Naruto: Awesome or Opossum?

[Mercen-X]

Is Naruto great? Surely some believe so.

However, apparently there is a large number of people who feel differently. People who feel that Naruto should die as a series (or in some cases even his character.)

So let's discuss this rationally, shall we?

[Bahamut2000X]

Naruto is a fairly good series, it has it's faults but then again so does everything. The English version is crap, but the Japanese one is much much better, although it sucked hard core during the filler arcs and Shippuden has taken a bit of a plunge by their attempts to make sure the anime never catches up to eh manga again.

But as far as the characters and story goes it's got a fairly decent one. It's has a plethora of characters and actually takes the time to develop them. It has gotten a little old in some cases though, but it still remains a pretty good series.

Most people who hate Naruto more so just hate what it's associated with and the fan base that surrounds it, much like Halo and FFVII.

[Flying Mullet]

Awesome Opossum.

[Cloudane]

As you may guess from my Jiraiya avatar and title, I love it and watch the sub.

I would say it's brilliant, and the proof is that it's so popular and successful. The reason I love it is pretty much the same as why I like FF - it has this brilliant way of drawing you into the characters (I'll address the cliché thing in a moment) and making you care about them and using extensive amounts of emotion. I think there was hardly a single episode in Part 1 where I didn't at least feel a lump in my throat. It's written beautifully

It's not to everyone's tastes, and that's fair enough. To each his own.

Many of the younger generation in particular don't like it because it can go for several episodes at a time without a battle. For me, the battles are a means to an end, not the end itself, the story is where it's at. A lot of anime fans however are only interested in fighting and lose interest at the story bits. Short attention spans etc. I'm not saying everyone who dislikes it does for that reason though... it's just one of the more prevalent reasons I've seen.

Addressing a quote from the 'hate ff7' thread, assuming momiji doesn't mind...


As for the characters, there's the stereotypical Naruto

Personally I've never known a character quite like Naruto, though to be fair I haven't seen masses of anime. I actually started out thinking "why the hell did they pick this guy as the leading role, he's the noisiest shoutiest 'hero' I've ever seen and really rather annoying". I didn't like him. Then you hear all his back-story of all the villagers hating him for what's inside him etc and understand why he is that way and watch his character develop and mature over the years. It's one of the main attractions for me.

In Shippuuden he's quite different... much more mature, a highly skilled ninja and more befitting a main character - yet they were very careful to keep that cheeky, occasionally tactless and slightly noisy streak in him so that he's still Naruto. Character development at its best.


Then there's Sasuke, the typical angry character because he has a chip on his shoulder.

Yeah, I have to admit I don't like the character of Sasuke. He's an annoying selfish little **** (and a hypocrite... he's annoyed because his brother murdered his family so to try and gain power to avenge them he tries to murder his best friend. Riiight.) He doesn't deserve friends like Naruto trying to "save him from the darkness". But I think we're supposed to feel that way... it's all about Naruto's determination and incredible sense of friendship.


Then there's Sakura, whose name is a cliché in and of itself, personality aside. Rock Lee-- typical screw-up with impossible standards for himself. And so on and so forth.

True, many of the other characters are clichés. But hang on... think about it, how many different personalities can you actually come up with that are interesting enough to be included in a story? There's bound to be a bit of repetition between different anime series or games. Heck this is a Final Fantasy forum, we all know about clichés like Selphie/Rikku/Yuffie/Penelo and Cloud/Squall/etc.

There are not many more story-worthy personalities anyone can possibly come up with, IMO. Naruto fans already know what it's like when a character doesn't have a particularly interesting personality (her name's Tenten, even the animators forgot to put her in one of the endings!)


Second of all, where the hell IS the storyline? A good percentage of the series is filler. And what I suppose I saw of the storyline was dull and predictable.

Yes, I'll have to agree with the filler thing. Naruto is the most filler-filled anime ever made, and well documented as such (it went through a whole 2 years of non-stop filler after all the Part 1 material was used up). The storyline is spread very thinly, but it is there. It's about jinchuuriki's trying to get along in life and the reasons they were made that way, to try and sum it up. It's more of an ongoing story than one with a beginning middle and end, IMO, but it depends where Kishimoto decides to take it.

Shippuuden is very slow unfortunately. Everyone hated the years of filler at the end of Part 1, so the anime producers became absolutely paranoid about making sure it doesn't happen again... the end result is that they make almost every episode crawl by at snail's pace, with episodes like a week or two back which consisted of one conversation and a hell of a lot of staring and mood effects.

