Summary
Narutois one of the most beloved shonen anime of all time. Kishimoto took fans on a wild ride as they got invested in the world and characters of the series, rooting for the eponymous protagonist to get the acknowledgment of everyone in the village and eventually become Hokage. This is far from a smooth ride for Naruto, with the brash ninja facing many hurdles in his journey to become stronger and save his friend from the brink of darkness.
Theseries itself was fairly tight before the time skipas long as people avoided the heaps of filler that were piled on to the end of the show. However, onceShippudenreared its head, there were some arcs that didn’t sit well with Naruto fans. While the vast majority of these arcs are beloved by the masses, this doesn’t change the fact that some fans have genuine issues with everything from the pacing to the creative decisions made post the time-skip.
5Tenchi Bridge Reconnaissance Mission
The Reunion With Sasuke Could’ve Been Handled Better
The introduction of a new character in the form of Sai coupled with a mission totry and locate Sasukemeant that fans were finally getting the reunion between Sasuke and Naruto that they were craving for. The flash-forward scene at the start ofShippudenmay have spoiled this moment for unnecessary reasons, but fans were more than happy to witness this moment organically despite this initial misstep. However, there are some minor issues that make this arc a bit of a chore to get through at times.
While Sai is an entertaining character, his transformation from an unfeeling secret agent to a genuine friend may be a bit too hurried in the eyes of many. Naruto’s transformation against Orochimaru may have been epic, but the fight itself stutters a lot instead of moving forward in a fluid motion. Thankfully, most of these issues are done away with near the end when Team 7 finds Sasuke, who wows them with his enhanced powers before putting an end to his brief appearance.
4Sasuke Shinden: Book of Sunrise
A Side Story That Has Some Promise, But The Addition Of The Ketsuryugan Is Hard To Digest For Many
After the end ofNaruto’s manga, a bunch of light novels were released that were adapted in the anime as well. While the vast majority of these additional chapters are a joy to get through, it’s a shame that Sasuke Shinden had way more problems that stopped it from being a worthy side-adventure for everyone’s favorite anti-hero. The idea of Sasuke seeing darkness all around him whiletrying to accept Naruto’s hopeis interesting, but the execution is far from great.
The worst part about this arc is the inclusion of a brand-new dojutsu that was never seen before and is never seen after its brief appearance. For a series that prides itself on its consistency, the Ketsuryugan feels like a cheap way to draw a parallel with Sasuke’s powers. This is a shame since blood manipulation had a ton of potential. Still, Sasuke’s interactions with the villains of this arc and the power of his Sharingan make it worth checking out for fans of the series.
3Kazekage Rescue Mission
Drags On For Too Long, Even If The Time Skip Makes For A Fresh Change Of Pace
The time-skip was a brilliant way to help the characters age up and enhance their powers. Withthe news of Gaara being the Kazekage, both Naruto and the fans were invested in a mission to rescue this leader from the Akatsuki’s clutches, especially since the mission was time-bound and could result in the character’s death. The threat of the Akatsuki and Sakura’s moment in the spotlight are amazing highlights in this arc, but the anime stumbled quite a bit before getting to the good parts.
The filler fights where Guy and his squad fight mirrors of themselves feel unnecessary, and the poor pacing leads to endless shots of the main characters either heading to Gaara’s position or chasing after Deidara. Still, the introduction of new powers like Kakashi’s Kamui and Deidara’s explosives make this arc a worthwhile watch, even if it does need to be trimmed down in some areas.
2Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation
The First Few Fights In The Shinobi World War Are Far From Perfect But Still Have Their Highlights
The Fourth Shinobi World War is one of the most divisive storylines inNaruto,encompassing a massive portion of the storylineand sacrificing a lot of what made the series so special in the first place. Bringing back the villains of the past while keeping Naruto away from the action did make for some moments where the side characters got to shine, but there are various moments throughout the war that are quite puzzling.
The battle between Mifune and Hanzo is a great example of wasted potential, barely giving these characters their time in the spotlight before moving on to other affairs. Kinkaku and Ginkaku are quite powerful as well, but most people felt more of an emotional investment during the battle between Asuma and his former students. There are many great moments scattered across this portion of the war, but it’s clear that most people are waiting for Naruto to join the battle.
1Kaguya Otsutsuki Strikes
The Introduction Of A Brand New Antagonist At The Very End Angered Many Fans
There are many contentious decisions made throughoutNaruto’s run that have been criticized time and time again, but nothing comes close to the fan outcry that happened whena perfect final villain in the form of a fully-resurrected Madarawas done away with to introduce a new villain from the Otsutsuki clan meant solely to squeeze out more content from this series while it was nearing its end. Kaguya’s stature as the Mother of all Chakra makes her an intimidating foe, but she’s an antagonist that most people don’t care for all that much.
Still, seeing Team 7 combine their efforts to seal this divine enemy was a blast, and everyone knows how epic the rematch between Naruto and Sasuke was at the end of the series. This amazing battle went a long way in ensuring that the goodwill lost by the introduction of this disappointing ending was repaired somewhat.
