Naruto

**Naruto** is an anime and manga franchise writte by Masashi Kishimoto and published by Shonen Jump.  The anime

    adaptation was directed by Hayate Date, written by Katsuyuki Sumisawa and Junki Takegami, musically composed by Toshio Masida and Masashi Project, and produced by Studio Pierrot.  Eventually in the manga there was a three year time skip, which was called Naruto Shippuden in the anime.  Then after that there was a ten year time skip, which in both anime and manga was called Boruto: Naruto The next Generation.

## Plot

A powerful fox known as the Nine-Tails attacks Konoha, the hidden leaf village in the Land of Fire, one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries in the Ninja World. In response, the leader of Konoha, the Fourth Hokage, seals the fox inside the body of his newborn son, Naruto Uzumaki, making Naruto a host of the beast;[d] this costs Naruto's father his life, and the Third Hokage returns from retirement to become leader of Konoha again. Naruto is often ridiculed by the Konoha villagers for being the host of the Nine-Tails. Because of a decree made by the Third Hokage forbidding anyone to mention these events, Naruto knows nothing about the Nine-Tails until 12 years later, when Mizuki, a renegade ninja, reveals the truth to Naruto. Naruto then defeats Mizuki in combat, earning the respect of his teacher Iruka Umino.[e]

Shortly afterwards, Naruto becomes a ninja and joins with Sasuke Uchiha, against whom he often competes, and Sakura Haruno, on whom he has a crush, to form Team 7, under an experienced *sensei*, the elite ninja Kakashi Hatake. Like all the ninja teams from every village, Team 7 completes missions requested by the villagers, ranging from doing chores and being bodyguards to performing assassinations.

After several missions, including a major one in the Land of Waves, Kakashi allows Team 7 to take a ninja exam, enabling them to advance to a higher rank and take on more difficult missions, known as Chunin Exams . During the exams, Orochimaru, a wanted criminal, invades Konoha and kills the Third Hokage for revenge. Jiraiya, one of the three legendary ninjas, declines the title of Fifth Hokage and searches with Naruto for Tsunade whom he chooses to become Fifth Hokage instead.

During the search, it is revealed that Orochimaru wishes to train Sasuke because of his powerful genetic heritage, the Sharingan.[f]After Sasuke attempts and fails to kill his older brother Itachi[g] when he showed up in Konoha to kidnap Naruto, he joins Orochimaru, hoping to gain from him the strength needed to kill Itachi. The story takes a turn when Sasuke leaves the Konoha village and when Tsunade finds out, she sends a group of ninja, including Naruto, to retrieve Sasuke, but Naruto is unable to persuade or force him to come back. Naruto and Sakura do not give up on Sasuke: Naruto leaves Konoha to receive training from Jiraiya to prepare himself for the next time he encounters Sasuke, while Sakura becomes Tsunade's apprentice.

## Movies

1. Naruto:  Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow
2. Naruto:  Legend of the Stone of Gelel
3. Naruto:  Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom

