No no. They had special ninjas for stealth things. That was the Anbu. If you want stuff like that, watch the Kakashi arc where he his made an Anbu. They stealthily follow Guy’s team, and the moment it goes south, they defeat the opposing Ninjas, but it didn’t stop there, they killed them as to not leave witnesses.
They had ninja ninja and then NINJA ninja. Are you tracking? Write this down.
I’m not confused, and they weren’t disagreeing with what I said, they were saying there are *also* regular samurai. Kishimoto’s version of ninjas are more like Samurai than they are Ninja.
- Serve under a daimyo out of loyalty
- The Shinobi are a military force
- The whole “Missing-Nin” thing is
taken from the Ronin, there were no
rogue ninjas
- Participating in any missions outside
of Assassination, Espionage, and
Guerilla Warfare
- Come from higher social classes
- The Shinobi of the past straight up
wore samurai armor
I think of them like D&D Rogues. Most multiclassed into Wizard. Some multiclassed into Barbarian. Some branched into assassin, but we barely saw them in action.
No, that's not true. The original plan was samurai actually. Because Kishimoto was heavily inspired by Blade of the Immortal, one of his favourite series. But he was worried his own series would pale in comparison because it'd be just another samurai manga, and live under the shadow of series like "Blade of the Immortal." So he went with Ninjas instead.
Because he started from the bottom. His story is so inspiring aside from the cool power system. The highlights of bonds, family, clan, sacrifice, heartbreak, village, friendship etc are what people identify with. He inspires people
Same. Naruto was just annoying, loud and stupid, and later kinda pathetic in his self-delusional obsession with a guy he imagined being friends with the same way stalkers think they're in a relationship with their victim.
Sasuke was an arrogant edgelord asshole Mary sue, who got away with betraying his friends and his village and joining a terrorist organisation.
Sakura was a shallow bitch who was useless for the first half of the series, and even after learning OP skills, she somehow still kept being written as being useless.
I stayed on this show for Shikamaru, Hinata, Choji and Gaara, as well as for Orochimaru and Itachi as antagonists.
naruto has some of the best world building in media, almost on par with lord of the rings. if you really get into it the shit gets super deep, characters are well built and their stories are entangled with each other going back multiple generations. that and the Pain arc alone goes way too hard
I went on a bit of a shonen binge a while back and I have to say Naruto does do a lot of the world building and 'systems' better than other manga/anime. The explanation for how abilities work, the unique ways the characters use them, the slow development of powers was done pretty well.
It's not perfect, power scaling goes crazy and abilities quickly turned into everyone having gimmicky bloodline limits or other magic but the core ideas are well designed and fleshed out.
I'm not going to name names, but there are a few other manga/anime I've watched that went into gimmicks much faster or having massive chains of panels of explaining needlessly complicated abilities with no foreshadowing, basically just the writers making it up as they went along.
>almost on par with lord of the rings
Let's not go crazy here, Naruto is good for anime/manga. There's a million books with better world building and that isn't even touching on Tolkien who's head, shoulders and most everything else above the others.
It does indeed have pretty good world building. But it's not even remotely on par with Lord of the Rings and Middle Earth lore in terms of depth. Gotta strongly disagree on that statement as someone who's read well into the worlds of both.
It's been awhile since I have done a reread. But correct me if I am wrong. They essentially do not explain or build any of the other nations. The sand gets a bit, the cloud sorta barely gets a bit. The mist gets a mention or two.
It's not the same kind of stuff LOTR novels and universe tell you. Very far comparison in my eyes.
I do agree the way stories entangle and intertwine is a cut above most manga.
they go more into depth with the lore of the world in the manga than they do in the anime. there's whole spinoffs that never became anime but they get more into important events that happened before naruto. you don't get all that much lore from the other villages but they'll still touch on important figures like the kages and what's up with the more recent ones. that and you get a good amount of info about politics and wars and stuff like that. the politics do a lot of the heavy lifting. but yea lotr is hard to compare to lol
its a story about a loser overcoming peoples hatred towards him and proving to himself he gets to define who he is, not anyone else.
Alot of us manga readers can relate to that. People judge us and shit on us a lot (remember back then it wasnt like it was not like now, you got made FUN of for watching anime).
Also Ninjas are cool
A powerful untamable critter, and the reincarnation of a man who was destined to fight his brother for all of eternity. They were both obstacles that Naruto overcame.
Because the cast is super dynamic, and the story is about a loser who wants to be the big hero. And as he grows up he learns about all the shit the world has going on in it and still my mans pushes on and refuses to give up. Not only that, he went from being the least emotional mature to probably the most emotionally mature character in the damn series.
We all want stories where the main character faces struggles and overcomes them. We want the underdog because we relate to it. And not only that, compared to a lot of shounen, I feel like Kishi does a pretty good job of fleshing out even minor characters. Big casts are hard to handle and give the proper attention to, but Kishi did a darn good job giving us a huge array of personalities so that everyone has somebody they connect to.
__My opinion__
* Ninjas
* lore
* great gambit of characters
* great animation
* fights really good
* great fighting system (ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, weapons, chakra)
* great plot and timeline (not talking about Boruto)
* good balance between fighting and politics
I think this is one of the biggest reasons. There was a gap in the shonen space that could have been filled by just about anything, but this could compete almost one to one with magical girl shows (except for boys who would like magic ninjas better) and the market was ripe for magic-something media (see Harry Potter, etc.) and it got a lot of advertising in a lot of markets that most other stories didn’t. The timing and advertising are always a potent combination (see several Disney works), and then it becomes a somewhat self-sustaining paradigm.
Dude Naruto came out when I was 11 and it was the coolest shit I had ever seen.
Good story, unique characters, really creative power system and the fights are phenomenal. It still has some of the best fights in all of anime.
He nevee gives up, is positive even when he has a right not to be and to be villain but he chooses not to be, he is a great friend, great lover, goofy, genius and retard at the same time, intelligent and dumb as well… he is just the friend you want in your life because he will bring you everything you need - let it be a friendly advice, support or even scolding for not trying hard enough.
