Raid Area 51 by Naruto Running?
Sunny Kim (ISB 10)
Currently occupying the cover of this issue, author Sunny Kim (10) displays her physical prowess not only in rugby but also in... Naruto Running? In her comedic piece, Sunny tackles the absurd internet phenomenon that was “Raid Area 51 by Naruto Running.” Through sound mathematical examination and social analysis, Sunny provides much needed insight on human nature.
Can you run faster than a bullet? Maybe you can’t but Naruto surely can… or can he? Don’t know Naruto? Here is where it all started...
Courtesy to YouTube
The American government is hiding sensitive information regarding previous contact with aliens from its people…or so that is what the Area 51 Raid organizers think. An independently organized Facebook event by Matty Roberts “Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us” has enticed over one million people since last July. Their motto was, “If we Naruto run, we can run faster than their bullets. Let’s see them aliens.” The plan was to gather in Nevada and collectively run into the “unknown” territories of Area 51 on September 20 of this year. But, what does having to run faster than bullets have to do with this extravaganza? Well, the officials guarding the restricted area will prioritize its confidentiality over civilian safety, which, in simple words, means that anyone who enters will most likely be shot. Roberts and his followers planned to evade the ammunition by Naruto running.
If you haven’t heard of Naruto, you must have been living under a rock for the last 22 years. Naruto, a ninja-themed Japanese manga and anime (named after its main character) first captivated its audience in 1997 for the manga and 2002 for the anime. Training to be a ninja, Naruto runs in stealth mode in the anime. He, along with the other ninjas at the academy, run by holding his arms out to his sides and bending his torso— effectively mobilizing only his legs. This running style is aptly named the “Naruto Run”.
“If you haven’t heard of Naruto, you must have been living under a rock for the last 22 years.”
Naruto runs at an amazingly fast pace, so much so that people think that he can run faster than a bullet, which would make Naruto running the perfect way to raid Area 51. But it’s time to find out if he actually run faster than a bullet. First, there needs to be a couple of assumptions to be made about his running. The first assumption is that there is no air resistance. Although this may seem implausible, this assumption will give a closer theoretical value and a better reference point. The second assumption is that he runs at a constant velocity, so his acceleration is zero. From this, we can use the simple speed = distance/time formula.
v = x/t
In an iconic opening scene where Naruto runs down a mountain, our yellow-headed friend is captured for a short span of 1.3 seconds. But what about distance? Thankfully, the animator has made the trees move while Naruto runs. We can use proportions to solve the missing distance. I analyzed this by comparing the height of real life trees to the trees moving on my computer screen. The trees, at 8.2cm in the screen of my tiny laptop, moved 11cm. Considering that the majority of the trees in Japan are members of the beech family, the species native to Japan can grow up to 23 meters. So, if we make a simple proportions equation, where x stands for how far Naruto moved, we have:
0.082:0.11 = 23:x, which means that 23*0.11 = 0.082x
If we solve for x, we get 30.85 meters. Now, if we plug in all the numbers back into the equation, we get v = 30.85/1.3, which gives us v = 23.73. Naruto ran at a speed of 23.73 meters per second, which is equal to 85 km/h.
Will you be able to dodge a bullet if you run like Naruto? Despite what alien and anime enthusiasts may tell you, the hard truth is no. In fact, you will be nowhere close to running faster than a bullet. A bullet travels almost 3000 km/h, while you, assuming that you have done nothing but ninja training for at least the last 13 years of your life, only run at a maximum speed of merely 85 km/h. Good luck dodging a bullet. But don’t be disheartened yet. The upside is that although you won’t be able to sustain your run for long, you still will be running faster than a horse, a kangaroo and even a lion (maybe you’ll even move fastah than Mufasa)!
Courtesy to ABC News
So, in conclusion, what would happen if a million people ran at 85km/h into Area 51? It would not end well as they would not be able to dodge the bullets fired at them. In fact, they would die, no matter what. Despite these dangers, we are left to wonder why many young adults from all over the United States and even in other countries would still want to participate in this event. A possible explanation is that as Roberts’ idea received mass media attention, more and more individuals were attracted to the exoticness of the event, causing the plan to snowball and eventually become what the officials perceived as a threat.
“…move fastah than Mufasa!”
On the day of the raid, however, most of the 1 million people did not show up. But, for the couple hundred that did, it was phenomenal. All of the energy was channelled into opening an alien themed music festival named Alienstock. Anyone from alien enthusiasts to European tourists visited the small city of Rachel, Nevada, on the Extraterrestrial Highway to celebrate the raid. A sense of community was created, both at the city of Rachel and at the entrance to Area 51. The guards took photos with civilians and only a few arrests were made during the whole festival combined. To the vast majority of people leading monotonous lives, the Great Raid and Alienstock was an oasis, quenching their thirst for excitement and community. It brought people from all over the world together. with different jobs and different hobbies, united under a powerful umbrella, they could indulge themselves in some steamy alien vibes. Despite the failure of the Raid, maybe the resulting festival was the true “extraterrestrial” extraordinariness that the original planner, Matty Roberts, had hoped for.