I think it would be better for them to run the series in bursts once or twice a year (like the BBC do with things like Doctor Who) rather than trying to do 52 episodes a year. The fans would whine about having to wait, but it works for Doctor Who! It makes it feel more worthwhile when it starts running again, and there wouldn't be a need to fret about catching up to the manga and inject tons of filler.


And sorry, the reason it became so popular because it's violent yet kid-friendly enough to be shown during the times children are most likely to watch it. And it's generally the battle scenes that draw them to it. This is because-- like sex, violence sells as well, despite an uninteresting story and lack of interesting characters.

Complete opposite of what I was saying earlier :p Frankly I think if people are looking for battle scenes they should look elsewhere, especially when you get to Shippuuden. I find the story and characters quite fascinating, and right now they're concentrating on those far more than they are on battles (which is driving the "action" fans absolutely nuts)



Most people who hate Naruto more so just hate what it's associated with and the fan base that surrounds it, much like Halo and FFVII.

Aye, I do believe this to be the case. The likes of Naruto and FFVII tend to attract very dedicated fans who can end up obsessing over it a bit, bringing elements of it into everyday life (oh I don't know... suddenly deciding that Ramen is the best food on the Earth is a popular one) and this tends to come across as a bit retarded and annoys some people. This kind of "fanboyism" tends to rub people up the wrong way. Hence the term 'narutard' (which I do admit to being myself on occasion. I try not to be a "fanboy" in the annoying sense, but I'm a hardened fan of both Naruto and FFVII.)

[Avarice-ness]

I don't mind the manga, as for the anime, no thanks.

[Vermachtnis]

I find it a little fun to watch. As for the anime vs manga I'm up to the fillers and I don't find them too bad so far. And the manga is okay except it seems like the arther is a Sasuke fanboy xD.

[Cloudane]

I don't read the manga (so any manga spoilers in tags please, if people wouldn't mind).

Reading it as black-and-white sketches with no voices or moving music or anything like that has never really appealed to me as the best way to experience such a story. The things that the "Sadness and Sorrow" music did for it for example...

I can see why those who do read the manga dislike the anime though, as by the time you've already seen the storyline and the character development and everything else that's awesome about Naruto, all that's left is the reproduction of the art, the animation, the pacing and the music. Usually, there are at least 2 of them sucking at once - the last 2 especially with Shippuuden.

[Avarice-ness]

I don't read the manga (so any manga spoilers in tags please, if people wouldn't mind).

Reading it as black-and-white sketches with no voices or moving music or anything like that has never really appealed to me as the best way to experience such a story. The things that the "Sadness and Sorrow" music did for it for example...

I can see why those who do read the manga dislike the anime though, as by the time you've already seen the storyline and the character development and everything else that's awesome about Naruto, all that's left is the reproduction of the art, the animation, the pacing and the music. Usually, there are at least 2 of them sucking at once - the last 2 especially with Shippuuden.

I -love- the OST to Naruto, Toshiro Masuda is an awesome composer, but I'd be much happier watching Naruto with music -ONLY-. There's been times where I'd try to watch it and then try to turn the volume down in hopes it'd shut them up and make the music louder. I can't really stand the voices english or japanese, so for me listening to the OST's and reading the manga is the best thing for me.

[Namelessfengir]

I -love- the OST to Naruto, Toshiro Masuda is an awesome composer, but I'd be much happier watching Naruto with music -ONLY-. There's been times where I'd try to watch it and then try to turn the volume down in hopes it'd shut them up and make the music louder.

fox used to do that during one piece low voices and normal music

i really like the series but ive only seen the first 100 episodes subbed (buddy had 7 dvds with about 15 episodes each so i copied them all to tape) so ive seen up to one filler segment where they are guarding some footrace.

i havent seen the english version and have no real desire to do so

my fav character is hinata and only like the naruhina pairing just so she could get more airtime

[Roto13]

Goddamn Narutards.

[Araciel]

Japan sucks.

[Cloudane]

Mature and intelligent posts there, lads :rolleyes2

[Momiji]

As you may guess from my Jiraiya avatar and title, I love it and watch the sub.

I would say it's brilliant, and the proof is that it's so popular and successful. The reason I love it is pretty much the same as why I like FF - it has this brilliant way of drawing you into the characters (I'll address the cliché thing in a moment) and making you care about them and using extensive amounts of emotion. I think there was hardly a single episode in Part 1 where I didn't at least feel a lump in my throat. It's written beautifully

It's not to everyone's tastes, and that's fair enough. To each his own.