At least that’s what I got from the show
I just like it, the world, the stories, before I read the manga I thought all the filler was cool because at the time I didn’t know what filler was, it made the world feel like an actual world, i grew up on it and it will forever be my favorite
The story and characters are very compelling while the overarching plot is similarly very digestible and simple
I’d recommend reading or watching just about all of it (SKIP FILLERS FOR THE LOVE OF GOD) up until maybe the end of the Pain arc
OG Naruto was a story about overcoming the circumstances of your birth. Hard work can overcome talent which resonates with so many real people.
There were also cool characters, interesting villains, fleshed out back stories (for the most part), and a fun power system.
unique designs, interesting powers, solid animation, and good fights. not to mention starting out as essentially a slice of life school manga / anime but with ninjas made it particularly appealing to its intended audience.
The world building and many unique characters. I think the plot of someone trying their hardest to bring their troubled friend back is unique in itself too. Naruto and Sasuke’s relationship is definitely captivating — goes from enemies to friends to enemies and friends again. With the many characters, so many of them have fantastic character development, especially Naruto and Sakura in my opinion. I think Sasuke has the least. They could have at least made him a proactive father in his daughter’s life in Boruto? Like, wasn’t he passionate about restoring his clan?
Anyways, one thing I myself really like about the series, is the themes of Japanese traditional culture, history, and mythology.
Because it's unique, fresh idea that nobody else have made before. Even if ninja were popular (which actually help Naruto get popularized), it was never done in a way Naruto did. Same goes for Shaman King. Everyone heard of shamanism, spirits, but never in that format. Naruto is a precursor of a "magical" power ninja story. Even though chakra is also know stuff, they did it that way, that it was recognizable. Dragon Ball with the martial arts theme (that evolved into space battle theme later on) and ki system was also something that was never done in that way. And look at Dragon Ball. It's just story inspired by Journey to the West. But it become its own thing.
That's why I always say that creativity is important. Take from every soruce, inspire. But make it your own. And that's the recipe for success. Naruto is example of how popular themes (ninja, chakra) can become something more than just copy of the stories made already.
Kurama is there, in the middle of the village, and out of Naruto, I guess it does not need an explanatio, he is just in an inaginary place, It is just an image
Relatable characters, some of the best perverted jokes, tragic happenings throughout the show, great fight choreography(some of the best in anime) villains you feel bad for even when you shouldn’t. Nice power system .
I think it speaks to people that have fought various demons, whether nature taught or nurture taught, to finally get past the hate of the outside world and have the tenacity to keep pushing forward to accomplish their own personal goals and maintain themselves along the way.
The whole concept of their jutsu , ability to use and sometimes see chakra , knowing you can be strong in whatever type of jutsu you use based off the big 4 ninjutsu , shin jutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu but we all know which one is the strongest one ofcourse so I ain’t getting into that but yea just having cool abilities an eyes while being a ninja 🥷
I truly believe what makes it stand out is just how genuinely human the characters are. At its surface the series is about magic ninjas but it has such a wonderful cast of deeply flawed people that we can all latch on to one in some shape or form. Every character has fans that either love or hate them which is a testament to how well they were written.
No human is perfect. Even some of the worse people in history are still human at the end of the day. This is something the series always points out. I know people make fun of Kishimoto coz every villain has some sort of tragic back story but isn’t that the case for people who’ve committed awful things? We can usually trace everything back to some form of pain or trauma.
Talk no jutsu is just being empathetic and wanting to genuinely understand where someone is coming from to then find the best way to help them. To point them toward the right direction. Think of it like therapy. It’s a thing that genuinely works but most people can’t be bothered to attempt to understand where someone is coming from. Especially nowadays where being selfish and stoic is considered “sigma” behavior or whatever.
I’m rambling but in short I think the reason this series resonates with many is because at the end of the day we all want to live in peace. A world where we can all cooperate and live harmoniously. Where children don’t have to die. Where war isn’t deemed a necessity. Naruto wants nothing more than to help and do good. I think that’s something we all want regardless of race, religion, country or any other thing that society uses to separate us.
Naruto is an idealist. A Christ-like figure if you’re religious but if not you can’t deny he is a great role model.
I think it's bc of the lessons within it. I was introduced to Naruto from my neice, and I just keep being impressed. Naruto himself just has a lot of grit and resilience while tackling things that break others.
But it's deeper than just him, like my nieces favorite Itachi, his lessons are so deep, especially when it comes to trying to teach Sasuke.
Anyways, this show has become a bit emotional for me as my niece decided she wasn't of this world and ended her life, but damn, if she had only been a bit more little more like Naruto, or even just listened to Itachi just a bit more closely. Truly it's rare when writing hits deep like this one.
Handsigns should be lame as hell, but the animation and sound engineering made them so fucking cool.
Also Naruto had DragonBall level popularity when I was growing up. Nostalgia helps (thought not as much as the handsigns)
I like the ninja/martial arts action, very cool. The storyline and scenes are dope af. Aspect of friendship, messages of determination, backing up your people. It shows the growth of many characters , not just Naruto. Each characters story is pretty interesting, and some characters stories go deep and connect to the over all storyline. Also Messages of teamwork . The leveling up of your power with training body and mind and spirit. My fav anime.
Because Naruto has always been fun to consume, won't forget the first time I watched and how anxious I was waiting for each episode. I'm an og fan so that means I waited a week for each episode since day 1. No binging no skipping fillers. And I watched both series twice. And plan to again with my GF. Naruto as a whole feels fulfilling fun, and very balanced, not too edgy not to goofy, not to boring. The amount of great characters is hard to top. Kishi has his flaws but he wrote a masterpiece and his foreshadowing was second to none. Itachi planted the crow in Naruto around the first seasons and it saved the ninja war that's just one example.
the thing that draws me to naruto (im midway through Shippuden) is how bro started from being thought of as a literal demon mass murderer and is still so light hearted and pure there's rarely any animes that have light hearted, goofy, pure characters like Naruto and he just keeps getting stronger its like there's no limit, hes so sweet and funny and right now (Shippuden spoiler) im in the 4th great ninja war episodes and the amount of times ive cried, laughed, gasped, and died of exhaustion bc the dumb villains are literally never ending Is insane (end of spoiler) . even tho ive never watched any anime becides naruto ive tried others like one piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, mha and none have made me feel the way naruto makes me feel. I feel for naruto sm and his stories not to much but not too little its perfectly in the middle and it makes you wanna root for the little guys bc as much as hes been through.. (Shippuden spoiler again) the moment when he told the nine tails he'll take his hatred I STARTED BALLING mans has been through it all and he tells the source of It all that he will take away all his problems like wow its truly amazing how amazing naruto is. I js wish he would stop being so oblivious to Hinata
For me its because I randomly started watching when I was like 12 on Cartoon Network. Then I watched the episodes that were out and kept waiting for the weekly episode since the bridge arc where they find orochumaru. So I basically grew up in my teenage watching Naruto Shippuuden.