## Why It Rocks

1. Pretty great animation during the most important moments, which includes major fight scenes, major dramatic scenes, and a few other select scenes.
2. A great and varried cast of characters with distinguishable personalities.
3. Incredible fight scenes, some of the most notable being Sasuke Uchiha versus Garra during the Chunin Exams finale, Rock Lee versus Garra during the Chunin Exams preliminaries, Naruto Uzumaki versus Sasuke Uchiha during the end of the Sasuke Retrieval Arc, (or, hell, any of the fights in that arc), along with many, many, many more.
4. Great, detailed artwork in the manga.
5. Great, unique character designs in the anime.
6. Great music in the anime, especially in the most important fight scenes and dramatic scenes.  In additiron to the insert songs, all of the opening and ending songs are good as well.
7. Naruto has some of the most iconic opening themes in all of anime, probably the biggest of which being Go! Fighting Dreamers by Flow.
8. Good voice acting in both sub and dub.
9. Naruto utilizes lots of buddhist symbolism in order to help relay its themes.
	1. The most famous are three techniques utilized by Itachi Uchiha--Tsukiyomi, Amaterasu, and Susano'o--which are three Gods in Shinto religion, the Gods of the Moon, the Sun, and Storms, respectively.
	2. There's also the Nine Tailed Fox, which is the take on the Kitsune, a mischevious fox-like creature with multiple tails from Japanese mythology.
	3. There's also the heraldic symbol of the Uchiha Clan, which is a type of Japanese fan known as an Uchiwa, (which may have also been the inspriation for the name of the Clan, too).  These fans are used to exorcise evil spirits by blwoing them away.  Sasuke discovers late into the series that he has the ability to blow away the influence of the Nine Tailed Fox on  Naruto.
10. Also regarding the themes in Naruto, Christopher A. Born notes that the *Naruto* storyline contains traditional Confucian values, and suggests that students who analyse manga such as *Naruto* and *Bleach* will learn more about Confucianism than they would from studying its abstract ideas.  Norman Melchor Robles Jr. evaluated the portrayal of both positive and negative ideas in *Naruto* by counting words in the script which were associated with either violence or positive values; he found that a small majority of tagged words were violent, but commented that the portrayal of violence seemed organized to show how positive strategies on the part of the protagonists could overcome the violence.  Sheuo Hui Gan considers the series to have a set of "traditional ethical values." She also compares the treatment of alienation in *Naruto*, which Naruto overcomes by joining his society, to the portrayal of alienation in *Akira* and *Neon Genesis Evangelion*, where the main characters remain alienated.
11. Naruto has some of the best, most interesting, and unique villains in all of Shonen Battle anime and manga, some of the biggest standout villains being Zabuza Momochi, Orochimaru, and several members of the Akatsuki including Itachi Uchiha, Sasori of the Red Sand, and Pain aka Nagato.
12. The combat system of Naruto is incredibly unique and well fleshed out.  It's split into three fighting styles--Taijutsu, or the art of hand to hand combat, Ninjutsu, or Ninja Magic, and Genjutsu, or illusionary techniques, with other styles such as Kenjutsu or Sword Fighting and Dojutsu or Bloodline Limits thrown in there to give it even more variety.
13. Early on in the series the fights, despite the characters having tones of abilities that could be considered overpowered, focused mostly on strategy and one character outsmarting the other.
14. There are so many characters in the series that you're almost garunteed to find one that you like and/or relate to, weather it's one of the heroes or one of the villains.
15. While he can be obnoxious, one of the most relatable points of the series for some people, especially kids and teens, is Naruto Uzumaki's character.
16. Naruto has some of the most creative and cool abililties in all of Shonen Battle Anime and Manga.  Some of the best standout abilitise includes the Curse Mark, the Sharingan, the Byakugan, the Rinnegan, the Bracken Dance, the Ninja Tool Summoning, and the Eight Inner Gates, along with many, many, many others.

## Bad Qualities

1. While the animation in the most important fight and drama scenes can be pretty great most of the times, the animation in many of the other scenes is quite lacking, and sometimes is downright terrible.
2. The anime adaptation is notorious for having several years of filler, which was so terrible that it ended up lowering the overall quality and popularity of the show.
3. Even in the manga there are points that seems kind of bloated, although that isn't nearly as bad as it can get after the time skip.
4. Naruto Uzumaki's character, despite being relatable to some people, is notoriously obnoxious, especially with his stupid little catchphrase "BELIEVE IT!"
5. While some fans will defend it as Naruto being inspired by Hunter X Hunter, critics will often times say that Naruto ripped off several aspects of the aforementioned anime and manga, key examples being the Chunin Exams ripping off the Hunter Exams and Sasuke Uchiha's goals and the color and value of his eyes ripping off the character Kurapika Kurta.

## Reception

### Manga

Several reviewers commented on the balance between fight scenes and plot development; A. E. Sparrow of IGN and Casey Brienza of Anime News Network (ANN) felt that the result was a strong storyline,[190][191] but Carl Kimlinger, also writing for ANN, suggested that there were too many fights, which slowed down the plot.[192] Kimlinger liked the character designs, and approved of the fight scenes themselves[192] which also drew positive comments from Rik Spanjers, who felt that the excitement of the scenes depends on Kishimoto's skill in depicting action.[192] Javier Lugo, writing for Manga Life, agreed, describing the artwork as "dramatic, exciting, and just right for the story he's telling".[193]

The anime and manga magazine *Neo* described Naruto's character as "irksome", but considered that the series' "almost sickening addictiveness" was due to the quality of the characterization,[194] and in Briana Lawrence's opinion the growth of the characters gave Part II an adult feel.[195] In a review of volume 28 Brienza also praised Part II's storyline and characterization, though she commented that not every volume reached a high level of quality.[190]

Gō Itō, a professor in the manga department of Tokyo Polytechnic University, compared the series' development to the manga of *Dragon Ball*, saying that both manga present good illustrations of three-dimensional body movements that capture the characters' martial arts very well. Gō felt readers could empathize with the characters in *Naruto* via their inner monologue during battles.[196]

The series also influenced the movie *Scott Pilgrim vs. The World* with director Edgar Wright saying he was inspired by how whenever there is a "killer move" in the manga, there is an impact in the background following any technique's usage.[197] There is an internet meme known as "Naruto run" based on the way the characters run leaning forward with their arms behind their backs. In September 2017, students from the University of the Philippines Los Baños Perspective started covering publications of students running like *Naruto*characters.[198] When the manga ended, multiple authors from the magazine expressed congratulations to Kishimoto's work.