Many of the younger generation in particular don't like it because it can go for several episodes at a time without a battle. For me, the battles are a means to an end, not the end itself, the story is where it's at. A lot of anime fans however are only interested in fighting and lose interest at the story bits. Short attention spans etc. I'm not saying everyone who dislikes it does for that reason though... it's just one of the more prevalent reasons I've seen.

Addressing a quote from the 'hate ff7' thread, assuming momiji doesn't mind...


As for the characters, there's the stereotypical Naruto

Personally I've never known a character quite like Naruto, though to be fair I haven't seen masses of anime. I actually started out thinking "why the hell did they pick this guy as the leading role, he's the noisiest shoutiest 'hero' I've ever seen and really rather annoying". I didn't like him. Then you hear all his back-story of all the villagers hating him for what's inside him etc and understand why he is that way and watch his character develop and mature over the years. It's one of the main attractions for me.

In Shippuuden he's quite different... much more mature, a highly skilled ninja and more befitting a main character - yet they were very careful to keep that cheeky, occasionally tactless and slightly noisy streak in him so that he's still Naruto. Character development at its best.


Then there's Sasuke, the typical angry character because he has a chip on his shoulder.

Yeah, I have to admit I don't like the character of Sasuke. He's an annoying selfish little **** (and a hypocrite... he's annoyed because his brother murdered his family so to try and gain power to avenge them he tries to murder his best friend. Riiight.) He doesn't deserve friends like Naruto trying to "save him from the darkness". But I think we're supposed to feel that way... it's all about Naruto's determination and incredible sense of friendship.


Then there's Sakura, whose name is a cliché in and of itself, personality aside. Rock Lee-- typical screw-up with impossible standards for himself. And so on and so forth.

True, many of the other characters are clichés. But hang on... think about it, how many different personalities can you actually come up with that are interesting enough to be included in a story? There's bound to be a bit of repetition between different anime series or games. Heck this is a Final Fantasy forum, we all know about clichés like Selphie/Rikku/Yuffie/Penelo and Cloud/Squall/etc.

There are not many more story-worthy personalities anyone can possibly come up with, IMO. Naruto fans already know what it's like when a character doesn't have a particularly interesting personality (her name's Tenten, even the animators forgot to put her in one of the endings!)


Second of all, where the hell IS the storyline? A good percentage of the series is filler. And what I suppose I saw of the storyline was dull and predictable.

Yes, I'll have to agree with the filler thing. Naruto is the most filler-filled anime ever made, and well documented as such (it went through a whole 2 years of non-stop filler after all the Part 1 material was used up). The storyline is spread very thinly, but it is there. It's about jinchuuriki's trying to get along in life and the reasons they were made that way, to try and sum it up. It's more of an ongoing story than one with a beginning middle and end, IMO, but it depends where Kishimoto decides to take it.

Shippuuden is very slow unfortunately. Everyone hated the years of filler at the end of Part 1, so the anime producers became absolutely paranoid about making sure it doesn't happen again... the end result is that they make almost every episode crawl by at snail's pace, with episodes like a week or two back which consisted of one conversation and a hell of a lot of staring and mood effects.

I think it would be better for them to run the series in bursts once or twice a year (like the BBC do with things like Doctor Who) rather than trying to do 52 episodes a year. The fans would whine about having to wait, but it works for Doctor Who! It makes it feel more worthwhile when it starts running again, and there wouldn't be a need to fret about catching up to the manga and inject tons of filler.


And sorry, the reason it became so popular because it's violent yet kid-friendly enough to be shown during the times children are most likely to watch it. And it's generally the battle scenes that draw them to it. This is because-- like sex, violence sells as well, despite an uninteresting story and lack of interesting characters.

Complete opposite of what I was saying earlier :p Frankly I think if people are looking for battle scenes they should look elsewhere, especially when you get to Shippuuden. I find the story and characters quite fascinating, and right now they're concentrating on those far more than they are on battles (which is driving the "action" fans absolutely nuts)



Most people who hate Naruto more so just hate what it's associated with and the fan base that surrounds it, much like Halo and FFVII.

Aye, I do believe this to be the case. The likes of Naruto and FFVII tend to attract very dedicated fans who can end up obsessing over it a bit, bringing elements of it into everyday life (oh I don't know... suddenly deciding that Ramen is the best food on the Earth is a popular one) and this tends to come across as a bit retarded and annoys some people. This kind of "fanboyism" tends to rub people up the wrong way. Hence the term 'narutard' (which I do admit to being myself on occasion. I try not to be a "fanboy" in the annoying sense, but I'm a hardened fan of both Naruto and FFVII.)