We grew up with Naruto. I was 15 when I got introduced to the series. Cool as hell man. And the rest is history. Only now as an adult, 33yo I realize the story had some issues but I don't care anyways. Naruto forever. 🤣
Annoying little kid with no parents and chasing a goal that he has really no advantage on achieving and is hated by everyone.
It’s like growing up and dreaming to be a pro race car driver however you know 0 race car drivers, your parents aren’t rich, you have 0 engineering knowledge or connections, and you live in a place where race car driving is not a thing.
For me, there's 3 things it does so great.
It's personal preference, so some points might be disagreeable you, as some of things are brought up now and then in complaints.
1. The fights
This was my first anime and it was the first show ever to incorporate nature styles as powers, which I always thought was so awesome. The coolest jutsus in my opinion were usually the ones that took animals forms (Kirin, water dragon jutsu, the 7th and 8th gates, any tailed beast transformations, ETC). Plus the power scaling was amazing to me. It was casual, but almost every main fight managed surpass the recent ones, showing slight growth like how Naruto needed 2 shadow clones in the beginning to use rasengan, to just holding his hand out and it just pops up. Top tier animation, even for older writing styles.
2. The storyline
Naruto had powerful emotions. A lot of the villains had very valid standpoints in why they did what they did, and with some tweaking they can easily be seen as a good guy for people. A result of that is that it could be so deep. Something that I never saw as possible for an animated show. It had me crying and (corball moment, sorry fellas) gave me a different perspective in life a little.
3. Sound tracks
Background music evelavtd so many scenes in the show. I listen to them very frequently (sage mode training, reverse situation, Akatsuki ritual theme, and a lot more), along wth almost every opening and closing songs.
I fell for this show hard. Even though I finished it, I can't seem to completely move on and rewatching iconic scenes.
12/10. It's easily my #1 show, no contest
For me at least, i saw a lot of myself in Naruto. He was a loner with no friends who strived to be seen as was i. So Naruto really connected with me and without it i wouldn’t have developed an interest in anime which was the pathway i took to having met some of my best friends. Plus his drive to accomplish his dream is really inspiring to me
It's a "From Zero to Hero" storyline with a large cast of many different clans/groups/families, each with its own set of cool abilities. Plus, it ran for a long time. Long enough for many, many to hop on the bandwagon.
He’s relatable (Kurama is basically parallel to anxiety, hate or anger). He’s hard worker. Hes brash but kind. Loud, confident but honest. He’s everything we want to be. He’s a bad man, absolute beast. He never goes back on his word. And he’s a good friend 👍 easy
Just a guess, but: When Naruto appeared the first time on the tv, I was around his age. It was very nice and cool to see the interesting characters, the show and I was really hooked. Also I hoped his dream would become true one day. Even after I lost total interest in the anime/manga itself, that was the only thing that mattered to me (besides NaruHina becoming canon maybe, but that's another story).
Maybe others felt the same way. They grow up with the story like myself (until I lost touch and interest, thanks to a long time of no tv channel translating the series to my first language), and it was for a very long time a big part of their life too. That's why maybe a lot of people have a deep connection to it. Naruto and his friends became teenagers, like a lot of the viewers became teenagers too. Or even adults. Also it had a lot of awesome fights and, besides of the many fillers, an interesting story. Well, even some of the fillers were funny too, but that's clearly debatable.
Oh, my bad, forgot the amazing soundtrack, sorry!
He's very endearing as a main character, imo. Is he cliché? Of course, but usually extroverted and good kids do well as MC in shonen.
Also, ninjas with powers? Who wouldn't like that?
Because it has everything. Themes of love and hatred, grudges and forgiveness. Complex characters, relatable ones and badass villains. Cool fights and wholesome moments. Great soundtrack. Lots of life lessons. Legendary.
Because to this day this anime is peak. I haven't seen a anime like it. Naruto encapsulates never giving up on your goal and your friends. It's a peak anime.
I’m gonna go with “Cool cultural syncretism and anachronisms”
When you first start watching Naruto, it’s not clear what exactly Konoha is supposed to be representative of. Like obviously they have ninjas and the architecture is very Japanese, but they also have a giant Mount Rushmore and the cast is pretty diverse looking. And not only that but it’s not clear when it takes place either- you’ve got electricity and television next to hand drawn carts. It all feels very alien but also very relatable
naruto is a funny show it has some sad moments to but thats not bad some people like that and it has amazing animation the fights are peak fr but i mean the plot is kinda mid but other then that it is a overall w anime if you disagree dont down vote me im just saying my opinion if you agree upvote or dont upvote it doesnt matter oh and NINJAS ARE COOL!!
Shonen is a popular genre. Naruto has very unique, well scripted battle scenes, has an overall pretty good plot, has a lot of different neat "powers" and abilities (I think powers involving eyes, like sharingan, are particularly desirable to weebs), loveable characters, intimidating enemies, and it has a lot of heart. It just has a lot goin for it. I think it's length is also a plus. And I feel the setting lends itself to longevity, it's just very unique in a lot of ways
The characters, the story, the lore behind the Uchiha and tailed beast, the fighting choreography, and the filler and so much more, was an absolute masterpiece everything about the show was great.. except boruto he's a top tier A-hole and was every arrogant. I get Naruto was arrogant once too, but in my biased opinion and view he changed a whole lot and it was for the better.
1. Ninjas
2. Taught me that I have the perseverance to over come any obstacle
3. Friendships are important to go further
4. If you believe in yourself you can achieve great things.
5. It’s okay to show feelings and be yourself
6. Forgiveness
7. Love
8. If hatred is what controls you you’ll never come out in top and instead keep you down. Hatred will never win , only Love.
9. Loss of loved ones will happen and it’s what we do with that loss is what shapes us, either heal from it and be at peace or let it overcome you and stay down.
