Naruto is the perfect example for what is wrong with Shonen Manga:
It starts great, interesting story, funny and cool characters and it gets better and better, but at a certain point it gets worse and worse.

Naruto was one of my favorites, but in Shippuden they messed it all up. The beginning is fine, Naruto and Sakura fight Kakashi and you think "wow they got really stronger" and the whole thing where they are trying to save Gaara isn't really bad. But after that they spend like what seemed to me 5 volumes just to get to Sasuke and when they are finally there Sasuke kicks their asses so bad, that you just gotta ask: "What did Jiraiya and Naruto do in those 2 years?" I mean Naruto can do nothing and Sasuke beats all 4 of them alone. Wow Orochimaru must be a way better teacher than Jiraiya. So all the time they spend to get to Sasuke was for nothing.

Let's talk about Sasuke. He is so great, is there anyone who can beat him? He even kicked Itachi's ass(Yeah i know, Itachi wanted him to win, but thats just such a lame excuse). Sorry i just hate that guy.

I could go on for pages about how much this pisses me off, but let's just say: Naruto started as a pretty good series and the early volumes are still worth reading, but later they just ruined it and many people will hate me for that, but the same goes for a lot of shonen manga, just like bleach.

HermanTheGerman

ah naruto, so many memories I had with the series back when i was a sophomore and a junior. It's a shame that during senior year everything became predictable and I can no longer find enjoyment in the series. I wish I could enjoy it again and have everything as a surprise instead of being expected.

I enjoy watching Naruto every now and then. Since I started watching the show so late after it started, it's really hard for me to understand what's going on sometimes.

I like it because it is a different type of ninja story. If every ninja that was ever in a manga/anime was the same, it would get extremely boring quick. I agree that the, "Believe it!" garbage is annoying, but that was added in because the, "Datebayo," word he uses in the Japanese version is considered a sort of low brow accent. It doesn't actually mean anything, so a word had to be subbed in when they ported it to english.

It's all good if you don't like it though, because I dig it.

I think I should clarify myself....I don't like Naruto but most of the characters are ok. Personally I like Rock Lee and Guy Sensei just becuae they are normal and Guy is just hilarious. Naruto is too annoying for my taste. So I can't say I am put off by the series but iI can say that if Naruto was somehow disposed of I would be fine with it lol.

Spoiler courtesy as usual.



Rock Lee is definitely my favorite character. The fight between him and Gaara was greatness.

As with every anime, it takes a while for the English voice actors to get the voice down for a certain character. Later in the series when the character appears again, you can tell if they either got better or worse. Most of them are usually based off of opinion. But remember Naruto is supposed to be annoying, so thats why the English one is like that. He's intended to jab a screw driver in your ear.



I think you got sub/dub mixed around, but "Believe it!" hasn't been said since the Chuunin exams.

I need to address a few things that most of you seem to hate about Naruto. Remember, Shonens are typically long, spread out series that go on FOREVER. If you do not like long series, ditch it. Before you watch it/read it you should know what you're getting yourself into before starting it. Naruto is a huge series and manga. Most of it can be downloaded online, so if you want to try it I recommend downloading a few of the manga chapters or anime episodes. Alot of hate has gone on Naruto because of its story becoming very interesting to downright boring. You just got to remember that the these boring scenes usually bulid up in later on into the action scenes which are typically more interesting and more entertaining than anything else.

The common negatives about Naruto are this:

1. Naruto only knows two moves and hasn't learned anything new except new ways of using these two moves. Making every action scene with Naruto very repetitive. This is even one of my cons of the series because Naruto is seemingly the only man in the series who hasn't showed anything new until Kakashi trains him in Shippuuden.
2. Some debate whether or not the story should be focused on just Naruto and nobody else due to the large cast of characters in Naruto. I suspect with the story being so focused on Sasuke right now, will have something to do with Naruto now since he now he has a new goal.
3. Dub/Sub. This is a topic that has a simple answer. Like subs? Watch the subs. Like dubs? Watch the dubs. People that have a cow when a series is translated need to lighten up on the dubbers. Nobody can be perfect.
4. Manga/Anime. As you know, most anime's are based off a manga. When somebody gets the bright idea to make a anime while a manga is still ongoing is only asking for trouble. Trouble that is typically called fillers. Fillers are episodes are sometimes entire arcs/sagas that are not in the manga. Fillers are always a mixed bag with everyone. I say if you love the series, watch the fillers. If you're in love with the manga and you only want to see the anime while its in canon, then ignore them. Don't continually bash them because the anime will eventually go back to canon. In a nutshell if want only canon, only read the manga.
5. Naruto's infamous filler. If you hate filler, skip to Shippuuden. That's all I can tell you.

Finally updated the first post with current information on the episodes.

I think i'll be the first to spoil everyone's fun...

Naruto is a poor excuse of an anime...

But follow me, I'm afraid I'll lose you

You see, I was there when it was "subbed" for all the fun use, I'll admit the designs, the backgrounds and the music is fantastic. The concept of Ninjas is a fantastic concept, normally its samurais, and considering Shonen Jump also has One Piece, the ultimate Ninjas vs Pirates debate continues!

Here's why...

When they dubbed the show in America, they were trying to get perfect voice actors, and they grabbed great ones, the biggest problem was the main character Naruto

Naruto's voice actor makes naruto sound more annoying than Rachael Ray's Karaoke Skills (watch $40 a day to find out!)