### Anime

The *Naruto* anime was listed as the 38th best animated show in IGN's Top 100 Animated Series.[200] In September 2005, Japanese television network TV Asahi broadcast a popularity poll based on a nationwide survey in which *Naruto* placed 17th.[201] Mike Hale of *The New York Times* described the series as much better than American animation aimed at children,[202] but the animation received some criticism from both the T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews critics: Christina Carpenter felt Kishimoto's artistic style translated poorly into animation,[203] and Derrick Tucker was also negative, though he felt that at their best, the depictions "[left] little to be desired".[204] As with the manga, some reviewers, such as Martin Theron of ANN, along with Tucker, felt there were too many fight scenes,[204][205] though Justin Rich argued that the fight scenes were the most important and enjoyable element of the show.[206] Carpenter also commented positively on the characters, though she felt that most were fairly stereotypical.[203]

*Naruto: Shippuden* was well-reviewed by Activeanime's David C. Jones who commented that the animation had improved.[207] ANN noted that the series has a more serious tone and a better balance between comedy and drama than the first anime series; with more interesting digressions from the main plot.[208][209] Although the pacing for the first episodes was criticised as slow, the delivery and development of the interactions between the characters received positive comments.[210][211] Writing for the *Los Angeles Times*, Charles Solomon ranked *Shippuden* the third best anime on his "Top 10".

### Themes

Amy Plumb argues that Kishimoto's use of references to Japanese mythology in *Naruto* are intended to add further layers to the story. Kishimoto expects his readers to decode the references, which allows him to avoid direct explanations. One example is Itachi, who has three ninja techniques named after Shinto deities: Tsukiyomi, Amaterasu, and Susano-o. Plumb also cites Sasuke's clan's heraldic symbol, a fan known as an *uchiwa*. These fans are used in Japanese myths to exorcise evil, by blowing it away; Sasuke discovers late in the series that he has the ability to "blow away" the influence of the Nine-Tailed Fox on Naruto. Foxes (*kitsune tsuki*) are tricksters in Japanese mythology, and in some stories they take over human bodies; Plumb comments on the obvious similarities to the Nine-Tail sealed in Naruto, and the pranks Naruto plays.[213]

Christopher A. Born notes that the *Naruto* storyline contains traditional Confucian values, and suggests that students who analyse manga such as *Naruto* and *Bleach* will learn more about Confucianism than they would from studying its abstract ideas.[214] Norman Melchor Robles Jr. evaluated the portrayal of both positive and negative ideas in *Naruto* by counting words in the script which were associated with either violence or positive values; he found that a small majority of tagged words were violent, but commented that the portrayal of violence seemed organized to show how positive strategies on the part of the protagonists could overcome the violence.[215] Sheuo Hui Gan considers the series to have a set of "traditional ethical values." She also compares the treatment of alienation in *Naruto*, which Naruto overcomes by joining his society, to the portrayal of alienation in *Akira* and *Neon Genesis Evangelion*, where the main characters remain alienated.[216]

*Naruto* has been described by several critics as a coming-of-age story.[217][218][219] Psychologist Lawrence C. Rubin suggests that the storylines would appeal to readers of any age who have lost loved ones, or are having difficulty finding friends, or who are in other situations shown in the series.[217] In Yukari Fujimoto's view, as the characters mature, they show respect to the adults who have raised and taught them, making it a conservative storyline in comparison to other manga of the same time period such as *One Piece* and *Air Gear*.[218] Rik Spanjers sees the difference between Sasuke (a loner) and Naruto (an optimist) as tragic, arguing that the contrast between the two protagonists' approach to the world is fundamental to the plot: "Naruto’s strength grows as he gains more loved ones to protect, while Sasuke remains alone and is increasingly absorbed by his quest for revenge".[219] Omote Tomoyuki points out that there are many comic moments in the story despite the difficulties Naruto finds himself in, but the comic elements diminish dramatically over time as Naruto grows into a teenager, particularly once Part II begins. *Shōnen Jump* began to carry comedies such as *Gintama* and *Reborn!* from 2003 onwards, and in Tomoyuki's view this is part of the reason for the change in emphasis: *Naruto* "was not supposed to provide laughter anymore".[220]

Fujimoto argues that the story has overly traditional gender roles, noting "[...] its representations suggest that men are men and women are women and that they differ naturally regarding aptitude and vocation". For example, the girls initially outperform the boys in the Ninja Academy, but "once the boys get serious, the girls cannot keep pace". Fujimoto points out that this does not upset Sakura, who is now surpassed by Naruto. Character development based on female roles, when it does occur, again uses stereotypical roles: Tsunade, for example, a middle-aged woman with large breasts, is a clear mother figure, and when she teaches Sakura to be a medical ninja, which requires special skills possessed only by women, the story reinforces the idea that women only belong on the battlefield as healers. Tsunade herself, who is a figure of authority in *Naruto*, is portrayed as ridiculous in a way that men in the same position are not. Fujimoto suggests this presentation of women may explain why the female characters are often the most disliked characters among readers of the manga.