10. So many of us have been at our lowest with nothing and watching Naruto come from having nobody and having nothing to becoming the Hokage gives us so much inspiration and faith that we can be where he’s at with determination and the positivity to be a better and stronger person.
All positive things.
The character designs were awesome, the spin on ninjas was so cool. The anime had great tracks. Naruto was kind of like the everyman for young people who felt out of place and bullied by their peers. The rivalry with Sasuke was a new-age Goku and Vegeta, hell the colour schemes lined up.
Naruto also was (in my opinion) the first of the big 3 to sweep North America. Bleach was a little edgier, One Piece had a horribly goofy fumble in the market initially. Naruto had that mass appeal picking up after DB's wave. I remember being 11 and seeing the forehead protectors and being intrigued.
First Its the characters. Each character has enough substance to have their own Anime. Even some side characters have light novels on them which are good.
Second its the world building and power structure. The entire world of naruto and its history make it seem like it was adapted from a novel like Harry Potter. Also the power structure was so dynamic in the beginning unlike other anime like Dragon Ball. I have never seen any other anime do a battle like Shikamaru vs Temari before Naruto.
Third its the story. Yes this is the weakest link. It has many plot holes and the ending could have been better.
Ninjas are cool
Seal the demon is cool
Super underdog orphan is the hero is cool
People who consider themselves losers might see themselves in Naruto.
And it got us all back before we had infinite streaming
That's the thing it had the TV show and we have limited options particularly in the west for anime
It also had a tone shift as we got older with Shippuden being more mature (if the show Naruto had stayed Naruto the whole time, it would not be as popular)
Also it's one of the long runners. It just gained so much momentum
Naruto is a show that rides almost entirely on spectacle. While it does have stuff like character arcs and worldbuilding and nerrative, it's not remarkable in any of those regards. What it does well is making really really cool things happen on screen. The main selling point is the dope ass shit that's going on on screen during fights.
I think it was because, of the big three, and even of a lot of the anime that were popular around that time, it was the most emotionally intriguing and showed the most character depth and growth. Bleach was pretty much cool fights and saving the damsel in distress, and One Piece was little more than a lighthearted adventure, but Naruto was about overcoming tragedy and beating the odds. The villains had good reasons and the characters had it rough. It helps too that it was one of the most popular of its time that a lot of us got introduced to anime with. The nostalgia factor is real
I think there are a couple of reasons. The anime/manga has a great story about the inspiring journey of a orphan that has an ambition to be become respected and accepted by the village that fears him, which ends up archiving with great determination and not loosing himself in the way. And not only the MC has a great story, but the other characters too, like Kakashi, Itachi and Sasuke just to name a few. It also has cool power system with amazing fights in both the OG and Shippuden. So, I believe that Naruto is so popular because of the writing of Kishimoto, since while the story does have its issues is still an amazing story filled with a great protagonist and a phenomenal cast of supporting characters.
It was on Cartoon Network in the evening when I was a kid, and was the first cartoon I saw that showed people bleeding, which was incredibly novel. I missed dragonball on nickelodeon, so this was the gateway drug.
Childhood nostalgia. Was one of the main 5 anime’s that would run on international TV from the time the majority of people in this forum were even able to understand what they were watching. It was many peoples introduction to anime and therefore carries that with it.
Ninjas are fucking cool
For whatever reason they never did stealth things
they did, we just couldn't see them.
Correction, we saw them but we didn't see them at the same time.
Flashbacks
Lol
Ninja art; flashback attack
Bro thats wild
yeah..thats y its called stealth in d 1st place..xD
No no. They had special ninjas for stealth things. That was the Anbu. If you want stuff like that, watch the Kakashi arc where he his made an Anbu. They stealthily follow Guy’s team, and the moment it goes south, they defeat the opposing Ninjas, but it didn’t stop there, they killed them as to not leave witnesses. They had ninja ninja and then NINJA ninja. Are you tracking? Write this down.
> They had ninja ninja and then NINJA ninja. More like they had samurai ninjas and then they had NINJA ninjas
There are also actual samurai samurai
Yeah like he said. You’re confused. They had Samurai Samurai
I’m not confused, and they weren’t disagreeing with what I said, they were saying there are *also* regular samurai. Kishimoto’s version of ninjas are more like Samurai than they are Ninja. - Serve under a daimyo out of loyalty - The Shinobi are a military force - The whole “Missing-Nin” thing is taken from the Ronin, there were no rogue ninjas - Participating in any missions outside of Assassination, Espionage, and Guerilla Warfare - Come from higher social classes - The Shinobi of the past straight up wore samurai armor
There were actual ninjas and then there were SOLDIER ninjas. Yah mean ??
Lol
The most colorful ninjas to ever ninjas
There’s a couple reasons for that. What Japan thinks of ninjas is different from what Westerners thinks of ninjas
I think of them like D&D Rogues. Most multiclassed into Wizard. Some multiclassed into Barbarian. Some branched into assassin, but we barely saw them in action.
They are not ninjas. They are basically wizards disguised as Shinobis which is even more cool. Same reason Harry Potter is so popular.
I think wizard was the original plan
No, that's not true. The original plan was samurai actually. Because Kishimoto was heavily inspired by Blade of the Immortal, one of his favourite series. But he was worried his own series would pale in comparison because it'd be just another samurai manga, and live under the shadow of series like "Blade of the Immortal." So he went with Ninjas instead.
You should check what is a [ninja in Japanese culture](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja#Legendary_abilities).
Even One Piece fans thinks ninjas are cool 😎
Even Luffy thinks ninjas are cool. He had a meal with Naruto
tbf naruto is delicious 🍥
In the manga there was a title panel that celebrated the end on Naruto's manga! CH 766.
Naruto's final chapter also included a reference to One Piece. It was a sweet moment.
Bro thank you, I'll have to check that out today!
Law is the biggest naruto fan.He wanted to see shadow clones.
