting- especially in part 1. A bunch of folks were talking about that in the 'Is Kishimoto Sexist?' thread, if you're interested in opening that can of worms.

2- Haku and Zabuza's relationship reflects a specific relationship (Shudoo?) that old Japanese warriors (samurai maybe?) used to have. Anyone is welcome to correct me and/or fill in the blanks here. An older man and young boy would have a partnership or apprenticeship in which they would work together, but the boy would serve the man and act as a lover. I am not someone who sees love or sex relationships everywhere in fiction, but I did think that there was something going on between Haku and Zabuza. Now, why that would mean Haku had to be effeminate is not clear to me, but maybe that's how those relationships were supposed to work.

[Gingitsune]

Even on the earlier pictures of Haku, he has flat chest. I'd think Kishi intended Haku to best every rookie member of team 7, more surprising than Naruto (he's a boy, he does one handed seal, he has a Kekkei Genkai, etc.), more cute than Sakura and more skilled than Sasuke.

[sugarcake]

However, to me it seems that Kishimoto does make a distinction here, since he generally treats male and female ninjas differently when it comes to expectations and acceptable skills & fighting- especially in part 1.

This is a good point. When I think about it, if Haku was a girl, she would be the only "strong" girl not in some team for a very long time in the manga. I mean when you think about it, the girls of Naruto always happen to be teamed up with some boys they have to prove themselves to. Haku would be an exception.


I am not someone who sees love or sex relationships everywhere in fiction, but I did think that there was something going on between Haku and Zabuza.

Yeah they definitely have a very "special" relationship, but back when I was introduced to their story, I didn't pay any atention to the sadness or beauty of it. The awkwardness overshadowed it and I guess for some time I just ignored that whole part of the manga.
[hr]

I'd think Kishi intended Haku to best every rookie member of team 7, more surprising than Naruto (he's a boy, he does one handed seal, he has a Kekkei Genkai, etc.), more cute than Sakura and more skilled than Sasuke.

Even though it sounds a bit weird, there might be some truth to that theory.

As Kakashi mentions:
http://media.onemanga.com/mangas/00000004/000100932/08.jpg

But maybe you should consider saying "more clever than Sakura". Then again in the page I included in the original post she does "out-cute" most things in the manga :D

[slmcknett]

Haku's a boy. Check any site and it will say so. That, and he's called a boy by Kakashi, Zabuza, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and himself.

So, definitely a guy.

In case you're wondering, Deidara's a guy, too. And Akatsuchi and Fuu (the 7-Tailed) are girls.

[Askia32]

Haku's a boy. Check any site and it will say so. That, and he's called a boy by Kakashi, Zabuza, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and himself.

So, definitely a guy.

In case you're wondering, Deidara's a guy, too. And Akatsuchi and Fuu (the 7-Tailed) are girls.

You should actually read the original post fully before patronizing, otherwise it just makes you look bad.
_______________________________________________________________________

I thought Haku was a girl at first too, than the mention of him being a boy put a sour taste in my mouth. It definitely didn't ruin the arc for me. On the contrary, I believe its one of the best arcs in the manga.

I'll say this though... I bet if Haku was a girl, there wouldn't be a "is Kishimoto sexist thread" at the very least.

[THM Nindo]

I too would have like it better if Haku would have been a girl.
It would have been less... weird... with Zabuza.

When I think about it, I do like you, I just pretend it was a girl, because the story is better that way :tem

My opinion on this : Haku was just too good, and Kishi couldn't allow a girl to be that good! :darn

[Gingitsune]

And Akatsuchi and Fuu (the 7-Tailed) are girls.

Kurotsuchi is the girl, Akatsuchi is the big guys that looks like the Tsuchikage's jumbo size.

http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/454/02-03/

[CBlitz]

I think Kishi intended Haku to be female, but it would be weird for a teenage girl to living with a man I guess, at least for a shounen anyway...

[THM Nindo]

I think Kishi intended Haku to be female, but it would be weird for a teenage girl to living with a man I guess, at least for a shounen anyway...

Yeah...
Kishi probably thought that it would be weird to have a adult man with a young girl... but at least it would have been a regular love story between...

He wanted to change that into a father-son or a brothers kind of story, but it just didn't end up like that at all, in the end... :tem
It just became a regular gay love story instead... :facepalm

[Googlez_kun]

I think he always planned Haku as a boy.
It was a nice twist actually and funny to boot.

Furthermore it's what makes Haku Haku.

[CBlitz]

nobody sane purposely writes characters as traps, unless you're some kinda weirdo. Traps suck :p

[Cyven]

Haku will always be a girl to me :P
I don't care what anyone else says XD

[Jiggy-Ninja]

Haku will always be a girl to me :P
I don't care what anyone else says XD
Even if Haku himself said so?

Haku is just a more extreme form of Bishounen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishounen), which is actually fairly common in manga. That is all.

[cut3]

i cant beleive some people here though haku was a girl same with deidara =P

[Cyven]

Jiggy: Yes, even if Haku herself said so.

[Tsukisama]

Haku's androgynous beauty is a common shounen manga convention, and Kishi just lampshaded it a bit with Naruto's initial flirting and subsequent remark about how he was cuter than Sakura. Haku is a transvestite (wearing the traditional female outfit), very pretty, and ambiguously gay. Other notable examples of characters of this type are InuYasha's Jakotsu and Sailor Moon's Fisheye. (Actually, this is an accumulation of several manga recurring character types.)

I personally did not find it hard to accept Haku as a boy. He is what he is.

[OQO]

Kishi would have never, ever let a GIRL hurt, none the less almost kill, is beloved Sasuke... what a shame would have been!! Naruto would have mocked Sasuke forever! (actually, would have been funny, but not the case) :amuse

On the other way around, Naruto would have never gotten close so easily to and ugly boyish Haku, as happened in the forest with the cute "girl".

Couldn't have been different.

(Sorry, sorry for my poor english :darn)

[Darth Executor]

I too would have like it better if Haku would have been a girl.
It would have been less... weird... with Zabuza.

There wasn't anything weird between Zabuza and Haku. Zabuza found a useful tool he became attached to as if it was his own kid and Haku had a father figure he looked up to. Why do people need to sexualize everything. -_-;
[hr]

Kishi would have never, ever let a GIRL hurt, none the less almost kill

Chiyo and Kin were not available for comment.

[Tsukisama]

There wasn't anything weird between Zabuza and Haku. Zabuza found a useful tool he became attached to as if it was his own kid and Haku had a father figure he looked up to. Why do people need to sexualize everything. -_-;

Haku told Zabuza that he aimed for his neck to avoid striking Zabuza's attractive body. A lot of the homoerotic undertones that people see in Naruto are largely speculative, but this is the one that is actually there. It is just a part of Haku's character, and his sexuality is never overt or a serious issue of the manga.