Of course I don't mind, as long as we can keep the discussion at a level of 'above Narutard', unlike Mr. Sephitachi in the FFVII thread.

I'll put it this way. I've never been a fan of shounen anime, and Naruto is no exception. My dislike is further extended because of the filler, the characters, and the poor dialogue in the US dub (I really won't be bothered to watch the sub if I don't like the concept of the anime, period). Now, if all the unnecessary filler was taken out and put into novel form (not manga), I'm sure I would not mind reading it. I'd rather use my imagination for some of the concepts of the series, to be honest.

As for the characters, I suppose you're right. However, my opinions of the characters remain the same.

And it's fine that you like it, it's just that the 'Naruto>ALL!!!!!!1111one' mindset of the majority of the Narutards drives me insane. And I do respect the fact that you can calmly explain your reasoning despite my hot-headed comments in the FFVII thread. And I'm sure not everyone has my 'magical girlfriend'/moe/romantic comedy (and the occasional shoujo) anime fixation that I have. Basically, what I'm trying to say is: Like what you like, but don't be a closed-minded fool about it and don't shove it down my throat.

And honestly, like what Bahamut2000X was saying, it's the fanbase that annoys me more than the anime (Don't get me wrong, I still hate the anime as well). For example, it's so irritating to see the hopeless Narutards walking around stores and such wearing those silly headbands. Put it this way: would you like to see Chobits fans wearing Persocom ears publicly, or Moon Phase fans wearing neko mimi headbands publicly? Of course not. (Note: Chobits and Moon Phase are my favorite anime series.)

Ramen is freaking amazing, and my opinions have never been persuaded by Naruto.


But I guess it's best said this way: I'll like what I like, you like what you like, keep it at that.

[Goldenboko]

I don't think its great, and I don't think its awful. I can find it interesting at times, but there's also times where I just want to punch it in the face. Although, That whole Sasuke V. Naruto match when he was running away was a plethora of crap. Way too many flashbacks I was already sick of Sasuke's flashbacks by then anyway, and really way to random. It was basically, "I have the godly skills," "Ha, now I have teh godly skills," "No I have teh godly skillorz for _________ reason." Instead of making a good close fight they came up with this bull:skull::skull::skull::skull: every three seconds to drastically change the tide of the battle.


Other then then I find it mediocre.

EDIT: Although them calling themselves Ninja, and using "Ninjustu" (isn't that how they spell it?) is really bullcrap.

[blackmage_nuke]

Fillers and shippuden anime suck

Manga is pretty cool

I like all the characters.

And Sasuke isnt a hypocrite, he doesnt try to kill Naruto. Thats a big part of it.
If your basing this off the first few minutes of the shippuden anime then theres a mild surprise coming. (i dont know where the anime is up to right now but its in the manga)

[Cloudane]

I see nothing wrong with any of that Momiji. I can see why the genre isn't to your particular tastes, which is fair enough :)

And yeah, I find rabid fanboys (or fangirls) of anything annoying too. It's one thing to intelligently put forth reasons why you like something and even reasoned arguments in favour of the elements being discussed. Even saying that it's >all in your personal opinion isn't too bad.

It's entirely another thing to go around slagging off people who don't agree, or going into a competing anime/game/product/whatever's web forums and saying that it sucks compared to Naruto (or whatever is being fanboy'd). Trolling, flaming, that kind of stuff.

It works both ways too of course, people who dislike the thing should also go fort reasoned arguments rather than "haterism"

As for head bands etc. Ugh. I wouldn't be angry, I'd just shake my head and pity the person for being so weird. In a "WTF are you thinking, you do not look cool at all, you do not look like a hardened ninja, you just look like a retard" kind of way. The one exception I have, is that I do own a t-shirt with the leaf logo on it. But to most people it's completely meaningless, it's just there to strike up conversation if a fan happens to spot it, and t-shirts for stuff have been normal for decades.

[Mercen-X]

I've skipped the statements made thus far to point out one thing. Momiji is right about the stereotypes. Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about that. Humans have existed for 2-4 thousand years. Stories have existed almost precisely that long. Books, television, and movies all use stereotypes to define their characters. Everyone who is alive today is a stereotype regardless of whether we choose to admit it. About the only thing we can do is to stop using the word.

There is not a book, show, movie, anime, or game whose character's or plot development is completely original. It's completely impossible to attempt such a thing. No matter how you look at it, what you read, see, or hear will be reminiscent of something else and it's completely up to you to label it as stereotypical or cliche.