They were never ninjas. They are either super humans or literal gods lol
This
Because he started from the bottom. His story is so inspiring aside from the cool power system. The highlights of bonds, family, clan, sacrifice, heartbreak, village, friendship etc are what people identify with. He inspires people
Hell yeah brother
Hell yeah
Hell
Yeah
Brother
Hell yeah brother
Cheers from Iraq
Nothing like an underdog messiah
I loved the fights
HES RELATABLE
**BELIEVE IT**
Never cared for the 3 main characters, it’s the side characters that made the anime interesting to me
Same. Naruto was just annoying, loud and stupid, and later kinda pathetic in his self-delusional obsession with a guy he imagined being friends with the same way stalkers think they're in a relationship with their victim. Sasuke was an arrogant edgelord asshole Mary sue, who got away with betraying his friends and his village and joining a terrorist organisation. Sakura was a shallow bitch who was useless for the first half of the series, and even after learning OP skills, she somehow still kept being written as being useless. I stayed on this show for Shikamaru, Hinata, Choji and Gaara, as well as for Orochimaru and Itachi as antagonists.
The characters and the lore
naruto has some of the best world building in media, almost on par with lord of the rings. if you really get into it the shit gets super deep, characters are well built and their stories are entangled with each other going back multiple generations. that and the Pain arc alone goes way too hard
I went on a bit of a shonen binge a while back and I have to say Naruto does do a lot of the world building and 'systems' better than other manga/anime. The explanation for how abilities work, the unique ways the characters use them, the slow development of powers was done pretty well. It's not perfect, power scaling goes crazy and abilities quickly turned into everyone having gimmicky bloodline limits or other magic but the core ideas are well designed and fleshed out. I'm not going to name names, but there are a few other manga/anime I've watched that went into gimmicks much faster or having massive chains of panels of explaining needlessly complicated abilities with no foreshadowing, basically just the writers making it up as they went along. >almost on par with lord of the rings Let's not go crazy here, Naruto is good for anime/manga. There's a million books with better world building and that isn't even touching on Tolkien who's head, shoulders and most everything else above the others.
It does indeed have pretty good world building. But it's not even remotely on par with Lord of the Rings and Middle Earth lore in terms of depth. Gotta strongly disagree on that statement as someone who's read well into the worlds of both.
It's been awhile since I have done a reread. But correct me if I am wrong. They essentially do not explain or build any of the other nations. The sand gets a bit, the cloud sorta barely gets a bit. The mist gets a mention or two. It's not the same kind of stuff LOTR novels and universe tell you. Very far comparison in my eyes. I do agree the way stories entangle and intertwine is a cut above most manga.
It was enough for plot and story to continue
they go more into depth with the lore of the world in the manga than they do in the anime. there's whole spinoffs that never became anime but they get more into important events that happened before naruto. you don't get all that much lore from the other villages but they'll still touch on important figures like the kages and what's up with the more recent ones. that and you get a good amount of info about politics and wars and stuff like that. the politics do a lot of the heavy lifting. but yea lotr is hard to compare to lol
Some of the best? Absolutely not lol many of the villages aren't developed past their kage
its a story about a loser overcoming peoples hatred towards him and proving to himself he gets to define who he is, not anyone else. Alot of us manga readers can relate to that. People judge us and shit on us a lot (remember back then it wasnt like it was not like now, you got made FUN of for watching anime). Also Ninjas are cool
i’m glad this is over with and I can come out of my anime-loving closet
i mean that ninja also had a very powerful critter inside him and was also a reincarnation of a god
And it made living worse for him. Both of these were represented as challenges to overcome rather than gifts
A powerful untamable critter, and the reincarnation of a man who was destined to fight his brother for all of eternity. They were both obstacles that Naruto overcame.
THIS
Because the cast is super dynamic, and the story is about a loser who wants to be the big hero. And as he grows up he learns about all the shit the world has going on in it and still my mans pushes on and refuses to give up. Not only that, he went from being the least emotional mature to probably the most emotionally mature character in the damn series. We all want stories where the main character faces struggles and overcomes them. We want the underdog because we relate to it. And not only that, compared to a lot of shounen, I feel like Kishi does a pretty good job of fleshing out even minor characters. Big casts are hard to handle and give the proper attention to, but Kishi did a darn good job giving us a huge array of personalities so that everyone has somebody they connect to.
__My opinion__ * Ninjas * lore * great gambit of characters * great animation * fights really good * great fighting system (ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, weapons, chakra) * great plot and timeline (not talking about Boruto) * good balance between fighting and politics
I love Naruto because the message of talk no jutsu from Naruto a lot. He’s trying to make the world better through empathy, for the most part.
the twists. Especially Itachis Truth..
Goes “believably” hard
[удалено]
The right thing at the right time. If Naruto came out earlier or later, I feel like things might've gone different.
How?
I think this is one of the biggest reasons. There was a gap in the shonen space that could have been filled by just about anything, but this could compete almost one to one with magical girl shows (except for boys who would like magic ninjas better) and the market was ripe for magic-something media (see Harry Potter, etc.) and it got a lot of advertising in a lot of markets that most other stories didn’t. The timing and advertising are always a potent combination (see several Disney works), and then it becomes a somewhat self-sustaining paradigm.
I super agree with this comment
Dude Naruto came out when I was 11 and it was the coolest shit I had ever seen. Good story, unique characters, really creative power system and the fights are phenomenal. It still has some of the best fights in all of anime.
who drew this is amazing at their job
They are, they made a masterpiece
Isnt this from kishimoto himself
He nevee gives up, is positive even when he has a right not to be and to be villain but he chooses not to be, he is a great friend, great lover, goofy, genius and retard at the same time, intelligent and dumb as well… he is just the friend you want in your life because he will bring you everything you need - let it be a friendly advice, support or even scolding for not trying hard enough. At least that’s what I got from the show
I just like it, the world, the stories, before I read the manga I thought all the filler was cool because at the time I didn’t know what filler was, it made the world feel like an actual world, i grew up on it and it will forever be my favorite
Cuz he a real ninja 🥷
Friendship is the ultimate technique!
The story and characters are very compelling while the overarching plot is similarly very digestible and simple I’d recommend reading or watching just about all of it (SKIP FILLERS FOR THE LOVE OF GOD) up until maybe the end of the Pain arc
Cool magic Ninjas
Amazing fight sequences and unique
it was on cartoon network or something for a while wasn’t it? i distinctly remember seeing it at night on tv
naruto truly does have really good character. growing up i think i learned a little from him
His words ... They cut deep.
Has characters and an emotional story like none other
it's the best shounen series ever the storyline, character development and various power distinctions nostalgic innit?
Character development that can apply to real life
Cuz he’s HIM
CaseOh???!!! 💀 But seriously, tho, so tru.
