Indonesians lately have been amused by one teenager’s ultimate anime/manga geekhood after he managed to stamp a famous symbol from Naruto as his own legal signature.
A photo of a newly minted KTP (ID card) belonging to Syamsul Bahri, a 17-year-old boy from Lamongan, East Java, went viral recently. The bottom right corner of the card features Syamsul’s signature, which was inspired by the hugely popular Japanese series.
Buruh brp lama buat paham pic.twitter.com/cAa8qLE6z1
— Kegoblogan.Unfaedah (@kegblgnunfaedh) January 15, 2021
Syamsul’s signature is nearly identical to the leaf symbol famously featured on the series protagonist Naruto’s headband. The symbol represents Naruto’s hometown of Konohagakure, also known as the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
The teen said he has long been a Naruto fan and has always used the leaf symbol as his signature. When the time came to apply for a KTP ahead of his 17th birthday, he said he never thought he would be able to use the symbol in the legal document.
“One [administration] officer asked me why my signature was like that. I said it has always been like that, and he understood,” Syamsul told Kompas.
“I didn’t think [it would go viral]. A school friend took a photo of the KTP and then he posted it online.”
We wouldn’t be surprised if Syamsul’s legal signature is now the envy of legions of Naruto fans in Indonesia. Will the teenager start a new trend, or will officials soon catch on to a possible administrative nightmare when thousands of Indonesians have the same signature? Only time will tell.
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