I've never been a fan of shounen anime, and Naruto is no exception. My dislike is further extended because of the filler, the characters, and the poor dialogue in the US dub (I really won't be bothered to watch the sub if I don't like the concept of the anime, period). Now, if all the unnecessary filler was taken out and put into novel form (not manga), I'm sure I would not mind reading it. I'd rather use my imagination for some of the concepts of the series, to be honest.Not liking a specific genre certainly does not give you leave to discredit it, Momiji, please keep that in consideration.

I have also been filled with contempt at the filler and certain things the characters say and do. Honestly though, I've heard the Japanese version (as well as for plenty of other shows) and the dub/sub is never the problem. If I like a show, the language doesn't bother me. An old friend of mine was crazy over the original lines of dialogue for DBZ, but I thought they sounded just as ridiculous. But that didn't dissuade me from watching the show. That's all just my opinion though, and still not enough to give me the right to bash that or any other show.

Truth be told, I presume your bashing was inspired by irritation and hope that it wasn't sincere as there is a noticable difference between insults and critiques.

[Big D]

EDIT: Although them calling themselves Ninja, and using "Ninjustu" (isn't that how they spell it?) is really bullcrap.I know nothing of this 'Naruto' except screenshots, but I still feel compelled to point out that actual Ninja work usually didn't involve cartwheeling through windows in a black bodysuit. The popular conception of ninja practice, and the historical reality, are usually wildly different.

[Cloudane]

I'm guessing it didn't involve running around in an orange jumpsuit shouting either, but it's just a term used in a fictional world. No sense worrying over realism 'cos it's not meant to be realistic :)

I agree 100% on Mercen-X's statements about stereotypes/clichés. That's pretty much what I said, but written much better.

[Momiji]

I've skipped the statements made thus far to point out one thing. Momiji is right about the stereotypes. Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about that. Humans have existed for 2-4 thousand years. Stories have existed almost precisely that long. Books, television, and movies all use stereotypes to define their characters. Everyone who is alive today is a stereotype regardless of whether we choose to admit it. About the only thing we can do is to stop using the word.

There is not a book, show, movie, anime, or game whose character's or plot development is completely original. It's completely impossible to attempt such a thing. No matter how you look at it, what you read, see, or hear will be reminiscent of something else and it's completely up to you to label it as stereotypical or cliche.

I've never been a fan of shounen anime, and Naruto is no exception. My dislike is further extended because of the filler, the characters, and the poor dialogue in the US dub (I really won't be bothered to watch the sub if I don't like the concept of the anime, period). Now, if all the unnecessary filler was taken out and put into novel form (not manga), I'm sure I would not mind reading it. I'd rather use my imagination for some of the concepts of the series, to be honest.Not liking a specific genre certainly does not give you leave to discredit it, Momiji, please keep that in consideration.

I have also been filled with contempt at the filler and certain things the characters say and do. Honestly though, I've heard the Japanese version (as well as for plenty of other shows) and the dub/sub is never the problem. If I like a show, the language doesn't bother me. An old friend of mine was crazy over the original lines of dialogue for DBZ, but I thought they sounded just as ridiculous. But that didn't dissuade me from watching the show. That's all just my opinion though, and still not enough to give me the right to bash that or any other show.

Truth be told, I presume your bashing was inspired by irritation and hope that it wasn't sincere as there is a noticable difference between insults and critiques.

What I said in the FFVII thread was based on my irritation. But since we can all have a nice, mature conversation, my opinions are strongly based on critique. And I'm sorry, I'm just not into shounen anime, period. Naruto just happens to be the unfortunate series that fits my reason the most. And to be honest, I wouldn't hate it half as much if they got rid of the filler, did a better job of the dialogue, and spiced up the story a bit more to fit my interests a bit more. Perhaps it's just because I can't relate to the characters like I can in some of the series that I watch. I don't really know.

As for bashing, what I was saying really wasn't meant as a 'bash' (my reply to Sephitachi aside). Not in here, at least. I'm just giving my reasons as to why I dislike Naruto. I do believe that the fact that I am entitled to my opinion gives me enough reason to critique something I don't particularly care for. ;)

[41-Inches-Wide]

Okay fine you all hate me. :jess:

I love Naruto a lot. I was even obsessed with it after reading the manga. I edited all my pictures on MS Paint, putting in Konoha headbands and putting Naruto whiskers on my face. That's how I enjoyed Naruto. There's only few things in this world that makes me pumped up and excited. Reading fast-paced great Manga is one thing. So I don't mind the haters/irritated people, to each his own.