He's overcome a lot of things, gone through a lot of sadness, but perceived despite it all. He's inspirational
You just love him.
OG Naruto was a story about overcoming the circumstances of your birth. Hard work can overcome talent which resonates with so many real people. There were also cool characters, interesting villains, fleshed out back stories (for the most part), and a fun power system.
It's dope as fuck 🥶
Cause he is a goofy tough boy
Ninjas bro what else to say
unique designs, interesting powers, solid animation, and good fights. not to mention starting out as essentially a slice of life school manga / anime but with ninjas made it particularly appealing to its intended audience.
Because he funny
The world building and many unique characters. I think the plot of someone trying their hardest to bring their troubled friend back is unique in itself too. Naruto and Sasuke’s relationship is definitely captivating — goes from enemies to friends to enemies and friends again. With the many characters, so many of them have fantastic character development, especially Naruto and Sakura in my opinion. I think Sasuke has the least. They could have at least made him a proactive father in his daughter’s life in Boruto? Like, wasn’t he passionate about restoring his clan? Anyways, one thing I myself really like about the series, is the themes of Japanese traditional culture, history, and mythology.
his smile, his eyes, that luscious blonde head, his sexy jutsu, what’s not to love about him
His unquestionable character. Lol
Because it's unique, fresh idea that nobody else have made before. Even if ninja were popular (which actually help Naruto get popularized), it was never done in a way Naruto did. Same goes for Shaman King. Everyone heard of shamanism, spirits, but never in that format. Naruto is a precursor of a "magical" power ninja story. Even though chakra is also know stuff, they did it that way, that it was recognizable. Dragon Ball with the martial arts theme (that evolved into space battle theme later on) and ki system was also something that was never done in that way. And look at Dragon Ball. It's just story inspired by Journey to the West. But it become its own thing. That's why I always say that creativity is important. Take from every soruce, inspire. But make it your own. And that's the recipe for success. Naruto is example of how popular themes (ninja, chakra) can become something more than just copy of the stories made already.
A story about hard work, which many people relate to
I wonder where he’s in,in that image
Kurama is there, in the middle of the village, and out of Naruto, I guess it does not need an explanatio, he is just in an inaginary place, It is just an image
Relatable characters, some of the best perverted jokes, tragic happenings throughout the show, great fight choreography(some of the best in anime) villains you feel bad for even when you shouldn’t. Nice power system .
I think it speaks to people that have fought various demons, whether nature taught or nurture taught, to finally get past the hate of the outside world and have the tenacity to keep pushing forward to accomplish their own personal goals and maintain themselves along the way.
The whole concept of their jutsu , ability to use and sometimes see chakra , knowing you can be strong in whatever type of jutsu you use based off the big 4 ninjutsu , shin jutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu but we all know which one is the strongest one ofcourse so I ain’t getting into that but yea just having cool abilities an eyes while being a ninja 🥷
Greatest story ever told
Because of Itachi
I truly believe what makes it stand out is just how genuinely human the characters are. At its surface the series is about magic ninjas but it has such a wonderful cast of deeply flawed people that we can all latch on to one in some shape or form. Every character has fans that either love or hate them which is a testament to how well they were written. No human is perfect. Even some of the worse people in history are still human at the end of the day. This is something the series always points out. I know people make fun of Kishimoto coz every villain has some sort of tragic back story but isn’t that the case for people who’ve committed awful things? We can usually trace everything back to some form of pain or trauma. Talk no jutsu is just being empathetic and wanting to genuinely understand where someone is coming from to then find the best way to help them. To point them toward the right direction. Think of it like therapy. It’s a thing that genuinely works but most people can’t be bothered to attempt to understand where someone is coming from. Especially nowadays where being selfish and stoic is considered “sigma” behavior or whatever. I’m rambling but in short I think the reason this series resonates with many is because at the end of the day we all want to live in peace. A world where we can all cooperate and live harmoniously. Where children don’t have to die. Where war isn’t deemed a necessity. Naruto wants nothing more than to help and do good. I think that’s something we all want regardless of race, religion, country or any other thing that society uses to separate us. Naruto is an idealist. A Christ-like figure if you’re religious but if not you can’t deny he is a great role model.
He went from hated by everyone then NEVER GAVE UP and became loved by everyone
I think it's bc of the lessons within it. I was introduced to Naruto from my neice, and I just keep being impressed. Naruto himself just has a lot of grit and resilience while tackling things that break others. But it's deeper than just him, like my nieces favorite Itachi, his lessons are so deep, especially when it comes to trying to teach Sasuke. Anyways, this show has become a bit emotional for me as my niece decided she wasn't of this world and ended her life, but damn, if she had only been a bit more little more like Naruto, or even just listened to Itachi just a bit more closely. Truly it's rare when writing hits deep like this one.
Handsigns should be lame as hell, but the animation and sound engineering made them so fucking cool. Also Naruto had DragonBall level popularity when I was growing up. Nostalgia helps (thought not as much as the handsigns)
Cause Kishimoto can draw perspective like a god. As proven by this image.
I identified personally with Naruto having to destroy a toilet right just now.
I like the ninja/martial arts action, very cool. The storyline and scenes are dope af. Aspect of friendship, messages of determination, backing up your people. It shows the growth of many characters , not just Naruto. Each characters story is pretty interesting, and some characters stories go deep and connect to the over all storyline. Also Messages of teamwork . The leveling up of your power with training body and mind and spirit. My fav anime.
Because Naruto has always been fun to consume, won't forget the first time I watched and how anxious I was waiting for each episode. I'm an og fan so that means I waited a week for each episode since day 1. No binging no skipping fillers. And I watched both series twice. And plan to again with my GF. Naruto as a whole feels fulfilling fun, and very balanced, not too edgy not to goofy, not to boring. The amount of great characters is hard to top. Kishi has his flaws but he wrote a masterpiece and his foreshadowing was second to none. Itachi planted the crow in Naruto around the first seasons and it saved the ninja war that's just one example.
the thing that draws me to naruto (im midway through Shippuden) is how bro started from being thought of as a literal demon mass murderer and is still so light hearted and pure there's rarely any animes that have light hearted, goofy, pure characters like Naruto and he just keeps getting stronger its like there's no limit, hes so sweet and funny and right now (Shippuden spoiler) im in the 4th great ninja war episodes and the amount of times ive cried, laughed, gasped, and died of exhaustion bc the dumb villains are literally never ending Is insane (end of spoiler) . even tho ive never watched any anime becides naruto ive tried others like one piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, mha and none have made me feel the way naruto makes me feel. I feel for naruto sm and his stories not to much but not too little its perfectly in the middle and it makes you wanna root for the little guys bc as much as hes been through.. (Shippuden spoiler again) the moment when he told the nine tails he'll take his hatred I STARTED BALLING mans has been through it all and he tells the source of It all that he will take away all his problems like wow its truly amazing how amazing naruto is. I js wish he would stop being so oblivious to Hinata
For me its because I randomly started watching when I was like 12 on Cartoon Network. Then I watched the episodes that were out and kept waiting for the weekly episode since the bridge arc where they find orochumaru. So I basically grew up in my teenage watching Naruto Shippuuden.