I could ignore the whole "Believe It!" motive, they wanted Naruto to have a catch phrase, most cartoons try and have one, just in case they were to make Quote-Tees...

But Naruto is just... just horrifying.

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Next is the plot, it's about Naruto's quest to be Hokage. Hokage is apparently japanese for "Ninja Pimp". In order to even be a ninja, he must go through an academy, learn about Chokra (which always sounds like Chocolate, and makes me Hungry) and ultimately just have pointless battles with people from other Villages.

Then you get after every few episodes a "filler" episode where they just showcase what happened in the episodes prior, "Hey Rock Lee, remember the time Naruto fought Sasuke for the Xteenth time?"

The show would've ultimately been better, if the first episode showed Naruto as Hokage (with an older, wiser narration) and just simply telling a story from his old journal entries... that would be much better, and could make me deal with the fillers...

Fillers are just what automatically makes me just dislike a series, it just says "we would like to continue making this show, so lets have a flashback". That's why me and The Simpsons are no longer on speaking terms, because of the damn Clip Shows. Naruto should have just been straight-through point a to point b to point c to point d anime...

The show is still on the air! It's hard to even imagine making any more episodes, but if it makes money, then go right ahead...

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There is also a frequent amount of characters, and normally if i miss 3-4 episodes in a row, I will not know anybody on a certain episode... which is sucktastic. There is Naruto Sakura Sasuke, that one teacher with the eyepatch, the fat kid, the guy with the big eyes, the guy with the big eyes' dad, three people who wear black nail polish and lamp shades and a pizza owner.

Also the Characters are Cliche...

Naruto - I LOVE FIGHTING! AND EATING FOOD!
Sakura - I have a crush, and am trying to be a positive role model to females
Sasuke - I have a troubled past, think i'll make a monologue.

Just a great list of characters!

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Now let's go for the final reason, Naruto is NOT for kids, but they advertise it for children...

From "Sexy Jitsu" to a "Pedophile Sensei" to "Porn-Driven Mentor" they spare no expense to say "Hey Boys, if you change your gender, people will do everything you say!" or "Hey remember kids, don't trust your teachers, they could be child molesters!" or "If you just put a "No" sign in front of your books and tell kids it's a comic book, they'll believe you"... I could go on with the buttrape, the antisemitism and the obvious yaoi undertones, but i'll save that for if I ever get my own stage at an Anime Convention.

There is a surpisingly good amount of blood still obtained in the series... even more than DBZ, even though in DBZ it looks smeared on, and here it's oozing like it's a never-ending papercut!
I'm not a parent, but I would let parents decide if its tolerable for their kids...

But finally you get the stupid "Naruto Toys" from the Futile Card Game, the Infamous "Headbands" and not to mention... GIANT SHURIKEN FRISBEES!



Like anyone in their right minds would spend the $30 to buy this!

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But once again, the artwork is fantastic, I could understand the fanbase (vaguely), but I don't understand why this is geared towards kids, or why its "Uber Popular"

But if it's between Naruto and One Piece, I'll watch Naruto any day!

HassMD, you're gonna love this one. That toy actually has a commercial. I shit you not, here it is. http://youtube.com/watch?v=-8OWzP65mQ4

Anyway, I understand everything you're saying and it is getting harder and harder to defend the series because every time it gets good, it ends up running into a filler or in several episodes where its just yap yap yap. One Piece in Japan is over 400 episodes now, and Luffy still hasn't found One Piece. Naruto is almost 300 episodes (including Shippuuden) and Naruto still isn't hokage. And in Bleach, well... Bleach doesn't have any real goal. It seems that both of its big arcs were caused by someone being kidnapped. Though since Ichigo doesn't have any real goal except A. Kill hollows and enemies and B. Save (insert name here) it makes the series a bit better compared to One Piece and Naruto.

And lastly, yes, Naruto does go with alot of stereotypes. Including pedophiles, fat kids, emos, etc. Orochimaru actually says quite a few times "Sasuke, I want your body." and licks his lips after saying it. Creepy, eh?

You're correct SanjiX, that is creepy...

And that's just how I feel about Naruto.

See I'm not an Anime Hater, there is just tons of things to dislike...

and as for the commercial, how could they find towel-size pieces of tissue paper?

According to the comments, they used Rice paper. Which is a very VERY thin kind of paper.

I'm bumping this topic back to life just because of what happened in the latest chapter.

i thought this thread was dead so, accidentally i made a new one...oh well...

again i would like to point out...

Did i already mention that the anime is ass and i encourage you all to read the manga!

I can't stand the Naruto anime. Starting the colors, prefer seing the characters in black and white so i can imagine how i would like the colors to look like. Fillers are terrible imo.
The manga on the other hand is awesome.

Yeah um...

i see your point however

I would like to apologize for sort of abandoning this thread! Links + Episodes are updated, and we have Direct downloads right on http://Naruto411.com , no registration required! And you can read the latest manga without downloading it too!

It seems that Naruto has stopped airing for now on Cartoon Network, and now nearly every Naruto episode is legally online for free... all you gotta do is to go to either Hulu or Joost. Both sites have a ton of episodes if you want to start watching the series free and legally. And yes, the quality for the legal streams beats out nearly any quality of a episode on YouTube!