I have never watched the anime, but I think I will be getting the Naruto DVD compilation as soon as it's available along with Shippuden.
I know that most of you have given Naruto a chance, watched a couple of episodes and all. What I don't like is people judging something they have honestly not given a chance. If you don't like it then you don't like it. But give it a chance. Read the first 20 volumes. There's no reason for the Naruto hype if the whole thing is crap. There's gotta be a reason why there's a huge, annoying fanbase for it. :heart:

[Momiji]

. So I don't mind the haters/irritated people, to each his own.

Yeah! And besides, you like all the stuff I like too! :kaoclove:

[Randgris]

In a scale of 1 - 10, I'd give it a 7. I don't care what they say, it's fun to watch.

[Bakamut]

I think that Naruto's really overrated. There's soooo many better Animes out there.

[NeoCracker]

Not a great show, but I enjoy it all the same.

Fights are fun, stories and characers are all pretty good. (Except Sakura and Sasuke, I hate them oh so much. Though Shikamaru and Shino kick ass.)

Overall, it's an alright show. I think it would have been way better if they didn't try to make it a kids show. I think that was probably the thing holding it back the most.

[Cloudane]

Sakura is highly annoying (Shippuuden spoiler warning, for the dub watchers) but she's about a million times better in Shippuuden. She's completely stopped obsessing over Sasuke, that's now Naruto's job.

[aquatius]

I feel indifferent to the series. I am completely put off from it by its annoying fandom and main character, though.

So I would say opossum.

[Sephitachi7]

Of course I don't mind, as long as we can keep the discussion at a level of 'above Narutard', unlike Mr. Sephitachi in the FFVII thread.



Ouch! Lol wow.

Look man I like Naruto and you don't. Regardless there isn't any need for that. Why you feel it's necessary to personally attack me I'm not exactly sure but I don't mind it.

You should give the real series a try. The storyline is actually pretty good and unpredictable. Some of my favorite parts were the Chuunin Exam and the 'kidnapping' of Sasuke if you can call it that. If it's not like you to like good fight scenes I think you'd appreciate the storyline. As for any one else that enjoys good fight scenes, I think all the fights are great (with exception of Sakura vs. Ino... what a bore).

I think it is an anime that everyone should try at least once. If you like it, good. If not, also good.

Definitely, in my opinion, awesome.

[Momiji]

Of course I don't mind, as long as we can keep the discussion at a level of 'above Narutard', unlike Mr. Sephitachi in the FFVII thread.



Ouch! Lol wow.

Look man I like Naruto and you don't. Regardless there isn't any need for that. Why you feel it's necessary to personally attack me I'm not exactly sure but I don't mind it.


Look, I'm sorry, but whether you agree or not, you definitely filled the 'Narutard' persona in the other thread. In this case, I was using your post as an indirect example and not a personal attack. It's fine that you like it and all, but you really were overglorifying it while calling me ignorant.

As for me trying to enjoy it, I just couldn't. I watched a few episodes when Cartoon Network had a marathon of Naruto (100 shows in 2 or 3 days, I can't remember how long), and the only episode I remember actually enjoying was one where was this one ninja (the name escapes me, this was a year ago) surrounded Naruto with a bunch of mirrors and kept attacking him from behind. I found it entertaining to see Naruto get the living daylights beaten out of him. That and I liked the concept of that battle. Other than that, I was horribly disappointed with all the other episodes I watched. My little brother was engrossed with it though, much to my dismay.

[DK]

I can not be arsed to watch Naruto but No Boy No Cry is a badass song and I'll give Naruto props just for using it for a theme song.

[Azure Chrysanthemum]

Meh. While I do enjoy me a good shounen beat 'em up series, I prefer Bleach to Naruto, as Bleach has a wide cast of interesting characters whereas Naruto's cast I could care less about. Plot-wise Bleach is also more interesting, to me at least.

Part of this may be because I REALLY don't care about Sasuke at all. Never really liked him, what with the silent and grumpy thing. At least Ishida, Sasuke's Bleach counterpart (and amusingly enough voiced by the same Japanese seiyuu Noriaka Sugiyama) is entertaining.

Naruto also generally annoyed me, incompetent and stupid heroes aren't necessarily my thing, and Naruto just wasn't that compelling of a hero to me. He was a brat, and I didn't really like that. His Bleach counterpart Ichigo, on the other hand, was a punk, and I prefer both his variety of slapstick and the more general comedic interactions he has, as well as his general more serious facade.

