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In Hindu mythology, Asura are the bad beings. Asuras always try to steal the place of Devas because they didn't get it. Indra is a king of Devas/Suras.

So in short Indra (Deva) is depicted as good being in Hindu mythology and Asura as bad beings and Naruto is inspired from Hinduism/Buddhism, so why is the adaptation of Indra and Asura made opposite to their real self? Have the makers explained it ever?

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    Asuras in Hindu mythology are sometimes pictured as giants and posses more physical strength. Devas in Hindu mythology lack physical strength but are intelligent and skillful.
    – Aditya Dev
    Mar 9, 2016 at 18:22
  • Keep in mind that Buddhism also has devas/asuras, which are similar to but not the same as Hindu devas/asuras. Indra also appears in some Buddhist traditions as Sakka (in Japan, Taishakuten), but has very different stories from the Hindu Indra. I suspect that the Buddhist versions of these beings had more of an influence on the Naruto characters, since Buddhism is far more prevalent in Japan than Hinduism is. (There are basically no Hindus in Japan besides recent immigrants from India/Nepal.)
    – senshin
    Apr 11, 2016 at 22:19
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    @senshin And where did Buddhism come from? It derived much of its philosophy from Hinduism. At the same time, it rejected some teachings. Naturally, the stories changed. They changed further while being transported. To say Buddhist asuras/devas are different is silly and fallacious. Even Hindu puranas diverge depending on region.
    – Ekoji
    Aug 15, 2017 at 21:04

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Like I mentioned in my comment to your question, Asuras are shown to be stronger than normal human beings although they lack intelligence (Like Naruto). Devas on the other hand lack physical strength but are believed to be witty and skillful (Like Sasuke). Your argument that Asuras always try to steal the place of Devas is not entirely true. Example is Prahlada. He is an Asura but still is described as a saintly boy in the Puranas. His name's literal meaning is: filled with joy. (Just like Naruto).

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  • Prahlada is the only exception but even his family had same intention. You can even count King Bali but it was complete different scenario and he got changed later on due to his promise of donation.
    – Ankit Sharma
    Mar 21, 2016 at 7:24
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Well, I don't know if Sensei Masashi has given any explanation. But my guess is that, Naruto wasn't intended to be a history series, they probably intentionally made it different or reversed the version from the real one.

Why? Maybe for creative purposes. Maybe they didn't want it to be like a real version of the otherwise religiously influenced story, to avoid any claims or to avoid any offensive feelings that may occur because of it.

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