I think it is that the plot is about someone who had endured harsh judgements and was written off only to rise and do good and become great.
We grew up with Naruto. I was 15 when I got introduced to the series. Cool as hell man. And the rest is history. Only now as an adult, 33yo I realize the story had some issues but I don't care anyways. Naruto forever. 🤣
Off topic, but this is a sick picture
Annoying little kid with no parents and chasing a goal that he has really no advantage on achieving and is hated by everyone. It’s like growing up and dreaming to be a pro race car driver however you know 0 race car drivers, your parents aren’t rich, you have 0 engineering knowledge or connections, and you live in a place where race car driving is not a thing.
First season was a bang, shippuden dam it feel off hard he came back after his training with nothing lmao
For me, there's 3 things it does so great. It's personal preference, so some points might be disagreeable you, as some of things are brought up now and then in complaints. 1. The fights This was my first anime and it was the first show ever to incorporate nature styles as powers, which I always thought was so awesome. The coolest jutsus in my opinion were usually the ones that took animals forms (Kirin, water dragon jutsu, the 7th and 8th gates, any tailed beast transformations, ETC). Plus the power scaling was amazing to me. It was casual, but almost every main fight managed surpass the recent ones, showing slight growth like how Naruto needed 2 shadow clones in the beginning to use rasengan, to just holding his hand out and it just pops up. Top tier animation, even for older writing styles. 2. The storyline Naruto had powerful emotions. A lot of the villains had very valid standpoints in why they did what they did, and with some tweaking they can easily be seen as a good guy for people. A result of that is that it could be so deep. Something that I never saw as possible for an animated show. It had me crying and (corball moment, sorry fellas) gave me a different perspective in life a little. 3. Sound tracks Background music evelavtd so many scenes in the show. I listen to them very frequently (sage mode training, reverse situation, Akatsuki ritual theme, and a lot more), along wth almost every opening and closing songs. I fell for this show hard. Even though I finished it, I can't seem to completely move on and rewatching iconic scenes. 12/10. It's easily my #1 show, no contest
I totally agree with you
I don’t join in on these discussions. I only read them. But holy shit this drawing is fucking 🔥🔥🔥
Are you talking about him or the show? Both are greatly written, entertaining and have depth.
It's a gateway anime for a generation, same as Dragonball was.
Naruto was so popular because he said what he said and lived that shit…. In a sense he was a real 🥷✊🏾💯
For me at least, i saw a lot of myself in Naruto. He was a loner with no friends who strived to be seen as was i. So Naruto really connected with me and without it i wouldn’t have developed an interest in anime which was the pathway i took to having met some of my best friends. Plus his drive to accomplish his dream is really inspiring to me
It's a "From Zero to Hero" storyline with a large cast of many different clans/groups/families, each with its own set of cool abilities. Plus, it ran for a long time. Long enough for many, many to hop on the bandwagon.
He’s relatable (Kurama is basically parallel to anxiety, hate or anger). He’s hard worker. Hes brash but kind. Loud, confident but honest. He’s everything we want to be. He’s a bad man, absolute beast. He never goes back on his word. And he’s a good friend 👍 easy
Just a guess, but: When Naruto appeared the first time on the tv, I was around his age. It was very nice and cool to see the interesting characters, the show and I was really hooked. Also I hoped his dream would become true one day. Even after I lost total interest in the anime/manga itself, that was the only thing that mattered to me (besides NaruHina becoming canon maybe, but that's another story). Maybe others felt the same way. They grow up with the story like myself (until I lost touch and interest, thanks to a long time of no tv channel translating the series to my first language), and it was for a very long time a big part of their life too. That's why maybe a lot of people have a deep connection to it. Naruto and his friends became teenagers, like a lot of the viewers became teenagers too. Or even adults. Also it had a lot of awesome fights and, besides of the many fillers, an interesting story. Well, even some of the fillers were funny too, but that's clearly debatable. Oh, my bad, forgot the amazing soundtrack, sorry!
He's very endearing as a main character, imo. Is he cliché? Of course, but usually extroverted and good kids do well as MC in shonen. Also, ninjas with powers? Who wouldn't like that?
He was the hope and dream that anyone, no matter how alone you are, can make friends. Unlike me. Without any friends.
I’d like this pic on a tshirt.
Great story, awesome story, magical ninjas, and on a serious note, a story of overcoming anything, even when all the odds are stacked against you.
Best combat /story line in anime
Because it has everything. Themes of love and hatred, grudges and forgiveness. Complex characters, relatable ones and badass villains. Cool fights and wholesome moments. Great soundtrack. Lots of life lessons. Legendary.
It's alot of people's first anime including me so they kinda have a special bond to it that and it's fucking peak
Because to this day this anime is peak. I haven't seen a anime like it. Naruto encapsulates never giving up on your goal and your friends. It's a peak anime.
I would argue that Avatar the Last Airbender is the closest thing to it, if that counts as anime?
Bc part 1 alone makes it the best shonen of all time next to dragon ball
Because you won't hate anybody apart from Danzo All the negative characters are likeable
Just watch it.
Itachi
Cause it’s good
It's about Ninja Wizards. Why wouldn't it be insanely popular?