Sakura's obsession with Sasuke and apparent inability to be otherwise worthwhile made me disregard her as a character pretty much immediately. Her Bleach counterpart, Orihime (or Rukia, I'm going with Orihime for this one) is hilarious and adorable, which mitigates that.

I have been told Shippuden is much better, but I'm not invested in the characters now, so while I'll read it in my sister's Shounen Jump if it's available, I'm not really interested in pursuing it.

[Jessweeee♪]

Saw a few episodes, it was okay. Nice music n.n

Naruto fans are scary .-.

[Cloudane]

The characters were supposed to start off annoying, and mature in Shippuuden. Unfortunately they put so much filler into Part 1 (starting with huge half-episode flashbacks of the episode before, then moving onto filler material and episodes, then the entire 3-4 series of the stuff) it lasted forever and a day, instead of like a year. So people see it as the be all and end all of the series, and not just the first part.

[Chunk]

I'll admit it... I'm a Naruto fan .

I think why I have enjoyed it so much is that I never even heard of it until about 2 years ago, so never got involved with all the hype of what the kids see in it... Still have not even viewed a Naruto site(never will,).

So, I never got the disposition from the die hard Naruto fan nerds. I think I'll just enjoy it as I go along through the series... Still stuck at the end of season 4... Want to learn where the rest is =P

[Azure Chrysanthemum]

The characters were supposed to start off annoying, and mature in Shippuuden. Unfortunately they put so much filler into Part 1 (starting with huge half-episode flashbacks of the episode before, then moving onto filler material and episodes, then the entire 3-4 series of the stuff) it lasted forever and a day, instead of like a year. So people see it as the be all and end all of the series, and not just the first part.

If it takes that long to make the series not annoying, planned or not, it's not an example of compelling writing.

[NeoCracker]

I only found three characters to be annoying. (However they were the three mains, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura. :p)

For the most part I think the characters were rather good aside from them though.

[Azure Chrysanthemum]

I only found three characters to be annoying. (However they were the three mains, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura. :p)

For the most part I think the characters were rather good aside from them though.

I think the only characters I particularly enjoyed were Shikamaru and Jiraiya. Shikamaru is fairly awesome though.

[black orb]

>>> Kishimoto has been improving a lot since the early chapters, art and story, everything is better.

I dont know about the anime..

[Sarc the Swordsman]

Real ninjas are cool. Naruto ninjas are not. It's a disgrace - real ninjas don't run around acting like stuck up kids in colourful clothing, shouting and casting magical spells.

Just ask Ask a Ninja. He'll tell you what a disgrace Naruto is.

[NeoCracker]

I only found three characters to be annoying. (However they were the three mains, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura. :p)

For the most part I think the characters were rather good aside from them though.
I think the only characters I particularly enjoyed were Shikamaru and Jiraiya. Shikamaru is fairly awesome though.
Yes, those two are in fact awesome. Sasori is also quite cool, but you don't see him until Shippuuden.


Real ninjas are cool. Naruto ninjas are not. It's a disgrace - real ninjas don't run around acting like stuck up kids in colourful clothing, shouting and casting magical spells.

Just ask Ask a Ninja. He'll tell you what a disgrace Naruto is.

Saddly Ask a Ninja is also a disgrace.

Another thing that would help Naruto is if they called them something other then Ninja.

Hell, Chakra user would be superior.

[Lynx]

i like the show i like the shippuden episodes more. i wish naruto would get some cooler attacks soon though. the rasengan is cool and his variations of it but come on other ninjas have way more then him. its always shadow clone, rasengan nothing else time for some new attacks.

the story is pretty good though im hopeing once sasuke finishes his buisness with itachi he and naruto become frineds again. oh and things would just be so much better if even despite the manag calling toby madara he does turn out to be obito it just makes sense.

[Mercen-X]

I can not be arsed to watch Naruto but No Boy No Cry is a badass song and I'll give Naruto props just for using it for a theme song.
What's No Boy No Cry? Which season/volume is that for?

I actually like Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. Sasuke reminds me of the attitude I held growing up. Naruto reminds me of my cousin whom we called "Buddy" and Sakura reminds me of his sister whom I absolute adore to this day.
As for more serious considerations of character behavior and development, I like Shikamaru, Shino, Neji, and even Rock Lee.
I've always been interested in Kakashi and the Hokages as well.

[DK]

I'm afraid I haven't got a clue, my good man. I just heard that they used that Stance Punks for a Naruto theme song.

