Anime may be an unfamiliar topic for most people. Maybe it is because they do not have enough time to watch or can’t get into the median. Is Naruto a good anime to get your feet wet in this genre? Keep reading and find out if Naruto is the anime to get you hooked on anime.
Those who know nothing about Naruto at least know the signature Naruto run with the hands behind your back stretched out and leaning forward a bit. In the show, the running technique looks cool when they run into action. But in real life, it couldn’t be further from goofy. As one who has attempted to run like this in gym class, I can say that it is not the most effective method trying to run faster. Though it was goofy and had no physical gain, I did it because I am a nerd and have a love for this show.
Before the advancement of technology in the world, the population was dominated by the way of the ninja also known as shinobi. Taking place in the great nation of Konoha, in the powerful village named Hidden in the Leaf. Home to many great ninjas who protect and defend the village from other invading villages. The story revolves around a boy named Naruto who was cast aside and looked down upon from his fellow villagers. Through all the hardships, Naruto vows to be the Hokage of the Leaf village.
This is a character-based show with over fifty characters that all revolve around Naruto and his life. The main cast is the ninja squad called team seven. Naruto Uzumaki (Maile Flanagan) was cursed with the nine-tailed fox after he was born. The nine-tailed fox is a beast that destroyed the Leaf village. Cursed with this beast, Naruto is shunned throughout the village and is seen as an outcast. He doesn’t let that stop him from wanting to be the Hokage of the Leaf village. After going to ninja school, Naruto is out on a team to perform missions that will benefit the Leaf village. His rival and squadmate is Sasuke Uchiha (Yuri Lowenthal). He lives with the burden of being the last of his clan after they were all slaughtered by a rogue member of their own clan. Sasuke’s sole purpose in life is to avenge his family and kill the one who killed his family. Sakura Haruno (Kate Higgins) is madly in love with Sasuke but gets rejected every time. She won’t let the rejections stop her from being the best ninja she can be. She is constantly rejecting Naruto’s love proposals since she only has eyes for Sasuke. Kakashi Hatake (Dave Wittenberg) is their sensei as well as the team captain. He teaches the young ninjas what being a shinobi is really all about. Kakashi loves to read romance novels but doesn’t let that fool you, he is one of the greatest ninjas in all of Konoha. He is feared among the other nations, he was deemed the nickname of the copy ninja due do his ability to copy his opponent’s techniques.
The greatest aspect of this show is the character development. Naruto started as this eight-year-old kid, who pulled of pranks to be noticed, then became to be the greatest ninja in the world. Following his journey, from childhood to adulthood, is something special to watch. It felt as if I was growing with him as the show progressed. There are over fifty characters in this show and each one is as important as the main four characters. Naruto is constantly being challenged by members of his village and out of it. About every character has a story arch to them which allows the audience to truly fall in love with each character. Naruto may be the main character but is nowhere near to my favorite. Falling in love with characters that are considered a side character is great. The show does not make any character useless to the plot. Though the action is great, especially with the hand to hand combat, the character development with each and every single member of the cast is what makes this show great and memorable.
Naruto is worth the watch even if it is 720 episodes and a third of those episodes are filler that has nothing to do with the main plot. If you can stomach those fillers and the length of the series, then it will be a fun time. It is like a gateway drug to the world of anime, once a person gets hooked on anime there is no coming back. It is a great show to start the addiction, a healthy one if time management is a good skill of yours. Naruto is action-packed and makes one care for the characters enough to shed some tears during emotional moments.
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