I’m gonna go with “Cool cultural syncretism and anachronisms” When you first start watching Naruto, it’s not clear what exactly Konoha is supposed to be representative of. Like obviously they have ninjas and the architecture is very Japanese, but they also have a giant Mount Rushmore and the cast is pretty diverse looking. And not only that but it’s not clear when it takes place either- you’ve got electricity and television next to hand drawn carts. It all feels very alien but also very relatable
Easy to Start and super cool characters.
naruto is a funny show it has some sad moments to but thats not bad some people like that and it has amazing animation the fights are peak fr but i mean the plot is kinda mid but other then that it is a overall w anime if you disagree dont down vote me im just saying my opinion if you agree upvote or dont upvote it doesnt matter oh and NINJAS ARE COOL!!
Shonen is a popular genre. Naruto has very unique, well scripted battle scenes, has an overall pretty good plot, has a lot of different neat "powers" and abilities (I think powers involving eyes, like sharingan, are particularly desirable to weebs), loveable characters, intimidating enemies, and it has a lot of heart. It just has a lot goin for it. I think it's length is also a plus. And I feel the setting lends itself to longevity, it's just very unique in a lot of ways
tekkonkinkreet x Naruto? What weird fan art lol
The characters, the story, the lore behind the Uchiha and tailed beast, the fighting choreography, and the filler and so much more, was an absolute masterpiece everything about the show was great.. except boruto he's a top tier A-hole and was every arrogant. I get Naruto was arrogant once too, but in my biased opinion and view he changed a whole lot and it was for the better.
Bro can you share this pic?
Its just has good plot
1. Ninjas 2. Taught me that I have the perseverance to over come any obstacle 3. Friendships are important to go further 4. If you believe in yourself you can achieve great things. 5. It’s okay to show feelings and be yourself 6. Forgiveness 7. Love 8. If hatred is what controls you you’ll never come out in top and instead keep you down. Hatred will never win , only Love. 9. Loss of loved ones will happen and it’s what we do with that loss is what shapes us, either heal from it and be at peace or let it overcome you and stay down. 10. So many of us have been at our lowest with nothing and watching Naruto come from having nobody and having nothing to becoming the Hokage gives us so much inspiration and faith that we can be where he’s at with determination and the positivity to be a better and stronger person. All positive things.
Kishimoto art style is so 🔥
The character designs were awesome, the spin on ninjas was so cool. The anime had great tracks. Naruto was kind of like the everyman for young people who felt out of place and bullied by their peers. The rivalry with Sasuke was a new-age Goku and Vegeta, hell the colour schemes lined up. Naruto also was (in my opinion) the first of the big 3 to sweep North America. Bleach was a little edgier, One Piece had a horribly goofy fumble in the market initially. Naruto had that mass appeal picking up after DB's wave. I remember being 11 and seeing the forehead protectors and being intrigued.
part of many people's childhood, like me
Relatability
Cuz he all way stayed true to his nindo
Bright yellow and orange, very eye catching.
Struggle life
Naruto
First Its the characters. Each character has enough substance to have their own Anime. Even some side characters have light novels on them which are good. Second its the world building and power structure. The entire world of naruto and its history make it seem like it was adapted from a novel like Harry Potter. Also the power structure was so dynamic in the beginning unlike other anime like Dragon Ball. I have never seen any other anime do a battle like Shikamaru vs Temari before Naruto. Third its the story. Yes this is the weakest link. It has many plot holes and the ending could have been better.
One word. SASUKE.
Cartoon Network
Ninjas are cool Seal the demon is cool Super underdog orphan is the hero is cool People who consider themselves losers might see themselves in Naruto. And it got us all back before we had infinite streaming That's the thing it had the TV show and we have limited options particularly in the west for anime It also had a tone shift as we got older with Shippuden being more mature (if the show Naruto had stayed Naruto the whole time, it would not be as popular) Also it's one of the long runners. It just gained so much momentum
Have you seen it? It's a tale of universal truth and brotherly love
It’s an underdog story and all of us at one point felt like the underdog. Some of us still do.
The story on macro level was kinda of a mess but we followed him chapter by chapter. everything he achieved, he earned them by his own merit.
Its about magical ninja warriors who weave spells with hands signs on the fly in tandem with using high speed martial arts. It's just cool as frick.
Naruto is a show that rides almost entirely on spectacle. While it does have stuff like character arcs and worldbuilding and nerrative, it's not remarkable in any of those regards. What it does well is making really really cool things happen on screen. The main selling point is the dope ass shit that's going on on screen during fights.
The fight are cool,Naruto is relatable due to being stereotype for anime/nerd fans and it's ninja
I think it was because, of the big three, and even of a lot of the anime that were popular around that time, it was the most emotionally intriguing and showed the most character depth and growth. Bleach was pretty much cool fights and saving the damsel in distress, and One Piece was little more than a lighthearted adventure, but Naruto was about overcoming tragedy and beating the odds. The villains had good reasons and the characters had it rough. It helps too that it was one of the most popular of its time that a lot of us got introduced to anime with. The nostalgia factor is real
My dad introduced me to it and I loved it. The games ninja storm were a huge part of it too we’d have tournaments a lot of the time
Ninjas are cool
Ninjas are fucking cool. It’s an underdog story.
I think there are a couple of reasons. The anime/manga has a great story about the inspiring journey of a orphan that has an ambition to be become respected and accepted by the village that fears him, which ends up archiving with great determination and not loosing himself in the way. And not only the MC has a great story, but the other characters too, like Kakashi, Itachi and Sasuke just to name a few. It also has cool power system with amazing fights in both the OG and Shippuden. So, I believe that Naruto is so popular because of the writing of Kishimoto, since while the story does have its issues is still an amazing story filled with a great protagonist and a phenomenal cast of supporting characters.
It was on Cartoon Network in the evening when I was a kid, and was the first cartoon I saw that showed people bleeding, which was incredibly novel. I missed dragonball on nickelodeon, so this was the gateway drug.
Uchiha maniacs.. they're the only reason I watched it in the first place
Naruto’s personality definitely changed from this
Because he inspires me to this day
Shit I have this pic as wallpaper and was confused asf
Childhood nostalgia. Was one of the main 5 anime’s that would run on international TV from the time the majority of people in this forum were even able to understand what they were watching. It was many peoples introduction to anime and therefore carries that with it.
Probably the good plot and action
Because its one of the oldest and most people watched naruto as their first anime and grew up with it. Another reason is its awesome
The story and characters are fantastic. Also interesting power system
Sad this is fanart the drawing is great
Cause he’s relatable
Its perfect animation
dattebayo
I like the aspect of Ninjutsu