This one! But the video version is slightly suckier than the album version, even though it's still a good track. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UAi1SEXtV8)

[Cloudane]

What's No Boy No Cry?

A brilliant opening theme, but also a sign that the fillers have started... enjoy them because there's a couple of years worth ;)

[StRiFe'S yOuNg ApPrEnTiCe]

I love naruto, and i'll admit i'm a hardcore narutard. ^^

But even I have to admit that fillers suck. The american version of the show is REALLY bad, mainly 'cause of the voices, but the manga is brilliant. But, all Shonen manga is the same.

The main characters always get their asses whooped, and most of the time come across as annoying. (especially naruto) But, this show DEFINATLY has to grow on you. It's not like you watch an episode and you love it. so... I LOVE NARUTO! (hurray Kakashi!):D

[Cloudane]

I'm one of the select few who actually quite liked the filler seasons. They fleshed out some of the characters a bit more, and had some quite nice stories. But I watched them back-to-back... if I'd been sitting around for 2 years waiting for the actual story to continue, I'd have been annoyed.

[Mercen-X]

Now that I think about it, that is pretty true. I did enjoy learning more about the characters once I stopped thinking too much on the main story.

[blackmage_nuke]

I'm one of the select few who actually quite liked the filler seasons. They fleshed out some of the characters a bit more, and had some quite nice stories. But I watched them back-to-back... if I'd been sitting around for 2 years waiting for the actual story to continue, I'd have been annoyed.


Now that I think about it, that is pretty true. I did enjoy learning more about the characters once I stopped thinking too much on the main story.

Thats actually one of the reason i dislike shippuden. The wasy they add characterisation means that at the begining of Shippuden they dont leave the same impression as they would in the original manga or if there werent any fillers.

And example is Hinata, she shouldnt have appeared again after the chunnin exams and we keep that impression of the emotonally and physically weak girl. But the fillers show her as growing stronger and such. Then when she appears in Shippuden she's back to her old self. I try to just forget what happened in the fillers but after 2 years of it its hard to push away.

[Wolf Kanno]

I like Naruto but I can't say I'm a fanboy. Of anything, I still read up on the series only cause I invested too much time to just leave it and not know what happened to the many loose ends in the series. For most, I would say its a well written show and has a wonderfully diverse cast of characters at its disposal.

I feel the first part (Beginning to Rescue Sasuke Mission) was actually quite amazing and beautifully told. Not many series touch upon death, sacrifice and "tools of the government" like Naruto did. Of the three main Fighting animes currently airing (Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece) I feel Naruto was the only one to bring a strong emotional relevance to itself from the beginning. The series has always been slightly more mature than the others. Though Bleach and One Piece did eventually catch up (and lately I would even say surpassed) as their series went on; Naruto kinda started off heavy and worked towards a level of balance. Naruto's tale of isolation and wishing to prove himself is a common theme in shonen anime, but rarely is it told well like it was in Naruto.

Naruto introduces us to a wonderfully diverse cast of characters and the first part really gives many of them a moment to shine. Neji fighting against his fate, Hinata learning to be confident in herself, Shikamaru learning to be responsible, Rock Lee fighting to prove himself, Jiraya trying to stop history repeating itself, The Third Hokage's death, Gaara's struggle to find humanity, Tsunade learning to let go, Kakashi trying to redeem himself through Sasuke and Naruto, and even Sasuke's personal battle between revenge and learning to open up to others. All these characters

Now the fillers I can do without. I feel the manga is canon so the fillers never happened and since I don't watch Shippuden I doubt they will affect me.

Shippuden (the manga) on the other hand, I have mixed feelings. The characterization is heavy in the beginning but the series quickly devolves into battle after battle after battle. Major characters are killed left and right, huge secrets are finally revealed and basically, it just feels to me like the author is finally done with everything and just trying to wrap it all up. The time jump quickly feels like we're progressing towards an eventual end. Now its great to have alot of plot threads finally wrapped up (Like Itachi ans Sasuke's showdown) but the strong characters and interactions are sacrificed to do it. Outside of Shikamaru, Gaara, and Jiraya; all the other character get slight cameos and nothing else. The story revolves completely around Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. Sure a few new characters are introduced but they are either quickly dispatched or fall into the background with all the other characters. Its a shame too...

Overall, I feel its a pretty good series.

[Jessweeee♪]

I actually just skipped all of the fillers xD

I started Shippuden, and never got around to finishing :p

[Mercen-X]

When I got my hands on Volume 28 of the Naruto manga, for some reason, I just skipped right to the end. In it I found Kakashi's head-trip and I was just like, "wow".